• Markets rise as plan makes Athens default less likely • Two-day strike starts on Tuesday ahead of key vote A silver lining appeared amid the clouds of Europe’s worst crisis in decades on Monday as French banks agreed to roll over the country’s debt two days before a crucial vote in the Greek parliament on austerity measures – a precondition of further aid from the European Union and International Monetary Fund. As the finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, desperately tried to woo dissident deputies ahead of the vote on the radical €28bn (£25bn) package, the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, said his country’s banks had agreed on a plan to reinvest a significant amount of their holdings in Greek debt. By reinvesting in new securities over 30 years it is hoped the pressure on Greece to repay investors will ease. With €355bn, bondholders in France are more exposed to Greek debt than any other eurozone country. The announcement of the scheme helped dissipate fears that Greece was heading for default. The FTSE 100 rose 24.62 points to close at 5722.34, while the Dow Jones was up 92 points at 12,026 by lunchtime on Wall Street. But in Athens the mood was less sanguine. The make-or-break vote – over policies seen as vital if Greece is to receive a fifth loan instalment of €12bn and stave off economic collapse – takes place in an increasingly electric atmosphere. Following a year of savage wage and pension cuts, the reaction to the new round of belt-tightening has been as biting as the measures themselves. Three out of four Greeks oppose the policies, which call for as many as 150,000 jobs to be axed in the public sector at a time when the economy is in deep recession and unemployment at a record 16.2%. In a step not seen since the return of democracy in 1974, unions announced a 48-hour strike to coincide with what is expected to be a raucous debate in parliament over the spending cuts. The walk-out, which begins on Tuesday, is expected to paralyse the country at the height of the tourist season. On Monday, as the 300-seat parliament prepared for the vote, communist militants stormed the Acropolis, unfurling huge protest banners from the ramparts. As holidaymakers ascended the hill to the fifth-century BC site, they were greeted by banners proclaiming: “The people have the power and never surrender. Organise! Counterattack.” The level of popular hostility to the four-year austerity plan – which includes tax increases on everything from property to soft drinks, and loss-making public utilities being privatised at a rate of one every 15 days – appears to have unnerved the socialist government. The majority of the prime minister, George Papandreou, has been whittled down following a series of defections. Public opposition to the measures – with tens of thousands of protesters amassing outside parliament over the past month – is clearly affecting MPs’ mindsets. With at least three MPs from the governing Pasok party voicing grave misgivings, passage of the vote appeared far from assured despite the finance minister making last-minute appeals. Kostas Panagopoulos, a political analyst, said: “Papandreou may have won a vote of confidence last week but it will mean nothing if he gets these measures passed with only the slimmest of majorities. The number of those supporting the measures is critical for the country’s political stability. It would seem that this is a government that has clearly lost its connection with society.” The steadfast refusal of the main opposition conservative party to endorse the measures – citing recession-inducing tax increases – has added to the government’s woes. Barely a year after it received €110bn in emergency loans, Greece has been told in no uncertain terms that it will not qualify for a second bailout unless it implements the reforms. “Not since the early 1960s has Greece been in such crisis,” said Fotis Kouvelis, who heads a small leftist party. “Greece’s debt load has to be restructured. Our country is at risk of social disintegration. The [austerity] demands being asked of Greeks are too severe at a time when 25% are now living under the poverty line.” European debt crisis Europe Greece France Helena Smith guardian.co.uk
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Former Illinois governor, who was forced out in 2009, found guilty on 17 corruption charges by Chicago jury Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, has been found guilty in Chicago of 17 of 20 corruption charges against him – including trying to sell or swap Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat. Jurors delivered their verdicts on Monday after deliberating for nine days. They jury found Blagojevich guilty on all 11 charges related to the Senate seat, but found him not guilty of soliciting bribes in the alleged shakedown of a road-building executive. The panel was deadlocked on a charge of attempted extortion on that same case. Judge James Zagel has ruled that Blagojevich will be barred from travelling outside the northern district of Illinois without permission from the judge. A status hearing for sentencing has been set for 1 August. Blagojevich testified for seven days and denied all wrongdoing. Prosecutors said he lied, and that the proof was evident on FBI wiretaps. Those included a widely parodied clip in which Blagojevich calls the Senate opportunity “fucking golden.” In his first trial last August, Blagojevich was convicted of one count of lying to federal officials, but jurors were unable to reach a decision on the other counts. Rod Blagojevich Democrats Illinois US politics United States guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Kyl Claims the Ryan Budget is Not ‘Radical’ Because it Adds to the Deficit–But Is This The GOP’s Idea Of Fiscal Responsibility?
