andyh wrote:
Great stuff..I wish them the very best.

Fug me translating that would be a task and a half

His basic line is a Swiss system of diret democracy using the tech we have

Everything based in local systems to build an economy from the borrom up

A cap on earnings to seperate wealth from poiltical power

and a good dose of piss taking and irrevrerancy

kinda liked it

so far

Italians Reject Austerity
By Stephen Lendman
3-5-13


It's high time voters somewhere did. It transfers wealth to bankers, other corporate favorites and rich elites.

It wrecks economies. It creates poverty, unemployment and human misery. It turns countries into dystopian backwaters.

Italian voters said no more. They rejected Mario Monti extremism. He represents unelected technocrat government. They did so overwhelmingly.

Over 90% spurned him. Economist Paul Krugman calls him "a proconsul imposed by Germany." Goldman Sachs installed him. He's a Trilateralist. He's a Bilderberg member in good standing. Some call him "Three-card Monti" for good reason.

He belongs to the right wing Atlantic Council. He's a member of its Business and Economics Advisors Group.

Money power drives his agenda. He prioritizes enriching bankers. Doing so force-feeds austerity.

Where things go from here remains unclear. Progressive Radio News Hour (PRNH) regular Ellen Brown discussed Beppe Grillo on air.

He's a comedian. He emerged from nowhere. His Five Star Movement won over about 25% of Italy's electorate.

It's the dominant lower house Chamber of Deputies party. It achieved 54 of 308 Senate seats. Achieving it was unprecedented.

It stands for publicly owned water, sustainable mobility, development, connectivity, and environmental protection.

Grillo's its nominal head. He has clout. His campaign struck important nerves. Traditional Italian politics is corrupt, he said. It's rotten to the core.

Italians need no convincing. Grillo's campaign stressed it. He was effective doing so. He scorned Italy's entrenched system. He called it irresponsible, incompetent, and extravagant. "They must all go," he demanded.

Brown discussed him. He rejects traditional politics. He wants QE going to people. He wants populism replacing neoliberal harshness.

He wants treaties, free trade agreements, Eurozone membership, and other major issues decided by national referenda. He deplores NATO. Let Italians decide if they want out. They get nothing by staying in.

Unilaterally default on public debt, he urges. Argentina, Iceland and other countries did it successfully. Nationalize Italy's banks. Guarantee 1,000 euros a month "citizenship" income. Reduce or eliminate poverty by doing so.

He wants Italian sovereignty restored. He wants it freed from Eurozone straightjacket rules. They impose financial tyranny. Back to the lire, he suggests. Let people decide.

Uniting 17 dissimilar countries requires surrendering monetary and fiscal control. An unelected central power has it. It force-feeds policy ruthlessly.

Debt entrapment and banker occupation follow. Troika power decides everything. The EU, ECB and IMF have final say.

Rules empower bankers. They require neoliberal harshness, robbing poor Peter to pay rich Paul, lowering living standards, sacking public workers, and selling off state assets at fire sale prices.

Italian voters spoke. They had enough. Non piu (no more), they said. They want populism for the people. Is Grillo up to the challenge?

Questions remain unanswered. He's neither right wing or left, he says. Hopefully he represents refreshing change. He welcomes people of all political persuasions. He risks ending up with more than he can handle.

He reflects public anger across Europe. Perhaps other Grillos await in the wings. A legion of them are needed. It matters if they're real.

There's no way to know. Opportunists turn up most often. True blue populists are rare. Realpolitik corrupts them. Good ones get co-opted. Grillo may be one of the crowd.

He may be more pseudo-populist than real. Perhaps he's capitalizing on public pain. His agenda may be hidden. If real, he may cave under pressure. The fullness of time will tell.

Without majority control, there's only so much he can do. At the same time, he's up against powerful entrenched interests.

This is Beppe in 1998!!!!


Jane

george lucas, get back to ruining star wars.
i thought for sure votes are rigged... puppets on strings and all that jazz. the chosen one gets in etc.. so do you think he even has a chance, or is he like the ron paul of italy.