Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Monday, November 21, 2011
What are the Consequences of a Eurozone Break-up? / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: DK_Matai
"The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences." That was Churchill in a speech to the House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster in London on November 12, 1936, as clouds darkened over Europe, three years before the outbreak of the Second World War. Dark clouds are now hovering once again over Europe in regard to the single currency, eurozone sovereign defaults and an interlinked banking crisis. This is not going to take three years.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Will David Cameron Sell UK Down the EU River of Worthless Promises to Join the Euro? / Politics / UK Politics
By: Mike_Shedlock
The UK had been expected to have a voter referendum on proposed EU treaty changes. The EU of course does not want voter referendums or anything that look remotely democratic as we have seen by actions in Greece and Italy.
Deal or No Deal?
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Dealing with Despots: Sanctions Make Things Worse, Case in point Iran / Politics / Middle East
By: Andrew_Butter
The stupidest OP-ED I’ve read all year was a recent column in the New York Times:
The sale of oil — about 2.3 million barrels are exported every day — accounts for more than 50 percent of Iran’s national budget. Under current American law, the importation of Iranian oil is prohibited, but gasoline refined from Iranian petroleum is not. Sanctions obviously need to hit this industry harder.
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Sunday, November 20, 2011
UK Government Sells Northern Rock for Approx £20 billion Loss to Virgin Money / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Nadeem_Walayat
This weeks mainstream media coverage in the UK of the sale of the bankrupt bailed out Northern Rock to Virgin Money for approx £1 billion against a £1.4 billion cost to the tax payer for a net loss of approx £400million as illustrated by the Daily Mail and the BBC's Robertt Preston telling us that the tax payer has got a good deal is WRONG.
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Friday, November 18, 2011
Germany and France Divided: End of The Road for The Euro? New Beginning for the Deutsche Mark? / Politics / Euro
By: DK_Matai
1. Divisions between Germany and France have widened significantly in regard to a common Eurozone solution as borrowing costs outside of Germany rise to euro-era records;
2. The German government is standing firm in its opposition to deploying the European Central Bank (ECB) for the bailout of faltering Eurozone sovereigns;
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Friday, November 18, 2011
The Symbiotic Relationship of Feds and Insiders / Politics / Central Banks
By: Bill_Bonner
Yesterday when the markets closed the price of oil was only 66 cents shy of $100. What a come back. We expected oil, stocks and gold to sink down deep…and not come back for a long time. So far, we’re wrong a about that. People are still sending money to Wall Street to buy stocks and gold.
Where is all this money mail coming from? We don’t know exactly, but there are foreign stamps on many of the envelopes. Foreign stock markets are down. Many of the leading foreign bonds are down too. Investors look at Italy; they see Vesuvius. They look at France; they see Dunkirk. They look India; they see a Black Hole.
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Friday, November 18, 2011
Police State vs. Occupy Wall Street, This Is Not Going To End Well / Politics / US Politics
By: LewRockwell
Right now, we are watching the early rounds of a heavyweight fight between two extremely determined opponents. Occupy Wall Street has no plans of losing this fight and neither do law enforcement authorities. Perhaps those running the show actually believed that raiding Zuccotti Park and more than a dozen other "Occupy camps" around the nation would end these protests, but that is just not going to happen. Whatever your opinion of Occupy Wall Street is, everyone should be able to agree that this is one dedicated bunch. They are absolutely obsessed with their cause and in response to the recent raid on Zuccotti Park organizers are calling for “a national day of direct action” on Thursday. But if Occupy Wall Street protesters want to take things to "the next level", they should not underestimate the resolve of the police state. Over the past decade, the homeland security apparatus of the federal government has been slowly but surely turning this country into a "Big Brother" police state.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Bankster Conspiracy for a United States of Europe / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: LewRockwell
Jim Davies writes: It's fascinating to watch the unfolding shambles in Europe, rather like observing, from a nearby lifeboat, the Titanic slowly but inexorably slipping under the water. "Expert" predictions are either gloomy or non-credible; either the EU will break up or its currency will collapse, or both. The dominoes are poised to tumble. But recently, a whisper has been heard about a rather different possible outcome. Conspiracists will leap at the chance to say the crisis was planned for that purpose.
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Greater Context of the Crisis in Europe / Politics / Credit Crisis 2011
By: Submissions
Michelle Shocked, ‘Over the Waterfall,’ Arkansas Traveler
‘Petitio principii,’ which is in part believing whatever makes you an easy buck, is, after male libidinal drive, the most powerful force in the human condition.’