June 27, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media (h/t Heather of VideoCafe) I had to listen to this clip of Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, who joined Eric Cantor earlier last week and bailed on the debt-ceiling negotiation, several times to convince myself that I was actually hearing what I thought I heard and just how completely bizarre Kyl’s understanding of economics truly is. Does he think that this is in any way persuasive towards the Ryan budget plan? In what universe? KYL: Right, but just take the Ryan budget. It’s supposed to be the most radical thing. Okay, over ten years, the Ryan budget adds $5 trillion dollars to our national debt. We would have ten straight years of roughly $500 billion in increased debt. So the radical cuts that some people are talking about and that the chairman warns against, are simply not a part of the Republican plan. Once you begin to turn down the long term spending, which is what the Ryan budget does, then you get back to a point where we’re only spending 20% of our economy, of the GDP. Today, we’re spending 25%. The Obama budget never gets below 23, but that’s what the Ryan budget does. Obama would add $12 billion over that same period of time to our debt Well, first of all, the Ryan budget plan is radical because it ends the social contract that has allowed America to prosper for eighty years by ending Medicare as we know it. But does Kyl actually think it softens the blow because it adds FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS to the national debt? Where is that vaunted GOP fiscal responsibility? And that’s in comparison to Obama’s budget, which allows seniors to keep Medicare AND only adds to the debt by a relatively measly $12 billion. (Even though the fact is that’s not true ). Sorry, but what Kyl blabbered on about (and Wallace let him) *is* precisely a seriously radical idea of how to fix this economy, in that it won’t fix anything. Or maybe since Bernanke’s warning that spending cuts in the near term were dangerous for the weak recovery was too obtuse for him to understand, Kyl needs a more remedial explanation of the economy. THE GOP/RYAN BUDGET PLAN IS WILL HURT THIS COUNTRY, ECONOMICALLY, FISCALLY, EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY BECAUSE IT IS A FUNDAMENTALLY UN-AMERICAN PLAN. Any questions, Kyl?
Continue reading …Networks Tout ‘Extra Spectacular’ Gay Pride Parades and ‘Victory Laps’ From ‘Hero’ Andrew Cuomo
June 27, 2011 No Comment
The network morning shows on Monday hyped the “extra spectacular” gay pride parades in the wake of New York's newly passed same sex marriage legislation. Both ABC and NBC highlighted the “hero's welcome” Governor Andrew Cuomo received after signing the bill. At the same time, they ignored dissenters. On Monday's Today, news anchor Natalie Morales touted, “Gay pride parades around the country turned into victory laps…” and added,
Continue reading …George Will: Iowa a Showdown Between Perry and Romney Because ‘Texas Has Job Creation to Match Romney.’ Yep — Both Stink
June 27, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media I’m sure George Will didn’t mean to do this, but I think he gave those who have actually looked at either Rick Perry’s or Mitt Romney’s records on job creation and not the hype put out there by our Beltway talking heads something ripe for mockery after his appearance on ABC’s This Week. AMANPOUR: So let’s move to presidential politics, because obviously this is all wrapped up in all of that. So, earlier today we showed the poll from the Des Moines Register and we’ll see it again, with Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann in a statistic dead heat among likely caucus goers in Iowa. What is the takeaway from that, George? WILL: Well, we’re going to come down to a binary choice sooner or later. And it’s probably going to be Romney against somebody. And the question is, will it be Michele Bachmann who stands there right now, but there’s also a missing piece, the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, who’s thinking about getting in. AMANPOUR: Do you think he will? WILL: I don’t know. I saw him last week and I came away with a definite maybe. But in fact, Iowa is made for a showdown between Rick Perry, who has Texas job creation to match Romney and he has Michele Bachmann’s rapport with the Evangelical Christians who are sixty percent of the participants in the Iowa caucuses. So there’s a two step here. How do you get down to the binary choice. We’ve already covered just how wonderful Perry’s record is on creating minimum-wage-or-below jobs in Texas, and what he’s done to his state’s economy if you’re just an average working-class citizen there; and we posted Stephen Colbert’s takedown of Romney and his record on job creation, which our Villagers in the media continue to distort. I know Will meant it as a compliment to the two of them, but he could not have picked a better pairing of a couple of Republican governors that the media loves to tout as “job creators” when apparently in Villager speak, that means either destroying jobs, or making sure a record level of the ones you do create are at or below the poverty level. Bravo, George. How could this country ever manage to get by without you spewing our similarly ridiculous nonsense on the op-ed pages across the country that someone was unfortunately actually willing to pay you for this week? Steve Benen has more on that here — The options in the GOP’s ‘binary choice’ . H/t to our regular Sunday morning bobble head watcher and commenter Mugsy who helped me out with catching this since I didn’t have the time I normally do this Sunday to wade through all this nonsense for the site.
