Open (Neither Ukraine Nor Palestine) Thread 2024-267
News & views not related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine ...
Posted by b on November 7, 2024 at 14:48 UTC | Permalink
next page »When will the penny drop for the German government - the people and businesses of Germany are suffering greatly due the the German coalition governments inability to say no to the USA with regards to sending huge sums of cash to aid it in its war with Russia; Trump will only ask for more more cash from Nato members - when the monies would be better spent inhouse.
"Germany’s coalition government has collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz relieved Christian Lindner of his duties as the Federal Minister of Finance over persistent divisions on spending and economic reforms.
The dismissal came amid rifts among the leaders of the troubled three-party coalition - Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and Lindner’s fiscally conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP).
For weeks, they have bickered over how to address a €9 billion gap in the 2025 federal budget and the steps required to handle Germany’s economic downturn."
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:04 utc | 2
I doubt very much that Trump - will suddenly not so much as extend the the hand of friendship to Iran - but look at ways to work with the country to reduce tensions in the region - afterall Trump is a close ally of the Zionists - and his forceful actions in reneging on the (JCPOA) deal with Iran - and opening up Jerusalem to the benefit of the Zionists points to Trump's continued animosity against Iran.
"Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeili Baghaei of Iran said Thursday that Trump's victory is an opportunity for the United States to reassess its "wrong policies" in the past."
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:11 utc | 3
When will the penny drop for the German government
It won’t.
They’ll go to their graves without the penny having dropped.
Posted by: PalmaSailor | Nov 7 2024 15:15 utc | 4
Republic of Scotland, the Duran has a good video on the German government crisis this morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56zdKKoDN7c
Posted by: morongobill | Nov 7 2024 15:15 utc | 5
Let hope Trump withdraws Yankee troops from Syria - they have absolutely no right to be there in the first place - much what ails the world today is down to US bellicose foreign policies.
"President-elect Donald Trump wants to withdraw US troops from northern Syria rather than leave them as “cannon fodder” if fighting breaks out between Turkey and Kurdish militants, his ally Robert F Kennedy Jr has said.
Kennedy, who is expected to play a major role in the new US government, said during a live broadcast that Trump had expressed his intentions for northern Syria during a plane journey.
“We were talking about the Middle East, and he took a piece of paper and drew on it a map of the Middle East with all the nations on it, which most Americans couldn't do.
“He was he was particularly looking at the border between Syria and Turkey, and he said, 'We have 500 men on the border of Syria and Turkey and a little encampment that was bombed,’” Kennedy said."
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:15 utc | 6
PalmaSailor (4).
You may be right - the USA has a iron grip on Germany, with many of its politicians subscribing to the Atlanticist agenda.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:19 utc | 7
Maybe Americans voted the Democrats out because of economics price rises etc and the fact - that Democrats don't know what a woman is - and the Democrats, have sent billions in aid to what is effectively a Neo-Nazi ran dictatorship (Zelensky's tenure ran out months ago) in Ukraine.
It could be that Biden and Harris - have orchestrated a parting shot (Parthian Shot) - in rushing out billions in cash and aid to Ukraine before Trump gets his feet under Old Resolute (Whitehouse Desk) - if so its another blow to the poor American citizens who has to pay for this.
"Outgoing American President Joe Biden is rushing military aid to Ukraine as flow of aid from the United States is uncertain when US President-elect Donald Trump takes the helm at the White House, sources say.
Citing unnamed sources, Reuters said that the Biden administration intends to quickly provide billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine before the 81-year-old president's term concludes in January.
“The administration plans to push forward ... to put Ukraine in the strongest position possible” said a senior administration official, stressing that the move is an attempt to shore up the government in Kiev before Trump’s January 20 inauguration as he is expected to largely block the flow of US aid to the ex-Soviet republic."
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:29 utc | 8
I'll repost the failed minuteman test during election time, nobody cared it failed
"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — An unarmed missile test was scheduled to launch out of the Vandenberg Space Force Base early Wednesday morning but it was terminated due to an anomaly.
The mission was “safely terminated” by Space Launch Delta 30 at 12:06 a.m., according to officials. "
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 15:38 utc | 9
So, another four years of that low booming noise everywhere you go:
trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,...
Posted by: Bemildred | Nov 7 2024 15:39 utc | 10
So who will replace that evil monster Anthony Blinken as Trump's US Secretary of State?
The former Director of National Intelligence and Florida Senator Marco Rubio?
Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty?
Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell?
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:40 utc | 11
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:40 utc | 11
Thinking it over, I look at it this way: his choices this time around will tell us very quickly whether he has learned anything at all in the last eight years.
Posted by: Bemildred | Nov 7 2024 15:44 utc | 12
[email protected] the gap? They can't ask 404 for their money back? All of it?
And really, let's be open, let's be honest, apologies b, but they deserve it, every single turn of the screw. If they must suffer, where were the mass strikes and demonstrations "not in our name"? Add in hmm, WW1, ah, WW2....and here we have them at the forefront of WW3. Same dog eared script, take 3.
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Nov 7 2024 15:45 utc | 13
So Germany, France, Poland and the USA will oppose Georgia's accession to the EU - if it doesn't drop the Foreign Agents Laws - I can only hope that the people of Georgia and the ruling Georgian Dream Party stand up to these bullies - who want to undermine Georgia using foreign funded NGO's.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:49 utc | 14
What About Free Speech?
Many of us are concerned about the restriction of Free Speech here in the West. Deplatforming, financial interference, search-engine manipulation, being jailed for saying what's not (currently) official policy ... we're all wondering what we do about this set of problems.
Many of you know Colonel Douglas MacGregor. He's a very outspoken critic of U.S. foreign, economic, and social policy, he's authoritative, and he's got a bias toward action. The man's potent.
Lately he's been advocating for a new set of tools which help enable free speech, and bottom-up, grass roots organizing at the local level. This "set of tools" is a web-based platform called "Re:Public". Interesting name, indeed.
One very interesting thing about Re:Public is that it's not an advertising-based service like Facebook, or Google. You subscribe to it. You pay to be a member, to avail oneself of the tools they've built, and the forum they're now building with those tools. That is a subtle, but profound difference. The burden of support is taken up by each individual; we are now paying _consciously_ for a service ... that serves _us_. We are not unconsciously paying for a service that ... serves _them_. Big diff.
Here is a short vid of Col. MacGregor telling Lt. Colonel Danny Davis about Re:Public.
Here is the link to this new web platform MacGregor's talking about. Re:Public.
Re:Public has got some interesting features. What's especially interesting is the timing of the platform's launch. It was launched in Aug 24, and maybe someone expected some structural changes in public opinion, and prepped the right tools to more-fully express those emergent, long-repressed perspectives ... and there sure seems to be some dam-breaking going on lately .. here's a tool that takes a sledge-hammer to the top-down control (dam) that's holding back effective public dialog.
Another interesting fact (at the moment) about Re:Public is that you can't tell who built it, and where the money to build it came from, and who will be making the decisions about policy over the long term. I think that omission needs to be corrected before Re:Public is going to get major buy-in.
But it's a notable step in the right direction.
====
I'm bringing the Free Speech subject up because I believe we're going to need a whole lot more Free Speech to right the U.S. ship of state.
We need to get out from under the oligarchic/Deep State choke-hold we're in.
A few days ago I posted a message over on Gilbert Doctorow's site, wherein I asserted that we need to empower Journalists. "Journalists", in my view, are people who tell the truth, and find the right, most relevant truths to tell.
We need to:
a. Establish a revenue stream for Journalists. Most of them can't make enough to live on, and we surely do need Journalists. We need way more great communicators, communicating the things we - the Public - need to know in order to steer the ship of state
b. Establish an operational platform for those Journalists that protects Free Speech - so they can't be kicked out by the State, or the oligarchs, or other media-control mechanisms that currently gum up the flow of Free Speech
c. Build promotional tools such that the up-and-coming Journalist gets attention - becomes known - so that the field is leveled and Journalistic excellence rises, like cream, to the top for all to see
Is it time to build some new, interference-free tools that help us inform and inspire ourselves and help us learn to work together to solve our big problems?