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Thursday, November 17, 2011
Shame of the Euro: How the European Project Lost Touch With Democracy and Its Humanitarian Roots / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: Submissions
Will Bancroft writes: The European project started with noble aims and general popular endorsement. We are not going to criticise the ideas for starting the ball rolling at The Treaty of Rome in 1957. The European continent had a bloody history of war, revolution, and conflict between different ethnic and cultural groups. A Second World War within a few decades of the first brought peoples and politicians to a highly developed state of empathy and cooperation. Fertile ground to lay the foundations of projects economic and political one might feel, and for some healthy collaboration for human advancement.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
What Will Happen to Greece et al (if they leave the Eurozone)? / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
By: Julian_DW_Phillips
Forest Fire on the Way
As each week passes, the debt crises in the Eurozone become more and more like a dry forest where small fires that have broken out appear to be contained before the next larger fire is kindled. "Solutions" are put forward, only to prove inadequate. New prime ministers of Greece and Italy are hailed as capable of imposing needed disciplines to stave of a full blown forest fire. But even these (future scapegoats?) men realize they can contribute only a small amount to the problems.
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Thursday, November 17, 2011
U.S. Congress Gets Richer on Insider Trading Whilst Middle Class Suffers / Politics / US Politics
By: Money_Morning
Kerri Shannon writes:
While many Americans continue to struggle to save money, members of Congress are getting richer.
A Roll Call analysis of Congress members' financial disclosure forms showed their collective net worth was more than $2 billion in 2010 - a 25% leap from 2008. Minimum net worth in the House of Representatives rose to $1.26 billion, with minimum Senate net worth at $784 million.
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Thursday, November 17, 2011
Destroy Germany to Save the Euro / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: Mike_Shedlock
Yesterday German Chancellor Angela Merkel came flat out and said, "To save the Euro we must Destroy Germany".
Well not exactly, but she may as well have because that is the implication. This is what she did say: Germany Is Ready to Cede Some Sovereignty to Save the Euro
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Euro Bankrupting States Technocrats Now, Strong Man Next? / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: Adrian_Ash
The trouble is, this freedom thing has simply gone too far. Apparently...
YOU REMEMBER the Lisbon Treaty, right?
Rejected by voters in three of the five European Union states to be asked, it was signed regardless by the heads of all 27 member states in 2009, thus "complet[ing] the process [of] enhancing the efficiency and democratic legitimacy of the Union."
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Taxpayers Forget Retirement / Politics / Pensions & Retirement
By: Gary_North
If you are still a taxpayer, you are Atlas. I am Atlas. There will come a time when Atlas will shrug. I have written about this before: When will he shrug? Before I can answer this, I want to discuss another factor, compound economic growth
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Occupy Wall Street, Police May Have Seized The Park But The Movement Moves On / Politics / US Politics
By: Danny_Schechter
It was strange, after all these weeks, to be on the outside looking in at a new set of occupiers that were there because they have the guns and we don’t.
When Mao said that “power grows out of the barrel of a gun” he most assuredly did not have anything like Occupy Wall Street on his mind, but somehow the insight applies.
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Green Revolution Food Crisis, A Deeper Shade Of Brown / Politics / Food Crisis
By: Andrew_McKillop
There was nothing green about the first Green Revolution of the late 1950s and the 1960s. It was brown oil-coloured from start to finish. World population skyrocketed during the last 35 years of the 20th century, adding as many as 110 million more mouths to feed every 12 months in the early 1980s, before tapering down to the present approximate 70 - 75 million per year. Food crisis remains a real threat.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Europe's Crisis: Beyond Finance / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: STRATFOR
Everyone is wondering about the next disaster to befall Europe. Italy is one focus; Spain is also a possibility. But these crises are already under way. Instead, the next crisis will be political, not in the sense of what conventional politician is going to become prime minister, but in the deeper sense of whether Europe’s political elite can retain power, or whether new political forces are going to emerge that will completely reshape the European political landscape. If this happens, it will be by far the most important consequence of the European financial crisis.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Central Bankers Abuse of Global Monetary System, The Rape and Pillage of Humanity / Politics / Central Banks
By: Rob_Kirby
With a title like, the Rape and Pillage of Humanity, many of you are probably expecting this paper to be a story about greed, power, misplaced trust and abuse in College Football. So if you thought that – you’d be wrong.
Instead, this is tale about greed, power, misplaced trust and abuse in our global monetary system – and what Central Bankers have done to it. In short, they’ve taken us to the showers and had their way with us all.
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
ECB's Draghi Borrows Paulson’s Bazooka / Politics / Central Banks
By: Michael_Pento
The latest round of optimism on display late last week from Wall Street was based upon the supposed resolution--once again--of all Europe's problems. However, the sad truth is the move upward only brought the S&P500 near the unchanged mark on the year in nominal terms and much lower when adjusted for inflation.
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