Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The EU will not be a democracy until ..
The EU (or Eurozone or Europlus) will not be a democracy until there is a federal income tax (US style).
Until then the richest people (via their national governments - "paymasters") demand a bigger or almost total say in EU affairs. That would not fly in a real "European Union". It does not fly at national level of course (although some try it at that level too).
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Which competitions do you watch? Barca vs Real or USA vs China or Markets vs Euro etc?
Barca vs Real
or
US economy vs Chinese economy
or
Agorocracy vs Democracy
or
Markets vs Euro
etc?
In the following video (in vlog format, 2 mimutes 33 seconds) I am making some analogies between sports and economic and political competitions that are "on" these days:
or
US economy vs Chinese economy
or
Agorocracy vs Democracy
or
Markets vs Euro
etc?
In the following video (in vlog format, 2 mimutes 33 seconds) I am making some analogies between sports and economic and political competitions that are "on" these days:
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Is there any difference between Obama and HVR?
The title caught your attention didn't?
The actual question to be deliberated is whether there is much difference in the way the US President and the President of the European Council are elected.
Not that much, after all!
And here is why.
When the American voters are voting for President, each state is "carried" by one of the candidates and all of that state's electors go to that candidate. Each state does of course elect a different number of electors, depending on its population. But the correlation is not linear.
It is thus possible for a candidate to lose in many states by let's say 20% or more and still get elected if he/she carries some of biggest states and get's 100% of their electors, with a mere 51.1% vs 49.9% margin! Why? Because all that matters, after all, is the number of electors each candidate has in the Electoral College.
The President of the European Council as well as the closest the EU has to a Secretary of State (aka Foreign Minister)) are selected by the European Council, ie the elected heads of state (eg the Pres of France) or government (usually Prime Minister)of the 27 member states. Unless they are acting in "IGC" capacity (eg when they decide on new EU Treaties) each member of the European Council has a different voting weight, roughly correlated with the population of that state.
So how different are the members of the European Council than the US Electoral College after all? If anything, in the EU, unlike the US, the Secretary of State is too (s)elected by the "electors". The fact that HVR the current Pres. of European Council is of EPP affiliation and the EU High Rep of PES affiliation(Party of European Socialists) is a reflection of the fact that when the election took place the majority of the members of the European Council were EPP members while there was a significant minority of PES members.
IMO neither of the systems are democratic enough, ie there is a certain deficit, but that applies, almost equally to both the EU and the US!
The actual question to be deliberated is whether there is much difference in the way the US President and the President of the European Council are elected.
Not that much, after all!
And here is why.
When the American voters are voting for President, each state is "carried" by one of the candidates and all of that state's electors go to that candidate. Each state does of course elect a different number of electors, depending on its population. But the correlation is not linear.
It is thus possible for a candidate to lose in many states by let's say 20% or more and still get elected if he/she carries some of biggest states and get's 100% of their electors, with a mere 51.1% vs 49.9% margin! Why? Because all that matters, after all, is the number of electors each candidate has in the Electoral College.
The President of the European Council as well as the closest the EU has to a Secretary of State (aka Foreign Minister)) are selected by the European Council, ie the elected heads of state (eg the Pres of France) or government (usually Prime Minister)of the 27 member states. Unless they are acting in "IGC" capacity (eg when they decide on new EU Treaties) each member of the European Council has a different voting weight, roughly correlated with the population of that state.
So how different are the members of the European Council than the US Electoral College after all? If anything, in the EU, unlike the US, the Secretary of State is too (s)elected by the "electors". The fact that HVR the current Pres. of European Council is of EPP affiliation and the EU High Rep of PES affiliation(Party of European Socialists) is a reflection of the fact that when the election took place the majority of the members of the European Council were EPP members while there was a significant minority of PES members.
IMO neither of the systems are democratic enough, ie there is a certain deficit, but that applies, almost equally to both the EU and the US!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Democracy vs Financial Agorocracy and the value of understanding Finance!
