New World Disorder.

Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, June 12th, 2018 - 45 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war, Globalisation, International, liberalism, Politics - Tags:

There’s something quite heartening about the public nature of this latest spat between “our” leaders. Over a number of years, the liberal consensus they expressed by way of their nakedly capitalist – okay, maybe not “naked” but with a lot of skin on display in those supposedly “free trade” agreements – and the domestic policies locking in opportunities for corporate profits off the back of public investments – that whole caboodle seemed quite unassailable from the perspective of the street.

Anyone care to recount all the acronyms of the various “trickle down will see you right” trade agreements, and unsuccessful popular protests that accompanied their passing over past years?

It didn’t seem to matter that the so-called liberal consensus didn’t expand much beyond various corridors of power. There was medicine to be dished, profits to be manufactured and a mean, lean world, befitting the finest and greatest to be gained.

Then came Donald. Well, actually, first came a steady stream of politicians who claimed they’d represent an expression of the disenchantment that was easy enough to discern on the streets and in the lives of those of us who had been medicated with spoonfuls and little brown bottles worth of TINA (there is no alternative). Donald, like Trudeau or Macron are pretenders. They claimed they’d represent the interests of the downtrodden and fcked over, but they don’t – they represent the interests of money and power.

Thing is, they seem to have different ideas about how to go about executing that representation. The liberal consensus – usually referred to as “the Washington Consensus” is fraying.

Is it desperation and stubbornness that’s on display in the photograph that was circulated from the G7 summit?  Swapping out Trump for some naughty schoolkid and the others for a gaggle of school teachers keen to impress on him the gravity of whatever he’s done…or maybe a resident in a retirement home being assailed by frustrated nursing home staff and carers?

Whatever, the follow-up statements from Trudeau (who’s in the shit in the Canadian polls) and Macron (who’s in the shit in domestic polls) and May (who’s just in the shit) are kinda funny when seen in the light of it being one of their own who’s (seemingly) on the verge of destroying the house of cards that they and their predecessors have built and maintained in the face of popular opposition.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no more a fan of Trump that I am of May, or any of the rest of whatever gaggle likes to meet to make “big decisions” that will also impact on us –  the ‘bit parts’ or inconvenient realities who form a more or less inconsequential part of their deliberations. But for now, for a moment, there’s a certain amount of amusement to be had watching these self aggrandising clowns run around in a flap having a go at one another.

I’m not saying it will end well. “Ending well” would require us getting our shit together and being done with them and all of their nonsense. That may happen. Who knows?

45 comments on “New World Disorder. ”

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  1. Gosman 1
    12 June 2018 at 12:09 pm

    I don’t think people understand the point of trade (foreign or otherwise). Certainly Donald Trump doesn’t. It isn’t about Trade deficits or being able to sell stuff.

  2. WILD KATIPO 2
    12 June 2018 at 12:27 pm

    Just look at all those crossed arms and Merkels power stance at Trump when Trumps sitting down,… and just look at Trumps crossed arms and FUCK YOU stance.

    Good on Mr Trump.

    At least , – whether you like him or not , – hes a nationalist who’s putting his country first.

    Maybe we could do with more people like that in this country.

    ———————————————-

    … ” But for now, for a moment, there’s a certain amount of amusement to be had watching these self aggrandising clowns run around in a flap having a go at one another ” ….

    ———————————————-

    • Gosman 2.1
      12 June 2018 at 12:30 pm

      He is an idiot who barely understands basic economic concepts.

      BTW there has been at least four separate photos of that same interaction and they all show different views. You have allowed yourself to be sucked in to just one.

      • WILD KATIPO 2.1.1
        12 June 2018 at 12:34 pm

        I daresay he understands it better than you.

        And you , – along with others, – fail to see he is an executive , not a policy maker. He merely signs off on policy’s others draw up. The American Presidency is not a one man band – despite the George Soros anti Trump media.

        Sorry mate , but its just one more nail in the coffin in globalization , – and you of all people should be understanding the American psyche towards nationalism and anti globalist sentiment.

    • roy cartland 2.2
      12 June 2018 at 1:51 pm

      “hes a nationalist who’s putting his country first”

      You don’t seriously believe that do you? He’s shitting all over his country – the people, the laws, the founding ideals and the environment – for the benefit of himself and his businesses.

      (Or is that exactly what you mean by “putting…first” and “country” and “his”?

      • WILD KATIPO 2.2.1
        12 June 2018 at 3:05 pm

        Broadly , yes.

        That’s why he tried to inact import taxes for those American company’s that crossed the border into Mexico to take advantage of cheap labour and peddle their wares back to Americans , – yet gave a tax deduction incentive for those who remained on American soil and employed Americans.

        Things such as that are nationalistic- not globalistic.

    • SpaceMonkey 2.3
      12 June 2018 at 5:31 pm

      I think he’s a narcissist masquerading as a nationalist. For Trump the Presidency is all about his self-aggrandisement.

    • North 2.4
      12 June 2018 at 9:02 pm

      Get off the grass Wild Katipo. Hitler was a fucking nationalist……what an arse comment you make !

