#One banker plan for National

[nihilityuniverse]

𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 | 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐱 𝐅𝐄𝐌! 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 ᴏꜰ ᴛᴇʏᴠᴀᴛ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘀.

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MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

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Story inspired by Acheron's Lore, Power, and Personality...

ENG is not my First language

I do not own Genshin Impact or any of the pictures used.

Do NOT Repost

Story also available on WattPad: Chapter 0 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

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Chapter 0 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏

𝐀 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭'𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐳𝐳𝐨

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Eight members of the Harbingers had gathered in the palace-like church. Inside, the air was so frigid that the nation's flags began to freeze, crackling under the intense cold. No candles lit the space; only the ethereal glow of the polar lights streaming through the stained-glass windows provided illumination.

A petite woman with long hair, her eyes concealed behind a delicate white lace mask, hums a familiar lullaby from her deceased friend as she leans against a casket. Her voice echoes softly in the frozen stillness.

The eight other Harbingers watched her from a distance, each wearing a similar coat of identical design. By order of Her Royal Highness Tsaritsa, all Harbingers were required to attend the funeral, even the elusive 0th Harbinger.

The 0th Harbinger, code name: Innamorati — The Lovers;

A figure shrouded in mystery and danger, Innamorati remained an enigma even to her fellow Harbingers.

Known only by whispers and rumors, she was a being crafted by the Cryo Archon herself, a weapon designed to challenge the Celestial Gods. Hidden away for years, her existence was the subject of much speculation.

Some Harbingers were indifferent, focusing solely on the success of their plans, while others were intensely curious. Pierro, the Director of the Fatui, claimed to know nothing about her, adding to her mystique.

Rumors abounded: some said Innamorati would annihilate anyone who crossed her path; others believed she had perished decades ago, her legend merely a shadow from the past.

What they all knew for certain was that Innamorati had a notorious reputation for forgetting critical missions assigned by Tsaritsa herself. This unreliability made her both feared and ridiculed within their ranks.

"We are gathered here today to remember our dear comrade," an old dwarf with a long nose and mustache solemnly broke the deafening silence. "In honor of her sacrifice, all work shall halt for half a day as the nation mourns her passing."

"Hehe, merely half a day...?" Pantalone laughed coldly, crossing his hands in front of his chest with a mocking smile. "People say the Northland Bank's true currencies are blood and tears... But mayor, even speaking as a banker, that sounds a little unconscionable."

"Rosalyne died in a foreign land," Arlecchino stepped forward, her crimson red X-cross pupils glowing dangerously bright with annoyance. "But you heartless businessmen and dignitaries always find a convenient excuse to remain in the comfort of your homeland..." She frowned. "You couldn't hope to understand, so why don't you keep your mouth shut?! We don't want to make the children cry."

"Hey, c'mon now, even I don't think this is the right time or place for a fight," Childe chipped in, lazily sitting on one of the wooden benches.

"Utterly risible!" Sandrone mocked, and the machine behind her emitted an audible angry sound.

"Though her methods tarnished her honor, Lohefalter's sacrifice is a great pity. Her loss shall not hinder our progress," Capitano's deep voice resonated through the entire palace, catching everyone's attention.

He turned towards the Doctor, his face hidden behind a dark veil. "But Dottore... What of Scaramouche and the Gnosis from Inazuma?"

Dottore smiled, twirling a tube filled with blue liquid between his fingers. "Conventional wisdom holds that Divine Knowledge cannot be rationally comprehended. After conquering the Divine Gaze, he will make his next move."

The heavy, frozen church door creaked open, allowing the bitter winter air to sweep inside. Everyone turned their gaze towards it, even Columbina, who had paused her humming. 

A woman, clad in a coat of the same design as theirs, stepped into the church, holding a red paper umbrella. The door closed behind her with a resounding bang. The click of her heels on the marble floor echoed through the hall, a stark contrast to the silence that had filled the room.

Her face remained obscured by shadows, yet every person in the room knew instinctively that she was not someone to be trifled with. 

The sense of her power and presence was palpable, a mutual understanding among them all. To cross her would be to invite disaster.

This was Innamorati, the 0th Harbinger, a figure shrouded in mystery and danger, whose very presence commanded respect and fear.

As she advanced, the air seemed to grow even colder, the weight of her presence adding to the already frigid atmosphere. Each step she took resonated with authority, and the silence in the room deepened, a silent acknowledgment of her status among them.

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Finally, you found your way to the place where the funeral was to be held. You hadn't thought you would make it in time, given the ferocity of the snowstorm that had nearly obscured your path and made the journey treacherous.