Today I read an article which is probably the best analysis of EU, especially Eurozone systemics & dynamics I have read in years:
"Eurozone design and management failures", by Guillermo de la Dehesam chairman of the CEPR in Vox, May 18, 2011
It prompts me to ask the question: Is one to conclude that leaders and policy makers lack an understanding of Finance?
The thorough analysis - review of major EU/Eurozone decisions in recent times by Guillermo de la Dehesa makes one wonder to what extent European leaders (Merkel et al) and their policy advisers understand Finance! An alternative explanation could be that they have a primal fear or inability to communicate/explain to their electorates what needs to be done, hence do or not do what needed/needs to be done as, as the chairman of CEPR so eloquently explains in this article in the Vox.
So in the struggle for power over our lives and socio-economic and other systemics that has been on for some years now (see eg my vlog "Agorocracy and Democracy), who is going to provide the agents of Democracy with at least adequate understanding of the systemics and workings of global finance, in order for Finance to move/be regulated back to its original role (ie as a support to real economy instead of the real economy supporting finance and financial agorocracy vying for power over Democracy?
Finally, are the current systemics of the global financial markets understood even by most financiers? Have the financial markets become a runaway train?
"Eurozone design and management failures", by Guillermo de la Dehesam chairman of the CEPR in Vox, May 18, 2011
It prompts me to ask the question: Is one to conclude that leaders and policy makers lack an understanding of Finance?
The thorough analysis - review of major EU/Eurozone decisions in recent times by Guillermo de la Dehesa makes one wonder to what extent European leaders (Merkel et al) and their policy advisers understand Finance! An alternative explanation could be that they have a primal fear or inability to communicate/explain to their electorates what needs to be done, hence do or not do what needed/needs to be done as, as the chairman of CEPR so eloquently explains in this article in the Vox.
So in the struggle for power over our lives and socio-economic and other systemics that has been on for some years now (see eg my vlog "Agorocracy and Democracy), who is going to provide the agents of Democracy with at least adequate understanding of the systemics and workings of global finance, in order for Finance to move/be regulated back to its original role (ie as a support to real economy instead of the real economy supporting finance and financial agorocracy vying for power over Democracy?
Finally, are the current systemics of the global financial markets understood even by most financiers? Have the financial markets become a runaway train?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Is the Euro or the global financial system the one in crisis?
Policy:
The solution to the Euro crisis" is IMO neither an exit of any member from the Eurozone or any "haircut"! The solution is Economic & Political (i full) union of the EU or the Eurozone!
Why?
In the last few years what we have actually seen the failure of the global financial system, not of the Euro!
Only a fully united EU or Eurozone can lead to Democracy over Financial Agorocracy result.
Europe must lead in this "revolution"!
The solution to the Euro crisis" is IMO neither an exit of any member from the Eurozone or any "haircut"! The solution is Economic & Political (i full) union of the EU or the Eurozone!
Why?
In the last few years what we have actually seen the failure of the global financial system, not of the Euro!
Only a fully united EU or Eurozone can lead to Democracy over Financial Agorocracy result.
Europe must lead in this "revolution"!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
May 9, 2010: The Day when ....
"We now see herd behavior in the markets which are wolfpack behaviours & if we will not stop these packs they will tear the weaker countries apart" - Swedish finance minister Anders Borg, May 9, 2010.
It seems that both Europe & US have decided to separate the wolves from the philosopher financiers (see comparison with Plato's "philosopher kings").
Europe's "reply" to the speculators, this weekend, is of historic proportions. Will it be enough to contain the wolves, the Gollums and the zombies and separate them from the healthy parts of the global Financial system? We shall see.
It seems that both Europe & US have decided to separate the wolves from the philosopher financiers (see comparison with Plato's "philosopher kings").
Europe's "reply" to the speculators, this weekend, is of historic proportions. Will it be enough to contain the wolves, the Gollums and the zombies and separate them from the healthy parts of the global Financial system? We shall see.
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