11 March 2017. My Thoughts on Politics

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Yes… politics is a serious business… it’s why we have to keep Liberal extremists like “conservatives” and “liberals” (taken together, they make up “neoliberalism”) from power. Actually, One Nation Conservatism (Red Toryism) and Socialism have much in common. The USA never had conservatism, as it was a Radical Republic (in Continental European terms) from the outset. The USA never had a Conservative leader such as Otto von Bismarck, P A Stolypin, Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich, or Dief the Chief. It’s only had oligarch-loving and money-grubbing Liberals (“conservatives”). No… by its very nature, foundation, and history, the USA is INCAPABLE of Conservatism. Yes, Marine le Pen and Viktor Mihály Orbán are Conservatives… Trump, Ryan, McConnell, Hannity, Buchanan, and Dreher emphatically are NOT such. You can’t be Conservative and believe in the power of money and rule by the One Percent. Do note that all American “conservatives” do so. Oh, yes… Conservatives believe in universal single-payer healthcare, a strong state-funded social safety-net, and a vigorous defence of the environment. “Conservatives” don’t… they’re in favour of greed and rapine by the rich… the country, society, and nature be damned. No similarities between Conservatives and “American Conservatives”, is there?

Keep it focused… don’t call Radical Liberals “conservatives”… what does that tell you about those who do so? Not very bright, are they?

BMD

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Ukrainian Economy in the Shitter… The Truth About Russian Gas Shipments to Novorossiya

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A brief article published by The Financial Times suggested that fresh data published on Wednesday provided a new testimony to the depth of the abyss that the Ukrainian economy was rolling into, noting, “The Ukrainian economy is in tatters. New data out today underscores the extent of the Ukraine’s economic carnage”. Specifically, it said that industrial production collapsed by nearly one-fifth just in January, and was now down 21.3 percent versus the same period of 2014. The FT wrote, “Economists ‘only’ expected a 15 percent month-on-month contraction in industrial production. Disrupted transportation infrastructure, rocketing energy costs, and fuel shortages clobbered industrial production, along with a collapsing currency and outright civil war in the Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartlands (sic). […] This is just the latest grim data point for the Ukrainian economy, which the IMF estimates shrank by about 7.5 percent last year. The last quarter was particularly grim, with GDP contracting a staggering 15.2 percent from a year ago”. FT said that unless the recent cease-fire holds and Kiev receives hefty slugs of western aid soon, 2015 might prove almost as gloomy.

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On Thursday, citing Magyar Minister-President Viktor Orbán, Bloomberg reported that Hungary wouldn’t resell Russian natural gas to the Ukraine. Orbán also said that Hungary wouldn’t support the EU’s initiative to create an energy union, saying, “The plan would require involving the EU in bilateral relationships. For us, this would be abdicating our sovereignty”. Hungary is also going to sign a new gas deal with Gazprom, which would stipulate Russian natural gas supplies for five years, and Gazprom is ready to increase gas storage volumes in Hungary. Currently, Hungary pays 260 USD (16,094 Roubles. 1,625 Renminbi. 16,152 INR. 325 CAD. 332 AUD. 228 Euros. 168 UK Pounds) per 1,000 cubic metres of gas compared with an estimated 270 USD (16,714 Roubles. 1,688 Renminbi. 16,772 INR. 338 CAD. 345 AUD. 237 Euros. 175 UK Pounds) average in Europe. Experts polled by TASS said that Gazprom might agree to Hungary’s proposal to sign a short-term gas deal along with extending a contract on Russian natural gas supplies to Hungary, which expires in 2015. A source close to Gazprom told TASS that the negotiations on extending Gazprom’s gas contract with Hungary are now at an initial stage; they’d take into account the wishes of both parties, as well as the parameters agreed during President V V Putin’s visit to Hungary. During Putin’s visit to Budapest on 17 February, the sides agreed that it was possible to give up the “take or pay” principle in gas supplies and reduce the volume of obligatory gas intake under the contracts.

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On Thursday, Gazprom CEO A B Miller said, “In line with currently-acting sale and purchase agreements between Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy, starting from 16.00 MSK (05.00 PST. 08.00 EST. 13.00 UTC. 23.00 AEST) 19 February 2015 Gazprom will supply 12 million cubic metres of gas a day to the Ukraine, via gas measuring units at Prokhorovka and Platovo”. Earlier, Chairman of the RF Government D A Medvedev gave orders to provide assistance to Debaltsevo and other places in Novorossiya facing a humanitarian crisis. Medvedev said, “There’s still another problem about gas supplies… by decision of the Ukrainian authorities, in any case, by a decision that hasn’t yet been cancelled, and as a result of their actions, gas isn’t supplied to many populated areas [in Novorossiya]. Despite the need for gas supplies, this isn’t taking place. I’d like the Energy Ministry to prepare proposals jointly with Gazprom on providing humanitarian aid gas supplies for the needs of these regions, unless someone takes urgent measures for their provision with gas using the customary scheme”. Meanwhile, Medvedev aide Natalia Timakova said, “Gazprom will supply gas to [Novorossiya] as humanitarian aid on a commercial basis. We’re determining the sources of financing”. A source familiar with the situation said financing would most likely involve a loan.

