The richest 22 men in the world — including Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates — own more wealth than all the women in Africa, Oxfam found.
Archiv: democracy simulations
Capitalism Draws Fire, Despite Strong Global Economy
Worries about income inequality, jobs disappearing due to automation and environmental sustainability are all feeding wide-scale distrust in capitalism as the world knows it, according to a new study released Sunday.
Edelman, a public-relations firm, conducted its 20th annual analysis of public trust in major institutions, surveying 34,000 people in 27 countries and Hong Kong. The data reveal both skepticism about those institutions—including government, business, the media and nongovernmental organizations …
‘We Are the Ones Who Will Awaken the Dawn’
Democracy has been shackled by capitalist power. If sovereignty were merely about numbers, then the workers and the peasants, the urban poor and the youth would be represented by people who put their interests first and would be able to command more of the fruit of their labour. Democracy promises that people would be able to control their destiny. Capitalism, on the other hand, is structured to allow the capitalists – the property owners – to have power over the economy and society. From the standpoint of capitalism, democracy’s full implications cannot be allowed. If democracy gets its way, then the means of producing wealth would be democratized; this would be an outrage against property, which is why democracy is narrowed.
1 in 6 of our children lives in poverty. 500,000+ Americans are homeless. 87 million are uninsured or underinsured. Half live paycheck to paycheck. But the billionaire class is doing better every day. This is a rigged economy and we are going to change it.
The world’s 3 richest people in 2019 have added a total of $231 billion to their fortune over the past decade, according to @wealth.
Here’s how they got here
Cowardly Republican governors who suppress the vote because they can’t win on their ideas need to get the hell out of politics and get another job.
Israel’s Attorney General Must Decide on Netanyahu Before the Next Election
A third election isn’t the worst alternative among everything that could have happened if Netanyahu had formed a government. But a third election must be held only after Mendelblit announces his decision on the cases against Netanyahu. Mendelblit must decide before the next election.
Mendelblit, Don’t Delay
(14.02.2018)
The police announcement Tuesday – that the investigations into two cases involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been completed – came 13 months after Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit decided that a “preliminary examination” of the allegations, which itself took six months, should become full-fledged criminal investigations.
Israeli Prosecutors’ Conference Postponed Ahead of Netanyahu Indictment
State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan announced Sunday the postponement of a conference for senior prosecutors scheduled for Thursday. His office cited “scheduling constraints” and said a new date would be set for the gathering in Jerusalem.
Mendelblit, Don’t Delay
(14.02.2018)
The police announcement Tuesday – that the investigations into two cases involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been completed – came 13 months after Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit decided that a “preliminary examination” of the allegations, which itself took six months, should become full-fledged criminal investigations.
Israel’s attorney general scheduled talks regarding Netanyahu indictment
Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit will be holding talks in the coming week with aims to reach a decision at the end of November on whether or not to …
Gantz Says No Progress Achieved in Talks on Unity Government With Netanyahu’s Likud
Yair Lapid, the No. 2 on the Kahol Lavan roster, said at the party meeting that a government can’t be created in the space of 48 hours, and that all Netanyahu had to agree to was to be second in the rotation – i.e., to agree that Gantz serve as prime minister first, then Netanyahu. But what Netanyahu wants is a third election, Lapid said.
“That’s what his lawyers suggested to him, that’s what he needs because of the indictments,” Lapid said.
Gantz and Netanyahu are currently meeting in Tel Aviv
Gantz to meet with Netanyahu on Sunday, Liberman and Horowitz in following days
According to reports in the Hebrew media, Gantz could offer Netanyahu a “compromise deal” that would force him to choose between including his religious allies in the coalition, and being prime minister first in any rotation deal.
Changes on the world arena have returned Eurasia to the international spotlight. The fourth session of the Valdai Club’s 16th Annual Meeting was dedicated to the topic: „Greater Eurasia as a New Form of Geo-Economic Space Organization“. #valdaiclub
(today)
Wow, #Pacific made part of the Greater Eurasia! India and Russia sign agreement to connect „Greater Eurasia“ and the “regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans”
(23.09.2019)
Speaker Zinaida Greceanîi and @HPFriedrichCSU , Vice-President of the German Bundestag, held a meeting within the pale of the Fourth Meeting of Speakers of the Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments titled “Greater Eurasia: Dialogue. Trust. Partnership.” @CSU
(24.09.2019)
Rivlin, President of the Jews – Not Israelis
Yes, this initiative of yours, Mr. President, is very grave indeed! You are dividing the country on an ethnic basis, you are placing one people above another, one public above another, one group above another, when your job is to say loud and clear: They are all my sons. And for this you do not have a mandate. You do not have a mandate to divide the country between Jews and Arabs. You do not have a mandate to exclude a fifth of the population.