Your heels clicked sharply with each step as you approached the group of people gathered at the center, where the casket lay. You set your red paper umbrella on one of the wooden benches, the action deliberate and unhurried. 

As the shadow over your face disappeared, the polar light from the stained-glass windows illuminated your features.

With the shadow gone, the collective breath of the eight Harbingers halted involuntarily.

Your beauty was striking: peach-colored, plump lips; long, dark eyelashes framing eyes that seemed to hold the very essence of winter. Your skin was pale and flawless, with a cold radiance that mirrored the icy surroundings. Your presence was both ethereal and commanding, a juxtaposition of delicate grace and chilling power.

You stopped a few steps before the group of Harbingers—your comrades—and looked up at them. 

"0th Harbinger, Innamorati... That is what they call me. You may call me whatever you wish," you introduced yourself, your voice ethereal and soft, yet so cold and lifeless it sent shivers down their spines. "This must be the first time we meet."

"You are quite late, Lord Innamorati," Pulcinella, the old dwarf, addressed you with a mix of respect and caution.

After all, The top-ranked Harbingers, from rank 1 to No. 3, possess powers that can rival the gods. So what about No. 0? Could she surpass the powers of the gods? Or even be greater?

You let out an annoyed sigh. "All the snow-covered streets look the same, and the blizzard did not make navigating to this gathering any easier."

Pantalone chuckled, turning towards you with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"If I had known, I would have taken you with me in my carriage, Lady Innamorati. Alas, I am left to wonder why there were no escorts ready for you. I thought I had ordered the highest-ranked Skirmishers for your protection." His voice was dangerously smooth, laden with speculation, hinting at the rumors of you annihilating anyone who crossed your path.

Before you could respond, Childe interjected from the side. "Huh? The oh-so-feared Innamorati getting lost in a mere snowstorm? This is truly a sight to behold." His tone dripped with mockery. 

"Were you also getting lost on the way to your missions?" His voice carried an angry undertone, bitterness seeping through his words. 

He had often been the one to hurriedly take on your missions at the last minute, running from one nation to another like a lackey. The mission to obtain the Geo Archon's Gnosis had been assigned to you, not him, nor the now-deceased Signora. In the end, he had faced severe repercussions after the Northland Bank had to pay heavy reparations.

If gazes could kill, Childe would have been long dead under Pantalone's icy stare. Though his slight smile remained, his eyes closed behind his glasses, he radiated a murderous aura. He longed to hear your voice again and to capture your attention. Such a rare opportunity shouldn't be wasted.

"Insolent child! How dare you—!" Sandrone hissed at Childe, her anger palpable. She, too, feared inciting your wrath. If Childe weren't a fellow Harbinger, Sandrone would have killed him long ago for destroying her ruin guard factory.

"It's time to end tonight's foolish theatrics." 

A deep, husky voice resonated through the church, cutting through the cold silence like a blade.

The man stepped forward from the shadows, his right side concealed by a dark mask. It was Pierro, the Director of the Fatui, and his presence commanded instant respect.

His voice, cold and demanding, echoed with authority as he advanced towards the casket.

"Right now, you have no captive audience," he said, his gaze sweeping over the assembled Harbingers and guests, silently commanding them to gather and pay heed.

You stood on the opposite side of Pierro, your own presence a stark contrast to his imposing figure.

"Let every worthy sacrifice be carved in ice, and let this nation endure for all time," Pierro intoned, his voice carrying the weight of solemn duty.

The assembly lowered their heads in reverence, eyes closing as he delivered the farewell speech. Your hand drifted absently towards your Divine Key, a subconscious gesture.

"In the name of Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa," Pierro continued, his voice imbued with a steely resolve, "we will seize authority from the gods."

After several minutes of mournful meditation, Pierro broke the silence and left the building, his movements purposeful and commanding.

The others followed in silent procession, a testament to their respect and shared grief. You took your red paper umbrella, closing your eyes briefly before stepping into the freezing, snow-covered landscape.

"Absolute peace."

As you all departed, the church behind you began to freeze over, layers of crystal ice encasing it under the unyielding winter sky, which shimmered with the ethereal glow of the aurora.

"Such is the gift from the Tsaritsa, such is Her Majesty's benevolence," Pierro declared, his voice carrying a chilling reverence as he halted and gazed up at the celestial lights.

"Now you rest in this coffin, encased in layer upon layer of ice. But, Rosalyne, I promise you..."

"Your final resting place will be the entirety of the Old World," Pierro's voice echoed through the night sky, his farewell imbued with a cold resolve that matched the frozen land around you.

