JANE BURGERMEISTER REPORT:’A QUARTER OF THE GREEK POPULATION ARE PARTICIPATING IN PROTESTS AGAINST THE EU AND IMF BANKSTER BAILOUT’

A QUARTER OF THE GREEK POPULATION ARE PARTICIPATING IN PROTESTS AGAINST THE EU AND IMF BANKSTER BAILOUT

Greek protestors have said they will surround the parliament in Athens to stop lawmakers from moving forward with a new fiscal austerity package from the EU and IMF and unions have called for a national strike, according to Reuters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/14/greece-strike-idUSLDE75D1Y620110614

The protests mark the latest escalation in the confrontation between the IMF/EU and ECB and a Vichy government with 25% of the population now participating in demonstations against the bailouts benefitting only American, German and French banks.

“Last month, social participation in all kinds of events and forms of protest more than doubled from 12 to 25 percent, which equates to about 2.2 million citizens,” says Ekathimerini.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_12/06/2011_394450

25% of the population is now actively calling for an end to the looting of their country by foreign banks with the help of complicit politicians. 25% of the people is a lot. But that number will surely grow.

The national debt is standing at 160% of the GDP one year after the ECB7IMF and EU forced on the country a punitive bank tax that they claimed would solve the debt problem. And the national debt is projected to soar. Greece now has the lowest credit rating in the world. Thank you, IMF, EU and ECB.

The debt will soar – but the economy will continue to shrink if the fiscal austerity measures are implemented. 100s of thousands of people are set to lose their jobs; pensions will be cut yet more savagely; state assets sold to German and American and French companies for a pittance.

The EU/IMF and ECB have destroyed the lives of millions of people, destroyed their jobs, taken their homes, taken their savings. They have told lie after and the now the people of Greece have had enough. They have had enough of the lies surrounding the new round of  fiscal austerity or bank tax being proposed by the IMF and EU and complicit politicians for the benefit of the  American, German and French banks. What remains of the Greek economy will be crushed. The new measures will leaves millions of people destitute and living like serfs in their own country.

The people have had enough of being told they have no choice but to sell the airport in Athens or the airport in Thessaloniki first, to have another 20% reduction in pay or a 20% hike in taxes first so that the American, German and French bankers can make more profits.

The road to recovery for Greece is clear. Iceland is the example. The Icelanders had to storm their parliament to get a referendum on whether to pay the crushing bank debts that their corrupt politicians were happy to force on them in stealth and with lies and threats. The people rejected the plan. Today Iceland is on the road to recovery. Iceland’s GDP is growing, employment is stronger. Iceland had a currency it could devalue, helping it readjust. Greece needs to default, nationalise all banks and reintroduce the Drachma as soon as possible to escape economical and political annihilation.

JANE BURGERMEISTER REPORT:’Iceland’s Ex Premier charged today, Germany’s Chancellor tomorrow?’

Iceland’s Ex Premier charged today, Germany’s Chancellor tomorrow?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has clearly exacerbated the eurozone debt crisis by violating no bail out clause in the EU Treaty, by allowing the Bundesbank to violate article 123 to buy up Greek souvereign bonds and, above all, by burying a report by German government economists in autumn 2010 — as reported on this blog — , recommending that an insolvency mechanism be urgently introduced to deal with over indebted countries.

Merkel’s claim that there is no alternative between giving more money to American, German and French banks or a disorderly insolvency is a verifiable lie and brazen threat. How long till Merkel stands trial along with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann for their role in this financial catastrophe that profits only American, German and French banks? They never thought it would happen in Iceland either.

Iceland Ex-Premier Charged, Could Others Follow?

Published: Thursday, 9 Jun 2011 | 6:15 AM ET

By: Peter Guest

Geir Haarde, Iceland’s former prime minister, has been charged with criminal negligence over his part in the collapse of the country’s banking sector in 2008, the first credible attempt to hold a head of government accountable for the failures in oversight that led to the global financial crisis.

The banking crisis and economic downturn has brought down governments – most recently Portugal – and seen others lose at the ballot box. However, none to date has been hauled before a court.

