Pontignano conference continued: after the crash
Jack Straw the Justice Secretary talked here about the “granulisation” of politics, the fragmenting of voters’ preparedness to carry on with voting for conventional old order politics.
How serious is it? I have blogged before about the disenchantment of younger voters in Ireland with their leadership and how it may come to deliver a No vote to Lisbon.
Today we are discussing the impact of the crash upon European societies – no riots, no deaths, amazingly the economic and financial carnage has claimed few actual casualties, but the jobs and livelihoods of many are gone and were it not for the benefits cushion one suspects there would have been far more strife on the streets.
What amazes me here is how few answers the conventional politicians have to it all. The real fear here is that the banks are returning to their old pre-crash ways.
Barclays’ operation to hand over toxic debts to a company who will buy them with a loan from the bank is causing a stir here.
There is much muttering about the “cynical manoeuvre” (their words not mine) to insert Tony Blair into the Presidency of Europe. Critics point to the Iraq War as one of the most divisive moments in modern European history and add that it is strange to reward one of its architects in this way.
The debate is just getting under way, so I’d better get in there.
Related posts:
- Assailed by the whiff of toxic debt
- For cyclists – a little light relief
- Recession messages from Italy remind me of home
- Tell us more about the prime sub crash!
- A glimmer of credit crunch justice
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Jon, people don’t riot in the UK because they are mindful of the Police State it’s become. The UK is hardly any different to Iran. Remember the G20 supression? The death of that inocent fella, the surrounding of protesters, Police brutality, the millions it cost in public money, etc, etc?
You are wrong about the ‘ benefit cushion’. Even when people are denied benefits or, entitled to a derisory amount worse than begging, they don’t riot or protest. They’re too busy getting smashed out of their heads on drugs & drink, in order to blank out their miserable excistence in this divided Dickesian society.
The debt of this country is tantamount to ‘Economical Terrorism’. Those fat-cats & corrupt incompetent politicians who’ve caused this, should be imprisoned.
Now the prospect of Tony Blair into the Presidency of Europe is shocking behond belief! He should be arrested and in the Hague, answering questions like where are the WMD in Iraq? Why have a million people ended up dead in Iraq, etc, etc.
Keep us informed of the debate and the ongoing interest TB has with EU presidency,Rome and Protium.
This is not some cosy consultancy Margaret. What are your views regarding Jon’s posting?
Better to leave out the high brow references implying exclusivity Margaret!