As you watched the polar light dancing across the vast darkness of the sky, a thought surfaced in your mind. You had never known this person, but you had made a promise to someone...

You halted in your steps and glanced back at the frozen church.

Some tasks have to be done, even if they seem pointless.

Amidst the snow, you caught a glimpse of shadowy hands emerging from the icy landscape, reaching out towards the sky one by one, as if seeking transcendence. As you blinked, everything returned to normal.

"Another Memory..."

"Lady Innamorati, is something the matter?" Pierro's voice broke through your reverie as he noticed you staring back at the frozen church.

"...meaningless," you whispered to yourself, yet the faint wind carried your words to Pierro. 

"Pardon?" Pierro asked again, this time capturing the attention of some of the other Harbingers, especially Dottore. The Doctor, ever curious, considered whether you might make an intriguing subject for his experiments.

"It's nothing. Continue without me. I wish to be alone," you ordered, your voice light as silk yet cold as ice. Pierro nodded, casting one last glance at you before leaving. 

Dottore lingered a moment longer, watching you with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. As he did, the falling snow seemed to halt and move backward, defying the natural order.

"Existence is fleeting as the dawn's dew," your voice echoed in a dimension separate from the real world, where time had ceased.

Dottore's breath caught as he watched you, disbelief etched across his features. His analytical mind struggled to comprehend the anomaly unfolding before him.

"Yet, I guide the wandering souls on the still waters of oblivion..."

The dimension around you cracked like glass, shattering as you began to walk towards the church.

"...and weep for the departed."

A powerful gust of wind struck Dottore, and in that moment, he perceived everything yet nothing. The world seemed meaningless and empty. He felt his body ascending, his soul slipping away...

"Don't look back..." Your ethereal voice called to him, a beacon of light in the encroaching darkness.

He felt a pull from behind, "Move forward," you whispered. In the next instant, he stood where Pierro had asked if you were alright moments before.

Dottore's breath hitched, his cold heart pounding faster than ever. This was neither a dream nor an illusion. He knew this with certainty. What had just happened? The question echoed in his mind, a mystery as deep as the winter night itself.

One thing was certain: he had unmistakably felt the presence of the Almighty One—the Divine Creator.

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[trashcanwithsprinkles]

You ever wonder why only sheznaya seems to have any kind of diplomatic core? Like we rarely see or hear of any of the other governments interacting in any official capacity. At least that I've heard of.

that is a good question actually

from a lore presepective? i think this stems mostly from the fact all nations have wildly different types of governance. snezhnaya seems to run under the different fatui harbingers, who all answer to the tsaritsa. they have bankers and mayors in their group, and they live in a difficult environment (plus they have traditional non-morally-white organization Goals, and so need to have Reach on all nations), so it would make sense for them to reach out and seek cooperation. assuming you want to buy the idea that they have intentions beyond Fatui Plans for having diplomats, of course. it's also perfectly likely for it all to be a poorly-disguised cover for the gnosis hunt lore-wise as well.

liyue is the closest to them i think, in that it runs under the qixing which used to run under (or parallel to?) rex lapis. now that it's just the qixing, and they're the trade center for teyvat, it makes sense why you'd see relatively prosperous diplomatic relationships with snezhnaya there - but also since they're a bountiful land, they've no need to send out diplomats. besides, there's the fact that the only seemingly functional land trading road in the game is between liyue and mondstadt, who,

are currently without their de jure leader, and jean is mostly just holding the fort till vakra returns. the knights can barely keep monstadt in check so it wouldn't make sense for them to need foreign relations when all they probably need can be obtained from World Trade Hub next door (liyue). this might change with dornman port tho

fontaine also seems to funcition like a more recognizable government, but they also seem so self-suficient (and self-absorbed) to have any need for diplomats. again, they also have a very clear trade route with sumeru in place (speaking of, who the fuck runs sumeru? the akademiya?) sumeru also has clearly established trade routes, and if they are run by the akademiya, are probably too absorbed with research to bother with foreign relationships. everyone comes to study there anyway, diplomats or no, and they send their researchers out to all nations.

inazuma was literally closed until less than a year ago. allegedly. inazuma is, also, the only other one you'll see trying for foreign relationships and diplomatic plays. that's the whole reason why ayaka and ayato were there on the fontinalia festival. so i guess, at the end of the day, the only reason why inazuma doesn't have a diplomatic core the same way snezhnaya does is bc they were literally closed until very recently.

and natlan seems to be closed as well, so we'll have to see.

