Strikes: winners and losers

 

Strikes: winners and losers

The coming months will see more strikes in Britain and this will include not only transport but also state administration, National Health Service, Education and other segments of the British economy. The idea is that workers want better deals to lose less of the value of their incomes being eroded by the inflationary process created by sanctions against the Russian Federation.

One of the outcomes has been the downgrading of the education system with most education centres having gone done in terms of education standards and there is more to come when teachers go on strike. To the damage caused by the Covid Pandemic will be added the damage caused by absenteism from classrooms caused by strikes. This is going to be also a difficult time for working families and many will face the dilemma of going to work, leaving their children alone outside schools or staying home to look after their families. This will also pose serious social risks. Having children without education and without adult supervision roaming around with little to do is certainly a recipe for disaster. 

We cannot entirely blame workers concerned about their incomes, but the very shortsighted approach of administrations that completely underestimated the impact of geopolitical decisions. Everybody with a grain of common sense could foresee that economic warfare would have repercussions not only for the British economy, but for the world's economy as a whole.  Even France with its nuclear power advantage is in dire straits as the vast majority of French nuclear reactors are not operational and this led to a direct confrontation between the French authorities and energy providers when French authorities tried to force energy providers to provide electricity at below operational margins. Similar situations occur across continental Europe and Winter has not even arrived. As temperatures fall, the true extent of the energy crisis will be felt and words like rationing and blackouts. Those who remember the early 1970's in Britain will know fairly well what it means. At one point, Britain was working three days a week. In Britain, temporary aid has been provided to help both ordinary consumers and companies deal with the brunt of energy prices but, unless such schemes are intended to be a permanent feature, sooner than later the real costs of energy will be felt across the board.

So what do strikes achieve? To begin with, those who are going to bear the brunt of strikes are going to be the most vulnerable and especially those who are part of the Zero Hour Contract economy and the black economy. With reduced economic activity, they are going to struggle to survive. Recession could soon be followed by Depression and we also what Depression means. In a recession, economic activity is severely affected but continues. In a Depression, the ultimate consequence is massive levels of unemployment. The hospitality industries - for example, were critically affected by lockdown measures during the pandemic. After that, they have had to deal with higher energy prices and many businesses came to an abrupt end. If now they to have to deal with higher energy prices and margins that do not cover their operational costs, for a vast number of businesses this will be the end game.

Any temporary gains will be followed by gigantic losses. In an economy with skyrocketting levels of borrowing, any salary increases will be swallowed by inflation.

Germany: More than 3 months without a government and coalition is not a certainty

Germany: More than 3 months without a government and coalition is not a certainty

An image that speaks volumes: the facial expression of Angela Merkel tells things as they are and a set of conditions that will not go down well with German voters.

Despite the fact that Britain's withdrawal will mean higher German contributions to the EU budget, coalition talks are heading in the direction of making a statement explicitly saying that German contributions will be increased as one of the requirements that must be met for a deal between CSU and SPD.

As part of the deal,  CDU will be forced to speed up the phasing out of the country's coal industry. Something that will go against both businesses and workers and it will lead to a higher dependency on other energy sources including oil and will lead to a wave of job losses of those employed by the coal industry.

There is also the added issue of increasing supply of monies to other EU countries for the sake of economic and social convergence, something that those who will have to pay for it will most likely oppose. Neither of these measures is a vote winner and this will most certainly affect an already embattled CDU, after a historical disastrous Federal Election.

Health Insurance contributions are yet another headache for Angela Merkel. SPD asked for equalisation of contributions for Healthcare meaning that, if there is a deal, employers will have to pay more for their employees healthcare.

The issue of Immigration and Immigration Control is also at the forefront in the exploratory talks between CDU and SPD with winds that blow in the direction of less Immigration. Angela Merkel knows that Immigration is an important issue and also knows that if she is seen as somebody that wants to maintain the status quo she will lose, once again, to Alternative für Deutschland and others who are against present levels of immigration.

Parties stated that these were merely exploratory talks and if at the end of the process there is no agreement there would be a new Federal Election and Angela Merkel might not be the candidate leading CDU as discontent within the CDU/CSU is rising.

Die Endlösung der Judenfrage: a capital moment in history

Die Endlösung der Judenfrage: a capital moment in history

Much has been said about what British and other countries where English is the predominant language called simply "Final Solution".

As a historical fact it must be stated that most of the buildings we can see today in what are presumed to be the installations of concentrations camps were built after World War Two when National Socialist Germany was no longer around.
The paradox is that the constant reminder about the camps serves to perpetuate the memories of what happened in concentration camps but at the same time perpetuate the memories of Adolf Hitler and of an ideology called National Socialism. In peoples minds, Jesus of Nazareth and Adolf Hitler are equally famous.

I have looked at the words Arbeit Macht Frei and there is a fundamental truth in those words. Work makes you free. This couldn't be truer in an world in which there is crippling unemployment. We are not masters of our own destiny unless we have control of our own finances. So this is yet again another paradox. We are told to hate an expression that carries such a powerful and positive message.

The NSDAP was in its origins a true Socialist Party German style. Its name - National Socialist German Workers' Party - represents the ideals of a Socialist society in which every member of the said society would play a useful role and in turn everybody's needs would be met.

In spite of all the rubbish we hear when this very important period in history is mentioned, the one fundamental aspect of what actually were the ideals of the NSDAP is completely forgotten. In the rise of National Socialism in Germany there was a very powerful element called Solidarity. People were told that they had to look after each other, care after each other, be a German of one another and share these ideals in the pursuit of a greater, healthier, stronger and wealthier Germany.

For the unemployed, and there were many people out of work and unable to make ends meet, the world Arbeit was a magic word and it was very much rooted in the work ethics of the German people. People were going to be free from hunger, free from the miseries of a life without future, masters of their own lives. This was the essence of "Arbeit Macht Frei" , essence that is very powerful today when in Britain, in USA in France, practically everywhere, politicians promise more jobs and the reduction of the queues of unemployment. There is an element of Arbeit Macht Frei in every political speech - whether we talk about the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Green Party, UKIP, BNP et cetera, et cetera. The NSDAP promised more jobs in ways that were identical to the promises made by today's political parties.

People wanted answers to deal with unemployment and deprivation and from 1933 onward the National Socialist Party led by Adolf Hitler as German Chancellor and German President produced a massive number of jobs. There was a psychological factor and a financial factor. Financially, the chaotic situation that existed before the rise of Adolf Hitler was dealt with. People had jobs, people had bread on their tables. The psychological element came from association: this is your country, you deserve everything your country can provide, it is a powerful country and you don't need to fear about external aggression. People were reassured in every way and this led to massive political support.

Here comes the concept of "if you have one political party - the National Socialist German Workers' Party - that looks after your every need, why do you need other political parties?" The process towards a one-party state had been voluntarily and willingly triggered by the mass of the Electorate. Who could possibly be opposed to such levels of happiness, togetherness and wealth? Liberals, Marxists and among them the Jews who were said to be looking after their own interests and didn't care about the German people who where predominantly Christian. This is why at one point, Jews were banned from getting involved in many professions. And the process continues and goes farther and farther.

There is an evolution. There is a series of steps along the way towards getting rid of the Jews but it is also a process to get rid of Liberals and Marxists. People were interned in concentration camps for all kinds of reasons but the persecution of the Jews had little to do with religion or race. It was a political decision and you can deal with people who are political opponents or perceived political opponents in various ways. You ban them from professions. You imprison them. You deport them. You kill them. And there are various examples of this to mention. The persecution of many people - Jews and non Jews - was purely political.