Israel Election Results: Gantz Capitulates Without Battle
Less than a week after his impressive electoral achievement, the head of the largest Knesset faction, Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz, conceded his right to be the first to try and form a coalition government. The explanation given by “party sources” for this concession is that Gantz prefers to wait for Netanyahu to try first and fail.
Regrettably, this lame excuse is unconvincing. This move looks like a capitulation without a fight, an admission that the right wing’s long-standing tactic of delegitimizing parties representing Arab society succeeded.
Benny Gantz’s Tactical Waiting Game Is Too Clever by Half
Netanyahu getting a first nod from the president would land a harsh blow on the center-left’s morale, which could facilitate Netanyahu’s plan to divide the party from within. The nightmarish vision of Netanyahu settling back in the driver’s seat and recklessly pushing the gas pedal to reach his target would make a mockery of his clear-cut defeat in last Tuesday’s election. While Gantz and his colleagues rejoice over sucker Netanyahu supposedly falling into their well-laid trap, their supporters will see them as naive novices who could soon add insult to injury by reneging on their main pledge not to participate in his coalition.
Gantz, Netanyahu meet at President Rivlin’s residence to launch unity talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shakes hands with Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz (R) as President Reuven Rivlin looks on, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, on September 23, 2019.
Mendelblit, Don’t Delay
(14.02.2018)
The police announcement Tuesday – that the investigations into two cases involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been completed – came 13 months after Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit decided that a “preliminary examination” of the allegations, which itself took six months, should become full-fledged criminal investigations.
For Netanyahu, winning reelection could be the only way to avoid corruption charges
The prime minister has branded all three cases a baseless “witch hunt.” and his attorneys accused Mandelblit of interfering with elections by announcing his intention to indict during a campaign season.
A Brief History of Bullshit: Why We’ve Learned to Ignore Truth
What happened to Western culture for people to have become oblivious or indifferent to the notion of truth? After all, if liars get away so easily with their lies, it must be because we no longer value truth so dearly.
‚Camera Law‘ Would Let Israeli Parties Retain Footage of Voters Filmed at Polling Stations
In practice, the proposed law would permit parties‘ representatives to maintain a database of voters and record their conversations both inside and outside the polls
Incitement, the Best Defense
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s frontal assault on Channel 12 television was in line with his permanent strategy: If you can’t silence them, incite against them. Plan A failed when the acting chairman of the Central Elections Committee rejected Likud’s request for an injunction that would bar Channel 12’s legal correspondent, Guy Peleg, from continuing to publish statements made by key prosecution witnesses in the cases against Netanyahu prior to the election. So Netanyahu turned to Plan B – libeling Channel 12 as anti-Semitic and urging the public to boycott the station.
This Election, It’s Good Guys vs. Bad Guys
After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s shocking attack on Channel 12 television, it s clearer than ever who the good guys and the bad guys are, and the current election revolves around this choice.
Netanyahu Ratchets Up Attack on Production Company, Journalist Reporting His Corruption Probes
PM claims Keshet Media Group, which produced the HBO series ‚Our Boys‘ that he blasted as anti-Semitic, is ‚committing a terror attack against democracy‘
It’s Now Clear: Netanyahu Won’t Rest Until a Journalist’s Blood Is Spilled
We know what should be the fate of perpetrators. The man who more than two decades ago marched in front of a coffin (which he didn’t see, of course, a meter behind him) in a protest against Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and who incited from a balcony in Zion Square, with posters of Rabin in SS uniform below him (which he didn’t see either), has gone back to his evil ways. Or, as the verse says in another context, as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. He seeks chaos, violence and loss of restraint that will allow him to show off his “leadership” and take control of what’s happening.