also, were there any fatui diplomats in fontaine and sumeru? as in, under that pretense? bc we know the ones in mondstadt were there to sus out barbatos, the ones in liyue were there to sus out morax, and the ones in inazuma (which i wouldn't even know if they counted as diplomats) were there to give watatsumi delusions (and yoink the gnosis. i can't remember how signora came into all of this tbh). as far as i recall, there were no 'diplomats' in sumeru, i don't think dottore arrived under that pretense. if he did, we know it was to get scara. and in fontaine- all fatui in fontaine were just house of the hearth members, whom i don't think qualify as diplomats. there might've been 'diplomats' in other world quests, but i can't remember right now. i also can't remember why tf childe was in fontaine to begin with ngl

TL;DR: from a lore perspective, i don't have an answer and it's an interesting question and whatever ideas i have are long as fuck. from a non-lore perspective, this is probably just bc the fatui are the scheeming antagonists out on a hunt for one specific gizmo present in each nation, and so they need spies and information networks and subterfuge n shit. like i'm fairly certain that's the only reason why they seem to be the only ones with a diplomatic core.

[eaglesnick]

“The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”

Malcolm X

I’m no fan of Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves but the deliberate lies and distortions concerning her budget both before and after the event are derisible. For a society to flourish successfully the media must adhere to a certain degree of honesty. Different opinions, backed up by evidence and logical argument, are fine, indeed, welcomed, but the continual peddling of untruths and half-truths by the media is an existential threat to the very democracy many of these media outlets pretend they are defending.

Before the budget the Financial Times, one of the most respected mainstream economic newspapers in the UK had this headline:

“Bankers fear Rachel Reeves is preparing UK Budget tax raid on sector” (11/09/24)

 On the day after the budget we have this headline:

“Reeves spares banks from tax raid after lobbying”  (City AM: 30/10/24)

This glaring headline from the Express is another example of our dishonest media:

“Labour blasted as 'anti-motorist' as Rachel Reeves ‘set to raise fuel duty in budget." (18/10/24)

After the budget we get the true story.

“Rachel Reeves announces fuel duty freeze as motorists spared from Budget tax rises."  (Independent: 30/10/24)

The Financial Times spoke of the “fear” our honest bankers felt concerning Reeves pending budget. Quite why bankers were “afraid” is unclear, especially as Reeves had already promised:

“Banker’ bonuses: No cap under Labour. Says Reeves." (BBC: 31/01/24)

After the budget, when it was clear there would be no tax raid on bankers, it was because she had “spared" them. Spared them from what? She had already promised there was to be no cap on their bonuses. Despite record profits at the six largest British banks (£48bn) Reeves decided not to increase the bank levy introduced by the Coalition government in 2011, or the corporation tax surcharge imposed by a Conservative government in 2016. In short, the banking sector has been left untouched by Reeves budget and this whole notion of “fear" and bankers being “spared" is a non-story.

The same non-story concerning her "anti-motorist" policies was also described as the motorist being "spared" when the prediction she would raise fuel duty just didn’t materialise.

Since the budget Reeves has come under repeated attack for raising taxes. Her budget will result in less wage growth, fewer jobs, an exodus of businesses abroad, the closure of care homes and doctors surgeries, higher mortgages and rents, the collapse of British farming, etc, etc.

The sad fact is we all know our public services are on their knees, homelessness is endemic, child poverty is rising, the NHS is on the brink of collapse, and our children’s schools and some of our hospitals are quite literally falling down around us. UK absolute poverty has hit an all-time high, life-expectancy is actually falling and the nation is suffering a mental health crisis.

While her British critics continue to rant against Reeves budget it is  worthwhile, even enlightening, to see how other countries view her plans for the Britain.

“Britain targets the wealthy as it hikes taxes by $52 billion.” (CNN Business: 30/10/24)

And

“Britain’s Reeves targets wealthy and foreign income with big tax rises” Reuters: 31/10/24)

The question British media outlets have to answer is what do they think should happen to our failing public services and the continuing economic plight of so many working people?  Should we continue as we were under the Tories and just let a huge sector of our society  go to the wall as happens in America? Or should we, as a nation, try and repair the damage done to our public services thereby improving the lives of many ordinary citizens?

If the latter answer is the way forward then who is going to pay for the repairs that are so desperately needed to mend our broken society?  The fair and moral answer is, of course, those who can afford to pay a little extra in tax – the already wealthy.

This is what Reeves is attempting to do and this is what is recognised by foreign observers. We can argue who among the already wealthy should be paying the most in additional taxes but it is the rich who have to pay. After all, Statistica inform us “the UK’s rich are getting richer” (23/05/22) so it is only morally right they should pay a little extra towards the welfare of those less well off than themselves.

