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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Is the canary about to die?

Since 2008 and as the economic crisis in Europe has led to fiscal austerity and increased taxation, the national citizenries throughout Europe have felt in varying degrees the pain of those policies, and have come to realize that the economic criteria were much stronger. The political and social dimensions of  citizenship had become secondary to economic terms of efficiency, productivity, and competitive within a global market. So as the financial pressure is getting greater national citizenries are demanding from the national politicians greater relief and support which they can't deliver as the political elite are bound by their European integrationist limitations.
I have argued that in fact the Maastricht Treaty, which defines the European integration and the creation of the Eurozone has killed Social Democracy in Europe. In this context the change in administration in France and the inability Greek politicians to form a government following the May 6th elections means very little.  The austerity prescription that the European Central Bank and the German-French axis will continue, since the forces that are driving this policy have not been persuaded. As far as Greece is concerned, the situation there is more dramatic since the anemic social and political Greek system is feeling the pressure of the Maastricht economic straitjacket. Unfortunately Greece is the "canary in the coal mine" and as such nothing will change until the canary dies.

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