Although the protests in the Ukraine are in support of joining the European Union they can actually be largely attributed to being in support of democracy with a defiant NO to Russian behind closed doors dictating.
By Leon J Williams
When I mention the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons/Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan (TAK) to Turkish people living in Turkey they seem to have never heard of them. Instead stating that all ‘terrorist’ activities carried out in Turkey are the work of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party/Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan).
Why do the Turks think this? Because of the Turkish media, they are told that it is the work of the PKK and the fact that the TAK are FORMER members of the PKK seems to be hidden away from the public.
I was reminded of this issue this morning when I read an article from the Turkish tabloid Hürriyet Daily News with seeming ‘good news’ about Turkey’s progress in its EU application, further reading confused their own audience with some of the comments reading:
“I did not understand exactly what this means, Will they open new chapters or not?”
“Is it really what the headline says, to me it sounds like another delay”
I flicked over to EuroNews only to find an almost opposite headline about the same story…
Left: EuroNews Right: Hurriyet Daily News
The Democratic Party of Socialists (of Montenegro) (DPS) is a centre-left pro-Europe party which currently holds both positions of President and Prime Minister.
Filip Vujanovic has just won a 3rd term as president which will take him up to 2018.
Montenegro started negotiations with the EU in June last year about joining with the DPS being part of the Party of European Socialists (PES).
What’s amazing is that through all the media nonsense of the impending collapse of the European Union, the collapse of the Euro, member states exiting the Eurozone etc none of it has happened and countries are still queueing up to join with the next member being Croatia who will join in July with other countries, such as Iceland, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey having all applied to join.
The media, especially in the UK should get a grip on reality and stop pushing their bullshit agenda.
The moron leader of British political party UKIP Nigel Farage has told Brits to ‘Get your money out of there while you’ve still got a chance’ in a reference to those living in the Mediterranean.
Blaming the EU and suggesting that people should withdraw their money, with the UK in dire economic state should we also withdraw our money?
Maybe we should put it under our bed?
It reminds me of the Chinese woman who withdrew her life savings before the year 2000 fearing it would all be lost because of Y2K only for a fire to burn her home and money all away!
Yes the EU bank levy is crazy but UKIP’s alternative is also crazy!
Cypriot MPs all vote to reject the EU bailout, the terms had been amended to to save the poor, there would be no levy on savings under €20,000 but still it was rejected.
If you are Cypriot and have under €20,000 of savings in the bank then surely you would have been happy at the deal, the poor wont have to pay for the crises and the wealthier will.
However Cypriots are up in arms! One could assume that the vast majority have more than €20,000 of savings, is Cyprus one of the richest countries in the world?
Admittedly this is coming from the same people who voted not to unite their island while those in the illegally occupied north voted yes!
Maybe the Cypriots would be happy if the 0% line was raised to €50,000 or do they think someone else should help keep their country afloat, can they not accept responsibility for their own decisions?
With the mafia, dodgy Russian money, Greece, Turkey and the EU it’s about time the Cypriots woke up, grew up and took control of their lives, the reality is capitalism doesn’t work, stop keeping it on life support!
The European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have agreed a €10bn bailout of Cyprus.
The ongoing economic crises continues to engulf nations, this time it’s Cyprus, which without the bailout would cause ‘disorderly bankruptcy’ according to President Nicos Anastasiades.
As part of the ‘painful’ deal bank customers with savings under €100,000 will have to contribute 6.75% and those who have over €100,000 of savings will have to contribute 9.9%.
Naturally this has caused outrage amongst the people of Cyprus, both Cypriots and non-Cypriots. Though the alternative could be not being bailed out and savers losing 100%.
Anyway as per usual it is the normal people who suffer for the failings of capitalism, when will people stand up and stop accepting the constant attacks that capitalism blows upon the working class.
Cyprus’s ruling AKEL party, who rule with a minority government had this to say:
‘AKEL will not agree and consent to measures that will condemn the whole of the Cypriot people, and in particular the workers, unemployed, the young generation or the pensioners to dead ends and poverty, just as other peoples in southern Europe have been led to..’
The Portuguese are realising that the spending cuts are not working, the people are angry and depressed.
March 2nd saw huge protests in the capital Lisbon that included people right across the spectrum, young, old, left, public workers and students.
The Portuguese accept that there must be some cuts but the level imposed by its government under the EU bailout terms are too much, too fast.
The EU has praised Portugal’s progress and urges them to continue despite the strong protests.
On March 13-14 there will be strikes by rail workers.
On March 21-23 there will be further strikes by staff at the national airline TAP.
People are calling for the resignation of all austerity-minded government ministers, an end to budget cuts, pay cuts/freezes and unemployment (which now stands at over 16%).
For further details click here.
By Leon J Williams
The European Union (EU) has ordered Microsoft to pay £484m for failing to allow consumers a choice in web browsers.
Back in 2004 Microsoft was fined £381m for the same reason after which Microsoft did start to offer consumers a choice but this web browser option screen was dropped following a Windows 7 update in February 2011.
Microsoft said that this was due to a technical error but the European Commission dismissed this and is no doubt using this opportunity to make an example of Microsoft so that no other company thinks that it can get away with not implementing fair anti-monopoly regulations.
This move can only be seen as a good thing, shoring up EU funds and and allowing other, smaller businesses an opportunity to thrive.
Myth
Supporters of Capitalism say that it creates competition and they criticise Socialism for stifling competition but alas closer to the truth is that Capitalism destroys competition by creating monopolies, companies buy other companies and put their products first.
It is regulation that stops this, it is government intervention.
Web Browsers
Towards the end of last year we wrote about web browsers here.
By Leon J Williams
Earlier this week the UK’s Conservative party criticised the EU’s banking bonus cap, promising to fight the measure before it comes into play.
They went on to say that this was nothing more than a “boost for Zurich and Singapore and New York”.
Well tory scumbags, you can cross Zurich off that list because the Swiss public have voted overwhelmingly to cap bankers bonuses and executive pay with nearly 70% voting in favour of strict regulation.
Sure, a global approach would be the best option but with die-hard capitalist countries not willing to go there the would needs someone to take the lead and be the example, that is the EU, that is Switzerland, that is Europe!
The ruling Conservative party’s Philip Hammond (the Defence Secretary) has called for a cut in the welfare budget in order to maintain the number of troops.
The toss-pot went on to say that in the upcoming government budget defending the nation must be top priority. We assume that he means attacking other countries must be top priority.
He also said that a fair percentage of the cabinet want to reassess the welfare budget. No surprise, the tories want to cut the welfare state, cut money to help the disabled, the vulnerable and the sick. Got no money to look after yourself? Fuck off then!
The conservatives; the caring and compassionate party…
How about a different approach?
How about we stop attacking other countries, dramatically reduce the military budget, join the EU army to ensure that real and genuine security is not compromised and use the leftover funds to increase the standard of living for the British public.
ACA The Underground 