Emmanuel Macron published an op-ed in 28 member states.
The “Brexit Impasse is a Lesson for Us All” said Macron.
That’s certainly a refreshing opinion. But the details show his manifesto is nothing more than a self-serving promotion for the upcoming EU parliament elections in his name.
He wants “tougher joint action on internet hate speech, the supervision of internet giants, new competition rules, a minimum European wage and a new defense treaty.”
In short, Macron wants more immigration, more government interference in the free markets, more support for the family farm and family bookstores, and an EU military that has no purpose other than more warmongering.
He calls for a Europe-wide agency “for the protection of democracies” to shield against electoral interference from outside powers comes as campaigning for May’s European parliament elections gets underway.
Translation: Macron wants a Europe-wide agency to promote Macron.
Macron also proposed European rules to “banish all incitements to hate and violence from the internet, because respect for the individual is the bedrock of our civilization of dignity.”
Translation: Macron wants to abolish freedom of speech.
Macron, who has previously stressed that the EU must be seen to protect workers, now seeks a “social shield” for all workers across the bloc, “guaranteeing the same pay in the same workplace, and a minimum European wage appropriate to each country and discussed collectively every year”.
That’s a bit curious. He wants a minimum wage that varies by country, yet equality for all.
AOC Parallels
AOC’c 93 Trillion Dollar Green New Deal is at least somewhat understandable.
She is a young, naive, economically illiterate fool whose generation was screwed over by the baby boomer generation, my generation.
Macron is in generation X, the group between Boomers and Millennials.
At 41, he ought to be able to figure out up from down, but he can’t.
More Europe
Brexit, the rise of Trump, and even the rise of AOC are all symptoms of the same thing: People are angry.
Banning free speech promotes more polarization. Calls for more government interference does the same. So does the request to build a European army.
People are over-taxed already. Who wants to pay for an army?
The UK, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, and Hungary are all reeling under the pressure of “more Europe”.
Yet Macron wants to shove more Europe up everyone’s ass with more rules, more regulations, and even the banning of free speech as if that would make all the problems disappear.
More Europe isn’t the solution, it’s part the problem.
The real problem that nearly everyone misses is the Fed coupled with government interference in the free markets.
For further discussion along these lines, please consider Ben Bernanke – The Father of Extreme US Socialism and Electoral Suicide: Beware the Radical Left.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Limits on free speech (aka hate speech legislation) would mean factions like the yellow vests lose their voice (even more than now). So of course it would makes sense to the pro-establishment boobs in government globally.
Let’s look at his history prior to politics as a clue:
Professional career
Inspector of Finances
After graduating from ENA in 2004, Macron became an Inspector in the Inspection générale des finances (IGF), a branch of the Finance Ministry .[21] Macron was mentored by Jean-Pierre Jouyet, the then-head of the IGF.[27] During his time as an Inspector of Finances, Macron gave lectures during the summer at the “prep’ENA” (a special cram school for the ENA entrance examination) at IPESUP (fr), an elite private school specializing in preparation for the entrance examinations of the Grandes écoles, such as HEC or Sciences Po.[28][29][30]
In 2006, Laurence Parisot offered him the job of managing director for Mouvement des Entreprises de France, the largest employer federation in France, but he declined.[31]
In August 2007, Macron was appointed deputy rapporteur for Jacques Attali’s “Commission to Unleash French Growth”.[13] In 2008, Macron paid €50,000 to buy himself out of his government contract.[32] He then became an investment banker in a highly-paid position at Rothschild & Cie Banque.[33][34] In March 2010, he was appointed to the Attali Commission as a member.[35]
Investment banker
In September 2008, Macron left his job as an Inspector of Finances and took a position at Rothschild & Cie Banque.[36] Macron was inspired to leave the government due to the election of Nicolas Sarkozy to the presidency. He was originally offered the job by François Henrot. His first responsibility at Rothschild & Cie Banque was assisting with the acquisition of Cofidis by Crédit Mutuel Nord Europe.[37]
Macron formed a relationship with Alain Minc, a businessman on the supervisory board of Le Monde.[38] In 2010, Macron was promoted to partner with the bank after working on the recapitalization of Le Monde and the acquisition by Atos of Siemens IT Solutions and Services.[39] In the same year, Macron was appointed as managing director and put in charge of Nestlé’s acquisition of one of Pfizer’s largest subsidiaries based around baby drinks. His share of the fees on this €9 billion deal made Macron a millionaire.[40]
In February 2012, he advised businessman Philippe Tillous-Borde, the CEO of the Avril Group.[41]
Macron reported that he had earned €2 million between December 2010 and May 2012.[42] Official documents show that between 2009 and 2013, Macron had earned almost €3 million.[43] He left Rothschild & Cie in 2012.[44]
All the sensible people in French politics have disappeared. And British politics too regretfully – as an appeaser has been running the show.