Netanyahu urges boycott of ‘fake’ Channel 12, calls its ‘Our Boys’ anti-Semitic
Earlier the Central Elections Committee rejected a petition from Netanyahu’s Likud party to bar news outlets from publishing transcripts and documents from Netanyahu’s corruption investigations ahead of national elections next month.
The conversation that may lead to a Netanyahu conviction – Analysis
Until now, we knew from Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit that the prime minister would likely be indicted, with the timing expected to be by December.
However, Netanyahu has a strong chance of getting Mandelblit to drop any indictment in Case 2000, the Yediot Ahronot-Yisrael Hayom Affair, probably has a 50/50 chance of beating the charges in Case 1000, the Illegal Gifts Affair, and has a series of real defenses even in Case 4000.
Netanyahu’s Wars on Both Iran and Israel
Such trepidations are valid for any caretaker government, all the more so regarding Netanyahu, who’s already suspected of subverting every value of governance to his personal interests. Someone who doesn’t loathe quashing the rule of law to be saved from the terror of the law, who doesn’t hesitate to shamelessly lie to preserve his rule, who isn’t deterred from overturning the parliamentary rules of the game to keep the charges against him from scrutiny seems destined to raise security tensions to distract public opinion from issues he isn’t comfortable with.
State defends greater restrictions on protests near A-G’s house
Protests have continued for over two years near Mandelblit’s home in Petah Tikva to pressure him to take a stronger stance in the various probes against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A Leak That Leaves No Doubts About Netanyahu’s Role in the Bezeq-Walla Case
Any doubts about illicit deals between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and fallen telecom tycoon Shaul Elovitch in the police’s Case 4000 should be put to rest after the details of Shlomo Filber’s statements to police investigators were leaked this week.
This is the case where the police believe Netanyahu traded friendly coverage by Bezeq’s Walla news site in exchange for help with regulations for the company, Israel’s dominant telecom provider. Filber, who had been appointed director general of the Communications Ministry in 2015 shortly after Netanyahu took over the portfolio, was the point man for the alleged trade-offs.
An Escalation With Iran, and Israel’s Opposition Is Silent
In Israel there is no opposition; this disturbing realization is becoming clearer.
Israel’s Attorney General Is Allowing the Gender-segregation Tsunami to Sweep Over
In recent years, gender segregation and discrimination against women have been expanding into various aspects of public life. This is seen on army bases where women are marginalized; on academic campuses where female “modesty supervisors” check the length of skirts; in the civil service, which has cadet courses for men only; in funeral ceremonies, where women cannot mourn or stand with their families; in signposts forbidding women to walk on certain sidewalks, while men police their clothing, applying ever harsher modesty rules, occasionally with curses and spitting. Bus drivers refuse to let on a female passenger in shorts, or don’t allow women to board, claiming there’s “room for men only.”
This is merely a partial list. The struggle for woman’s place in public – and for Israeli society – is in full force.
In Netanyahu’s Israel, Democracy Is Dying in Broad Daylight
(13.08.2019)
Ominous pre-election right-wing purges inspired by Trump’s brazenness have been met with apathy and impotence on the center-left
‚Democracy Has Plunged to a New Low‘: Gandhi Peace Foundation on Kashmir
Having listened to the debates on Kashmir in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister’s address to the nation, and having watched subsequent developments in Kashmir, we as citizens of India inspired by the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi feel compelled to state that the government has pushed the country into a blind alley. The gun that was used to silence Kashmir is now being used as a telescope through which to see Kashmir. This is shameful, unfortunate and ominous for India.
A whole state has vanished from the map in broad daylight. The Indian Union had 28 states, now it has 27. This is not a magic show, where a magician shows us, we know, something unreal and illusory. Here we are witnessing something cruel, ugly, undemocratic and seemingly irreversible. It reveals the poverty of our democratic politics.
The German state’s turn against democracy
In supporting the European banking union, Germany’s highest court reveals its anti-democratic heart.
Pakistan strongly condemns India’s decision to abolish Article 370
“No unilateral step by the Government of India can change this disputed status, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Nor will this ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan,” said the press release.
“As the party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps,” it added.
The Narendra Modi government scraps Kashmir’s special status under Indian constitution
Addressing parliament today (Aug. 5) following two days of heightened security in the state, home minister Amit Shah announced that Article 370 would no longer exist. President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, has signed this notification. Shah’s announcement was met with loud protests from opposition parties.