“This is of course a unique thing here for us, and would have been absolutely inconceivable before the crisis,” Eirikur Bergmann, director of the Centre for European Studies at Bifrost University in Iceland told CNBC.com.

Read more at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/43336607

JANE BURGERMEISTER REPORT: ‘US senators move to force IMF to comply with regulations, safeguard taxpayer’s money from eurozone debt black hole’

US senators move to force IMF to comply with regulations, safeguard taxpayer’s money from eurozone debt black hole

US must block IMF aid for Greece: senators

(AFP)

WASHINGTON — The United States should “actively and forcefully” oppose any IMF bailout loans to rescue debt-heavy Greece, two Republican senators urged President Barack Obama on Monday.

In a letter to Obama, Senators John Cornyn and David Vitter said such aid would violate a provision of US law that calls for opposing International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans to countries unlikely to repay them.

Read more at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gxEgA_Wi_dLgyxWx86_Lp6FBnXuA?docId=CNG.c515d3c8aac6

JANE BURGERMEISTER REPORT: ‘Swiss lawmaker in historical confrontation with Bilderberg society’

Swiss lawmaker in historical confrontation with Bilderberg society

Bilderberg 2011: The opposition steps up

Charlie Skelton witnesses an uninvited Swiss MP attempting to gain access

It was quieter than your average historic moment. No grand words, no crowds cheering in a single voice – no atoms were split, shots were fired or footprints made on the surface of another planet.

I can’t think, offhand, of any historic moments that were as drizzly as it was last night, when a small delegation stepped through the gates of the Suvretta House Hotel, and presented themselves to the head of security at Bilderberg.

Read more at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/jun/11/bilderberg-switzerland?intcmp=239

Bilderberg 2011: The opposition steps up

Charlie Skelton witnesses an uninvited Swiss MP attempting to gain access

• Comments (75)

Swiss MP, Dominique Baettig, arrives at Bilderberg uninvitedIt was quieter than your average historic moment. No grand words, no crowds cheering in a single voice – no atoms were split, shots were fired or footprints made on the surface of another planet.

I can’t think, offhand, of any historic moments that were as drizzly as it was last night, when a small delegation stepped through the gates of the Suvretta House Hotel, and presented themselves to the head of security at Bilderberg.

“I’d like to come in,” said the Swiss MP Dominque Baettig.

The crowd held its breath. I shifted to get a better view, and went shin-deep into an ice-cold ditch. I gasped – as one often does during historic moments.

“I am a member of the Swiss parliament,” said the member of the Swiss parliament, “and I would like to go inside.” Was it a trick of the light, or did the brave shoe of the Swiss MP lift an inch, perhaps two, from the tarmac? Was this it? Was Bilderberg to be stormed before our very eyes…?

“I’m sorry”, said the head of security. “But no.”

There was silence, broken only by the soft wet sound of my toes getting hypothermia. The tension in the crowd was electric – would the rebuffed parliamentarian roar his defiance, and snap the security barrier across his furious knee? Would the alpine darkness echo with his howled indignation? Were we about to witness an unsightly scuffle between a Swiss MP and a bunch of on-loan CIA officers?

The heel of the Swiss MP turned upon the tarmac, and solemnly the delegation left. The moment was over. Dignity had been preserved, and new chapter in the history of Bilderberg had been opened.

Elected officials have, since the very beginning, been invited to attend Bilderberg. Prime Ministers, Presidents, Secretaries of State, Ministers, Governors, and Members of Parliament. But never, until last night, has an elected official gone to Bilderberg uninvited. It was the first time the ‘outside’ of Bilderberg has had official representation.

The size and seriousness of the ‘outside’ is finally starting to befit the size and seriousness of the conference itself. The image and understanding of Bilderberg is changing, and people are changing around it. Every year it gets better.

Two years ago, in Greece, it was a shambles. A few determined bloggers getting strip-searched. A few scraped-together reports in the alternative media. And the Greek police were an absolute disgrace. I, for one, was harassed, arrested, followed, bullied, arrested again, rearrested, followed to Athens, wrestled with, lied to and scared out my tiny mind. In St Moritz, two years later, oh my god. It’s wonderful.