The blind loathing that the vast majority of the British media display towards the Labour party is truly worrying. Their genuine fear when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader is understandable as his policies were truly transformative in nature. But social democrat Reeves budget is a far cry from the socialist plans of the Labour left. Yet the British media has this negative knee jerk reaction to all things Labour. The danger is that the day-after-day invention of “problems” that don’t exist will , over time, have a drip, drip affect on our perceptions, whereby we all buy into the lies being peddled.

[mariacallous]

As all journalists know fear sells better than sex. Readers want be terrified. And here in the UK, there appears to be every reason to frighten them.

A country that was overdependent on financial services has been in decline ever since the banking crash of 2008. Then, from 2010 on, the astonishing Conservative policy failures of austerity, Trussonomics and, above all, Brexit further weakened an enfeebled state.

I was a child in a happy family during the crisis of the 1970s. Like all happy children I just got on with my life. But even I picked up a little of the despair and hopelessness of the time. That feeling that there is no way out is with us again.

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher came to power, and with great brutality, set the UK on a new path as she inflicted landslide defeats on Labour.

Obviously, our current Conservative government is heading for a defeat, maybe a landslide defeat.

But there is little sense that Labour will transform the country.  The far-left takeover from 2015-2019 traumatised it. As recently as 2021, everyone expected Boris Johnson to rule the UK for most of the 2020s.  

Johnson’s contempt for the rules he insisted everyone else follow and the great Truss disaster are handing Labour victory. But the centre-left appears to be the beneficiary of scandal and right-wing madness, not an ideological sea change that might inspire it and sustain it in power

Desperate to drop its crank image, battered by the conservative media establishment, fashionable opinion holds that a wee, cowering and timorous Labour party will come into power without radical policies that equal the country’s needs.

Just this once, fashionable opinion may even be right

And yet, and I know I will regret this outbreak of commercially suicidal optimism, there are reasons to believe that the UK’s position is not quite as grim as it appears.

1)    The economy may revive

Although no one has been as wrong recently as the economists and central bankers who predicted that inflation would be a transitory phenomenon, it is finally coming down. Falls in energy prices may even bring it to the 2 per cent target this month. Interest rates will eventually follow suit.

Lower interest rates mean lower government borrowing costs. They will reduce the extraordinary debt bill Labour in power will have to meet.

Chris Giles of the Financial Times calculated this week that lower government borrowing costs improve the public finances five years ahead by almost £15bn (about 0.5 per cent of national income) for every percentage point reduction.

Meanwhile the Conservatives have raised taxes so high (by UK standards) a Labour government may not need to risk unpopularity by raising them further.  Under Conservative plans the tax burden has risen from 33.1 per cent of gross domestic product in 2019-20 to 36.5 per cent in 2024-25 with further rises planned, taking it to 37.1 per cent by 2028-29.

If the 1997-2010 Labour government is any guide, Labour will be reluctant in the extreme to play into its enemies’ hands by raising taxes

It may not need to if economic growth leads to the revenue growth that would take the UK out of the rolling crisis that has afflicted it since 2016.

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I did not add that there are some pretty large caveats to make.

Economists missed the post-covid inflation surge because they forgot about politics. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine upended the European economy. An extension of the war in Ukraine or the Middle East, or, more terrifyingly, a US-China confrontation, or the return of Donald Trump could all derail a new government.

In any case the IMF predicts growth of 1.5 percent in 2025, which is nowhere near the 3 percent we need to fund the state.

And yet, with a bit of luck there is a fair chance that our fortunes may revive, albeit modestly.

2) Labour is not as scared as it looks

Near where I live in London is the Union Chapel, a vast neo-Gothic hall.

Will Hutton was there recently to launch his new book This Time No Mistakes: How to Remake Britian. I have interviewed Will for the podcast, which should be out in a couple of days. For now, I’ll just say his book is a classic combination of liberal and left thought, and makes the case for radical reform. Keir Starmer arrived on stage to the cheers of the crowd and endorsed Hutton’s findings.

The fashionable view is that Labour has abandoned difficult policies so as not to alienate frightened voters, and I can see why people think that way.

The grand plan for green job creation has been hacked back after fears the markets would not wear it. The majority of people in this country, and the overwhelming majority of people who vote for opposition parties, now recognise that Brexit was a disastrous error. Year in year out it drags the country down. And yet Starmer, who once argued for a second referendum, is terrified of mentioning the subject in case he upsets a minority in marginal seats.

There was a depressing little vignette a few days ago when the European Commission laid out proposals for open movement to millions of 18- to 30-year-olds from the EU and UK, allowing them to work, study and live in respective states for up to four years. Labour joined the Tories in rejecting the offer.

