Reading The Greek Deal Correctly. James K. Galbraith On Friday as news of the Brussels deal came through, Germany claimed victory and it is no surprise that most of the working press bought the claim. They have high authorities to quote and to rely on. Thus from London The Independent
Continue readingTag: European Union
CuriosityCat: Grexit, schmexit: It ain’t gonna happen
For sale? Owner must sell … Right now a battle of Homeric proportions is being waged for the future soul of the European Union. On one side are the Teutonic bookkeepers of the EU, led by Merkel of Germany and Cameron of Britain. On the other side is the tiny,
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: The Greek canary in the European coalmine: An interview with Yanis Varoufakis
Over at Ricochet, I’ve transcribed my podcast interview with Yanis Varoufakis, economist and Syriza candidate in tomorrow’s Greek elections. With Syriza looking to get the most votes and possibly an outright parliamentary majority, I asked Yanis about the Greek economy, Syriza’s economic plans, his views on what these mean for Europe and how we
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: WikiLeaks publishes CIA tips for sidestepping airport security
WikiLeaks has released two classified CIA documents offering tips to help undercover spies elude security systems at international border crossings using false IDs. The post WikiLeaks publishes CIA tips for sidestepping airport security appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingCuriosityCat: America versus the European Union: The Precautionary Principle
The European Union has already institutionalized a litmus test that cuts to the core of the differences that separate the new European view of shared risks and vulnerabilities from the older American view of unlimited personal opportunities and individual prowess. It’s called “the precautionary principle,” and it has become the
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Canada-EU trade deal threatened by EU lawmakers
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Every once in awhile commonsense and decency trumps greed and avarice, not often, but it is news when it happens. Our PM Steve Harper has polished up an apple for the corporate world in an attempt to pave the way to huge profits through yet another crippling
Continue readingCalling the bluff on "we must compete in the global marketplace"
The soul-numbing mantra “we must compete in the global marketplace” is much heard these days. Conservative politicians and business groups toss it out tirelessly as an argument to reduce taxes, and weaken labour and environmental laws. Unfortunately, their argument is valid. Trade agreements have so reduced the ability of national
Continue readingCuriosityCat: David Cameron turning on the Spitzenkandidaten
David Cameron and the Spitzenkandidaten Remember The Cullen Plan for pre-election electoral cooperation between the NDP and Liberals? He advocated a deal which enabled one candidate to run against the sitting Conservative MP, rather than splitting the vote and letting the Tory win, which is the reason Harper is in
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Ukraine: One possible Russian-driven solution
Bill Clinton: Ukraine Saviour? Ukraine is in turmoil, with positions apparently hardening on all sides, since the Geneva Agreement outlining a method of resolution was agreed upon a short while ago. The level of support for the anti-Kiev position in eastern Ukraine is unclear at the moment: Armed men have
Continue readingThe Great Game—did Putin outplay the West in Crimea?
In the 19th century, the British and Russian empires’ strategic rivalry for supremacy in Central Asia was referred to as the Great Game. The game has never really ended as Russia has continued to vie with Western powers for influence and control in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. And in
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Ukraine: Russia advances its creeping-federalization agenda
Ukraine: Doors open for Putin Today, much to the surprise of some, a public agreement was announced by the US, Russia, EU and current Ukraine government, dealing with concrete steps to move the matter forward. The following is the full text of that agreement, with the most important part (in
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Ukraine: Some Commensense on Dealing with Russia
Putin’s Push: Reality versus Rhetoric Congratulations to Thomas Graham, a senior fellow at the Jackson Institute, who was the senior director for Russia on the US National Security Council staff 2004-2007. He has shrewdly analyzed the Russian push under Putin, in its historical context, and outlined the steps that the
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Diagnosis, or into the privatization matrix (Canada Post, Part 1)
There is little doubt that Canada Post’s recently-announced plan to eliminate home delivery, raise prices and lay off thousands of workers is not aimed solely at streamlining operations, but is likely a prelude to future privatization of postal delivery in Canada. Canada Post is ripe for the picking: it is
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Americanized Labor Policy Is Spreading in Europe – NYTimes.com
Americanized Labor Policy Is Spreading in Europe – NYTimes.com. While most of the debate over Europe’s response to the financial crisis has focused on the budget austerity enveloping the Continent, the comparatively unheralded erosion of worker protection is likely to have at least as big and lasting an impact on
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Converting principles to other people’s money #nlpoli
When Premier Kathy Dunderdale spoke to a St. John’s Board of Trade last May, she claimed the federal government had tried to tie the federal loan guarantee on Muskrat Falls to the European free trade talks. There’s no evidence that her claim is true, at least based on the selected
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canada-EU CETA trade agreement has “troubling” elements: Yves Engler [VIDEO]
Yves Engler, a Canadian activist and author of The Ugly Canadian: Stephen Harper’s Foreign Policy, discusses the “troubling” elements in the Canada-EU CETA trade agreement. The post Canada-EU CETA trade agreement has “troubling” elements: Yves Engler [VIDEO] appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Vale delays Long Harbour smelter… again #nlpoli
Earlier this year, mining giant Vale was saying they’d start production at the new Long Harbour smelter in 2013, but after a meeting with Premier Kathy Dunderdale in Brazil, the company won’t be ramping up until 2015. That’s the news from VOCM on the weekend, although they didn’t report the
Continue readingLeDaro: EU foreign ministers at odds over Syria
Is U.S. going to be all alone in Syrian intervention?
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Sure, the Iron Curtain Fell, But What’s Going Up In Its Place?
When the Berlin Wall came down it quickly led to the liberation of eastern Europe and the demise of the Soviet Union. Western European leaders, egged on by the United States, pulled out all the stops to sign up eastern Europe into the E.U. and NATO. America sought to drive
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Five reasons Canada should NOT ratify a Canada-EU free trade agreement
By: Stuart Trew | Originally published by Troy Media, on April 26, 2013: Jock Finlayson of the Business Council of British Columbia recently wrote a column for Troy Media on the virtues of the Canada-European Union free trade deal. He listed five reasons why he thinks the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, should
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