Covid and Capitalism

In an attempt to control the spread of Covid, most democracies found it useful not only to spectacularly abandon spending controls but also to limit civil liberties.  Lockdowns, school closures, business closures, limitations on who, where and how we meet, what shops may open and how we must behave – this is the price that we are paying. Additionally, our children will have to fund unprecedented debt our governments have unleashed. 

 

It is therefore interesting to note one area, which seems to have been left out. At a time, when the world is in dire need of vaccine, no limitations and controls were put over the vaccine producers – the pharma industry. They, of course, are in business to maximise their profits. First year Economics students already know about supply and demand. Does anyone believe that Pfizer-Biontech, Astra-Zeneca, Moderna and their ilk would voluntarily forego the opportunity to create an artificial shortage, in order to squeeze as much money from a vaccine-hungry world?

 

Should we not have acted with the same willingness to curtail the freedom of big pharma, as we have in restricting our and our children’s civil liberties?

Israel and Palestine – International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has ruled that it has jurisdiction to investigate alleged war crimes by Israel in the Occupied Territories. This might lead to the ICC issuing arrest warrants against Israeli officials and military leaders. Israel – as usual – reaches to its proven and successful hammer and cries Antisemitism.  

 

Anyone who believes that Israel has no right to take over and settle Palestinian lands conquered in 1967 with its own Jewish population, anyone who believes that what Israel does in scandalously criminal, anyone who believes that military control over millions of Palestinians is not only damaging to Palestinians but also has a corrupting effect on the Israeli population and causes Antisemitism, thereby endangering the Jewish people as a whole – should support bringing an end to the Occupation.

 

Israeli voters have proven to be stubborn opponents of any retreat from the Occupied Territories. They support governments that systematically slice Palestinian land and settle Jews on this land. It seems that only trauma, will bring about change in this attitude. A serious war with tens of thousands of dead would be such a trauma. Those who want to prevent this kind of trauma, should support the softer kind: effective sanctions that will force Israel to abide by UN resolutions and International law.

 

The ICC decision is a welcome step.  

EU Incompetence leading to further breakup?

Two strong women, Angela Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen, in their wish to strengthen the European Union and establish it as a successful and robust All-European body, have achieved the exact opposite.

 

Merkel wanted the procurement of Covid vaccine to be a European project. However, neither von der Leyen, who was preoccupied with Brexit throughout the year, nor anyone else in the gigantic EU bureaucracy has any experience whatsoever in large-scale procurement. Invariable, they were just chickenfeed for the tough negotiators of the Pharma industry. Moreover, the 27 countries were not in agreement as regards to the different vaccines, price, technology and liability, thereby slowing negotiations down. The result is FAILURE.  Big time failure. Death causing failure.

 

Merkel should not have pushed for it and von der Leyen should not have accepted it. Lessons must be learned.  Before it is too late. Otherwise, Britain will not be the last country to leave the EU.

Do not look away

A short videoclip by Ruth Ben-Ghiat  with an important warning about right-wing Extremism in the USA .

Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat of the NYU has written an essay on Fascism for my coming book on political language.