Likud Plans to Spend $570,000 to Spy Again on Arab Polling Stations
Now, according to a report broadcast by Channel 13 news, the Likud plans to double its budget for a repeat campaign, spending two million shekels (approximately $570,000) to install cameras in Arab polling stations. The campaign will once again be headed up by Kaizler Inbar, and will be accompanied by increased police presence to monitor Arab voters.
Israel’s Central Election Committee – which oversees the state’s election process – will reportedly meet later this week to discuss the Likud’s program. The Channel 13 news report told how the Likud party plans to ask Supreme Court Judge Hanan Melcer, head of the elections committee, to “detail in writing what their poll watchers can and cannot do with the surveillance cameras”.
Likud doubles budget for program placing hidden cameras in Arab polling stations
The operation is set to be run again by the Kaizler-Inbar communications firm, the source said. Kaizler-Inbar organized the April effort by recruiting activists mainly from national religious seminaries across the country and boasted in a Facebook post shortly after the vote of “success” in bringing turnout among Arabs to below 50 percent, its lowest level in decades.
Brexit: What now for TTIP, CETA and UK trade?
(24.06.2016)
Brexit has created the potential greater democratic control of trade deals. And we must ensure we use that to craft a trade policy that is geared to justice for the many rather than profits for the few.
Europe’s unelected leader: Ursula von der Leyen’s coronation is an insult to democracy.
Ursula von der Leyen has been confirmed as the next president of the EU Commission, winning a vote in the European Parliament by 383 to 327.
But despite the involvement of MEPs, the process that put von der Leyen in place was nothing short of a coronation.
Sources: Likud and Blue and White Parties Discussing Canceling Elections, Forming Unity Government
Netanyahu and Blue and White party co-chairman Benny Gantz are reportedly not personally involved in any negotiations over a unity government.
Blue and White issued a statement reacting to the report, saying, “There is only one option for cancelling the elections: Netanyahu steps down to deal with his legal issues and Blue and White will lead a wide government.”
Yair Lapid Says Coalition With Netanyahu, Lieberman Is the Right Thing for Israel
Yair Lapid, the co-chair of opposition party Kahol Lavan, said on Sunday that he believes a unity government headed by his outfit is the „right thing for Israel.“
Lapid said he would agree to form a coalition with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to comments made by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Saturday.
Netanyahu must inform court today if he will attend indictment hearing
If Netanyahu refuses to confirm his attendance by today’s deadline, then the hearing will be canceled and a summary decision would be made that could lead to his indictment within days or weeks.
Netanyahu Appoints Justice Minister Who Supports Immunity From Indictment for Prime Minister
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Likud lawmaker Amir Ohana as justice minister on Wednesday. Political sources told Haaretz that Ohana was appointed because unlike other Likud members, he supports changes that would grant immunity from indictment to acting prime ministers, as Netanyahu is facing possible indictment in three cases of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.
Democracy in Netanyahu’s Israel Under Greater Threat Than in Trump’s America, Warns Lawfare Editor
Wittes attributes this dramatic possibility to Israel’s anomalous constitutional regime, which he characterizes as “super-weird.”
Asked to elaborate, he explains in a follow-up email that, beyond the fact that Israel lacks a written constitution (which is not in itself unique), it also has “the combination, on the one hand, of a system of parliamentary supremacy, and, on the other hand, a highly aggressive court that asserts broad authority of judicial review.” Ironically, however, anything the High Court does can be reversed by the legislature, “given that the court’s authority itself is a creature of the Knesset.”
No confidence in the German establishment
The pro-EU parties crumbled – but a coherent Eurosceptic force is sorely lacking.
May Says It’s Best For UK To Leave EU With A Deal
As she was arriving for talks with the 28 other EU leaders in Brussels, May told journalist, “The best option for the UK is to leave the EU with a deal.” May is scheduled to meet with EU leaders to name five people to hold the European Union’s top jobs for the next five years.
Informal dinner of Heads of State or Government – May 2019: Arrival and doorstep May (UK)
Arrival and doorstep by Theresa MAY, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, at the Informal Dinner of Heads of State or Government, taking place on 28 May 2019, in Brussels.