 It would rather squash the aspirations of young people than lay itself open to the charge that it was taking us back towards EU membership.

Yet Rachel Reeves, Keir Starmer and David Lammy talk about the need for cooperation. “Success will rest on forming new bilateral and multilateral partnerships, and forging a closer relationship with our neighbours in the European Union,” Reeves said as she explained her economic programme.

Meanwhile the UK has been ruled by Conservatives for so long our battered minds can underestimate how much the country will change when they are thrown out.

The new parliament will be filled with politicians who support renters, more home building and the EU. They will at least be interested in a land value tax and a universal basic income. Radical that ideas have been forbidden for years will soon seem normal.

3) The impetus for change

The last Labour government of 1997 to 2010 did not change economic fundamentals for what seemed at the time to be a very good reason.

 When it came to power neo-liberalism worked. Indeed, is easy to forget now how successful the ideology appeared before the crash of 2008. Politicians like Gordon Brown and Tony Blair accepted much of what Margaret Thatcher had done because they thought they had no choice. Everyone knew, or thought they knew, that this was how you ran an economy.

None of that certainty pertains today. The Brexit nationalism that succeeded neo-liberalism has failed. Starmer and Reeves will not be like Blair and Brown: they will have no good reason to cling to discredited ideas.

That does not mean they won’t cling to them for fear of the Tory press or swing voters or because of their own intellectual failings. There is no guarantee that countries will turn themselves round. The UK could go the way of Argentina or Italy.

But the Labour leadership is made of serious politicians, and I keep asking myself why would serious politicians want to preside over decline? I can’t see why they would.

As I said, maybe I will regret writing this piece. But for the moment I think we can enjoy a rare moment of optimism.

[head-post]

Trump keeps building his team, picks Sean Duffy as Secretary of Transportation

US President-elect Donald Trump stated that he was nominating former Wisconsin representative and Fox Business News host, Sean Duffy, to be Secretary of Transportation as part of a team-building effort, according to Reuters.

If confirmed, Duffy will oversee aviation, roads, rail, transit and other transportation policy in a department with a budget of about $110 billion. Duffy will also supervise continued enhanced oversight of Boeing. In addition, he will be responsible for overseeing companies run by Elon Musk, who is actively involved in Trump’s transition.

Trump pledged to repeal the Biden administration’s vehicle emissions rules. He said he planned to begin the process of undoing the strict emissions rules passed earlier this year as soon as he took office.

Former Uber executive Emil Michael, who was a serious contender for the position, congratulated Duffy. He stated that “it was the honour of a lifetime to even be considered.”

Meanwhile, the search for Treasury Secretary is widening after it stalled over the weekend. Among the names Trump is now considering are Apollo Global Management CEO, Marc Rowan, and Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh.

Billionaire investor John Paulson was initially one of the top contenders, but withdrew from the race last week, citing “complex financial obligations.” Bloomberg reported on Monday that investor Scott Bessent was being considered as a candidate for the White House’s National Economic Council. However, he is holding off on making a decision until the Treasury Secretary nominee is determined.

The role of Treasury Secretary is one of the most prominent positions in the cabinet, overseeing the country’s financial and economic policies. However, two of Trump’s top advisers, Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump picked to head the Health and Human Services Department, sided with banker Howard Lutnick over the appointment.

As of Sunday, Trump was considering Lutnick for another economic position, possibly Secretary of Commerce. Trump’s former US trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, is also being considered for the Commerce.

Read more HERE

[beardedmrbean]

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as Bangladesh's interim leader. He vowed to "uphold, support and protect the constitution" during the ceremony, saying he would perform his duties "sincerely".

The 84-year-old declared there is "a lot of work to be done" as he arrived in the country earlier on Thursday.

"People are excited," he told the BBC moments after flying into the capital Dhaka from France.

His plane touched down just days after Sheikh Hasina - the woman who ruled Bangladesh with an iron fist for 15 years - fled across the border to India.

Ms Hasina resigned as prime minister after weeks of student-led protests - which left hundreds dead - escalated and culminated in calls for her to stand down.

The decision to name Prof Yunus as chief adviser of the interim government followed a meeting between President Mohammed Shahabuddin, military leaders and student leaders.

The students had been clear they would not accept a military-led government, but wanted Prof Yunus to lead.

The hope is Prof Yunus, the so-called banker for the poor, will bring democracy back to Bangladesh after years of autocratic rule.

On Thursday, he emphasised the need for "discipline" as Bangladesh begins to rebuild.

"Hard work and get it done,” the smiling professor added as he made his way through the airport. "New opportunities have arrived."

