	Generational Dynamics
	Forecasting America's Destiny ... and the World's

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Jun-05
Tony Blair: "We need jobs, not subsidies for cows"

Web Log - June, 2005

Tony Blair: "We need jobs, not subsidies for cows"

Lots of vitriol led up to Blair's speech on Thursday

Responding to Blair's remark about cows, French President Jacques Chirac said, "France did everything, with its partners, to arrive at an agreement. Unfortunately, British intransigence did not allow one to be reached."

The outgoing EU President, Jean-Claude Juncker, got a standing ovation at the European Parliament by accusing Blair of having used false arguments and lying.

<i>Der Spiegel</i>'s photo of Tony Blair speaking to EU Parliament

Der Spiegel's photo of Tony Blair speaking to EU Parliament

British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be taking over the rotating EU presidency on July 1. His speech to the European Parliament on Thursday was the start of campaign to convince the Europeans to revise the entire EU budget, starting with the agricultural subsidies and the British rebate. Many people on the Continent didn't exactly sympathize, as can be seen by the adjoining picture in a critical article in the German magazine Der Speigel.

What Blair is pointing out is Europe is in a very great deal of trouble. Germany's economy, for example, is near desperation and getting worse. German exports keep falling, factory orders keep falling, and German unemployment rose to 12% in March, the highest since World War II.

America today is almost as bad off as Europe. America's public debt is astronomically high by historical standards, and one analysis shows that American consumers will have to cut spending by 1/3 for ten full years, just to cut the deficit in half.

But any attempt to do anything about the problem is only met with political vitriol in Washington.

For those of you who remember waaaaay, way back into the 1980s, you'll recall that Republicans and Democrats got together and agreed on difficult changes to Social Security, and then got together again and agreed on difficult budget rules to reduce the deficit. Today, a generation later, Republicans and Democrats can't agree on anything beyond blaming the other side for not being able to agree on anything. So the problems will only get worse until a meltdown imposes a solution.

The point is that the same things are happening in America and Europe. The politicians are frozen in place, and unable to solve the serious and growing problems.

From the point of Generational Dynamics, the world is entering a new 1930s style Great Depression. This will "solve" the problems for both Europe and America. (24-Jun-05) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Jun-05 Tony Blair: "We need jobs, not subsidies for cows"

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Jun-05
Tony Blair: "We need jobs, not subsidies for cows"