Certainly MacGregor thinks so, and I definitely agree with him. What's your take?
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 16:16 utc | 15
"Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:40 utc | 11
Thinking it over, I look at it this way: his choices this time around will tell us very quickly whether he has learned anything at all in the last eight years."
Posted by: Bemildred | Nov 7 2024 15:44 utc | 12
Exactly.
Best post I have read on this issue.
Republicofscotland @ 14
I can only hope that the people of Georgia and the ruling Georgian Dream Party stand up to these bullies...
Best thing that can possibly happen to them. Joining the EU is so pre-2008, very retrograde at this point, the leadership understands that, hopefully the populace has caught on. I hope they turn their backs and walk away, looking around at where Europe is at, living in splendid isolation would be a godsend for a country.
Moldova is the same, they tried to peacefully walk away, only way the Atlanticists can get this EU shit passed is with rigged elections and paid provocateur orange revolutions. It works till it doesn't, unfortunately then they stir up wars so as to create an excuse to bomb you to their point of view. Here's an interesting new one:
About Strange Outbursts by Zurabishvili Against ArmeniansArmenian media are discussing the minor provocations organized by the President of Georgia and head of the opposition, Salome Zurabishvili.
Zurabishvili shared on her Facebook page a post by a travel agency that referred to the northern territories of Armenia as historical Georgia. Politicians of such a level, who are also engaged in the struggle for power and organizing protests, clearly do not do such things just like that.
The opinion is expressed that with this provocation, Zurabishvili is trying to exacerbate Armenian-Georgian relations and play the international card against the backdrop of the obvious failure of the protests in Georgia.
Among other related reasons, they point to a possible attack on Georgian Armenians from Samtskhe-Javakheti, where Zurabishvili lost the elections, as well as an attempt to secure the support of Georgian nationalists.
In addition, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, immediately recognized the elections in Georgia and congratulated his colleague, Irakli Kobakhidze, on the victory of the "Georgian Dream".
By the way, Zurabishvili also distinguished herself with a strange statement about the unknown "Armenian carousel" in the elections in Georgia, telling the Western press about the ways of "falsifications".
Certainly, such insignificant facts will not become the cause of the exacerbation of Armenian-Georgian relations, but they have not accidentally caused a strong reaction from the Armenian public.
At least, such logic is inherent in the pro-Western forces in the post-Soviet countries, who are ready to use old contradictions to provoke conflicts in their own interests. Especially with a strong desire, one can construct even an Armenian-Georgian conflict.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Nov 7 2024 16:25 utc | 17
Take aways from Dima's latest... Rumors from Moscow of a thaw on banking sanctions being lifted before any talks begin. Rumours from EU Reptile Central, all governments must prepare to confront Russia militarily. One plus one equals, say what. Odds now favor USA kissy face with RF while EU starts WW3 against RF, requiring a future intervention on the part of the US to bail out Europe. Lucky for the US DJT can rebuild the industrial capacity during those EU RF war years (Brits signed on for 100) then the new President, after Trump, can join in the money making in earnest..... unless USA pulls a RF, and changes or amends, war thing, The Constitution, to allow Trump a third term......he might turn out to be that good.
Cheers M
......I sure did cringe yesterday when he said, "Don't touch the oil Bobby."
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Nov 7 2024 16:36 utc | 18
Republic of Scotland@1511
Appears that the Iranian government is talking peace to the incoming administration...let bygones be bygones. Just maybe, they will hold off on a heavy response to the Zionist Entities provocations.
Posted by: aristodemos | Nov 7 2024 16:48 utc | 19
I learned about the Bundesregierung breakdown earlier today during lunch with Mr. Erwin Sonderegger in Zürich. As you may recall, I view him as the most important contemporary philosopher of German language; he does however have some english texts on his philpapers.org site as well, chiefly among them his seminal introduction, translation and commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics XII, which lays the ground for a massively hetherodox renewal of western history with profound and solid arguments he gets from his re-reading.
So instead of providing my view on the current turmoil, I shall give Sonderegger's condensed Lebensweisheit, as he has shared with me hours ago:
"Do not claim more than you actually know!"
while adding that of course you may try out new thoughts in an appropriate manner and fashion; while disrespecting such would be 'shameless' [unverschämt].
Posted by: persiflo | Nov 7 2024 16:55 utc | 20
Tom Pfotzer@1616
Re:Public looks promising. Once real winter comes to the Northwoods, I may just decide that those long nights and short days will enable me to spend more time indoors and that becoming in touch with MacGregor's (and friends) new platform.
As a recovering journalist, once fired from a two-bit bi-weekly because my nose wasn't of the right shade; I decided to create my own monthly. Kept it up for 56 editions. Took a strong 2nd Amendment stance and frequently engaged those First Amendment guaranteed rights. During the 70's my monthly was the most influential such publication in the state of Minnesota, and particularly amongst the political classes which were suffering from a tiddle of inkslinger oratory.
Your concepts for genuine journalism are right up my alley. Now IS the time for all good men (women too, of course...but not so many of the mis-edumacated idiot types who were the only significant demography which voted more heavily for the Ditzy One who actually drew something like 11 percent more of those terminally deluded females to vote for a desperately BAD representative of the female population).....to come to the aid of OUR ruptured republic. There are wonderful American women whose voices must be heard.
Keep up the good work and exercising your thinking-cap...qualities which could be extremely effective in recovery of the Republic.
For those who are unaware of the original Latin background for "Republic"; I'm once again re-reiterating the two words which combined to create the term "republic": To wit: "Re" is an Anglicization of "res" meaning "reign" or "rule". "Public" signifies en essence "We The People"...Thus REPUBLIC, generically, means that the whole of the people are sovereign...as opposed to the early Federalist Party who were devout CENTRALISTS and ultimately oligarchical.
With a genuine free press, with real, actual journalists re-platformed, We the People will once again have a significant voice in this currently ruptured republic.
Posted by: aristodemos | Nov 7 2024 17:10 utc | 21
One very interesting thing about Re:Public is that it's not an advertising-based service like Facebook, or Google. You subscribe to it. You pay to be a member, to avail oneself of the tools they've built, and the forum they're now building with those tools.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 16:16 utc | 15
If you don't pay, you're the product, and as far as news are concerned, chomsky did a very good take on the problem on what now look like "the good times"
Even if IT has allowed to overcome the capital barriers and might, not only in news but even in production, revert and correct many of the problems, that fact is that the platforms themselves get even bigger and someone can control them... or buy them out. Add the end of the long-tail myth/hope and it doesn't get any better.
Residual forces may linger in a niche or two, but that's it.
as I mentioned in the other thread, information control is the battle for the 21st century, and anything short of a revolution (literal or figuratively) in keeping things out of being bought off and neutered is unlikely to allow a win for the freedom side.
my 2 bits
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 17:20 utc | 22
@persiflo | Nov 7 2024 16:55 utc | 20
Any comment on the dire need for a "massively hetherodox renewal" of pragmatic German realism in the political sphere?
Posted by: Don Firineach | Nov 7 2024 17:22 utc | 23
For those who are unaware of the original Latin background for "Republic"; I'm once again re-reiterating the two words which combined to create the term "republic": To wit: "Re" is an Anglicization of "res" meaning "reign" or "rule". "Public" signifies en essence "We The People"...Thus REPUBLIC, generically, means that the whole of the people are sovereign...as opposed to the early Federalist Party who were devout CENTRALISTS and ultimately oligarchical.
With a genuine free press, with real, actual journalists re-platformed, We the People will once again have a significant voice in this currently ruptured republic.
