Friday, June 10, 2016

I'll Take World Trade for $200, Mr. Trebeck


I had it all wrong. In today's Toronto Star, Justin Trudeau explains the Saudi Death Wagon deal and middle class Chinese consumers to Paul Wells.

No comment from me. Read it yourself.

Because nobody stands on principle like a Banana Republic.  Check, got it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Justin;

In political science, the term banana republic is a pejorative descriptor for a servile dictatorship that abets or supports, for kickbacks and the exploitation of large-scale plantation agriculture, especially banana cultivation.

In economics, a banana republic is a country operated as a commercial enterprise for private profit, effected by a collusion between the State and favoured monopolies, in which the profit derived from the private exploitation of public resources is private property, while the debts incurred thereby are a public responsibility.

Cancelling the deal with the Saudis would not make us a banana republic. Signing the TPP will.....

Anonymous said...

The entire world is (perhaps not China or Russia but they're working on that) essentially a banana republic, not just Canada. These new proposed free trade plans in essence mean everyone's lives will be run by corporatist elites, not "elected" officials. The best summary of these new plans I include a link to below, and it's really shocking. Apparently, not even things like the CPP will be allowed as it competes with the private investment industry. Existing crown corps will not be allowed to offer a better service than a private corp would give - no banking at Canada Post, and the end of it in Japan. Plus more unending bullshit all designed to basically provide a revenue stream to our "genetic superiors", right down to store opening hours locally. Nobody of normal disposition wants this shit, so it'll be rammed down our throats having been negotiated in secret anyway.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/06/10/regulation-of-financial-industry-is-history-if-trade-in-services-agreement-passes/

BM

The Mound of Sound said...


It troubles me, BM, how successive governments have yielded significant elements of national sovereignty without so much as a "by your leave."

It was, oddly, encouraging to read a recent piece in Bloomberg to the effect that climate change impacts already being felt will disrupt the cohesive supply lines on which globalization is premised.

This whole rancid neoliberal ideology is collapsing. The public is turning on it. Trudeau still doesn't get it. Donald Trump does. It is what propelled him to the Republican nomination.

If we don't begin easing ourselves out of globalism and the neoliberal agenda we could find ourselves in a new reality not of our own choosing.