First up is Guardian cartoonist Martin Rowson’s take on the meetup of the Most Powerful Leaders of the World ™ (or, as per @theLemniscat ‘the US and its closest lapdogs’) at the awesomely luxurious Bavarian Castle at Schloss Elmau, where the lackeys serving the Elites even wear Lederhosen and knee socks.
Oh, there were great demonstrations ahead of the G-7, especially in Munich.
even a rumble with the cops including noxious gases…
But oh, my, once protestors arrived in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the closest they could get to the Schloss was a gate…faraway from the luxury doin’s. The tens of kilometers of high security fencing meant bidness! They were also outnumbered two to one by police. (overkill?)
So, bless their hearts, a bunch of them took to the hills to see if they could find a back way in; trouble was, then there was a mountain between them and the Elite Party. Dayum.
Some indicated that they’d head to the Bilderberg Conference near Vienna that starts today; ‘that’s where the big guns go’, says the Guardian.
But back to The Wrap-up Jamboree! On the final day of the conference came:
‘Obama lambasts Putin: you’re wrecking Russia to recreate Soviet empire!
Revanchism! Dastardly Putin Revanchism! We’ll never invite you to our Party Hardy again if you double down on Ukraine! (stamps foot…twice)
‘Obama urges Greeks to make ‘tough political choices’ to resolve debt crisis’
“US president sends clear warning to Athens to compromise with creditors over debt deal, while also calling for flexibility from the international community”
Really,what he’d meant was that Syriza should be flexible, as in: bend over and take it. On second thought, perhaps he’d meant ‘flexible’ like the Elite Leaders in Martin Rowson’s cartoon (who are they? Harper and Juncker?) Ooooh, and a threat to Tsipris:
“At the weekend, the commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, angrily accused Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, of reneging on a promise to deliver a fresh reform programme after Athens’ efforts at compromise were rejected.”
“A report by the rating agency Moody’s heightened fears that Greece was heading for a eurozone exit after it forecast a near €5bn (£3,7bn) loss of deposits in May. A run on its banks could be the prelude to the imposition of capital controls to stem a further outflow of funds.”
““Everyone at the table wants Greece to stay in the eurozone,” said Merkel. “But as I said … we have rules.”
Rule #1: Don’t give in to those goddam socialists. Period. It would set a bad precedent.
‘G-7 leaders agree to phase out fossil fuel use by end of century’
Well, yeah; in 85 years there likely won’t be many fossil fuels left within reach, eh? But no time like the present to ‘begin to ‘reduce global greenhouse gas emissions at the upper end of a range of 40% to 70% by 2050, using 2010 as the baseline’. How much higher will the ocean be by then; will there be any polar ice still extant? Yes, she is being lauded by some as ‘a climate hero’. Will they push moar Green Capitalism? How about pushing for a renewable energy Manhattan-style project NOW, and funding it? Or Obama reversing his ‘all of the above’ false energy solutions including deep water drilling in the Gulf and Alaska, tarsands mining in Wyoming…just to name a few. But speaking of climate change and hot air…
But here’s Angela on reducing poverty (same link):
“Merkel also announced that G7 governments had signed up to initiatives to work for an end to extreme poverty and hunger, reducing by 2030 the number of people living in hunger and malnutrition by 500 million.” How might they start? Writing off debt in Greece, Italy, Spain, and the Sub-saharan African nations, then throwing the IMF and WB off the train. Ending the monetary rule by Central Banking and corporations…just to name a few. Oh, and how about ending wars of choice that create massive diasporas with their attendant homelessness, hunger, thirst, and medical crises?
Moar Merkel from RT:
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she believed international conflicts can be solved in cooperation with Russia. “We have several negotiation formats in which Russia takes part,” she said at a media conference. “International crises can be solved with the Russian Federation.”
(nice she noticed, but said ‘Russia’, not the Evil Putin’, oh, no…)
“However, she said that sanctions against Russia would remain in place until the ceasefire between Kiev’s forces and anti-government fighters in Ukraine holds. “We are also willing, if it is necessary, but which is not what we want, to toughen the sanctions if the situation requires us to do so.” She added that no specific measures to toughen the sanctions have been discussed at the summit.”
14:42 GMT:
“At the same time, the communique says G7 nations “commend and support the steps the Ukrainian government is taking to implement comprehensive structural reforms and urge the Ukrainian leadership to decisively continue the necessary fundamental transformation in line with IMF and EU commitments.”
It goes on: “We reaffirm our commitment to working together with the international financial institutions and other partners to provide financial and technical support as Ukraine moves forward with its transformation. We ask the G7 ambassadors in Kiev to establish a Ukraine support group. Its task will be to advance Ukraine´s economic reform process through coordinated advice and assistance.”
Yes, this is what Ukraine’s ‘necessary fundamental transformation in line with IMF and EU commitments’ looks like just about now. Maidan 3.0 of the non-astroturf sort? Ooopsie.
But now that ya know what the Empire and its lackeys have in store for you and the planet (or kinda sorta do), whaddaya say: let’s give ‘em all the clap! ‘C’mon kids!