Posted by: aristodemos | Nov 7 2024 17:10 utc | 21
Sorry to correct you but if publica is clearly of the people, res is not reign or rule, it is thing, even property, and the res publica becomes more clearly defined as the things that are for the people to decide/act upon, we might say that they are things that are not, or should not, be property or decided by a particular person.
You can check it out, De rerum natura means of natural THINGS, but the associated concept that res can be owned, ruled if you like, brought forth the central, and often forgotten, subject that some things shouldn't, and are the domain of the collective and the responsibility of each enfranchised member of thee said collective.
As for your personal experience, you belong to the generation that saw journalists loose their status of knights and lords under a souserain to a subject under a sovereign. Sucks to feel that transition.
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 17:34 utc | 24
It seems that O Scholz really wanted to increase government spending fir Ukraine amnd his ex minister did not.
I suppose all EU gocernments are now going to put more money into the Ukrainian hands to show Trump that they xan fight Russia even without USA.
Europe just love this war.
Posted by: vargas | Nov 7 2024 17:37 utc | 25
It seems that O Scholz really wanted to increase government spending fir Ukraine amnd his ex minister did not.
Posted by: vargas | Nov 7 2024 17:37 utc | 25
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The German budget and its constraints pre-exist.
Furthermore Lindner self reports that he was sacked because of his support for Taurus missiles.
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 17:49 utc | 26
Europe just love this war.
Posted by: vargas | Nov 7 2024 17:37 utc | 25
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Sahra Wagenknecht's address to the Bundestag today at 15h37.
Trump-Sieg: wir brauchen Eigenständigkeit statt Vasallentreue ==> https://youtu.be/RQf666dZPKk
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 17:57 utc | 27
Random: Remember Remember the 5th of November https://tinyurl.com/5n84yhac
Posted by: Dogon Priest | Nov 7 2024 18:10 utc | 28
The madness continues - the hatred for Trump knows no end - of course like Harris and Biden, Trump is also a monster - but the hypocrisy of the whores in the MSM in demonising one, but not the others is laughable at best.
BTW - the Guardian is a English security service outlet.
"The Guardian has offered its journalists free counseling and mental health support to help them process Donald Trump’s win in the US election, according to an internal email seen by Guido Fawkes, a British political gossip blog."
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 18:11 utc | 29
@Newbie | Nov 7 2024 17:34 utc, who said to Aristodemos:
As for your personal experience, you belong to the generation that saw journalists loose their status of knights and lords under a souserain to a subject under a sovereign. Sucks to feel that transition.
Newbie: What you say above is mostly true for journalists working for the MSM over the past few decades. It's not true, though, for Aristodemos.
Aristodemos was an independent journalist who ran a small newspaper, and said things that directly and systematically collided with the mainstream perspective.
He did it for decades, and after a while it burned him out, but not after he'd changed and evolved more than a few minds.
This is the sort of person that I hope will become, or re-become a modern Journalist.
"Modern" in the sense that the Journalist isn't directed or fettered by any consideration beyond "what is so" and "is it relevant". This person is courageous and principled, observant and articulate. There is no editorial board standing between the Journalist and the Reader.
There is no expensive delivery system of Journalistic content. Web platform and the Internet, both very cheap, are all that's required. No centralization, no big capital, no big staff. Low barriers to entry.
This modern journalist also operates from a platform that can't be taken away for Wrong-Think.
This modern Journalist gets paid, directly by readers, for articles that render great value. Do good work? Great. Here's a dollah or 2 for your troubles, my dear Journalist. Click the link @ bottom of article to send money. Instant feedback.
This modern Journalist is promoted by word-of-mouth by readers - and word of mouth is the best form of promotion there is.
The MSM's main job is to control and direct what we're thinking. MSM used to be able to get us to pay them as they lied to us. Lately that's become less effective.
The antidote for MSM mind-programming is independent thinkers that are eloquent, and an appreciative public that rewards their judgement and eloquence.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 18:12 utc | 30
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 17:57 utc | 27
Sahra Wagenlnecht and Afd represent just a minority in Germany. The silent majoritynin Germany and any other country in EU loves the war. The EU was built as a promised land for middle class. And the middle class loves war specialy if they can make war with small money. This war is cheap for EU middle class. They do not have ro die but to watch everything on TV.
Posted by: vargas | Nov 7 2024 18:14 utc | 31
The new Lord Haw Haw of Nato Mark Rutte speaks - in 2018 Trump wanted the amount Nato members spent on defence to be a minimum of 4% - he'll surely want at least that figure now he's the POTUS - only Poland meets that figure as of now - with the EU's overall economy floundering and its citizens suffering in order to prop up a Neo-Nazi dictatorship in Ukraine - how much more will Europeans take before they decide to act - only time will tell.
"US President-elect Donald Trump is “right” to demand that NATO members spend more than 2% of their GDP on defense, and the bloc will aim to surpass this threshold, Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said.
”We will have to spend more… It will be much more than the 2%, I’m absolutely clear about that,” Rutte told reporters ahead of the European Political Community summit in Budapest on Thursday."
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 18:21 utc | 32
Sahra Wagenlnecht and Afd represent just a minority in Germany.
Posted by: vargas | Nov 7 2024 18:14 utc | 31
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They brought the coalition government down. There will be snap elections and a new government.
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 18:28 utc | 33
LightYearsFromHome (17).
How to solve the problem of Nato/US intervention.
The big problem is that the usurpers won't take no for an answer - they tried to assassinate Fico of Slovakia - he has spoken out about the Wests interference in elections - the crosshairs will be back on him soon for that - the EU has threatened to withhold funds from Hungary - if it already hasn't withheld them - because Orban won't play ball on Ukraine - as for Moldova there is at least 20,000 foreign NGO's inside the country, and along with Sandu, the President of Moldova who is staunchly, anti-Russian - and with the aid of the 20,000 NGO's they managed to pull it off and get her re-elected - it goes without saying that the EU, the US and its minions such as the UK interfered in this election as they tried to do in Georgia.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 18:31 utc | 34
@too scents | Nov 7 2024 18:28
Sarah Wagennecht's time is coming. She's a very impressive woman, great speaker, strong force of character. I believe she's going to become a major force in German politics.
What is your impression of her, and how will AfD do in the snap elections?
Whatever D. Trump's impact on the U.S. will be, it's obvious that he's had a major impact on EU politics already. Wow. Plate tectonics in motion.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 18:46 utc | 35
Posted by: PalmaSailor | Nov 7 2024 15:15 utc | 4
#########
Inescapable justice will come in the next world.
No excuses or lies will help any of us.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Nov 7 2024 18:48 utc | 36
What is your impression of her, and how will AfD do in the snap elections?
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 18:46 utc | 35
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I like her! I think the BSW and the AfD will do very well, improving their Saxony and Thuringia performance nationwide.
Here is a presentation of Sahra by Swiss television from 26.04.2000 for May Day.
https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/-/video/-?urn=urn:srf:video:9351da3b-bcbc-4272-9561-f190941f7515
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 18:57 utc | 37
I like her! I think the BSW and the AfD will do very well, improving their Saxony and Thuringia performance nationwide.Here is a presentation of Sahra by Swiss television from 26.04.2000 for May Day.
https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/-/video/-?urn=urn:srf:video:9351da3b-bcbc-4272-9561-f190941f7515
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 18:57 utc | 37
Chunnsch us dr Schwiiz?
Dieser Inhalt ist ausserhalb der Schweiz nicht verfügbar.
Posted by: jure | Nov 7 2024 19:20 utc | 38
Newbie: What you say above is mostly true for journalists working for the MSM over the past few decades. It's not true, though, for Aristodemos.
The antidote for MSM mind-programming is independent thinkers that are eloquent, and an appreciative public that rewards their judgement and eloquence.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 18:12 utc | 30
What do you think drove him off to independent publishing? I'm sure that in better times he felt real pleasure in working in a newspaper or whatever it was, colleagues, shared interests, etc
I reassert what I said, it was hard for true old school journalists to see things losing a modicum of dignity and seriousness in their line of work (and yest the 70's is where someone honest would feel it, now its a clown fest that puts a whorehouse to shame).