"Today is a glorious day for us," he later told reporters, adding it was as if "Bangladesh has got a second independence" as he called for the restoration of law and order.

Bangladesh has been thrown into turmoil in recent weeks. More than 400 people are reported to have died after protests demanding the end of a civil service quota system began in June.

Many of those killed died after the Supreme Court backed student demands and largely scrapped the quota system last month.

In more recent weeks, the protests had become an anti-government movement. Students and their supporters had planned to march on the prime minister's residence on Monday.

But before the march could get properly moving, the news came that Sheikh Hasina had left Bangladesh and resigned as prime minister. She is currently in Delhi.

Prof Yunus paid tribute to those who died, saying they had "protected the nation" and given it "new life" after Ms Hasina's rule.

She had begun that rule as a symbol of democracy but, by the time she fled, she was considered an autocrat who had sought to entrench her authority by silencing dissent.

Prisons were filled with people who sought to speak out against her. Prof Yunus - lauded for his pioneering use of micro-loans - was one of those who found themselves in legal trouble during her tenure.

Ms Hasina regarded him as a public enemy - he is currently on bail, appealing against a six-month jail term in what he has called a politically-motivated case.

Speaking on Thursday, he called on the country's young people to help him rebuild the South Asian country.

"Bangladesh can be a beautiful country, but we destroyed the possibilities," he said.

"Now we have to build a seedbed again - the new seedbed will be built by them," he added, gesticulating towards the students who had arrived to greet him.

[lboogie1906]

Tidjane Thiam (July 29, 1962) who was co-CEO of Credit Suisse, was born one of seven children into a politically prominent family in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. His father, Amadou Anna Thiam, was a journalist and former cabinet member in the government of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, and his mother, Marietou Sow, was the president’s niece. He was the first in his nation to pass the examination to enter the prestigious Polytechnic University, graduating as valedictorian at the National School of Mines Paris. Earning an MBA at the European Institute of Business Administration.

He moved to DC to gain work experience in the Young Professionals Program sponsored by the World Bank and then rejoined McKinsey & Co. in Paris. He served in the cabinet of two Ivorian presidents as an economic and infrastructure adviser where he successfully pushed for privatization of public utilities and airports. He became a partner at McKinsey & Co. He worked at the British insurance company Aviva, where he rose to CEO. He became CEO of another multinational British insurer, Prudential plc, thus becoming the first African to have the distinction of heading a FTSE 100 company.

He resigned from Prudential plc to take the helm of Credit Suisse. He instituted a “radical three-year plan” to reorganize the firm which led to his being named Banker of the Year in by Euromoney magazine. A corporate spy scandal in which he was implicated led him to tender his resignation from Credit Suisse.

He launched New York-based Freedom Acquisition I, a special-purpose acquisition company after raising $250 million in an IPO. He became executive chairman and former Credit Suisse colleague Adam Gishen became CEO. They raised an additional $50 million for the IPO of their SPAC.

He was chairman of the High-Level Infrastructure Investment Panel. He has advocated for sustainable development as a member of the African Progress Panel and was elected to the International Olympic Committee. Fluent in three languages and a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, he is a dual citizen of the Ivory Coast and France. He was married to Annette Anthony Thiam and they had two sons. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[lahilden]

Schloss Drachenburg Palace is located in Königswinter, Germany. Constructed upon Drachenfels hill in the late 19th century, the castle was built for the broker and banker, Baron Stephan von Sarter, who passed away in France before ever taking up residence. Taking only two years to construct, this mixture of castle, palace, and mansion was completed by 1884. The baron’s nephew, Jakob Biesenbach, purchased the property from the estate and decided to make the castle a tourist attraction. He demolished one of the castle farms on the property, replaced it with a Swiss-style-built hotel, and added some Nordic summerhouses to the property. The castle became a type of community house with a restaurant in the basement and a massive art gallery, with art available for purchase. The property was eventually auctioned in 1923, and in 1930, the entire property was given to the Catholic order and turned into a Christian Boys Boarding School known as St. Michael’s. Under pressure from the National Socialists, the school closed in 1938. In 1942, under Hitler, it became a school for Nazi training. This turned the property into a type of battleground, and many things were destroyed. It underwent restoration in 1947 by the German Rail Regional Office and was used as their training center, but by 1970, the palace had stood vacant for ten years and fell into disrepair. A demolition was planned but fought, and a new private owner took possession of the castle in 1971. New owner Paul Spinet restored the property and opened it to the public. He passed away in 1989, but not before the castle was listed as a historical monument in 1986.