Continue reading …Heatwave hits as ‘Spanish flume’ effect brings Caribbean temperatures to UK
June 27, 2011 No Comment
Warmest day of the year not good news for everyone – particularly rail passengers and dogs Two police dogs have died in a locked car and express train services have been slowed by overheating wires, as temperatures in the UK came close to matching the Caribbean for three days. Highs reaching this year’s record of 31C (88F) in London claimed the lives of a German Shepherd pup and a working Belgian Malinois which collapsed at the Metropolitan police dog training unit. Police and animal welfare groups are investigating and a national warning was issued to pet owners after two other dogs were rescued by officers who broke into cars parked in Bath. A spokeswoman from the Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, said: “We would like to remind dog owners and police dog handlers that leaving your dog in a car can prove rapidly fatal, particularly during a heatwave. It can take just 20 minutes for a dog to die and the heat can reach over 40 degrees in some vehicles.” Temperatures rose particularly rapidly in the wake of a ‘Spanish plume’ of warm air driven north from Morocco and Spain and curling round most of the UK, holding colder weather from the north at bay. The pattern is breaking up as airstreams alter and the mini-heatwave has started to end with thunderstorms in southern England, where temperatures have been highest, while gentler rain moves south across the border from Scotland. The Meteorological Office warned that downpours in parts of southern and eastern England and the Midlands could be heavy enough to cause flash floods. A spokeswoman said that rivers were not expected to break their banks but predicted highly localised rainfall of between 25mm and 50mm (1-2in) could overwhelm drains and cause surface water flooding. A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “Our staff are on 24-hour alert and teams are monitoring river levels as the band of rain moves across the country. The public are encouraged to tune in to local media for weather forecasts for their area and to keep an eye out for signs of surface water flooding.” A hot weather warning from the Meteorological Office remains in force for southern England, the Home Counties and the Midlands, after temperatures rose to within 1C of the day’s 32C recorded in Kingston, Jamaica. The spell just failed to beat last year’s record of 31.7C set at Gravesend in the first week of July. Absenteeism was widespread after weekend forecasts that Monday would be the hottest day of the year so far, and the working day was also disrupted by the wrong kind of heat on electric rail services. Trains between East Anglia and London were slowed from their usual 90mph maximum to 60 because of concern that power might short or be lost through other glitches with sun-drenched overhead
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RMT union says members unlikely to accept pay restraint after nearly 400 managers took home six-figure salaries last year London mayor Boris Johnson has been pulled into the public sector pay row after it emerged that nearly 400 staff at Transport for London earned more than £100,000 last year. The number of TfL employees taking home a six-figure salary rose from 251 to 379, although the London mayor’s transport authority pleaded exceptional circumstances for the increase. TfL said the number of top earners was boosted by severance payouts to 84 staff, as well as 68 employees who joined TfL’s payroll after the takeover of Tube Lines, the last remaining public-private partnership contractor. A further 31 six-figure employees were employed by Crossrail, the £16bn project to build a new rail line under the capital. TfL said the number of high earners within its main operations of the London Underground, the bus network and the congestion charge, had risen by just two to 196 people. Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT trade union, said members would not accept warnings of a need for financial austerity if hundreds of senior figures are earning six-figure salaries. “We will take no lectures on pay restraint and job cuts while the top layers of TfL are so clearly awash with cash. It is RMT members who are out there day in and day out delivering the success for the company and we expect them to have both the resources and the rewards that they deserve for transporting growing numbers of people around this city as the clock ticks down towards the London Olympics.” Bonuses for TfL’s senior officers have yet to be announced. Last year TfL executives, led by commissioner Peter Hendy, decided to waive their performance awards. However, one scenario under consideration this year could see TfL’s top team defer their bonuses pending the performance of London’s transport network during the 2012 Olympics. TfL is in talks with the RMT over a pay deal that could head off the threat of industrial action during the games. Hendy and senior colleagues have noted a recent deal between the RMT and Network Rail, in which staff will be paid up to £500 each for performing extra shifts during the Olympics. It includes an agreement, described by industry sources as a no-strike deal in all but name – that disputes during the games will go to arbitration with no industrial action while discussions take place. Referring to the Network Rail deal last month, Crow said: “We will be looking for the same if not better on London Underground.” Transport Trade unions London Crossrail Boris Johnson Bob Crow Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …NY Times Gay Marriage Roundup: Banner Headlines, Few Opponents, ‘Tears of Joy’