As for the hope of a solution, as long as the platforms can be bought off and instrumentalized, I see little hope beyond some niches.
Sorry, hope you (and aristodemos) don't take it personally, it's neither of you that I'm criticizing.
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 19:25 utc | 39
Spending 4% of your budget on defense can either be potentially ruinous, both to your economy, and to your nation if that gets you into a war, or it can be just an investment.
If you are legally bound to spend that amount then don't spend it on ranged offensive weapons, but instead spend it building good looking bases far from your borders, ones that can be open to the public and which can provide services. Spend it on educating your soldiers so that they have multiple skills when they re-enter civilian life, and offer them ongoing education by offering university level classes.
Take swathes of your young people and get them healthier, better educated, and more prepared to be productive members of society.
Posted by: Babel-17 | Nov 7 2024 19:25 utc | 40
Chunnsch us dr Schwiiz?
Posted by: jure | Nov 7 2024 19:20 utc | 38
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I'm Swiss but only for 25 years.
The SRF documentary is worth seeing. It starts with Sahra the Stalinist and ends with Christoph Blocher explaining his happy business dealings with Communist China.
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 19:34 utc | 41
Posted by: aristodemos | Nov 7 2024 16:48 utc | 19
#############
I dislike the new "moderate" President.
It's one thing to want peace. It's delusional to think that America can deliver it.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Nov 7 2024 19:34 utc | 42
I'm Swiss but only for 25 years.The SRF documentary is worth seeing. It starts with Sahra the Stalinist and ends with Christoph Blocher explaining his happy business dealings with Communist China.
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 19:34 utc | 41
Ok, unfortunately I cannot see the video outside of Switzerland...
Posted by: jure | Nov 7 2024 19:37 utc | 43
Ok, unfortunately I cannot see the video outside of Switzerland...
Posted by: jure | Nov 7 2024 19:37 utc | 43
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https://www.techtipp.ch/blog/srf-im-ausland
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 19:43 utc | 44
German Polling data showing National intention to vote:
8% Wagenknecht
17% AFD
34% - The governing coalition
Posted by: Exile | Nov 7 2024 19:48 utc | 45
re: 4% of GDP on military ?
Euros can get there, they just need to get some of those $20,000 Toilets and $15,000 coffee makers the Pentagon buys
Posted by: Exile | Nov 7 2024 19:50 utc | 46
German Polling data showing National intention to vote:
Posted by: Exile | Nov 7 2024 19:48 utc | 45
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In all probability another 150k Germans will lose their jobs before the election happens. Public opinion is sure to be very and increasingly dynamic.
https://www.autonews.com/automakers/vw-said-plan-30000-job-losses-germany/
Posted by: too scents | Nov 7 2024 19:56 utc | 47
So Germany, France, Poland and the USA will oppose Georgia's accession to the EU - if it doesn't drop the Foreign Agents Laws - I can only hope that the people of Georgia and the ruling Georgian Dream Party stand up to these bullies - who want to undermine Georgia using foreign funded NGO's.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:49 utc | 14
I'm sure Georgia will have noted the recent BRICS conference and hopefully the idea will have been implanted that EU / NATO isn't the only option, and far from the best option.
IIRC, hasn't Serbia been making noises about investigating the BRICS route ?
Posted by: Red Star | Nov 7 2024 20:02 utc | 48
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 16:16 utc | 15
I totally agree that independent journalism that speaks truth to power is incredibly important to get out of the hole we find ourselves in.
The problem is the vice grip (in both senses of the word) that the oligarch-owned MSM has one the media. There are great platforms like substack and I shall check out Re:Public, but like MoA itself, get few eyeballs. Not sure how to change that.
Posted by: JulianJ | Nov 7 2024 20:07 utc | 49
It looks like the failed assassination attempt on the President of Slovakia - Robert Fico - has had the opposite effect of trying to shut him up - at least he has the courage to speak out.
"Donald Trump’s triumph in the US presidential election is a defeat for “liberal” ideology and shows that legacy media can’t be trusted, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.
Like Trump, Fico narrowly survived an assassination attempt which he alleged was the product of a highly polarized media environment.
“We respect the choice made by American citizens, because we do not interfere in the internal politics of other states and we don’t lecture anyone,” Fico said on Wednesday.
Congratulating Trump, Fico called his election a “defeat of liberal and progressive ideas.”"
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 20:07 utc | 50
@ JulianJ | Nov 7 2024 20:07 utc | 49
Sadly, substack censored Eric Zuesse.
https://theduran.com/substack-de-platformed-me-with-no-explanation
Surely he isn’t the only one affected, though perhaps the problem isn’t so widespread yet as to cause alarm.
Are there any publishing platforms hosted in BRICS countries? I suggest researching them instead.
Posted by: I forgot | Nov 7 2024 20:36 utc | 51
Australia:
Kathryn Hore
@kahmelb
“Don’t worry Mum, I’ll show you how to use a VPN”
— my 12yo, when I told him the Govt want to ban under-16s from social media
https://x.com/kahmelb/status/1854381797259558989
Posted by: Menz | Nov 7 2024 20:37 utc | 52
Reply to Red Star #48
The explanation of why nations look to the West rather than to the BRICS is simple, and the simplest explanation is always the correct one. The West offers more attractions compared to the colourful and discordant band of BRICS. More money, more freedom of movement between states, more opportunities to improve or change one's status, fewer controls of all kinds—from social and caste-based to police or military—more things to do, see, and learn, even if trivial, because man does not live by atomic icebreakers alone. Greater personal and sexual freedom, more entertainment and learning opportunities, and more attention to people’s well-being and the environment. All things sorely lacking in places like India. China or even Russia
Posted by: Louis | Nov 7 2024 20:37 utc | 53
Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell?
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:40 utc | 11
I read that it was Rick Grenell of all people in Michigan trying to woo the Muslim vote.
world is a complicated place.
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 7 2024 20:58 utc | 54
> The explanation of why nations look to the West rather than to the BRICS is simple,
*Legacy reputation.*
Sexual freedom — yes. “No” on the others.
> more attention to people’s well-being and the environment
mRNA only in the west. Autism, obesity rates…. Nah, well-being and environment better elsewhere.
My foreign-born spouse and I are both shocked at what’s become of USA in the past 30 years.
> the simplest explanation is always the correct one.
Oh…
Posted by: I forgot | Nov 7 2024 21:00 utc | 55
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 17:34 utc | 24
interesting, there was a guy at Occupy once who went on at length about language and how it has changed thinking as it changed. I remember in particular he said they used to say "Ye lamp post", which meant "your lamp post", "ye road" Later it evolved into a passive "the" which removed "public" ownership, and made more just a passive object.
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 7 2024 21:07 utc | 56
Red Star (48).
Serbia has been seeking EU membership since 2008 - its looks Vucic might be fed up waiting on the EU to call back. Of course - we can expect a huge Western operation with an untold number of foreign NGO's - pushing against BRICS membership if a referendum comes to fruition.
Serbia is there for the taking - as its citizens appear to be split down the middle on BRICS and EU membership.
"Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has suggested the possibility of a referendum regarding the country’s potential membership in BRICS, reflecting the bloc’s increasing appeal among Serbian citizens. This statement follows remarks from Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin, who indicated that Serbia might prioritize joining the BRICS economic group over pursuing European Union membership."
"In an interview with the state broadcaster RTS, Vucic referenced recent research indicating that 42% of the Serbian population supports EU integration, while an equal percentage expresses interest in joining BRICS. He noted that many Serbs may not fully understand what BRICS entails but still show significant interest in the group."