This year, for the first time, the conference has begun to resemble a serious gathering of journalists: we have a press centre in St Moritz, we have press briefings, fringe meetings, text updates; an organization called ‘Transparency Bilderberg‘ is holding debates at the Randolins hotel.

Three Swiss MPs have spoken at the Randolins so far, and of course – we had the storming of the Suvretta House last night. A result of that rainy delegation is that Swiss parliament will next week debate the rights and wrongs of Bilderberg. So a conference that for years had barely been acknowledged is now being challenged, questioned, and scrutinized.

With scrutiny comes responsibility, and questions require answers. This will mean the conference changing the way it relates to the world, certainly – they might find it awkward, at first, to exchange CIA snipers for press officers – but I feel, in a sense, relieved for Bilderberg: because once the organization accepts its new status as a serious political meeting – one of the most important summits in the western political calendar – it can start relating to the world in a serious political fashion. It can relax. Normalize. And finally, look us in the eye.

There was a time, not so many years ago, when it was a sign of full-blown crackpottedness even to suggest that such a thing as “Bilderberg” existed. To insist that it was an important international summit, not the figment of a lizard’s imagination, was lunacy. It was a meeting, scoffed the scoffers, held by the Loch Ness Monster in Narnia’s most luxurious conference centre.

It’s easy to dismiss something you don’t know about; one can rest contentedly in the solipsism of ignorance: “I don’t know about x, therefore x doesn’t exist”. In fact, I have to employ a similar technique when thinking (or rather, not thinking) about global deforestation. “I’m not thinking about x, therefore x isn’t happening”. It’s the same during sex.

But as ever more information about Bilderberg edged its way into das Gehirn der Welt – sorry, slipped into German there for a moment – so yes, the more the world found out about Bilderberg, the harder it became to deny not just its existence, but its importance. Until we’re where we are today: with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and a team from the Treasury attending a 4-day summit of international finance ministers and businessmen, including the assorted chairmen of Fiat, Nestlé, Goldmann Sachs International, and Coca-Cola, the Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings plc, the Executive Chairman of Google, the President of the European Council, and the co-founder of Facebook.

And it’s just been leaked that Angela Merkel has arrived. And the Secretary-General of Nato, Anders Rasmussen. And Zapatero, the Spanish PM. They’re not on ‘the list’ that was published on the official website about 12 hours after it was leaked to a Swiss website, but you have to remember the “final list” is never complete (a single example of an unlisted delegate: the President of Madrid in 2009). Still, it seems to satisfy some folk.

Personally, I find it odd that the conference organizers find it necessary to lie. I find it odd that the conference website says this:

– while the Treasury Press Office says that George Osborne is here “in his official capacity as Chancellor of the Exchequer.” So which is it…?

It’s a tough call, but I think I trust the Treasury more than Bilderberg.

So that’s what’s happening in St Moritz: Chancellor Osborne and his Treasury team are attending a 4 day international summit with the Swedish Foreign Minister, the Chancellor of Austria, the Director General of the WTO, the Chairman of Novartis (revenue in 2010: $50 billion), and the Chairman of Kissinger Associates. And I’m just off down the hill for a press briefing.

Apparently, someone just spotted Bill Gates.

JANE BURGERMEISTER REPORT: ‘Bilderberg Plan to Save EU Falling Apart’

Bilderberg Plan to Save EU Falling Apart

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
June 14, 2011

Image: Wikipedia Commons

The Bilderberg Group’s plan to rescue the eurozone and preserve future plans for a global currency is in tatters, as the Greek debt crisis spirals out of control and the return of national currencies to replace the euro becomes a real possibility.

Bilderberg were successful in achieving their objective of saving the single currency from collapse following last year’s conference in Spain, but their efforts this year appear to be in vain, with economic analysts increasingly predicting the demise of the euro and a return to national monetary sovereignty.

Writing in the Financial Times, economist Nouriel Roubini predicts that the eurozone is heading for a break up, forecasting a return to national currencies and the death of the euro following a period of five years.

“The way to restore competitiveness and growth for members on the periphery, said Roubini, would be to abandon the euro, restore their national currencies, and “achieve a massive nominal and real depreciation.” While some may doubt the prospect of countries abandoning the euro, such as scenario “may not be so far-fetched five years from now, especially if some of the periphery economies stagnate.”