June 27, 2011 No Comment
As expected, New York Times coverage of the law passed late Friday night allowing gay marraige in New York State was heavily favorable. Sunday’s front page New York Times story provided the tick-tock on how New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo marshaled support to pass gay marriage in the Republican-controlled New York State Senate in part by convincing “super-rich Republican donors” to support him, in Michael Barbaro’s “ Behind Gay Marriage, an Unlikely Mix of Forces .” It included this odd anecdote about a Democratic state senator and holdout against history:
Continue reading …New Jersey Governor Chris Christie revels in his bullying style, as do most conservatives, but it’s really starting to backfire on him. Verbally beating up on teachers and school administrators and other public servants makes him huggable with the psychos who watch John Stossel, but to the general public it makes him about as huggable as Lotso. This is being reflected in the polls of New Jersey voters . And he’s losing women at a very fast rate. One example came back in April, when Chris Christie urged reporters to ‘take the bat’ to 76-year-old widow . Isn’t he so sweet? Earlier this week, Christie took more flack for the way he treated a woman who called in complaining about the way he’s slashing funds to public education while sending his kids to private school. He told Gail it was none of her business. On the Today Show this morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) defended his belittling of a constituent who asked the governor if he sends his kids to private or public school. Christie has slashed public education spending so severely that the state Supreme Court overruled him . However, when the woman called into a local TV interview Christie was giving this month to see if he understood first-hand the devastating effects of his cuts, the governor went off on the woman, angrily saying, “Hey Gail, you know what, first of all it’s none of your business .” Christie sends his kids to private school. This morning, Today Show host Matt Lauer brought up the incident, asking, “Why isn’t it a fair question?” “Her point is completely ridiculous,” Chrisitie snapped, calling the woman “nonsensical.” On Meet The Press, Christie tried to downplay the exchange with Gail by telling David Gregory he’s just a huggable and loveable guy. GREGORY: Now I’m familiar with the substance of you what said, which is you’re a taxpayer. You pay– property taxes. You’re the governor of everybody. You’re working for the best public schools for everybody. For religious reasons– you and your wife decided to send your kids to parochial schools. My question is more about your temperament. Is– should the chief executive speak to people that way? GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE: Damn right he should. You know why? Because this is who I am. And the public knows they get it straight from me. And so what I said to her was, “Don’t question my wife and my– and my parenting decisions.” That’s the most personal thing that you can say to someone. You’re a father. You know this. These parenting decisions we make from the heart. There’s no one more precious in my life than my wife and my four children. And when we make those decisions, that’s not appropriate for public inquiry. I made that decision because I believe, David, in my heart, that’s the right thing. And so you know what? I am very blunt, I am very direct and you know what? So was she. And you look at her tone and her demeanor in that question, so was she. She’s questioning my ability as a public officer holder to make decisions about every child in New Jersey and their public education because my children go to parochial school? Well, I went to public schools in New Jersey. I’m a product of the public schools. And so you’re– you know what? Absolutely. I wish more people in public life would respond just that way. DAVID GREGORY: But authenticity is one thing. But we all can be better in the public square — how we interact with people. Are you too abrasive? Are you too stubborn? Are you too– tough when it comes to people questioning you? GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE: I’m huggable and loveable, David. I am not abrasive at all. I– listen, I’m honest. And I wish we had more of it in politics. You know what people are tired of in politics? They’re tired of blow dried– tested answers that are given by political consultants to politicians and everybody sounds the same. (BABBLING) And everybody sounds the same. He’s just lying when he says he’s not abrasive and he knows it. Conservatives love a mean-spirited bully as a politician and that’s why they’ve been begging him to run in 2012 . He can’t hide from ugly incidents like this even if the national press has been slobbering all over him . Eric Boehlert writes: I realize much of the D.C. press corps is crushing on Christie. But before they announce that “people” are responding to the governor’s “plain talk,” pundits might want to find out if that response extends beyond their professional class. Everybody remembers how Toy Story 3 ends, right? Lotso’s new home is on the front grill of a truck. And the entire audience cheers.