Also Erdogan of Turkey has been looking into Turkey joining BRICS - to the dismay of the West, (Erdogan has sought EU membership for years now without success) - of course Turkey is a Nato member, if Turkey joins BRICS - it will be the first Nato country to join BRICS. Erdogan, the sly old fox - might be threatening to join BRICS - to force the EU's hand on Turkey's membership of the EU
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 21:17 utc | 57
Sadly, substack censored Eric Zuesse.
https://theduran.com/substack-de-platformed-me-with-no-explanation
Posted by: I forgot | Nov 7 2024 20:36 utc | 51
Beginning of the end. Substack let lots of controversial topics be discussed, including covid and Ukraine and I think 2020 election fraud.
But I bet they, like everywhere else have a "red line" if you will, when it comes to "those who must not be mentioned".
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 7 2024 21:17 utc | 58
UWDude (54).
Yeah Grenell - is a, shall we say colourful character - to say the least.
In the fall of 2018, Grenell played a key diplomatic role in planning the arrest of Julian Assange by providing backchannel assurances to Ecuador that Assange would not face the death penalty in the United States.
Previously Trump made him the United States Ambassador to Germany.
In 2016, Grenell's consulting firm accepted more than $100,000 from the Magyar Foundation of North America to provide public relations support for the Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán. Grenell did not disclose this payment under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) prior to his work in the Trump administration.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 21:27 utc | 59
UWDude (54).
Yeah Grenell - is a, shall we say colourful character - to say the least.
In the fall of 2018, Grenell played a key diplomatic role in planning the arrest of Julian Assange by providing backchannel assurances to Ecuador that Assange would not face the death penalty in the United States.
Previously Trump made him the United States Ambassador to Germany.
In 2016, Grenell's consulting firm accepted more than $100,000 from the Magyar Foundation of North America to provide public relations support for the Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán. Grenell did not disclose this payment under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) prior to his work in the Trump administration.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 21:29 utc | 60
@Newbie | Nov 7 2024 19:25 utc
OK, now I understand your point, sorry for slo on uptake.
And that's the prob I want to solve: how accord a profession that got squashed, but is vitally important, the status and remuneration it needs and deserves?
How to construct a circumstance wherein the creator - that's the Journalist in this context - gets rewarded for what they do? Gets rewarded commensurate to their contribution?
An informed populace is a big contribution, but we as a society aren't paying anyone to do that job.
We pay the MSM to lie to us, and we pay FB and Google to manipulate our thinking ... but we are not systematically paying large numbers of qualified people to help us perfect our situational analysis.
So we can't navigate. Don't know where we are, or where we're going. Can't navigate.
OK, fine, nothing new there. Now let's drop into problem-solver mode. The reason I brought up Re:Public is that they're providing a lot of the tools the "modern" Journalist would need ... except the revenue stream bit. And that's a key bit.
I'll get into that later. Thanks for your reply.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 21:29 utc | 61
interesting, there was a guy at Occupy once who went on at length about language and how it has changed thinking as it changed. I remember in particular he said they used to say "Ye lamp post", which meant "your lamp post", "ye road" Later it evolved into a passive "the" which removed "public" ownership, and made more just a passive object.
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 7 2024 21:07 utc | 56
Interesting and words (and the associated contexts) allow or block thinking.
But once again a wrong reference, Ye, ge is just a You (plural), and as for french vous (unlike tu/toi) was used for nobility/upper echelon
But never underestimate the power of words and narrative.
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 21:35 utc | 62
Beginning of the end. Substack let lots of controversial topics be discussed, including covid and Ukraine and I think 2020 election fraud.
But I bet they, like everywhere else have a "red line" if you will, when it comes to "those who must not be mentioned".
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 7 2024 21:17 utc | 58
And there you have it, and earlier on the thread i said "
As for the hope of a solution, as long as the platforms can be bought off and instrumentalized, I see little hope beyond some niches.
Sorry, hope you (and aristodemos) don't take it personally, it's neither of you that I'm criticizing.
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 19:25 utc | 39"
Spot on, right? Any platform that risks being effective will be cancelled or neutered. (a site like MoA can survive a bit longer as cancelling the domain will only happen if it happens to become too well known or damaging (but make no mistake, it lives at the pleasure of our fluffy overlords)
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 21:41 utc | 63
NYT starting up Russiagate 2.0. They really can't let it go. And nary a word about the UK's attempts to influence the election (and obviously the NYT & liberal media won't say anything about the oversized influence Isreal has on US politics & elections).
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/technology/russia-us-election-interference.html
Posted by: ANR75 | Nov 7 2024 21:44 utc | 64
Watching far left Democrats eat each other alive on the MSM is so much fun........Kamyhoe has to be the worst Presidential Candidate in modern American history..........
She earned not one delegate in the 2020 primary election, she is a certified moron, a political prostitute of the highest order, a neo con war monger on Ukraine........oh boy what a pigeon........
What a lineup card a senile dementia patient replaced by a moron..........hard to believe a major American political party could field such a disastrous list.
Posted by: Tobias Cole | Nov 7 2024 22:10 utc | 65
There ARE no 'far left Democrats' yo
not sure where you got that idea...
Posted by: furies | Nov 7 2024 22:21 utc | 66
Georgia and Serbia should join BRICS as soon as possible.
The EU is just a NATO/CIA/MI6 subset.....dont even bother with them.
EU/NATO will and have attempted to destabilize these nations. Attempted CIA color revolutions in both nations.
Serbia suffered massive losses in the period 1995-99, lost the Serb Republic of Krajina, the Home Province of Kosovo (overwhelmed by illegal alien immigration), and senseless and deadly attacks on Serbian Bosnia, and on Serbian cities and villages and civilian infrastructure, all due to NATO and CIA and MI6 aggression.
Tell the EU to get lost..........
Posted by: Tobias Cole | Nov 7 2024 22:29 utc | 67
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 21:35 utc | 62
I have only brushed middle english in college, and a professor once read to us a few paragraphs of old english, which was completely unrecognizable...
...but "Ye" for one, I have known well, because of its constant use in the Bible, it certainly means "you", (not for nobility only), but can also mean "your", as it progressed into "the" such as "Ye tavern" and "Ye olde curiosity shoppe"
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 7 2024 22:34 utc | 68
India Cancels Consular Camps in Canada Over Security Issues
https://x.com/RT_com/status/1854637451295252483
"Indian PM condemns attack on Hindu temple. Calls on Canada to uphold law."
India Calls Out Canada's 'Hypocrisy' Towards Freedom of Speech
https://www.rt.com/india/607313-india-calls-out-canada-hypocrisy/
"India on Thursday claimed that Canada had blocked an Australian media outlet after it published remarks by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during an official visit to Australia.
The minister spoke on the growing diplomatic row between New Delhi and Ottawa over Sikh separatists in Canada..."
Posted by: John Gilberts | Nov 7 2024 22:35 utc | 69
Thank you, morongobill | Nov 7 2024 15:15 utc | 5
I will also recommend Alexander Mercouris' talk today, which begins with his thoughts on democracy itself, then to the US election, and goes on to reactions in other countries, with a comparison between what both Russia and China have said. He touches again on the situation in Germany, and gives a brief runup on Russia's progress in Ukraine. I found it all very interesting, snowbound as I am at present, though I'm thankful the power is back on.
It makes me realize what people in other parts of the country and the world are struggling with as these wars continue. If the election results expressed anything, to me they were our collective expression of anguish that those matters haven't already been resolved. I really hope and pray that is going to happen soon. I don't care if Biden gets the credit; just do it; save lives!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZFVFZN9FyM
Posted by: juliania | Nov 7 2024 22:45 utc | 70
@Newbie | Nov 7 2024 21:41 utc, who said:
Any platform that risks being effective will be cancelled or neutered. (a site like MoA can survive a bit longer as cancelling the domain will only happen if it happens to become too well known or damaging (but make no mistake, it lives at the pleasure of our fluffy overlords)
Newbie: seems to me (@ the moment, in this one instance) you're black-and-white reasoning; maybe some gradual grey-shading is more apt. To wit:
The range of discourse - where the Overton window is - has changed a great deal over the past decade, and certainly over the past 3 years, correct?