      • WILD KATIPO 2.4.1
        12 June 2018 at 9:58 pm

        Who was it that signed off on indiscriminate drone strikes every Tuesday for 5 years that also killed civilians in the middle east ie Iraq…

        A bloke by the name of Barak Obama.

        To date, I don’t think the Donald has ever done that.

        So the Hitler analogy falls flat.

        And don’t try and nitpick , you know as well as I do that there are degrees of ‘ nationalism’ , and that even communist China could be deemed ‘ nationalistic’. But we don’t do that we reference nationalism in a western sense, – furthermore , one that is a healthy one that looks after the best interests of its own people. And in the east , Japan. Or countless other country’s around the globe.

        So just because some individuals in some country’s want a globalist outcome – others dont. In fact it seems most of the common people in the world don’t. Hence anti TTPA , Brexit protests and so on.

        Nationalism isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and in most cases benefits the people of that country.

  3. Hongi Ika 3
    12 June 2018 at 12:57 pm

    WK have we established whether Gossamer is an economist, a nutritional expert or a sociologist, what does he do for a job or is he paid full time to inhabit T/S FFS he is a pain in the arse ?

    • WILD KATIPO 3.1
      12 June 2018 at 1:08 pm

      Probably semi retired, probably has some political connections on a casual basis , definitely an idealogue and probably has spent a lifetime brown nosing.

      But then , this is the internet.

      What we do know is :

      A ) He is not Donald Trump and has no real understanding of what goes on outside of the globalist George Soros mass media and anti Trump agenda.

      B ) He is nowhere near world geopolitical decisions thus has no real understanding of what really goes on .

      C ) He doesn’t like Trump because it threatens world globalism and thus the free market .

      Now to be fair , we are all in the first two categories , but when it comes to the last one,…this is where it impacts on our lives way down here in Lil Ole Nu Zeeland.

      READ THIS :

      New Right Fight – Who are the New Right?
      http://www.newrightfight.co.nz/pageA.html

  4. Pat 4
    12 June 2018 at 1:30 pm

    ‘The Washington Consensus’ has run its course and is failing (as many predicted) and now the elites are moving to shore up their position….they dont care how or its permanence, as long as they remain in control, hence the disparate methods.

    The goal remains the same.

    • Gosman 4.1
      12 June 2018 at 1:32 pm

      You have a single person who, because he fails to grasp the purpose of international trade, has decided to cause a little problem for other nations. That is hardly the end of the Washington consensus.

    • Gosman 4.2
      12 June 2018 at 1:35 pm

      A single guy causing a few problems because he doesn’t understand the purpose of international trade is not indicative of the end of the Washington consensus.

      • pat 4.2.1
        12 June 2018 at 1:48 pm

        “Since 2008, according to the WTO, G20 economies have introduced 1,583 new trade restricting measures and removed just 387. Between mid-October of 2015 and mid-May of this year they introduced 145 new protectionist measures — a monthly average of just under 21, the worst seen since the WTO began monitoring G20 economies in 2009.

        Mr Azevêdo said the world was still a long way from a wave of protectionism akin to that seen in the 1930s. Then, the erection of trade barriers contributed to the wiping out of more than half of global trade, he said. The measures documented by the WTO since the 2008 crisis affect 5 per cent of global imports.”

        https://www.ft.com/content/2dd0ecc4-3768-11e6-a780-b48ed7b6126f

        This article BEFORE the election of Trump….the WC has been questioned widely since the GFC and acted against whether you noticed or not

      • WILD KATIPO 4.2.2
        12 June 2018 at 3:08 pm

        Again , Gosmo… you are deliberately eluding the fact that Trump DOES NOT act alone. There are vast numbers behind him who draw up policy.

        Stop trying to deflect.

  5. s y d 5
    12 June 2018 at 1:53 pm

    Varoufakis has some interesting points on this…

    “Trump takes one look at all this and concludes that, if the US can no longer stabilise global capitalism, he might as well blow up existing multilateral conventions and build from scratch a new global order resembling a wheel, with America its hub and all other powers its spokes – an arrangement of bilateral deals that ensures the US will always be the largest partner in each, and thus be able to exact a pound of flesh through divide and rule tactics.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/11/trump-world-order-who-will-stop-him

    • Gosman 5.1
      12 June 2018 at 3:03 pm

      Again that analysis fails to understand the purpose of Trade and where the benefits in free trade lie. Hint: They don’t lie with the country with a Trade surplus.

      • Pat 5.1.1
        12 June 2018 at 3:18 pm

        the benefit (only) of free(r) trade is that it promotes trade and therefore growth (if you believe thats a net benefit)…for all parties.

        Restrict trade and you restrict or even reverse growth which is problematic as our entire economic system is predicated on growth

        • Gosman 5.1.1.1
          12 June 2018 at 3:25 pm

          Not really. In a barter economy what reason would people trade?

          • Pat 5.1.1.1.1
            12 June 2018 at 3:35 pm

            We dont have a barter economy….in case you hadnt noticed

            • Gosman 5.1.1.1.1.1
              12 June 2018 at 3:38 pm

              I know we don’t. I’m using it to illustrate the point of Trade. Why would you Trade with somebody in a Barter economy?