Merkel Cancels Resignation, Decides Successor Not Up to Job
If the Tories thought they were having trouble getting rid of Theresa May, they should spare a thought for the German CDU where Angela Merkel has just announced that she won’t be resigning as German Chancellor after all.
Merkel Decides Her Chosen Successor Isn’t Up to the Job
Merkel has decided that Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who took over as leader of the Christian Democratic Union in December, is not up to the country’s top job, according to two officials with knowledge of her thinking. As a result, the chancellor has become more determined than ever to stay in power until her term ends in 2021, the officials said.
The European Union Is an Antidemocratic Disgrace
The European Parliament elections start today. But the body itself is an insult against democracy that exists only to rubber-stamp neoliberal rule.
14/ “Since [a European demos does not exist], the EU and its institutions can have neither the authority nor the legitimacy of a demos-cratic state. On this view, a parliament without a demos is conceptually impossible, practically despotic”.
The greatest fear of the fascist right wing – a united front of the left, centre-left and the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Ayman Odeh’s speech couldn’t have been better.
Kudos to the Israeli activists & political leaders who are building a Jewish-Arab coalition that is fighting for Israeli democracy. MK Ayman Odeh’s speech at tonight’s demonstration was one important step.
Tens of Thousands of Israelis Protest Netanyahu’s Immunity Bills in Opposition’s First Rally
Kahol Lavan, Labor and Meretz organized the protest, but the Arab parties were not invited. Several hours before the protest and following public pressure, Gantz invited Arab Israeli lawmaker Ayman Odeh, the chairman of Hadash, to speak.
Israelis protest moves to grant Netanyahu immunity, limit Supreme Court
Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in the central city of Tel Aviv Saturday, protesting proposed legislation granting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immunity from prosecution on a series of corruption charges.
The protesters outside the city’s Museum of Art also called for protecting Israel’s democratic identity against government overreach.
#Israel – a big rally is planned this evening in Tel Aviv against PM #Netanyahu’s moves to weaken the supreme court for saving himself from persecution. In an important move, the leader of the biggest Arabic party will also speak
Historic demonstration will take place in Tel Aviv tonight in support of saving Israeli democracy from efforts by Bibi, who is facing an indictment, to institute an immunity law. All opposition parties will be represented and speakers will include Arab-Israeli leader @AyOdeh.
Netanyahu Has Five Days to Form a Government. What Happens if He Fails?
The phrasing of the Basic Law on the Knesset is ambiguous and does not explicitly state the number of MKs needed for the initial vote of confidence to establish a new government
The European Parliament is a democratic facade for a system dominated by unelected bureaucrats
In the speech I made on that occasion, I tried to point out that democracy was not achieved simply by holding elections; what mattered was what the elections were to, and for. Were we electing representatives to a body by which we agreed to be governed? Or were we simply providing a democratic facade for a political system dominated by unelected bureaucrats and central bankers, who exercised a power of government over us to which we had not consented?
Likud tables new Immunity Law proposal
MK Miki Zohar (Likud) submitted on Tuesday a draft for a new Immunity Law, that would prevent MKs from being brought to criminal trial.
No indictment for Netanyahu
(20. April 1997)
Netanyahu told CNN’s Walter Rodgers he was „glad that the truth came out,“ and said the entire incident was „blown out of proportion and twisted out of shape.“
„It’s politics,“ he said in an interview shortly after the attorney general released his report. „Of course there were people out to get us. But this is going nowhere. It’s done. It’s finished.“
Attorney General Delays Netanyahu’s Pre-indictment Hearing Until October
Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit agreed on Wednesday to postpone Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indictment hearing until October.
„If you can’t get rid of the people who govern you you don’t live in a democratic system.“ Tony Benn. Folks it’s democracy versus authoritarianism. It matters not how you describe yourself, it matters what side you take, more than any time since 1945.
No indictment for Netanyahu
(20. April 1997)
Netanyahu told CNN’s Walter Rodgers he was „glad that the truth came out,“ and said the entire incident was „blown out of proportion and twisted out of shape.“
„It’s politics,“ he said in an interview shortly after the attorney general released his report. „Of course there were people out to get us. But this is going nowhere. It’s done. It’s finished.“
Netanyahu Pushes Law to Neutralize High Court Oversight and Uphold His Immunity
Likud has gathered a number of expert opinions regarding the legal systems of Canada and England, countries where the parliament can pass laws over the objection of the Supreme Court.
