Rshermr
VIP Member
So, there has been a lot of talks about the austerity programs being pushed on european countries. Lots of blame being placed on the countries where austerity is in place, from all sorts of folks. Austerity is, in general, a forced program of free market policies with the primary plan being the reduction of debt by elimination of government spending. The stated projected outcome is that debt will be reduced, GDP will grow, and employment will be increased.
I have been waiting to determine what the outcome is likely to be. My want is that it would be most likely that Austerity would be a disaster. But I felt I owed it a look before mouthing off about the absurdity of the whole thing. And in my opinion, my opinion is of little value until there is some proof of the likely outcome. So, I kept watching, and after a year or two, I think the verdict is close to in. Increasingly. impartial sources close to the subject have become more and more and more pessimistic. And we are close to a time when it will be the decesion of most, by a wide margin, that austerity has failed, or is failing, in pretty much every country where it has been instituted.
Here is an article out of the UK that is very representative of what is being said:
I have been waiting to determine what the outcome is likely to be. My want is that it would be most likely that Austerity would be a disaster. But I felt I owed it a look before mouthing off about the absurdity of the whole thing. And in my opinion, my opinion is of little value until there is some proof of the likely outcome. So, I kept watching, and after a year or two, I think the verdict is close to in. Increasingly. impartial sources close to the subject have become more and more and more pessimistic. And we are close to a time when it will be the decesion of most, by a wide margin, that austerity has failed, or is failing, in pretty much every country where it has been instituted.
Here is an article out of the UK that is very representative of what is being said:
We should be interested. Austerity has some major similarities to our own fiscal cliff issues. We should be interested. European austerity is the model for neo conservative policies. Looking at how things are going, from a realistic point of view, should be useful.Democracy in Europe has not been suspended, and the collision course is more apparent than ever. "Stop the world, we want to get off!" was The Wall Street Journal's verdict on the mounting European anti-austerity backlash. The truth is that the real world has paid the high priests of austerity an unwelcome visit. Their policies have sucked growth out of the economy, failed to tackle debt, dramatically increased unemployment, and devastated living standards. It would be utterly baffling if people did not fight back.
No wonder Greece is at the forefront of the backlash. A modern European society is being dismembered by austerity. The economy has shrunk by nearly a fifth, and the country's debt continues to mount. Over half of young people are without work; the minimum wage has been slashed to desperately low levels; and wages have fallen by a third since 2009. Then there's the ultimate indicator of despair: the number of people taking their own lives. Greece had one of the lowest suicide rates in the world, but experts suggest it may have doubled since the crisis began. Austerity is literally killing people.
Owen Jones: This austerity backlash across Europe could transform Britain - Commentators - Voices - The Independent