Spring 2012 Europe
Contents
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John Grahl
The End of Social Europe?“Today it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that social dumping has become the actual social strategy of the EU, as the drive to restore competitiveness, that is, to reduce labour costs, by any means available has become the central component of a dogmatic, regressive and dysfunctional response to the crisis of public debt.”
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Kenneth Couesbouc
The Road to Nowhere“Bringing Eastern Europe into a single competitive market increased corporate profits, but it took no account of social and political needs. And, like the rest of that very expansive period, it amassed mountains of debts.”
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Little Big Pine
Ancient Legacies: Europe and the Near East“Socrates never claimed to be an atheist, but received a state execution in Athens nonetheless in part for being suspected of harboring atheistic views by association. Atheism predates Christianity in Europe by some five hundred years.”
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“Generations of the left in France have hailed European unification as the answer to the threat of fascism, since it weakens the nation state. The EU is designed to prevent any excess of nationalism or populism, by moving decision-making to the European level.”
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Mike Whitney
Triangulating France“Can you see what’s going on here? Hollande’s not interested in change. Not really. He’s just another triangulating sock-puppet hauling water for big business.”
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“Syriza, the Coalition of the Radical Left, saw an extraordinary rise in its vote, from 4.6 per cent to 17 per cent. It topped the poll by far in all the big cities and in working class neighbourhoods elsewhere.”
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Haris Golemis
A Triumph of the Radical Left in Greece: A Message to Europe“Now, it is more evident than ever how interdependent the European countries are, since developments even in a small country of the Southern periphery can create a ‘butterfly effect,’ so strong that it can shake European decision-making in its core.”
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Ismael Hossein-zadeh
Whatever Happened to the Arab Spring? Revolution vs. Counterrevolution“The magnificent Arab Spring has been brutally derailed, distorted and contained by an all-out counter-offensive orchestrated by Western powers and their allies in the Greater Middle East, especially Israel, Turkey and the Arab League.”
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Shepherd Bliss
Creating Community: Lessons from Occupy“Some think that Occupy has disappeared. It certainly gets less attention in the mass media, which may be a blessing. However, after a reflective winter, OWS plans for many spring activities around the country.”
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Joshua Brollier
Apathy and Inconvenience – Opinions about Protest“I often hear people say ‘I hate politics.’ Well, I do too. I think most of it is hypocrisy and manipulative games being played by the powerful. But should we let the greedy and the morally calloused make all our decisions for us about how to organize society?”
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Yvonne Ridley
Obama’s God Complex“The tame journalists who make up the Washington press pack ignore the fact that several times a month around 100 members of the government’s sprawling national security apparatus gather, by secure video teleconference, to discuss who should live and who should die.”
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Bill Quigley
Thirteen Ways Government Tracks Us“The advanced technology of the war on terrorism, combined with deferential courts and legislators, have endangered both the right to privacy and the right of people to be free from government snooping and tracking.”
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Little Big Pine
Cloud Happy (Poetry)
