For what I understand, this statement held on January 20th 1981 signalled the start of what is known as Reaganomics. How fruitful it was for America, well I don't know but it was a major source of inspiration for rightist parties across Europe.
That was particularly the case in France, starting with Chirac in his bids to become elected president in 1988 and on. Now, that is sort of ironic when one considers how the same man and his affiliates of the so-called centre were the most interventionists of all politicians during the 60s and 70s under De Gaulle, Pompidou and Giscard.
But never mind, now we've entered the XXIth century and "néo-libéralisme" as it was called in Europe before gaining the name "ultra-libéralisme", has been implemented in about all countries like Greece, Italy, Spain, Iceland and France of course but to a lesser degree though (notwithstanding Argentina). For some reason, Scandinavian countries have kept their head cool and are breezing with ease, safety and tranquillity. Ah, those socialist ignoramus in economics!
Obviously there have been some hitches on the road to prosperity and we're now witnessing how all these countries, former avant-garde of heavenly economical felicity, are now yelling out for rescue from European States.
Oh, and look at Spain with a 25% unemployment rate, yes25%! And to think there was a special issue of Time (was it Newsweek?) dedicated to the vibrant economy of this Mediterranean tiger some years ago... (also Spain was a docile ally in Iraq). What went wrong?
Even better: Obama is now calling for European States to act together in order to put an end to the mess liberal economic politics have brought in their countries.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to the same line from capitalists: Profits Privés, Pertes Publiques.
And the masses who believe they can choose their fate through universal suffrage keep on voting and electing the very ones whose ultimate goal is to fleece them in the name of abundance and personal welfare.
Contrairement à ce que professait Hegel, ll n'y a aucune rationalité en Histoire. Sheeps are sheeps, wolfs are wolfs and are not exactly interested with the formers happiness.
25 commentaires:
Alors, tu me plaît avec Rafa, et puis me fait vomir avec cette image.... mauvais garçon que t'es Flocon.
Image de Ben Laden, et puis Reagan... et après, tu vas nous régaler avec cet cet homme ?... mauvais garçon !
Encore de Rafa ou Dr Cox stp
Anijo, malheureusement, il n'y avait jamais un remplaçant plus jeune pour Sean Connery
Au moins que je sache.
Flocon,
Je préfère Sean Connery au lieu de ton petite piece de red meat. Seriously, that type of phoniness doesn't interest me, believe it or not.
Hmmm... I've ordered the petite piece de red meat to go back home, he's not welcomed.
Here at two men whose singular beauty fascinated me when I discovered their face when I was still a very young teenager.
Lui et lui.
And this American actress kind of mesmerized me when I was about 11...
Victoria Grant
has an answer to Reagan, who would probably to lefty for the current Republican Party.
Reaganonmics was based on enormous deficit spending by cutting taxes for the rich. It took Clinton to correct things and he left office with a financial program that almost all economists agreed would absorb the debt in 20 years or less.
Then came George W who in one year changed a surplus into a 200 billion deficit by more useless "defense" spending and further tax cuts for the rich.
And look how Chirac and worse, Sarko, have dilapidated Jospin's legacy...
Re Victoria Grant (whose most excellent memory must be commanded for she is obviously reciting her lesson), it brings Grouch Marx's quote to my mind:
"Run out and get me a four year old child, I can't make head or tail out of it."
But happy days are here again! French voters have elected politicians who propose to bring back prosperity by increasing taxation and without reducing government spending.
Problem solved.
Isn't that how the Swedes did it?
SemperFidelis
@ SemperFidelis
Not exactly. Sarkozy himself has been a champion in increasing taxes and taxes creation, and most of the future increase was already in the books of Sarko's government. And the present government still has the goal of reducing spending, but not at the expense of our children education, and with some social justice, which seems to be an unknown concept on the right.
Anyway, thy will have to reduce spending. They just want a policy that allows economic development at the same time, since it is useless to reduce spending without economic development : that's recession, and when in recession you can't pay your debts.
"It is so hard to believe that all this is the way that it has to be":
http://tinyurl.com/7gyukw4
-Jan
CDN
SemperFidelis,
As a complement to ZapPow's comment, suffices to consider the economic state of France after 10 years of rightist policies: the unemployment level has nearly doubled, so has the national debt (here) (Chirac and Sarko).
The poor are poorer and the rich richer, what a surprise...
Last time I checked, the US went out of depression in the 30s with an enormous effort by the Federal Gvt which invested massively in the military business.
Also which % of the US budget is dedicated to the military and its millions employies? (another name for civil servants)
As you know, Groucho has the answer to all those difficult to understand theories..
As pertains Sweden you may be interested with these videos re socialism in Sweden.
The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 1
The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 2
But beware! You may be in for a culture shock...
Salut Jan,
"It is so hard to believe that all this is the way that it has to be".
A very deterministic statement which I completely agree with.
It has some religious vibes...
How Swedes and Norwegians broke the power of the One Percent
The American equivalent of your 4P would be a phrase used since the Reagan years.
"Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor."
Anijo,
The article you link to is most interesting indeed. It mentions this (swedish) movie Ådalen 31 which went out when I was in my last year in the lycée.