Judge Dodges Legality of NSA Mass Spying, Citing Secrecy Claims
The Justice Department insists that our legal fight against this spying is bound by a Catch-22: no one can sue unless the court first determines that they were certainly touched by the vast surveillance mechanisms of the NSA. But, the government argued successfully, the court cannot decide whether any particular person’s email, web searches, social media or phone calls were touched by the surveillance unless the government admits it. Which, of course, it will not do.
President Trump seems determined to engineer a constitutional crisis by refusing to comply with a standard congressional subpoena. If the Mueller report exonerates him, then why is he trying to block lawmakers from simply reading the full report? What is he trying to hide?
Sir Graham Brady and his 1922 Committee are getting to be a joke,
July is no good, there won’t be a Conservative Party that is resueable by then, the 1922 Committee are, in Thatchers words FRIT. Mrs May has to go NOW, tomorrow would not be soon enough!
Brexiteer compares Theresa May’s leadership to ‚DICTATORSHIP‘ in huge rant – ‚Time is UP‘
The Labour MP accused the Conservative Party rules of forcing a form of „dictatorship“ on Parliament as nothing can be done to oust the Prime Minister before the end of the year. Ms Hoey urged Theresa May to resign from her post as soon as possible in the best interest of the country and to help find a solution to the Brexit impasse.
Brexit: Theresa May to meet Sir Graham Brady amid calls to resign
Theresa May is to meet the chairman of an influential committee of backbench Tory MPs, Sir Graham Brady, amid calls for her to set a firm resignation date.
It follows a request from the 1922 Committee for „clarity“ on the issue.
END OF THE LINE: Sir Graham Brady to tell PM to resign by end of July or face being ousted by MPs
Some even urged Sir Graham to quote the iconic line from the final episode of Line of Duty, where DI Kate Fleming AC-3 officer DI Michelle Brandyce to “stop making a t*t of yourself and p**s off”.
The PM’s response to Sir Graham will be vital and he will then report back to the 1922 committee tomorrow.
That awkward moment when British remainers who want a second referendum are jealous of Turkish „democracy“. #Brexit
Theresa May in secret discussions on second Brexit referendum
John McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor, said it “may well” be the case that any deal would have to be put to a second referendum, adding: “I think the Conservatives have to recognise that if a deal is going to go through there might be a large number of MPs who will want a public vote.“
The end of trust in our political class
One of the worrying things about Britain is that our diffuse support for the political system was on the wane long before the Brexit vote.
Many Across the Globe Are Dissatisfied With How Democracy Is Working
Anger at political elites, economic dissatisfaction and anxiety about rapid social changes have fueled political upheaval in regions around the world in recent years. Anti-establishment leaders, parties and movements have emerged on both the right and left of the political spectrum, in some cases challenging fundamental norms and institutions of liberal democracy. Organizations from Freedom House to the Economist Intelligence Unit to V-Dem have documented global declines in the health of democracy.
ECJ confirms legality of unfair corporate tribunals in EU trade deals
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) today ruled that provisions for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS, rebranded as ICS – Investment Court System) in the EU-Canada trade deal CETA are compatible with EU law.
This decision dangerously legitimises a mechanism that enables companies to claim multi-billion sum damages from governments that dare to stand up to their power. The ruling also comes as a blow to millions of citizens who have spoken out against this parallel justice system for corporations, most recently, more than 555,000 petitioners from all over Europe demanded an end to the ISDS system in all its forms.
EU court rules in favour of Canada’s free-trade deal with bloc
The European Union-Canada free-trade agreement’s provisions to protect investors do not breach EU law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday in a major relief for proponents of the deal that came into force in 2017.
The rise and fall of British democracy
Trust in our politicians has never been lower. And the present crisis has fundamentally undermined parliament’s legitimacy and ability to function. Far-reaching reform is essential.
It is now clear that the government is unable to carry out the wishes of the British people. We need to hold a general strike in order to #SaveBrexit! #EUCO #Peston
First they take your vote. Then they use your anger to oppress you further. If we don’t fight and defeat these bastards now there is nothing they won’t do to us once their victory is complete. Whether we like it or not – and I do not – they have declared total war on us.