It's a whale of a lot of work to keep thousands of fish, of various sizes and vitality, in the "net". A looooot of work. Think about the discussion about Ukraine: where it started, what ideas got floated, debated, discussed. First thing you know, it's "common knowledge" and even the MSM has to acknowledge it.
Hypersonics. Sanctions effectiveness (not!). Attrition as a strategy. Russia is defeating all of NATO. Iran can inflict more damage on Israel than Israel can on Iran. Hamas is winning because they're still standing...and getting stronger.
There's a long list of very unacceptable to the powers notions and realizations that originated and were propagated outward by ... here it is ... unpaid, un-rewarded, viciously repressed Journalists.
Chip, chip, chip away at the wall. Everyone with a little hammer does their part. Journalists and their readers are little hammers.
Feed the hammers. That's the theme I'll be developing in the days to come.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 23:02 utc | 71
.hard to believe a major American political party could field such a disastrous list.
Posted by: Tobias Cole | Nov 7 2024 22:10 utc | 65
It has been claimed that our high and mighty "elites" of American and European persuasion have the heads far up in the clouds. So, it begs the question, "can there be clouds in one's bowels?"
Posted by: kupkee | Nov 7 2024 23:04 utc | 72
@furies 66
He is the typical right wing dumb american who sees marxist evil gommunizt! everywhere, even in the other right wing party.
The not ignorant and indoctrinated people will rightfully call them liberals.
A rather kind word for the despicable bunch they are.
Then again, no need to stoop down to the level of this Cole character.
As usual offering nothing but vulgarities and fallacious rants.
Posted by: Ed Bernays | Nov 7 2024 23:04 utc | 73
Feed the hammers. That's the theme I'll be developing in the days to come.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Nov 7 2024 23:02 utc | 71
If you hang around here often enough you know I do it myself as much as I can ( doubtful as I may be of effectiveness but hopeful that something might help)
What I meant, and still do, is that a more robust solution must be found. We're surviving on the barely tolerated edge of an existential attempt to rule and control information.
On the other hand we can consider we're on the resistance side of an attempt to liberate information.
Listen carefully, I shall say this only once! This is the fight of our lives, even if I seem to joke a lot or sometimes fear for the worst.
Free information is not only going against the grain of MSM, it is also to raise the voice and hope some who decide, on both sides, happen to hear (directly or indirectly) an listen to what we say. It is a matter of discourse and reputation that might make an otherwise common voice between thousands to be heard. Don't ask me how/if it will work, but that is a hope of all non nihilistic posters.
It is nice to hear that MSM is now even less trusted than congress, but then there is an issue. Those that decide, need to hear opinions, where are they getting them? Maybe that's why (as long as alt sources remain marginal) they are allowed to exist.
Maybe this isn't one of them and we're just wasting time, but who knows.
Was it in this thread or the other? Res Publica, it is to be discussed and decided as largely as possible.
Personally I hope some hardened resource is created where things are discussed and more serious reputations are built and even power has to listen to some of them. Don't ask me the form or format, but I hope we get there.
Sorry for the rambling for those that find this a (hopefully harmless) delusion, the program will continue after the beep
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 23:23 utc | 74
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 7 2024 23:23 utc | 74
web 3.0 and http5 are basically decentralized and indestructible.
Http5 is a microsoft project, and its indestructibility may be a reason Microsoft does not push it too hard.
web 3.0 is doable now, and people are trying, but web 2.0 is still so dominant, probably will be for another 10 years.
Ironically, web 3.0 will work best when "the internet of things" is implemented and accepted... ..which is questionable because of cpmtrol-grid fears and just general ickiness to the whole idea.
web 1.0 - websites. you go, read, maybe leave comment, server provided by website.
web 2.0 - social media every body reads everybody else. server provided by website.
web 3.0 - social media, server provided by everybody.
http5 - decentralized storage and retrieval of information.
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 7 2024 23:46 utc | 75
I just caught this on Youtube- Putin's comment at Valdai - interesting that NBC would have this, my goodness!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZmtShh_0A8
Posted by: juliania | Nov 8 2024 0:08 utc | 76
http5 - decentralized storage and retrieval of information.
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 7 2024 23:46 utc | 75
Correct me if i'm wrong but http5 only does away with the need of plugins and improves trans platform stuff, nothing more.
And web 3.0 is going nowhere fast (and if BBSs are dead, strictly speaking newsgroups still exist and if things go south it could bypass 99.9% of current controls)
I could probably design something that recreated a BBS in case of things going really bad, but that is not the issue, the issue is ongoing communication on current readily and widely available means.
My 2 bytes
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 8 2024 0:24 utc | 77
On a lighter note, I think a couple of scifi movies I saw that ended badly started like this...
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 8 2024 0:39 utc | 78
The problem with Germany is....
They gave up their sovereignty and their own currency. So do have to tax or borrow to find the Euros to spend. That is a huge problem.
On top of that are the deficit and debt rules.
They can't simply increase the budget deficit ( non government sectors surplus ) to get the economy going again. As the non government sectors surplus is not allowed to go above 3% of GDP.
This is why the Duran boys and Tom Longono think to increase money to NATO and to fund infrastructure and attempt growth they will ultimately have to go down the route of Euro bonds.
But they are mistaken and here's why.
SURE – In April 2020, the Commission announced the introduction of the – The temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) – which was designed to inject funds into Member State government coffers to deal with the pandemic.
HERE:
https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=51147
1. While it looked like there was a “common fiscal policy” emerging in the EU backed by the issuance of these EU-bonds, the reality is different.
They were a one-off measure and no new bonds will be issued as the emergency programmes terminate.
2. The emergency relaxation of the Stability and Growth Pact measures will not be permanent.
So, think about it – the EU borrows and loans the money to the Member States – which then sell their own debt into primary markets – which is then hoovered up by the various asset buying programs conducted by the ECB – which then keeps the Member States solvent – so they can repay the European Commmission the loans.
Elongated, circuitous – like everything to do with the European Commission insanity.
Will the EU-bond market ever be liquid enough ?
There is no way Germany and Co in Northern Europe will allow that to happen.
A much more sensible arrangement would be to eliminate the whole EU-bond charade and create a fiscal authority in Brussels that is directly funded by the ECB and invests across the EU geographic span.
Like Japan, the US, Australia, the UK and almost everywhere else that is fully sovereign.
Will it happen? Never in a million years because then Brussels and Washington can't control them.
Germany is a great example of what happens when you knee cap the currency issuing power of the state and replace it with export led growth. If exports fall you are fooked. Will have to face austerity. The problem with the gold standard and fixed exchange rates. Playing out all over again.
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | Nov 8 2024 0:44 utc | 79
https://x.com/mtgrepp/status/1854679640847122438?s=46&t=Bmxd6oMOVCgO8xfOez1NLQ
Big Statement from Trump taking on the Deep State.
I hope his body guards are up for it.
Posted by: Turk 152 | Nov 8 2024 0:54 utc | 80
For weeks, they have bickered over how to address a €9 billion gap in the 2025 federal budget and the steps required to handle Germany’s economic downturn."
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Nov 7 2024 15:04 utc | 2
It is all bullshit rolled up in propaganda and being an independence voter coming from Scotland you should know this as the same rules apply.
What do I mean by the same rules apply ?
Scotland can't issue it's own currency either, Scotland uses the £ in the same way Germany uses the Euro.
Scotland :
If the unionists says Scotland has put £5 billion into the Scottish economy via Scottish government spending. Only taken £1 billion out of the Scottish economy as taxes. Then Scotland is running a £4 billion budget deficit.
Ie - a £4 billion non government sector surplus. The £4 billion is still in the Scottish economy as non government sector savings. They put 5 in but have only taken 1 out of the economy.
Germany :
Germany has a €9 billion budget deficit. Let's say they put €20 billion in the economy via German government spending but only took € 11 billion out as taxes. The non government sectors surplus = €9 billion.