Was it because that was the year after 1968, or because I was still very young (but yet muscular, well built and handsome) and in the process of discovering the world of grown-ups, I sort of remember the film was being much talked about at that time.
But back to the article... how did you come to know it existed? and about its content and the overall ideological atmosphere it reeks of, are you a... a... err... oh Lord... a Marxist Anijo?
Flocon,
It was linked to by Norm Jenson on his blog onegoodmove.
Am I a Marxist? Hell, I don't really know what I am. A strange mix of many things it seems
waow... I've indulged with a bottle of red wine from the Loire region and for some reason I feel I'm not in a position to properly comment on the blog. What's more, I feel an urgent need to sleep. I'll keep you informed later... ouch! zzzzz....
Wish I was there sharing with you a bottle of red wine from the Loire region.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have you found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
Well, that wasn't the best bottle of wine I ever drunk by far (but actually I hardly drink three bottles per year). It's just that I wasn't totally fit to write after ten minutes...
As for being a Marxist the test is easy: If you favor exploitation of man by man you're not a Marxist. Now, choose your side ;-)
//For some reason, Scandinavian countries have kept their head cool and are breezing with ease, safety and tranquillity.//
Perhaps keeping their own currencies and staying out of the Euro had something to do with it.
SemperFidelis
"Perhaps keeping their own currencies and staying out of the Euro had something to do with it.
Exactly! it has to do with it, though it doesn't explain everything.
These countries don't have to pay for the Greeks as much as the Euro zone members must. But as members of the E.U, I suppose they nonetheless have to contribute somehow.
As pertains the Norwegian, they simply aren't members of said E.U and they relie on the Northern Sea oil wells. They probably could'nt care less.
Now the UK also isn't a member of the Euro zone and it seems they're not performing that well these days. Which is a mystery to me since they've been implementing very liberal policies since M. Thatcher came to power thirty years ago. What went wrong?
Un autre exemple des 4 P : Quand les banques britanniques et néerlandaises ont fait de mauvaises affaires en Islande, à qui ont-elles fait appel to bail them out but... the State of Iceland through the Islandic taxpayers.
For some reason, these ungrateful people have refused to pay English and Dutch capitalists through the nose. Bizarre...
and they relie on the Northern Sea oil wells
Yup. No Marxism there. That's capitalism, it is.
Norway is the third largest oil exporter on Earth
Perhaps capitalism is not as evil as some Marxists imagine.
//Un autre exemple des 4 P : Quand les banques britanniques et néerlandaises ont fait de mauvaises affaires en Islande, à qui ont-elles fait appel to bail them out but... the State of Iceland through the Islandic taxpayers.
For some reason, these ungrateful people have refused to pay English and Dutch capitalists through the nose. Bizarre.//
I don't think this is the current situation. Iceland has negotiated a complex series of deals with the UK, the Netherlands, the IMF and a number of lenders including Denmark, Norway and Poland that will result in most of the UK and Netherlands savers eventually getting most of their savings returned. Tommy and Hans will have to wait some time for their money and will not be able to retire when they had planned. And they will probably not get it all back. But hey, they should have buried the money in the back garden, right?
Iceland wants to enter the EU, and they can't do it over UK and Netherlands objections.
So this will all be fixed up eventually and Iceland will get into the EU.
But I don't think anyone will ask the French what they think about it. No need to worry, though. Lady Ashdowne and Daniel Cohn-Bendit will look after your interests.
SemperFidelis
Anijo,
Nobody's stating that Norway is ruled according to marxist precepts (whatever that may mean), or Sweden for that matter.
Ikea in Stockholm, Lego in Copenhagen, Nokia in Helsinki etc. (although Finland isn't a Scandinavian country mais c'est pareil).
Capitalism in northern Europe isn't left unbridled as it is elsewhere and the State plays a major role in regulating excesses, that's a fact as you know.
SemperFidelis,
I'm not knowledgeable as you are in these matters but if I understand what you're writing, at the end of the day the British, Dutch etc. banks are asking the Islandic collectivity to reimburse to their clients the money that has been left through gambling in international finance nets.
And also, dividends of said banks must not be altered by these little inconveniences of reality getting through the way of profits without accountability.
If I got Reagan's message clear, the Gvt is the problem and shouldn't interfere in what is none of its business.
Entrepreneurs and cies are fully responsible for their acts and shouldn't expect anybody to help them out in times of trouble.
Just, in that case it's the too big to fail trump card that applies, another denomination for the 4 P. law.
they should have buried the money in the back garden, right?
They, too, have played the game of as much profit as possible and they've lost. And now they're crying over their lost money. I understand and share their grief since I've also "lost" a certain amount of money courtesy my bank (whose profits have never been higher on the other hand). And I'm not happy about that.
That has taugh me a lesson but money isn't my raison de vivre.
----
"I don't think anyone will ask the French what they think about it."
When "we" were asked (along with the Dutch and the Irish) we said no but that was not fitting our respective gvts wishes so they had the popular votes overturned by the parliaments. In the name of "democracy" of course.
I agree with you here, the EU is a complete scam as well as an absolute fraud.
Enregistrer un commentaire