Continue reading …New Jersey Governor Chris Christie revels in his bullying style, as do most conservatives, but it’s really starting to backfire on him. Verbally beating up on teachers and school administrators and other public servants makes him huggable with the psychos who watch John Stossel, but to the general public it makes him about as huggable as Lotso. This is being reflected in the polls of New Jersey voters . And he’s losing women at a very fast rate. One example came back in April, when Chris Christie urged reporters to ‘take the bat’ to 76-year-old widow . Isn’t he so sweet? Earlier this week, Christie took more flack for the way he treated a woman who called in complaining about the way he’s slashing funds to public education while sending his kids to private school. He told Gail it was none of her business. On the Today Show this morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) defended his belittling of a constituent who asked the governor if he sends his kids to private or public school. Christie has slashed public education spending so severely that the state Supreme Court overruled him . However, when the woman called into a local TV interview Christie was giving this month to see if he understood first-hand the devastating effects of his cuts, the governor went off on the woman, angrily saying, “Hey Gail, you know what, first of all it’s none of your business .” Christie sends his kids to private school. This morning, Today Show host Matt Lauer brought up the incident, asking, “Why isn’t it a fair question?” “Her point is completely ridiculous,” Chrisitie snapped, calling the woman “nonsensical.” On Meet The Press, Christie tried to downplay the exchange with Gail by telling David Gregory he’s just a huggable and loveable guy. GREGORY: Now I’m familiar with the substance of you what said, which is you’re a taxpayer. You pay– property taxes. You’re the governor of everybody. You’re working for the best public schools for everybody. For religious reasons– you and your wife decided to send your kids to parochial schools. My question is more about your temperament. Is– should the chief executive speak to people that way? GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE: Damn right he should. You know why? Because this is who I am. And the public knows they get it straight from me. And so what I said to her was, “Don’t question my wife and my– and my parenting decisions.” That’s the most personal thing that you can say to someone. You’re a father. You know this. These parenting decisions we make from the heart. There’s no one more precious in my life than my wife and my four children. And when we make those decisions, that’s not appropriate for public inquiry. I made that decision because I believe, David, in my heart, that’s the right thing. And so you know what? I am very blunt, I am very direct and you know what? So was she. And you look at her tone and her demeanor in that question, so was she. She’s questioning my ability as a public officer holder to make decisions about every child in New Jersey and their public education because my children go to parochial school? Well, I went to public schools in New Jersey. I’m a product of the public schools. And so you’re– you know what? Absolutely. I wish more people in public life would respond just that way. DAVID GREGORY: But authenticity is one thing. But we all can be better in the public square — how we interact with people. Are you too abrasive? Are you too stubborn? Are you too– tough when it comes to people questioning you? GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE: I’m huggable and loveable, David. I am not abrasive at all. I– listen, I’m honest. And I wish we had more of it in politics. You know what people are tired of in politics? They’re tired of blow dried– tested answers that are given by political consultants to politicians and everybody sounds the same. (BABBLING) And everybody sounds the same. He’s just lying when he says he’s not abrasive and he knows it. Conservatives love a mean-spirited bully as a politician and that’s why they’ve been begging him to run in 2012 . He can’t hide from ugly incidents like this even if the national press has been slobbering all over him . Eric Boehlert writes: I realize much of the D.C. press corps is crushing on Christie. But before they announce that “people” are responding to the governor’s “plain talk,” pundits might want to find out if that response extends beyond their professional class. Everybody remembers how Toy Story 3 ends, right? Lotso’s new home is on the front grill of a truck. And the entire audience cheers.
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