Greenleaf

This is exactly what @Kaplya@hexbear.net has been saying for months now, that it’s all an excuse to (re)introduce austerity.

No

Some news regarding an anti-colonial struggle going on against France ( ), from theredstream on Telegram:

A crisis brewing in New Caledonia

Earlier this week, the French senate endorsed a constitutional review project bearing significant modifications to the Pacific overseas territory’s election system, but not without making its own amendments.

The reform aims to expand the roll of eligible voters for New Caledonia’s provincial elections, currently reserved for locally-born New Caledonian citizens, migrants who have been living on the islands since before 1988, and their descendants.

With the reform implemented, the next elections would be open to French nationals with at least 10 years of uninterrupted residence in New Caledonia, allowing an extra 11,000 people to vote, most of whom are non-indigenous.

The next elections, due by mid-December, are seen as crucial for the French overseas territory, where voices favoring independence have grown stronger among the indigenous Kanak people.

Fearing to lose the archipelago, French president Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party, backed by the right wing, aims to shift the balance of forces in the local institutions currently held by pro-independence politicians.

New Caledonia’s pro-independence umbrella, the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), views the move as an attempt to roll back the achievements gained by the now-defunct Nouméa Accord of 1998. They call for a new statute to enshrine a clear pathway toward an independent and sovereign state.

The fact that the archipelago is embroiled in a deep economic crisis doesn’t help. The government led by pro-independence President Louis Mapou is under pressure, as ordinary people feel the burden of increased cost of living.

Tensions in New Caledonia are set to continue to escalate as the French government seeks to hinder the overseas territory’s self-determination and retain the strategically important archipelago within the French Republic.

It remains to be seen whether the revision marks an end to a peaceful process and a possible return to tumult, which heralds new hostilities.

Yeah I debated posting this or not, because it’s so extreme and I feel like posting the worst of some tendencies is uncomradely. But I think this particular quote is useful in showing how leftists (in this case Trots, but applies to everyone) can mix in good takes with bad, especially when it comes to global issues.

Laura Garza isn’t young. I have a strong suspicion that younger Trots (say under 40) as well as younger leftists of all tendencies probably have way better views. Because for older people, a lot of their ideology was developed before the internet took off, so their ideology developed in a silo, disconnected from other leftists who are more correct who can challenge their views.

Has Hasan said this since Oct 7?

I never watched a minute of his stream before Oct 7. I’ve watched it some since and tbh I haven’t seen him have a really bad opinion on anything yet.

There are Trots and then there are Trots. If someone wants to place the writing and ideas of Trotsky on a pedestal and feel he had particularly keen insights… ok, fine, whatever. I don’t particularly see it but if they’re otherwise just standard issue Marxists then I don’t really have a problem with that. I feel Trots like Kshama Sawant fall into this category.

The problem is that so many Trots have just unbelievably bad takes on not just AES states, but also on other pretty much all official enemies of the US State Dept. Laura Garza is a somewhat prominent Trot. While she probably represents the more extreme end of shitty Trot takes, read this verbal diarrhea and try not to get extremely angry:

How much assistance should the U.S. provide — military and/or financial — to foreign countries at war, like Israel or Ukraine? What, if any, should be the litmus test for American allies to receive assistance from the U.S.?

I defend Israel’s right to exist as a refuge for Jews and condemn the Jew-hating pogrom organized by Hamas with the backing of the Iranian regime. The capitalist regime in Tehran and the reactionary forces it backs in Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad are enemies not only of Jews but of working people of all nationalities. So long as capitalism exists, in times of crisis, the rulers will turn to scapegoating Jews to smash the working class as they did in Nazi Germany. The fight for workers’ power and socialism is the only solution to end the anti-working class poison of Jew-hatred.

I stand with the people of Ukraine in their battle for independence and sovereignty over all of Ukraine and against Moscow’s reactionary invasion.

I don’t support the policies of the U.S. capitalist class and their military, which is used worldwide to defend U.S. profits and imperialist domination, not the interests of working people here or elsewhere. I am for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea, the Middle East and Europe. I defend the Cuban Revolution and call for an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which is used to suffocate the Cuban population for their decision to reject living under Washington’s boot.

While this might be extreme, it’s not too far off from bad foreign policy takes from Trots. Some support for Cuba sprinkled in there but to aggressively support Israel is inexcusable.

A Trot with not bad foreign policy takes in a good Trot, in my book. They’re just hard to find.

Dems gonna thread that needle like a surgeon. I’m sure AIPAC and other Israeli lobbies will be calling Dem offices over the weekend to let them know that if the weapons don’t flow to Israel, instead of donating to both parties they will load up on the GOP (and the GOP will be more than happy to oblige and take the position that Israel must not be hindered). We might see a different tune by Monday.

But the genocide really is hurting them deeply in the polls. So get ready for a performance from the Dems worth of Kenneth Branaugh. There will be so many condemnations, “calls for peace”, and a whole lot of empty words. But where it really matters:

1. Weapons to Israel
2. Running cover for Israel at the UN/ICJ
3. Threats to do X if Israel doesn’t let aid in

You won’t actually see any changes. I’m so sure of this, you can write down, sign it, and mail it to yourself.

Pro sports in the US are really doing everything they can to cram ads in. They’ve maxed out on commercial breaks so they’re going in another direction: playing surfaces and uniforms are getting more ads on them. If you want to watch the game, you have to see the ads. If you don’t watch sports much I’d encourage you to just watch a game for a few minutes (the NHL especially) and see how bad it’s gotten.

I think Biden is going to do just enough to (what he thinks will) tamp down anger in the US over Gaza and help prop up his reelection chances, because there is no way everyone in his administration and campaign isn’t telling him that Gaza is making him really unpopular with his base, because at this point it is an undeniable fact.

Biden is a rabid Zionist, no doubt. But we shouldn’t go too far and do what the libs do and assume our enemies are deeply irrational. It’s why they think Putin wants to conquer Europe, even though we know that’s ridiculous.

Biden wants to support Israel, but he also doesn’t want to lose to Trump. So he probably sees this killing of aid workers as a way to try and make people think he’s actually a peacemaker. Of course he doesn’t want to actually clamp down on Israel, but he also knows the status quo is tanking his reelection chances. He will push for a “ceasefire” that’s actually just a temporary thing so he can claim victory in “getting tough on Israel”.

Years ago I was able to chat with an economist at the Fed about the 2008/9 financial crisis (it was one of his areas of research). He wasn’t on the Board of Governors or anything he was a research economist, so he had a lot more freedom in exploring various explanations and paths of action.

In short, he basically said his research all pointed to the fact that the US should have followed what Sweden did in the early 90s and temporarily nationalize the banks. That would have saved the US a lot of pain - especially the pain homeowners felt. Bank shareholders ate the cat poop but homeowners were spared. Not perfect but way better than what Americans got - homeowners getting screwed and bank shareholders and bondholders bailed out.

All this to say, I think simply by not having a fully private banking sector (and having a DotP, of course), the real estate problem in China can be solved with relatively less pain. Having a centralized plan and ability to resolve makes a huge difference. It will be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s not insurmountable for China. The real estate crash in the US was bad but it was made worse by the political decision to only bail out capital and not homeowners. The US government chose to make the overall situation worse by maximally protecting the bourgeoisie, and taking no real steps to actually fix the underlying problems.

We really do have emojis for everything…