Thread on what's happening in Argentina

submitted by penelopepnortneyBecome ungovernable from twitter.com

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[–]sdl5 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

So... Did they, as Brits, fail entirely to recognize UKRAINE HAS BEEN DOING THE SAME???

There is a reason, beyond the bandarists, they have been called fascist for a while now. 💁

[–]kingsmegLiberté, égalité, fraternité 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

So... he's been taking lessons from the US neocons? Few other groups have such contempt for the rule of law. Maybe the mafia, but there's a reason the 2 have such similar views...

[–]unagisongsBurn down Reddit! 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

contempt for the rule of law

Contempt for the rule of law? They deceptively framed the argument that these were laws. A decree is not a law. A presidential decree I'm assuming is not set in stone in Argentina. In the US all executive orders can be repealed by the next president and regularly do. It's not surprising Javier Milei promised to go scotched earth and is delivering as promised.

[–]kingsmegLiberté, égalité, fraternité 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Perhaps I misunderstood, I thought the issue, the reason Argentinians are in the street protesting, is that Milei used a 'presidential decree' to overturn by fiat +300 laws that he simply didn't like, thus completely bypassing Argentina's legislature.

[–]sdl5 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Our neolibs aka Dems have been doing a bang up job flaunting basic laws and constitutional rights and rules, far more than our classic R neocons have ever, and particularly these last 4 years.

[–]unagisongsBurn down Reddit! 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Well the neocons fucked up so bad they gave the neoliberals a supermajority in 2009. They have not recovered from the Bush Administration.

[–]penelopepnortneyBecome ungovernable[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

At 9 PM today Javier Milei came in via national broadcast to announce the nullifying, by a DNU ("Necessity & Urgency Decree" - so a presidential edict), of around 300 laws, featuring:

1) The total deregulation of the housing market, including the enabling of landlords to charge rent in U$S

2) The derogation of protection for land sale - prior to this, sale of any plots of over 1000ha to foreign capital was forbidden

3) The sale of the complete stock package of national oil, airlines, and other services companies to private funds.

Among others. This comes on the back of a takeaway from subsidies that would make transport in the urban center (we are talking about the most urbanized country in the world) about 10 times more expensive, with bus tickets going from $50 to $500. Also, on the commemoration of the 2001 uprising, loudspeaker announcements (this is totally new to society) and signs at train stops and buses gave an Orwellian message on how "if you are identified at a protest, you'll lose your social welfare plan". One specially peculiar thing was the name of Elon Musk's Starlink (something quite wild - the mention by name of a beneficiary company in a national broadcast) as a likely takeover contract for Argentina's national satellite system (ARSAT) - as another blatant show of the kind of backyard sale Milei is about to enact on national resources.

The DNU's implications not only target the poorer in society, but also the urban middle classes, which have taken to the streets of the capital to protest.

There is also the complete deregulation of the labor market and labor protections. Complete oversight on employee indemnity after firing, with or without a cause. Milei has pretty much fired against every sector. He even aims to derogate a law that gives primacy to generic medicine supplies so that big pharma can establish pricing as well as establish contracts with doctors and private healthcare to give priority to branded prescriptions.

Last week, the preliminary measures in the country signified, over the course of only three days, price hikes across the entire common goods sector that in some cases surpassed 100%. We were seeing kiosk owners shattered because providers were updating pricing - by the hour. It is utter chaos.

[–]penelopepnortneyBecome ungovernable[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

George Monbiot:

This is 1930s-style fascism, with the added twist that Milei is a creature of the Atlas Network, a confederation of rightwing junktanks funded by some of the world's grimmest oligarchs and corporations. What they are getting in Argentina is what they want everywhere. Be warned.

It's always the same story with fascism. It's a front for the interests of the very rich, shutting down opposition, deregulating their predatory activities, handing the control of state assets.

We're not immune. The IEA [Institute of Economic Affairs] is a founder member of the Atlas Network. It attempted a polite British version through its glove puppet, Liz Truss. Now, thanks to our complicit media, it's all over the airwaves, pushing the same agenda for the same interests.

Argentina is a perfect laboratory for the Atlas Network as it was so badly mauled by years of misrule that there was no effective politics to oppose the agenda. The UK is not quite such a basket case, which is why Truss was forced out. But they'll keep trying by other means.

This is why it's essential that Starmer grows a spine between now and the election. Unless he can change social outcomes for the better, and repair much of the damage inflicted by 13 years of Tory misrule, next time round the IEA/Atlas will get everything they want.

Hayek, who inspired the founding of the IEA and Atlas, believed that neoliberalism would stop the resurgence of authoritarian rule. But because his philosophy fitted so well with the demands of oligarchs and corporations, it became authoritarianism's handmaiden.

He was fine with that, as his praise for Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship showed. By then, he had become the darling of the world's richest people, and was happy to follow them wherever they went.

These junktanks are like the spike proteins on a virus. They are the means by which plutocratic power invades the cells of public life and takes over. It's time we developed an immune system.

Amazingly, several people have responded with the claim that Milei is practising "small government". Well, there's one born every minute. Authoritarianism is Big Government with jackboots.

[–]unagisongsBurn down Reddit! 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Argentina is a perfect laboratory for the Atlas Network as it was so badly mauled by years of misrule that there was no effective politics to oppose the agenda ~ Hayek, who inspired the founding of the IEA and Atlas, believed that neoliberalism would stop the resurgence of authoritarian rule. But because his philosophy fitted so well with the demands of oligarchs and corporations, it became authoritarianism's handmaiden.

The logic is stunning. The "bad" neoliberals are here and must be stopped! We the "good" neoliberals that utterly failed must be saved! "Basket of deplorables", indeed.

[–]automoderator[M] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

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