I find it easier to support AOC, as certainly parts of her Green New Deal will need to be adopted sooner or later, and she needs a big agenda to get any attention in the digital age.
The people I find it hardest to support are what I call “The Fidels”. I name them this because they are a useless bunch of windbags – remember that Cuba was once upon a time a UN member and had a new leader who decided to come to New York – probably to have some revolutionary clothing made to measure. Fidel attended the UN and said he would make a short speech – it was short by his standards as it only lasted for four and a quarter hours. Many legislators are closet Fidels and could be summarily dealt with if they cannot bring themselves to stop spouting rubbish. In a society where the rule of law had broken down they would have had their tongues cut out – in the digital age we could feed them psychiatric meds to stop the talking.
Overall I agree with the post, though I would quibble with two points. First, Macron supports more “interference in the markets.” The markets aren’t “free” now, though less interference will certainly be better. Second, if an EU army means the US army can come home, that would be a very useful purpose for the US. I know that’s wishful thinking though.
The US can go home any time it wants to. From anywhere. No exceptions.
Actually, no. The army must be ordered to go home by its civilian political leadership and provided the means to do so. From anywhere. No exceptions.
And the US can order them, any time it wants to. As Ron Paul put it wrt Iraq: “We just walked in. We can just walk back out.”
Varying the minimum wage per country is not that preposterous — in Macedonia or Bulgaria € 500 Euros goes a lot further than in France or Holland. Not that it would make any sense to have the EU setting wage levels in various countries — they could do that perfectly well themselves.
There is a real problem here, though. The two main things spurring anti-European sentiment is immigration and wage arbitrage, which benefits the “big” and disadvantages the “little” people. The wage arbitrage partly overlaps with immigration, introducing extra competition for those in the bottom two quintiles of the socio-economic ladder.
Some government being aware of what A pays B is preposterous. Interfering is even more so.
“..appropriate to each country and discussed collectively..”
Progressivism in a nutshell. Truth discovery and optimization by a bunch of privileged mediocrities “discussing” things they have no clue about whatsoever.
The only “appropriate” fate of such undifferentiated idiotocracies, are the inevitable sacking they’ll receive from less mediocre Islamic terrorocracies. Since at least the latter are only 99% incompetent at absolutely everything. Rather than a solid 100%, the way all and any moron dumb enough to fall for progressivism will forever be.
The real problem that nearly everyone misses is the unsustainable growth of national debt, which ultimately must end in disaster. Where the notion that “debt doesn’t matter” came from, I have no idea.
It has always been an idea championed by various cranks either too dumb, or simply refusing, to recognize that simply creating more money, doesn’t create any wealth. But it was most recently popularized by Krugman’s missive about debt not mattering, since it’s money “we owe to ourselves…” “We” in the progressive sense of the ruling class, of course; as with all things Krugman..
Capitalism is a failure.
Compared to….?
France remains ungovernable. From the millions of un-assimilated Muslims north of Paris and the truck driver and farmer’s unions that strike at the drop of a franc, she has cobbled together a Macron as national leader.
No one can lead people to where they don’t already want to go. It’s going to take hard times to dislodge France from drone politicians selling more of 35 hour weeks and taking off the month of August. Macron never had a chance, even if he had a vision, also doubtful.
“France remains ungovernable”
Were the french only so lucky….
If France was truly ungovernable, they’d be spared the burden of a government. Instead, they’re stuck with one of the largest and most intrusive out there.
Unfortunately for the French, merely putting on some Yellow Vests now and then, engaging in the occasional public display of childish “symbolism,” and whining a bit from time to time; don’t make you neither a Zapata nor a George Washington on the scale of genuine ungovernability.
Hence, the French, along with fellow Westerners, will continue to be picked over and robbed by Macon’s progressive bankster buddies until they have nothing more left than their similarly pliant sucker brethren in Venezuela. With their only hope of rescue, coming from guys with more in common with genuine ungovernables like Hekmatyar and friends, than by anyone from closer to home.
Hate Speech = ideas and thoughts the liberals/progressives/socialists don’t like