Here's the kicker:
Scotland's budget deficit ( non government sector surplus) is impossible to measure. Nobody knows what it is.
Same for Germany, France, Italy, Holland anybody who uses the Euro it is impossible to measure.
Why ?
Because both government spending and tax collection flows across borders between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Flows across borders throughout the Eurozone.
Scottish government spending is spent in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The taxes collected from that spending can't be measured. As they are collected in a different country.
German government spending is spent all over Europe. The taxes collected from that spending can't be measured.As they are collected in a different country.
It could only be measured throughout the whole kingdom and you have your own currency. Then it can't flow across borders because it has to be exchanged to do that.
Nobody knows what Germany's or Scotland 's balance is it is bullshit.
They know what the Uk's is and what the Eurozone is but not individual countries. They guess.
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | Nov 8 2024 1:09 utc | 81
@ Turk 152 | Nov 8 2024 0:54 utc | 80 with the Trump piece about attacking Deep State....thanks
If they take him out after listing those steps, others will insure they are implemented.
As someone who was contacted in 2004 by the CIA for saying bad things about our then president on international calls and told to stop, there is a special place in my heart for Trump's Deep State efforts.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Nov 8 2024 1:13 utc | 82
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 8 2024 0:24 utc | 77
I cant correct you, because I explained it as I understand it, and that is a superficial understanding.
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 8 2024 1:18 utc | 83
#republicof Scotland 29
Guardian like BBC is an English spy organisation .
BBC is a loyal, eager mouthpiece for the ground zero of western greed, cruelty and connivance - The City of London.BBC=Boy Buggers in Cahoot.
british b—astrd corporation is purely an English imperialism propaganda organ and nothing else. It cannot do right journalism even for its own british constituent part. It is a means of lies and deceit done for English pirate nation.Destroy all bbc and liar british journalists by treating them as enemy combatant which they are. they facilitated and caused war crimes and havoc in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria ,Libya and now in Ukraine.BBC is the public propaganda arm of M I6.The CIA and mossad and MI5 MI6 etc are only tax dollar funded terrorist groups paid for with the taxes just like terrorist liar BBC. quote “In reality, BBC's World Service is directly funded by the US State Department and is insidious propaganda admittedly designed to politically subvert not only China, but Iran, Russia, and many other nations perceived by Wall Street and London as intolerable competition.”
Posted by: Sam | Nov 8 2024 1:25 utc | 84
Five eyes is racist organisation led by evil England to gather Anglo countries to spy, plot and sabotage(colour revolutions) against non Anglo countries it is racist war by England on the rest of the world
Posted by: sam | Nov 8 2024 1:27 utc | 85
Now having failed to change the mood of American public away from Trump, the English parasites are thinking of route 2to enter the inner circle of trump cabinet to sabotage trump's agenda of not funding NATO so much .
For that they have new English spy a racist hater of Europeans and blacks Nigel Farage who is all for English freedom but is opposed to Scottish Independence.
He is trying to influence trump through back handed measures.
British interference in American elections.
British are pushing for Kamala Harris because they do not like that Trump will not fund British created NATO to the extent USA is doing now.
There is a long history of British interference in US general elections
British interference in American elections.
fact- In the 1988 American election B.B.C. had invited the chief drug dealer of BAT-i.e. british american tobacco-(who of course is an englishman) and there was another American there. During discussion of Ducassis' candidature the B.B.C. anchor man suggested to the American that the opponent of bush was hardly an American as he looked to dark and was Greek, the country of geek being too much near Africa. It really happened. This shows a few things. According to B.B.C. not only Blacks were not American but also all those who the english agents have labelled ethnic Americans. In fact B.B.C. openly said (in that program-usually B.B.C. does not reveal its evil intention so easily) that the American means actually anglo-saxons. The whole propaganda and racial slur was provided by BBC.the way George H.W. Bush finished off Michael Dukakis in 1988. Lee Atwater, Bush’s smear manager, picked up Al Gore’s use of Horton – the black rapist furloughed for a weekend, under a law passed by Gov. Dukakis – and retooled it, throwing in slurs about Dukakis as being some foreign outsiderDon't confuse that white includes Germans either. The same English agents (in America) who created a monstrous film like ``birth of nation`` are the same people who crated prohibition only because many German immigrants were drinking bear and they did not like it. It is the same england sympathiser crowd who went on killing blacks, Irish,etc -now how come about that every President who wanted to take stand independent of Britain in America on Domestic or Foreign has either been made impotent or killed(Abraham Lincoln, Kennedy, Robert Kennedy)To understand that one has to remember British propaganda machinary(all sorts of media,BBB.,Papars, govt,etc) and brititish agents in America .Britain has always acted like a heyena(or dog) who let two or Three Lions(OF Europe like France, GermansSpanishItalians-all aristrocatic races campared to pirate turned shopkeepers of England)fight amongst and then the kill(loot) would be enjoyed by the heyana.
Posted by: sam | Nov 8 2024 1:33 utc | 86
US Treasuries have been the bedrock of global economies.
With their instability countries will need to develop resiliency and price determination functions that are independent of the US Treasury market.
Kathleen Tyson. ‘Multicurrency Mercantilism’.
Posted by: financial matters | Nov 8 2024 1:34 utc | 87
@ Turk 152 | Nov 8 2024 0:54 utc | 80 with the Trump piece about attacking Deep State....thanks
If they take him out after listing those steps, others will insure they are implemented.
As someone who was contacted in 2004 by the CIA for saying bad things about our then president on international calls and told to stop, there is a special place in my heart for Trump's Deep State efforts.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Nov 8 2024 1:13 utc | 82
Sorry, but it’s a parody account
Deep fakes aren’t obvious but have signs
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 8 2024 1:36 utc | 88
If countries were not run by the local oligarchy and run for the people by the people. They would leave and join BRICS. I'm 100% sure voters once they understood the sham they are in would vote for BRICS.
The Oligarchy have put one layer of crap on top of another layer of bullshit called TARGET2 balances.
TARGET2 balances arise because the Eurosystem banks refuse to lend to each other cross border. So the central bank system intermediates. The ECB accepts deposits in one Eurozone country and lends in another Eurozone country.
Those balances are allocated to the relevant national central bank notionally because although the Eurosystem is operationally one system with a single central bank the ECB. It is politically many Eurozone central bank systems. And that fudge is represented by the different national banks balance sheets.
Emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) is just a single national central bank increasing its share of the funding against its own balance sheet.
So the Greek central bank creates Euros against loan collateral supplied by Greek banks - because that collateral is insufficient for the bank to get the funding directly from the ECB.
But there is no collateral requirement from the national central bank to the ECB. Target 2 balances are a notional fiction.
The different national central banks are departments of the ECB in the same way that the New York Fed is a department of the Federal Reserve. Target2 balance are intra-company loans.
If a Greek bank fails having received an LTRO loan from the ECB , then the Greek central bank sells the collateral, on behalf of the ECB, to some other bank which clears the funding loan at the ECB.
If it doesn't clear the amount, then the loss is allocated to all the national central banks according to their capital key. So there is a shared responsibility for loss.
If a Greek bank fails having received ELA from the local central bank, then the Greek central bank sells the collateral to some other bank which clears the ELA funding loan. If it doesn't clear the amount, then the loss is allocated entirely to the Greek Central Bank.
That's the difference between ELA and LTRO from the ECB. It's all about notional loss management between organisations with currency issuer power to create equity at will. It's the very definition of ideological madness.
If the Greek central bank withdraws from the Euro and kills the peg with the ECB, then the target2 balance at the ECB is redenominated in Greek Euros under Lex Monetae.
Any currency loss due to devaluation would be allocated to the remaining other national central banks according to the capital key.
If the Greeks decided to leave and move back to their own currency and join BRICS. The only ‘losses’ that would occur would be the other national central banks with positive TARGET2 assets they would lose capital.