              • Pat …
                12 June 2018 at 3:54 pm

                The ‘point’ of trade is not the effect of trade….your illustration (attempt) is of something else altogether.

                • Gosman …
                  12 June 2018 at 4:07 pm

                  It is a simple question. Why would lead people trade in a barter economy?

                  • Pat …
                    12 June 2018 at 4:16 pm

                    It is a question irrelevant to the topic under discussion

                    • Gosman …
                      12 June 2018 at 4:33 pm

                      No, it goes to the heart of the argument people like Trump make around Trade and highlights why he has little clue on the topic.

                  • Pat …
                    12 June 2018 at 4:37 pm

                    It highlights his understanding is on par with your own

                  • Pat …
                    12 June 2018 at 5:05 pm

                    “Again that analysis fails to understand the purpose of Trade and where the benefits in free trade lie. Hint: They don’t lie with the country with a Trade surplus.”

                    • Gosman …
                      12 June 2018 at 10:05 pm

                      Thanks for reposting that. Why you did so eludes me. Do you disagree with it? If so, why?

                  • Pat …
                    12 June 2018 at 10:49 pm

                    Obviously I disagree with that….hence my response at 5.1.1

                    You oppose the view of a noted economist with a somewhat confused assertion that the benefits of trade dont lie with the trade positive economy.

                    Trade benefits both economies but a trading surplus is more beneficial than a trade deficit, thats why almost all countries strive for a net positive trade position.(think Germany/Japan)…that is not to say all sectors of that economy benefit but that is an issue of distribution and egality. Trump is willing to reduce world trade and therefore growth in the belief (mistaken) the US economy will be protected by the fact it is the worlds reserve currency and its domestic economy is large and broad enough to avoid the impacts that will cause….he is a fool because the worlds economies a now so interconnected he will destroy the US economy at the same time.

                    Trade restrictions (or trade wars in the extreme) reduce trade and therefore growth…also known as recessions.

                    However, as stated trade promotes growth….but it promotes growth

                    Freer trade promotes more growth….but it promotes growth

                    There’s a theme here, see if you can spot it.

                  • Pat …
                    13 June 2018 at 7:52 am

                    couldnt spot the theme huh?

  6. Tamati Tautuhi 6
    12 June 2018 at 2:01 pm

    Interesting Trumps world view, I still haven’t figured it out.

    Mind you I think many USA citizens world views are distorted ?

    • WILD KATIPO 6.1
      12 June 2018 at 3:02 pm

      Well , the USA is quite different from old Europe,.. and different yet again from other ‘new’ frontier society’s like S.A , Australia and NZ.

      And you can see that from the ways that they think we are ‘socialist’ ( like Key ) and their version of the Left is more like our version of the right.

      They started off with the notion of the ‘rugged individual’ and Manifest Destiny after all.

      The Native Americans can testify to that….

  7. Hongi Ika 7
    12 June 2018 at 2:36 pm

    How are the Bilderberger’s and the Mont Perelin Society going these days, Roger Douglas, Ruth Richardson and Alan Gibbs were all disciples of these organisations along with George Soros, John Key has some links with these groups also I believe ?

    • WILD KATIPO 7.1
      12 June 2018 at 2:57 pm

      I would say the Bilderbergers and the Mont Pelerin society are getting along just peachy.

      The London square mile Mont Pelerin society… after having finally succeeded in destroying national sovereignty in all but name through free trade deals, privatizing much of the wests publicly owned assets – including and foremost in England,and creating massive world poverty classes out of former wealthy nations … and having their counterpart Ronald Reagun doing the same in America.

      I wonder how Thatcher , Reagun and Freidman are doing in hell ?

      That’s more along the lines of what I’d like to know…

    • Gosman 7.2
      12 June 2018 at 3:06 pm

      You can believe what you like. If you want others to accept your beliefs and anything more than just fantasy you should provide evidence.

      • WILD KATIPO 7.2.1
        12 June 2018 at 3:11 pm

        I would say the onus is on you to prove that it isn’t the case.

        Who says your beliefs are anything more than just fantasy?

        And skewed to support you globalist ideology.

        • Gosman 7.2.1.1
          12 June 2018 at 3:20 pm

          Ahhhh….I think you misunderstand the concept of ‘Burden of proof’.

          • WILD KATIPO 7.2.1.1.1
            12 June 2018 at 5:47 pm

            Seems to be a lot of this ‘ misunderstanding ‘ , and being ‘clueless’ going around from you Gosmo.

            Yet to date,.. you really haven’t substantiated anything you have said barring offering cryptic statements designed to make us all think you are some sort of high IQ genius sitting alone in a wizards tower thinking the rest of the world are fools…

            When actually… we just think you are a bullshit artist.

            And a RWNJ.

  8. Hongi Ika 8
    12 June 2018 at 3:05 pm

    You don’t think they got let through “the pearly gates” ?

    • WILD KATIPO 8.1
      12 June 2018 at 3:13 pm

      Well according to one man 2000 years back he took a dim view of the rich suppressing the poor… and theft.

      Who knows?

      But the same man did talk about the poor being equal to the rich and having all the same rewards…