Qualified Majority.. The UN needs this as well. Thank you Shankar
We need all leaders saying this:
"The whole reason I'm writing this today is because of a comment Merz made yesterday at a meeting in Bonn.
We are making every effort to put an end to this terrible war. But all our efforts in recent weeks have met with an even more aggressive reaction from the Moscow regime against the Ukrainian people. And this will not stop until we make it so that Russia cannot continue this war, at least for economic reasons. Perhaps also for military reasons, but in any case for economic reasons," said Chancellor Merz."
Your last point about deserving liars is something I have believed for a while now. Voters don’t vote for hard truths. They vote for promises of quick turnaround improvements and as we know they are virtually impossible to deliver. So to get into power the politicians know they have to make promises they almost certainly won’t be able to keep. Ergo, we collectively get the politicians we deserve!
Metz and Carney give me great hope. Practical people with no nonsense approaches to clearly stated goals. Perhaps an educated public in this country would bring us similar results.
Still thinking about your very reasonable explanation for Putin bombing an EU and a U.S. facility—the U.S. business being a purely civilian one. I had seen it as provocation, but it makes sense that Putin is testing out he waters.
Thanks for all your excellent analyses. It’s so nice to cut through the noise.
That's true about the R's but people need to want to be educated & if the desire isn't there then no amount of work will help and the fact is that the desire is just not there it's just easier to swallow propaganda
Excellent analogy and analysis Shankar. Great point about a “qualified majority,” instead of “all parties” is exactly what is necessary.
For far too long, Orban and Fico have been trying to have it both ways; part of the EU and NATO, while being a Putin marionette, extorting the EU to keep their quasi-authoritarian (competitive autocracies) functioning properly.
Without the EU, neither Orban and Fico would be in power; they’d have inflation similar to Turkey and even worse than Russia, which has just leaned into “stagflation” territory.
So good luck with that. Stagflation is like a case of herpes; it can stay with you forever. And when treatable, it requires a lot of hard choices to stay healthy.
Not to mention, in 2023, Hungary averaged 17.5% inflation which peaked at 25%. Today it’s at 4.2%, but still higher than any other EU country.
And what people need to understand is that while inflation is down, prices did not reset at the old price points. My point, that 25% from the past is still relevant since the 4.2% is being added to the 23’ pricing.
It’s the same issue that America faced after COVID’s supply chain issues. Inflation is now under control, but the initial increases have not reduce pricing from the initial increase.
I know my explanation can be interpreted as a bit ambiguous; so sorry if this is confusing…:)
Thank you for this informative and thoughtful essay on Metz. You have noted the details of what I’ve been noting within the tidbits of information we are handed from our MSM. It is such a pity that we Americans are so damn ignorant about the whole world of other nations work.
You're outstanding in your analysis and reporting, and I'm grateful you share it. Thank you very much! I'm crossing my fingers that the EU and Merz continue to take the reins.
Qualified Majority.. The UN needs this as well. Thank you Shankar
We need all leaders saying this:
"The whole reason I'm writing this today is because of a comment Merz made yesterday at a meeting in Bonn.
We are making every effort to put an end to this terrible war. But all our efforts in recent weeks have met with an even more aggressive reaction from the Moscow regime against the Ukrainian people. And this will not stop until we make it so that Russia cannot continue this war, at least for economic reasons. Perhaps also for military reasons, but in any case for economic reasons," said Chancellor Merz."
Your last point about deserving liars is something I have believed for a while now. Voters don’t vote for hard truths. They vote for promises of quick turnaround improvements and as we know they are virtually impossible to deliver. So to get into power the politicians know they have to make promises they almost certainly won’t be able to keep. Ergo, we collectively get the politicians we deserve!
Liars!
Let’s hope Merz will buck that trend!
Metz and Carney give me great hope. Practical people with no nonsense approaches to clearly stated goals. Perhaps an educated public in this country would bring us similar results.
Still thinking about your very reasonable explanation for Putin bombing an EU and a U.S. facility—the U.S. business being a purely civilian one. I had seen it as provocation, but it makes sense that Putin is testing out he waters.
Thanks for all your excellent analyses. It’s so nice to cut through the noise.
"Perhaps an educated public in this country would bring us similar results. " indeed , but how to achieve that? I'm pessimistic.
It will take a lot of work. But the Rs are actively trying to dumb down the citizenry. Ron DeSantis wants to put kids back to work.
That's true about the R's but people need to want to be educated & if the desire isn't there then no amount of work will help and the fact is that the desire is just not there it's just easier to swallow propaganda
Property taxes should not be the basis for funding schools. The curriculum needs more work from educators across the country.
Excellent analogy and analysis Shankar. Great point about a “qualified majority,” instead of “all parties” is exactly what is necessary.
For far too long, Orban and Fico have been trying to have it both ways; part of the EU and NATO, while being a Putin marionette, extorting the EU to keep their quasi-authoritarian (competitive autocracies) functioning properly.
Without the EU, neither Orban and Fico would be in power; they’d have inflation similar to Turkey and even worse than Russia, which has just leaned into “stagflation” territory.
So good luck with that. Stagflation is like a case of herpes; it can stay with you forever. And when treatable, it requires a lot of hard choices to stay healthy.
Not to mention, in 2023, Hungary averaged 17.5% inflation which peaked at 25%. Today it’s at 4.2%, but still higher than any other EU country.
And what people need to understand is that while inflation is down, prices did not reset at the old price points. My point, that 25% from the past is still relevant since the 4.2% is being added to the 23’ pricing.
It’s the same issue that America faced after COVID’s supply chain issues. Inflation is now under control, but the initial increases have not reduce pricing from the initial increase.
I know my explanation can be interpreted as a bit ambiguous; so sorry if this is confusing…:)
Another correction (damn that spell-check!): 🇩🇪Herzlichen Dank, Chancellor Merz!🕊️
Haha. All good.
Agreed … credit where it’s due, and perhaps a persuasive influence on other policy makers. Thank you Shankar.
Thank you for this informative and thoughtful essay on Metz. You have noted the details of what I’ve been noting within the tidbits of information we are handed from our MSM. It is such a pity that we Americans are so damn ignorant about the whole world of other nations work.
europe and the west badly needed a leader who would stand up and call things as they are, hopefully merz will continue to be that leader
Great piece Shankar. We wouldn’t see this anywhere else in US media.
🇩🇪Herzlichen Dank, Chancellor Metz!🕊️
correction: 🇩🇪Herlichen Dank, Chancellor Merz!🕊️
You're outstanding in your analysis and reporting, and I'm grateful you share it. Thank you very much! I'm crossing my fingers that the EU and Merz continue to take the reins.