“It’s horrendous- worse than people spat at us over Iraq. People who voted Brexit feel betrayed by all sides and are palpably angry. Canvassing has been pretty tough- mainly people want to tell us we are all corrupt and fucking useless.”
No country has ever become more equal, more socialist and more democratic since joining the EU. Not one.
Britain is heading for a long extension after no member state argued to veto a Brexit delay, sources say.
A small number of EU member states argued for an extension to June 30, but most argued for much longer: to December 2019, or even March 2020
Netanyahu’s Next Coalition: Annexation for Immunity From Indictment
The new Netanyahu government will have two main goals: Get rid of the indictments looming in his future, and annex the settlements to Israel, in coordination with the Trump administration
With Netanyahu Victory, It’s Time We Admit: Israel Has Become a Dictatorship
If Benjamin Netanyahu manages to bribe his way to a ramshackle, immunity-from-prosecution coalition after his borderline showing in Tuesday’s election, we will all know one thing for sure: Israel has become a dictatorship.
You need look no further than his Election Day obscenities of voter fraud and voter suppression.
Avichai Mandelblit
Aluf Avichai Mandelblit (Hebrew: אביחי מנדלבליט; born 29 June 1963) is an Israeli jurist who currently serves as the Attorney General of Israel. Mandelblit had a long career in the Israel Defense Forces legal system, eventually serving as the Chief Military Advocate General between 2004 and 2011. On April 2013 he was appointed Cabinet Secretary.[1] In February 2016, he was appointed Attorney General.
Corruption charges against Netanyahu thrown into spotlight amid likely election win
On February 28, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced his intentions to indict …
Our unrepresentative democracy
The Brexit pile-up in parliament really is unlike anything we’ve witnessed in modern times. The government and MPs are refusing to implement the biggest democratic mandate in British political history, the clearest and most weighty demand ever issued to them by the public. And yet they are still straining to agree how best to bury it for good.
Brexit minister Robin Walker tells @skysarahjane on #Sunrise that @Theresa_May will begin Brexit talks with @jeremycorbyn today. He says working with the opposition is „not comfortable“ but it’s right for the „national interest“. Brexit updates here:
po.st/DuCV2p
Understand that government wants this whole process, including any Commons votes, done this week. The next 72 hours are going to be quite something
May prepared to rip apart Tory family and put Brexit in Labour’s hands
„It’s really kicking off,“ one Brexiteer told me in the aftermath of Mrs May’s statement.
„This cannot be allowed, that cabinet has to move against May. The 1922 [backbench committee] chairman [Sir Graham Brady] has to go and tell her she has to go.“
The Brexiteers can’t stage of a vote of confidence – she secured a year’s grace after winning the confidence vote last December, but they can try to destabilise her government.
Jeremy Corbyn is „somebody we can do business with“ says Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin #r4today
Mutiny! Tory MPs urge cabinet to oust May over Corbyn Brexit talks
She is likely to face an onslaught from Conservative Brexiteers at Prime Ministers Questions this afternoon after her controversial proposal to negotiate with the Labour leader.
Ominously for the PM, Boris Johnson has joined the Brexiteer backlash, which has seen some Tory MPs urge cabinet ministers to stage a mutiny and move to oust her immediately.
All eyes on the ‚Furious Fourteen‘: May faces cabinet resignations as she shuns ‚clear majority‘ of ministers who backed No Deal and sets up Soft Brexit surrender talks with Jeremy Corbyn instead
– Theresa May made a dramatic shift as she promised new Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn to ‚break the logjam‘
– She said the Government wanted to strike a new deal on the final UK-EU deal both parties could live with
– If talks with Mr Corbyn fail then May promised to hand the decision to Parliament to find a way forward
– Warned there is no hope of changing the divorce treaty – a hint she is abandoning hard Brexiteers and the DUP
– Brexit Tories led by Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg exploded with rage at May’s apparent concessions
– May said she wants to persuade the EU to agree to the new timetable next week and leave the EU on May 22
– Brussels has been clear any delay longer than May 22 would require Britain to hold EU elections next month
– May’s announcement came after a marathon seven-hour Cabinet meeting with ministers locked inside No 10