That would be totally without consequence. The ECB could restore it with another stroke of the computer keyboard, in the same way they created the TARGET2 balances in the first place to make sure all the private transactions (across borders) cleared.
A central bank is not like a commercial bank – it cannot go broke. It could operate with negative capital into perpetuity.
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | Nov 8 2024 1:45 utc | 89
Putin spoke words today far more important than anything he stated publicly at Kazan, "Putin's Valdai Club Appearance Part One". Eventually, there will be three parts to the overall event. The video is linked and is just under 3 hours.
Posted by: Newbie | Nov 8 2024 1:36 utc | 88
Thanks, that is a slick production.
Posted by: Turk 152 | Nov 8 2024 1:52 utc | 91
Sun of Alabama aka Echo Chamber has won his second ,"The Most retarded Post I Have Read Today" awqard.
"A central bank is not like a commercial bank – it cannot go broke. It could operate with negative capital into perpetuity."
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | Nov 8 2024 1:45 utc | 89
In 2020, the Pentagon thought China would likely obtain 400 nuclear warheads by 2030, but the country has raced past that estimate in record time. Now, the Pentagon believes that China will have at least 1,000 operational warheads by 2030
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 8 2024 2:00 utc | 93
I remember on TV when I was little (mid-late 70’s) there were these cool little interludes between cartoons that explained the US Constitution and similar stuff to us little kids watching cartoons.
Looking back, those cartoons were “tax money” well-spent !
Check out this one, on the US Constitution Preamble :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_NzZvdsbWI
it makes me wanna learn the song, cause it’s catchy too !
Posted by: Featherless | Nov 8 2024 2:17 utc | 94
Putin has now said he is open to talking to Trump.
In ten days or less, expect shattering revelation from "sources familiar with the matter" "secret negotiations" That Trump plans to give Putin... an end to the war for treaties and a dmz where the territory is held at a certain midnight.
Ukraine goes all in trying to snatch up as much territory as possible. Maybe even takes back Robotino, Solidovo, loses 100,000 troops.
NYT
"Ukraine peace negotiations fail at last minute"
That's not just attritional warfare. That's 5th gen warfare.
But UWDude... if Russia fakes interest in peace treaty, when they want real peace treaty, nobody will believe them!
Russia will never ask for a peace treaty. Russia is not interested in games and flowery words, guarantees and promises. It would be Minsk V by now if they were.
This is not a war of convenience. before every war, the leader must play the"reluctant warrior" to sell the justification of the war.
USA as always, has their presidential actors fake this play, so they just assume Putin, too, is faking the whole "reluctant warrior" schtick.
He isn't. He did not want this war, so he prepared knowing damn well once he crossed the border, there was no acceptable result but victory.
Posted by: UWDude | Nov 8 2024 2:19 utc | 95
Re: Parody account video
Posted by: Turk 152 | Nov 8 2024 0:54 utc | 80
Could be sampled from here.
Mar 21, 2023 - https://www.newsweek.com/trump-dismantle-deep-state-truth-reconciliation-commission-1789374
Some true, some faked?
Either way, heard much of this from Trump before.
I'll wait for action to happen as his words no longer have much value to me.
Posted by: saner | Nov 8 2024 2:19 utc | 96
@ Turk 152 | Nov 8 2024 0:54 utc | 80
yeah, that doesn't sound fake to me... thanks turk and @ saner | Nov 8 2024 2:19 utc | 96
might be out of date and not in line with his current thinking, but even that, i doubt.. sounds legit..
Posted by: james | Nov 8 2024 2:34 utc | 97
Scotland works like this...
The Scottish consolidated fund doesn't really exist - not in the way that the Northern Irish one does. As ever it's a Gordon Brown illusion.
Section 64(8) of the Scotland Act 1998 states
"The Fund shall be held with the Paymaster General", which essentially means that it is just a departmental budget account like the one DEFRA uses and which is held, these days, with the Government Banking Service.
Similarly section 64(2) states
"The Secretary of State shall from time to time make payments into the Fund out of money provided by Parliament of such amounts as he may determine." - which means that Scotland only has access to funding that the Secretary of State has specifically allocated to the Scottish Parliament.
Which is normally a Tory Secretary of State or Labour Secretary of State depending who won the general election.
Strictly speaking Scottish Ministers in the Scottish Parliament only have the right to set a Scottish income tax rate, but any taxes that is collected within Scotland goes straight into the UK Consolidated Fund - as required by the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866. Where they are destroyed.
Other taxes Scotland collects out with income tax have to be transferred to the Scottish Consolidated Fund which is the fund the Scottish government spends from.
However, HM Treasury can 'designate' those Taxes - requiring them to be paid back to the UK Exchequer. Where they are destroyed.
Which means Scotland runs much like the BBC. The BBC is actually funded by a grant-in-aid, but also has a job to collect tax ( licence fee ) on behalf of the UK government.
The Scottish parliament is much the same, except
that the Scottish parliament can increase and decrease the taxation a bit.
A sufficiently wily UK chancellor could simply starve Scotland of spending capacity if they wanted to - without even having to change the law - assuming they could withstand the political stink. However if the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament were of the same political party then it would be straightforward to re-centralise.
The agreement at present is that HMRC essentially guesses what the amount of Scottish income tax has been collected from Scottish government spending as both flow across borders.
HMRC tells HM Treasury and HM Treasury then marks up the Scottish Consolidated Fund using computer keystrokes with that amount to cover what is known under the Fiscal Framework as 'assigned taxes'.
Scottish government spending leaks out of Scotland into England -because of the trade deficit with England. The Barnett formula puts that back, and the requirement for a quasi balanced budget in Scotland ensures that circulation can't get too far out of whack.
If Scotland ever started running a trade surplus with England, then the Barnett formula would be cut
back, or HI Treasury would start designating further receipts.
So in short the The Secretary of State decides how much Scotland can spend. Via votes in the UK parliament.
HMRC has no idea how much tax collected from that spending as both flow across borders. End up in the UK Consolidated Fund anyway from which they are destroyed.
The Barnett formula puts some back into the Scottish Consolidated Fund along with any other taxes collected out with income tax in Scotland. However, HM Treasury can 'designate' those Taxes - requiring them to be paid back to the UK Exchequer. Where they are destroyed.
A sham on epic porportions. If they don't like the SNP for example they can simply starve them of funds.
If the SNP raise taxes it just means the money returns quicker to the UK Consolidated Fund to be destroyed. If they raise say VAT or a tourist tax to try to get more funds into the Scottish Consolidated Fund so they can spend more than the Secretary of state give them. HM Treasury can 'designate' those Taxes - requiring them to be paid back to the UK Exchequer. Where they are destroyed.
Scotland is a currency slave. Why independence is such a big issue. I've spoken with the deputy leader of the SNP regarding all this. He is an idiot. Spoken with leaders of various independence groups and they are idiots.
All believe the tax payer money myth. The fairytale they were told when they were 5. Fell for the monetary silencing propaganda.
The Scottish independence currency group get it. Who call for Scotland to have their own currency after independence. They have studied the balance sheets themselves for over a decade.
The Oligarchy that run Scotland like it just the way it is. Scotland has zero sovereignty just like countries within the Eurozone. Thus easily controlled.
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | Nov 8 2024 2:42 utc | 98
Is anyone in touch with Peter AU1?
He hasn't posted in a long while.
Posted by: Menz | Nov 8 2024 3:10 utc | 99
@ Sun Of Alabama | Nov 8 2024 0:44 utc | 79
re: The problem with Germany is....They gave up their sovereignty and their own currency.
Yes.
UN Charter, Article 2
The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.
The EU bloc is illegal.
Posted by: Don Bacon | Nov 8 2024 3:10 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
If Z. has not already been sweating his balls off...the Trumpster must be giving him nightmares. This situation may be one in which the president elect might keep his promises to cool off support for the Maidanites.
Posted by: aristodemos | Nov 7 2024 14:53 utc | 1