politics for the 99%

Published on Counterpunch (first on Sputnik News), by PEPE ESCOBAR, June 24, 2016.

… That’s foolish. Brexit proved that it’s immigration, stupid. And once again, it’s the economy, stupid (although the British neoliberal establishment never paid attention). But serious bets can be made the EU system in Brussels won’t learn anything from the shock therapy – and won’t reform itself. There will be rationalizations that after all the UK was always classically whiny, obtrusive and demanding special privileges when dealing with the EU. As for “Western political civilization”, what will end – and this is a big thing — is the special transatlantic relationship between the US and the EU with Britain as an American Trojan Horse … //

… Show me the people: … //
… The City gets a black eye: … //

… Still, it may all revert into a win-win for China. Germany, France and Luxembourg – all of them competing with London for the juicy offshore yuan business – will increase their role. Chen Long, economist with Bank of Dongguan, is confident “the European continent, especially Central and Eastern European countries, will be more actively involved in China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ programs.”

So will Britain become the new Norway? It’s possible. Norway did very well after rejecting EU membership in a 1995 referendum. It will be a long and winding road before Article 50 is invoked and a two-year UK-EU negotiation in uncharted territory starts. Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling summed it all up; “Nobody has a clue what ‘Out’ looks like.”

(full text).

Links:

From Brexit to Texit: Texas secession movement targets 2018 ballot, on RT, June 25, 2016;

When Being Young, Gifted, Black and Female Is a Hanging Offense, on Truthout, by La’Kayla Williams, June 24, 2016: an attorney for a Black girl in Texas who came home from a school field trip in April with deep rope burns etched in her neck called the incident an attempted lynching. “I don’t think this happens a lot of places other than Waco, Texas,” said the attorney, Levi McCathren. He couldn’t be more wrong. It happened to me …;

Europe Is Dead: Long Live Europe? – part 1, on Spiegel Online International, by , June 24, 2016 (Photo Gallery): The people of the UK have voted in favor of Brexit. Both Britain and the rest of Europe now face years of uncertainty. The EU has tough negotiations ahead and serious questions about its future;
Part 2: Euroskeptics Blackmailed Cameron;
Part 3: Blind To the Consequences;

Senior in-house lawyers’ earnings jump £8K, on Solicitor’s Journal, June 21, 2016;

Many countries are weighing cash payments to citizens. Could it work in the U.S.? on SALON, by JANE COSTELLO, June 21, 2016;

Gotthard Tunnel 360°, 7.40 min, uploaded by SRF DOK, 23. Mai 2016;

Nach der Flucht: Muslimische Frauen in Deutschland zwischen Tradition und Emanzipation – Das Erste, 7.06 min, uploaded von ARD, Feb 17, 2016 … viele der in Deutschland ankommenden Flüchtlinge sind Frauen aus muslimischen Ländern mit ihren Familien. Unsere Reporterinnen haben sich gefragt, wie diese Frauen leben und wie viele Rechte sie haben. Ähnelt ihr bisheriger Lebensentwurf dem unsrigen oder müssen sie sich komplett umstellen? Sind sie voll emanzipiert, oder müssen sie sich ihrem Mann unterordnen?

Direkte Demokratie in der Schweiz, die Macht des Volkes, 52.11 min, (persönliche Aussagen in schweizerdeutsch), uploaded by SRF DOK, 17. Dez 2015 … eigentlich ist sie unser ganzer Stolz, doch jetzt steht die direkte Demokratie auf dem Prüfstand. Das Minarettverbot und die Ausschaffung krimineller Ausländer ritzen die Menschenrechte, und mit ihrer neusten Initiative will die SVP das Völkerrecht eindämmen (mein Kommentar: ja, ja, elitären Besserwisser mögen es nicht, wenn das Volk mit der Elite nicht einverstanden ist. Dann wird es in den Medien als schlecht diffamiert. Es braucht eine Balance zwischen beiden, deren Grenze ist fluid – Heidi);

Zum Glück Deutschland (Doku 2015), 74.20 min, uploaded by Popo Club, 6. Okt 2015.