Ah, okay. Thanks. For a while I thought the bourgeoisie of Monaco reserved Friday nights for boules and fondue parties. Surreal way to watch a match though.
As far as I can tell, a credible left-wing political option is being eroded from Europe, much as it has been from the US.
I totally agree with you.I find it very hard voting for a political party in the UK.I only vote Labour out of a misplaced loyalty
Do you actually believe that US capitalism is based on a free market? Do you think that is the case at the highest levels when companies are handed contracts and subcontracts by the US government, that it has absolutely anything to do with free-marketism?
I hear you. For me the difference between the left and the right is dissappearing all the time. There's really only a political elite and subservient electorate given an artificial democatic choice. They all want to stay in power and they have to abide by the financial rules for that to happen.
They have a sort of Keynesian Corporatism (made-up name) that happens when you implement too many regulations (mostly pushed for by the left in the, genuine or not, guise of protecting the people from corporations), where only the big players can keep up with the paperwork, permits, licenses and what not, and honest competition finds it harder and harder to get in the industry. Big businesses don't see intrusive central governments as a foe, they never have. Regulations help them kill their competition. The US as a whole is not based on a free market system as much as I would like to, but comparatively it is more than some other countries. And in fact some states like Texas, and other 'red states', which are currently flourishing (unlike the biggest economy California which has been in a downward trend since it's shift to the left decades ago) do have more Laissez-Faire free markets comparatively. In a study published recently 19/20 or something of the top states to do business in in the US were republican led states, where there are less regulations imposed on businesses. In states where busy Democrat bees spend their time enacting regulations "that protect the people from EVIR CORPORATIONS", the industries are dominated by fewer key players. Oops?
I did? I just called your bullshit re: Cinema censorship, and censorship in the US in general (which is less prevalent than in the EU, see video games).
I'm not going to argue with you. I've had this kind of discussion with many, many, Americans, and your education and knowledge just doesn't support any kind of reasonable discussion. You have a bizarre impression of Europe based on your own internal propaganda that is desperate to convince you that your country is not going to the dogs. I should have picked that up from your debating style, much sooner.
Even if you deregulate an industry allowing competition in, the same major multinationals (their sheer scale being a barrier to entry btw) are going to get the contracts from the government. That was the case in both the rebuilding of Iraq and New Orleans in the US with Halliburton, etc with their infamous politicial connections and reach. Ergo, there is no free-market. Besides you seem to be coming purely from an economic pov. If the economy is doing great, then **** the rest right? What about the environment? The sole unifying aim of any corporation is to make a profit and from their dawn they have paid zero heed to any environmental or social damage that their behaviour causes if it in any way gets in the way of that aim. If an industry needs to be regulated to stop it from poisioning it's environment with impunity, even if that comes at an economic cost, then that's a price we should all be willing to pay.
Who knows? If Obama can get Obamacare through in a country where Gent is probably considered mildly right wing, then anything is possible. But yeah, it seems like the stripping of the state is fully underway in Europe. We're going the other way now. Maybe there's some more radical left-wing parties in the UK you could look into?
lol he says I have a bizarre, supposedly unjust, impression of some place, and in the same sentence "... Americans, and your education and knowledge just doesn't support any kind of reasonable discussion." TT in a nutshell. It doesn't even take a sentence break for him to contradict himself, or do exactly what he says I'm supposed to be doing. And to the point at matter, are you saying I'm wrong about censorship, because that is pretty easily verifiable. It's not even an "argument". You made some **** up, I corrected you.
He didn't get it through. Basically they noticed that workplaces were shifting a significant part of their workforce from 40h/week to 30h/week to avoid paying ridiculous sums and penalties, so now they are delaying the application of most Obamacare articles. (So the guy that comes in office next gets the blame) That's left-wing policy making pretty aptly demonstrated. "Our intentions were good".
By the way notice that in no place did I say anything about the people of Europe, or Europe in general. Just that EU generally has more censorship. Toledo "Straw-Men" Trumpton. I thought you kept that stuff only in footballing arguments?