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On Thursday, I V Plotnitsky, Chairman of the LNR Government, told the media that Russian gas has started flowing to the LNR and DNR, saying, “The gas is flowing, everything’s fine. No problems at the moment”. As Kiev discontinued gas supplies to the region, without emergency supplies, neither the LNR nor the DNR had enough gas to last until Friday morning.

19 February 2015

ITAR-TASS

Sputnik International

http://tass.ru/en/world/778569

http://tass.ru/en/economy/778621

http://tass.ru/en/world/778744

http://sputniknews.com/business/20150219/1018487258.html

Magyar Minister-President Orbán Tells McCain to Butt Out and Shut the Fuck Up

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Read this. In Budapest, Magyar Minister-President Viktor Orbán replied to US Senator John McCain (R-AZ), “I won’t be the viceroy commissioned by some foreign state in Hungary”. McCain’s made intemperate comments about Russia (again)… he’s never gotten over being shot down by a Soviet-made SAM in the Vietnam War, even though his shootdown was mostly due to his heedless cowboy recklessness and his misplaced sense of personal invulnerability. Many say that McCain is in the pocket of (and is the lapdog of) his corporate backers as he’s a heedless gambler with huge losses to cover… believe that or not as you will, but McCain does seem to like gambling and hanging out in casinos (the smart word on the street is that he’s a big risk-taker… who’s taken big losses in public). That’s the sort of man making groundless accusations against heads-of-state. As I said, believe McCain or not as you will. As for me… I don’t think that I need complete the thought…

BMD

Hungary Threatens to Leave EU… Rejects Pressure from Brussels

Them Magyars be feisty and independent folk… tough, too, I hear (these guys are in a heated outdoor pool in the middle of winter in Budapest)… the EU had best watch their step.

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EU pressure on the Magyar government engendered anti-European sentiment in the parliament. Euractiv quoted László Kövér, the President of the National Assembly, “Hungary might leave the EU if Brussels tries to dictate to us how to run our country”. Moreover, Kövér said that attempts by Brussels to force specific policies on Hungary looks like what Moscow did prior to 1989. He noted that if the EU continued on such a course, it might force Hungary to make profound changes. However, Kövér said that might only happen in the case of a “nightmare” scenario. This forceful response came after the EU exerted much coercion on Hungary, forcing it to implement problematic policies [in terms of its national interests]. For example, rejecting the “South Stream” gas pipeline put Hungary in a very iffy position if it’s a very cold winter and there’s reduced gas supplies from Russia.

The European Commission used the scenario “Cold Winter” in assessing risk factors and testing the willingness of European countries to cutoff Russian natural gas in winter 2014, for example, a two-week cutoff would cause gas shortages in the range of 10 percent in Central and Western Europe (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Slovakia), if the European states were to show solidarity in sharing the burden of short supply. If such coöperation doesn’t materialise, Western and Central Europe won’t have any problems, but it’d be much harder on Poland and the Balkans. Balkan countries receive their gas via an older system of pipelines that pass through the Ukraine and Moldova. Therefore, they’re almost 100 percent dependent on Russian gas supplies. In addition, they’re not really part of European gas networks, and the amount of gas in underground storage isn’t enough to last the whole winter.

After Kövér’s statement and the harsh words of Minister-President Viktor Orbán addressed to Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel, who previously said that Germany would do everything “to steer Hungary on the right path”, the media reported that Berlin was preparing plans to place political sanctions against Hungary. Most accounts assumed that this meant that Hungary might face suspension of its voting rights in the EU. However, the German Foreign Office stated that such measures aren’t really under consideration, noting, “Such isn’t in German interests”. On should note that, earlier, Magyar Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó criticised EU policy on sanctions against Russia, raising doubts about their effectiveness in influencing Moscow’s behaviour, at the same time warning that European exports suffered from their effects. Szijjártó exposed disputes between EU member-states as to the efficacy of the sanctions in resolving the Ukrainian conflict. His statement also reflected concerns that sanctions in the style of “an eye for an eye” could reduce the already-weak prospects of economic growth in the bloc. A source close to Orbán said, “These sanctions haven’t led to the result that we’d hoped to achieve in the Ukraine… clearly, the conflict hasn’t de-escalated. Meanwhile, the European economy suffers, and Central Europe suffers the most”.

29 October 2014

Novorusinform

http://www.novorosinform.org/news/id/13315