The European Central Bank’s exposure to struggling European economies could send the ECB into bankruptcy, especially if Greece defaults on its debt which many see as a likely scenario. According to ratings agency Moody’s, “Greece is 50% likely to default on or restructure its debts in the next five years.”

Read more at: http://www.infowars.com/bilderberg-plan-to-save-eu-falling-apart/

NBR: ‘Lobbyist explains his swipe card into Parliament’ + my comments

www.nbr.co.nz/article/lobbyist-explains-his-swipe-card-parliament-ck-95247#comment-141621

(14 June 2011)

Lobbyist explains his swipe card into Parliament

Cynics might think corporate lobbyists have easy access to MPs.

In fact, it’s automated.

An item on 3News last night showed veteran lobbyist Mark Unsworth, of Saunders Unsworth using a swipe card to enter parliament.

Mr Unsworth’s clients include Sky City, the 50% Telecom-owned Southern Cross Cable, and multinational pharmaceutical companies.

3News reporter Patrick Gower subsequently told Without a Word of a Lie that “about eight” other lobbyists have been issued with their own swipe cards. Speaker Lockwood Smith refuses to confirm their identity.

Mr Unsworth, who was unlucky enough to be the one of the eight who got his mug plastered over TV, gamely fronted up to Without a Word of a Lie.

“I got the card about 15 years ago, and through the good will of both Labour and National Speakers I have kept it,” the lobbyiist said.

“It’s like getting an Internet connection. It enables you but doesn’t guarantee you get access to the facts or the source of knowledge.”

Greens draft lobbyist bill Last night, the Green Party said it had drafted a bill seeking to let the public know who is lobbying MPs. Green MP Sue Kedgley’s Lobbying Disclosure Bill would set up a register and a code of conduct for lobbyists.

The bill was modelled on a Canadian public disclosure regime.

“Lobbying is entrenched in our political system, but lobbyists are able to operate in secret and under the radar, in the shadows of the democratic process,” Ms Kedgley said.

“The public has no way of knowing who is lobbying their politicians or what they are being lobbied about. There is also no information available on which lobbyists have special access to Parliament granted to them by the Speaker.

“We believe the public has a right to know who is engaged in lobbying activities that seek to influence public policy.” Australia, Canada, and the United States have lobbyist registers. Ms Kedgley said the secrecy surrounding lobbying activities fuelled the perception that Government decisions were being unfairly influenced, undermining public trust in the integrity of democracy.

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said the bill was part of the party’s wider drive for more transparent Government.

“Real democracy should be a battle of ideas, not a battle of who has the best and most expensive lobbyists. The time has come for lobbyists to step into the light”

“I hope Parliament will have the courage to set up a register, and put public interest ahead of vested interests who may oppose this Bill.”

The bill will be put into a ballot with other member’s bills, waiting to be drawn in Parliament — a process that can take years. Once it is drawn member’s often bills often fail at the first reading unless supported by other parties.

______________________________________________________________

Comments and questions 7

Are you sure it is the Greens promoting this? It can’t possibly be – sounds like something sensible. TOM |

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 9:46am

reply

I wonder if this might trip up Labour and their good buddy Owen Glenn by inadvertently exposing his interest in Labour? One wonders where he might fit into the Labour line-up after the election? openingmouthtochangefeet |

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 10:24am

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By lobbiest I hope the parties on the left have included unions and the likes of forest and bird and greenpeace in their definition of lobbiest? Off Line |

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 10:34am

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In response to Off Line | Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 10:34am Spot on! Footplate |

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 10:52am

reply

“Green MP Sue Kedgley’s Lobbying Disclosure Bill would set up a register and a code of conduct for lobbyists. The bill was modelled on a Canadian public disclosure regime.

“Lobbying is entrenched in our political system, but lobbyists are able to operate in secret and under the radar, in the shadows of the democratic process,” Ms Kedgley said.

“The public has no way of knowing who is lobbying their politicians or what they are being lobbied about. There is also no information available on which lobbyists have special access to Parliament granted to them by the Speaker.

“We believe the public has a right to know who is engaged in lobbying activities that seek to influence public policy.”

