Revolting Europe
revoltingeurope
Lies, damn lies and French bankers…
French bankers were second only to their German counterparts in the Eurozone as beneficiaries of public handouts to save them in the wake of the banking crisis, a crisis they caused. Now, 10 years on from receiving the mega government cheque, they are pedalling the myth the whole saga was costless; that the French people … Continue reading
France’s political earthquake hits communists
The 2017 elections were a political earthquake in France and the shock waves are now hitting the French communist party. It’s 18 months since France was rocked by the crushing victory of pro-European Emmanuel Macron and his new political movement in the Presidential and legislative elections last year. That victory delivered a body blow to … Continue reading
Yemen: Of Saudi bombs made in Italy
By Gianluca Ferrara Almost nobody talks of the war in Yemen. It is a conflict that reveals how disgusting and dangerous our trading partners are in the Middle East. Amid international indifference, Yemen and its 28 million inhabitants are suffering from the consequences of Saudi Arabia’s criminal policies since March 2015. The Yemeni Houthi rebels, … Continue reading
Why this Friday will be Black for Amazon in Italy
Up to 4,000 workers at Amazon’s despatch centre at Piacenza in northern Italy will be striking for better pay and conditions on Black Friday. In addition, the workers organised by the unions Tertiary Ugl, Fisascat-Cisl, Filcams-Cgil, and Uiltucs-Uil decided on an overtime ban until 31 December, hitting Christmas shopping. Amazon’s strong growth justifies a more … Continue reading
Merkel’s Downfall is a new crisis in the European project: Interview with Vladimiro Giacché
“Jamaica” coalition talks collapsed on Sunday night after Christian Lindner (Fdp) said no to governing with the CDU and Greens, and Angela Merkel was forced to acknowledge that the margins for negotiation were depleted. For Lindner the biggest obstacle lay in defining the political line on European issues. Federico Ferraù caught up with Italian economist … Continue reading
London, Amsterdam, Milan: It’s not where the European Medicines Agency is located that is the problem
Vittorio Agnoletto does not regret his native Milan lost out to Amsterdam in the bid to replace London as home of the European Medicines Agency. His concerns lie elsewhere The European Medicines Agency will move to Amsterdam, it has been decided by a draw. This has left a bitter taste in the mouth of Italians … Continue reading
Wealth inequality in Spain deepens as poorest get poorer and corporate profits soar, new figures show
An analysis of tax data in Spain shows how austerity and labour market counter-reforms have slashed the wage share of the country’s wealth to new lows while corporate profits have soared. The findings by economist Gabriel Flores published in online newspaper Nueva Tribuna are: Labour income has declined as a proportion of GDP from 50% … Continue reading
Paradise Papers: a view from Spain
By Rafael Simancas From the Panama papers to our very own Royal Castellana papers, and now the Paradise papers. The scandals surrounding tax avoidance and large-scale tax fraud follow one after another with increasingly astronomic sums and ever higher profile protagonists. But beyond superficial analysis and frivolous commentary, these behaviours deserve a rigorous assessment, because … Continue reading
The Economics of Macron before Macron
Emmanuel Macron’s ideas are not so new, says Gilles Raveaud. One can’t be too sure, but hazarding a guess, I’d say the French President’s labour market reforms date from 1994. 1994 was a long time ago…This is the year when the cyclist Francesco Moser beat the Hour world record (for the second time), Pinochet was … Continue reading
Filthy Rich – Europe billionaires wealthier than ever
Europe’s fifty richest people have become 153 billion dollars wealthier over the past year, with a total net worth rising to 754 billion dollars. That rise – about three billion dollars each on average – is equivalent to five billion dollars for each of the 28 EU member states or 300 dollars per person across … Continue reading
The relevance of the October Revolution to Europe today
The October Revolution is the most important revolution of the modern era. And for now, at least, it should gives us cause for optimism, says Giorgio Cremaschi. In the Bolshevik Revolution the social question and the rejection of war took power in Russia, beginning a momentous journey to liberate humanity. Despite the mistakes and horrors … Continue reading
Sicily poll: what’s at stake locally?
Sicilians are going to the polls today in what is the last electoral test before general elections next year. A right-wing alliance led by three time PM and billionaire tax fraud convict Silvio Berlusconi was seen to be slightly ahead of Beppe Grillo’s Five Star movement, with the ‘centre-left’ Democrats trailing in third place thanks … Continue reading
France’s public servants: too many, too expensive, too often off sick?
Christian Chavagneux challenges the assumptions behind Macron’s drive to downsize France’s public sector. On 16 October, at the end of his meeting with the public service unions, the Minister of Action and Public Accounts, Gérald Darmanin, said he had already met them 37 times since taking office. The dialogue exists, but it is mostly a … Continue reading
Veneto and Lombardy’s autonomy referenda unpicked
Italians in the Veneto and Lombardy have just voted in non-binding referenda for more autonomy. Giorgio Cremaschi argues they are a fig leaf for a hollowing out of democracy and will drive privatisation. The same political forces that are opposing each other nationally for the government of the country and who clash over the new … Continue reading
The Abuse of Overtime: Case of Spain
Spanish workers three and a half million hours of unpaid overtime a week – equivalent to more than one hundred thousand jobs in a country with over 17% unemployment. The opposition is pushing for a new law that will expose individual firms for exploiting their workforce in this way, says Vincente Clavero The effects of … Continue reading
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