__________________________________

MY COMMENT:

Absolutely agree.

Hope Sue Kedgley’s ‘ Lobbying Disclosure Bill’ gets pulled out of the ballot box SOON!

“WHO IS MEETING THE MINISTER – ON WHOSE BEHALF – SERVING WHOSE INTEREST$?”

Not only does NZ have no statutory requirement for a ‘Register of Lobbyists’ or ‘Code of Conduct for Lobbyists’ – unlike most Australian States and Commonwealth Governments, to make matters worse – New Zealand MPs, (and Judges) have no enforceable ‘Code of Conduct’ either.

So – how is it that NZ is ‘perceived’ to be the least corrupt country in the world’ (along with Denmark and Singapore according to Transparency International’s 2010 ‘Corruption Perception Index’) – when we lack transparency and accountability in such critical areas?

A COMPARISON WITH ‘AUSSIE RULES’ :

For a bit more background reading, of a summary of codes of conduct in Australian parliament, including a comparison with NZ –

www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/BN/pol/CodesOfConduct.htm

Penny Bright https://waterpressure.wordpress.com

‘Anti-corruption campaigner’

Attendee: Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference 2009

Attendee: Transparency International 14th Anti-Corruption Conference 2010

| Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 12:53pm

reply ”

By lobbiest I hope the parties on the left have included unions and the likes of forest and bird and greenpeace in their definition of lobbiest?

Off Line | Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 10:34am ”

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No – don’t think you will find Unions or ‘association or organisation constituted to represent the interests of its members’ defined as ‘lobbyists’.

“Lobbyist” means a person, body corporate, unincorporated association, partnership or firm whose business includes being contracted or engaged to represent the interests of a third party to a Government Representative.’

_________________________________

WEST AUSTRALIA STATE GOVERNMENT:

secure.dpc.wa.gov.au/lobbyistsregister/

“Lobbyist” does not include:

(a) an association or organisation constituted to represent the interests of its members; (b) a religious or charitable organisation; or

(c) an entity or person whose business is a recognised technical or professional occupation which, as part of the services provided to third parties in the course of that occupation, represents the views of the third party who has engaged it to provide their technical or professional services.”

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION: WEST AUSTRALIA STATE GOVERNMENT: secure.dpc.wa.gov.au/lobbyistsregister/

Register of Lobbyists

Towards the end of 2006, the Western Australian Government decided to establish a code of conduct for contact between lobbyists and government representatives, including a ‘Register of Lobbyists’.

The purpose of the Register is to provide information to the public, as well as the Government, on who is engaged in lobbying activities with Government and whom lobbyists represent in their dealings with Government.

To find out more about the Register, who needs to register, how to register and the ‘Contact with Lobbyists Code’, or to look at the Register, use the links on the left hand side of this page. Page last revised: 5 October 2010

Contact With Lobbyists Code Preamble

Free and open access to the institutions of government is a vital element of our democracy. Lobbyists can enhance the strength of our democracy by assisting individuals and organisations with advice on public policy processes and facilitating contact with relevant Government Representatives.

In performing this role, there is a public expectation that Lobbyists will be individuals of strong moral calibre who operate according the highest standards of professional conduct.

The Government has established the Contact with Lobbyists Code to ensure that contact between Lobbyists and Government Representatives is conducted in accordance with public expectations of transparency, integrity and honesty.

Application

2.1 The Contact with Lobbyists Code has application through the Codes of Conduct of public sector bodies.

2.2 The Contact with Lobbyists Code creates no obligation for a Government Representative to have contact with a particular Lobbyist or Lobbyists in general.

2.3 The Contact with Lobbyists Code does not serve to restrict contact in situations where the law requires a Government Representative to take account of the views advanced by a person who may be a Lobbyist. Definitions “Lobbyist” means a person, body corporate, unincorporated association, partnership or firm whose business includes being contracted or engaged to represent the interests of a third party to a Government Representative.

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Penny Bright

waterpressure.wordpress.com

‘Anti-corruption campaigner’

Attendee: Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference 2009

Attendee: Transparency International 14th Anti-Corruption Conference 2010

Penny Bright | Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 12:56pm