[admiral-atheist]

Well, it wasn't exactly the most sophisticated of lies, was it? Conservatives are your capitalists, and they going to pass capitalistic laws. Capitalism HAS to lie to you. It cannot tell you to your face that you are going to be in financial trouble for any legislation it produces, because you will see it for what it is. As a result, you will receive a lie, typically a blatant one, in order to account for it.

Another recent example was Liz Truss removing the bonus cap for bankers. When asked how this would help the people of the UK, rather than a detailed explanation mapping this plan out for all to see, we received the simple and obvious lie that it was to jumpstart the economy.

PLEASE VOTE!!!!! Locally & nationally!

[treethymes]

It’s often said that under capitalism, relations between people appear as relations between things. The butcher, baker, and candlestick maker vanish into the Bed Bath & Beyond. But there’s a countertendency at work within the ruling class, among whom relations between things often appear as relations between people. Mr. Smith seems to have dinner with Mr. Brown, but behind the veil are the bank and newspaper sitting to sup. This is a virtue of the joint-stock model: Huge piles of capital, years of work extracted from labor and subsequently aggregated, meet as men. Capital’s fundamental drive for better-than-average returns means that no operator can be satisfied with a tie, but in order to function the system needs superficial competition on a stone platform of cooperation. In the fascist system competition is external, between nations, its various components conceived as parts of a single body. Individual interest is subordinated to that of the group. That was anathema to [Herbert] Hoover and his fellows, who saw individual interest as the prime mover, society’s engine. Capitalist collectivity emerges in two ways: First, there’s exploitation, wherein capitalists extract bits of value from their employees’ work and gather it up into lumps to reinvest. Second, there’s association, in which investors pledge their gathered lumps to a common cause. Unlike an enveloping fascist state, an associative state comes together like an interoffice softball league, via the ostensibly free and voluntary association of participants.

The stone foundation of capitalist cooperation cracked during the Depression, as near-term self-preservation undermined long-term self-interest. The “Popular Front” alliance between leftists and liberals offered a different model, a democratic state that mediated between capital and labor much the way the associative state mediated among capitalists. The idea had a lot to offer, especially in the face of fascists on the right and communists on the left. The Stanford athletic association treasurer [Hoover] was abandoned, nearly alone in his fidelity. But he grasped something the others didn’t: Financialization and economic democracy can’t blend. If property rights are subject to popular control, then investors will encounter the public as an obstacle, a variable to be managed. For example, banks loaned credit to farms based on existing prices, which were based on the current cost of labor. Improving labor conditions by picket was an attack on property valuation, which thanks to financialization made it an attack on property, full stop. The Roosevelt coalition brought together capital and labor under one roof, but one partner always sought to dominate the other.

Bill Camp was an odd choice for a New Deal bureaucrat, but the banker, cotton planter, and proud son of a Klansman was the right wing of the FDR team, one of the Confederate Democrats who hadn’t left the party yet, except for a single dalliance with the Chief [Hoover] in 1928. He was a link of continuity between Hoover’s agricultural administration and the New Deal version. When the Agricultural Adjustment Act came under legal challenge, Camp was introduced to the left side of the coalition, and he was shocked to discover that his very own lawyer was a communist. Camp knew one when he saw one, and when he realized that Department of Agriculture officials were planning to help the left-wing Southern Tenant Farmers Union get better conditions for cotton workers in the South—Camp’s ancestral stomping ground—he denounced them. Camp called a handful of his conservative politician friends from the cotton belt and they went over the head of the agriculture secretary, Wallace (the new one), straight to President Roosevelt. The next day the president fired the left-wing lawyers, and Agriculture reversed a pro-tenant rule interpretation. But Camp couldn’t forget about his commie lawyer, and when one of Camp’s local congressmen wanted to make a name for himself exposing liberal Reds, Camp fed everything he had on Alger Hiss to Richard Nixon, helping ignite the congressional Red Scare.

Herbert Hoover understood that the social forces Bill Camp and Alger Hiss represented—the plantation owner and the plantation worker—no government could bring into harmony. Capital by its nature dominates labor, and if it fails to accomplish that, it ceases to exist. The rule interpretation Camp objected to bound planters to their existing tenants, which was an untenable attack on their profitability, even though at the time they weren’t profitable at all without the government’s help. The conflict was inherent, and it didn’t take until the end of World War II for the Cold War to start or for liberals to reveal which side they planned to take. After George Creel lost the California gubernatorial nomination to the wacky socialist writer Upton Sinclair, he and FDR knifed the populist author. First they rewrote Sinclair’s platform to moderate it, then they cut a deal with the Republican incumbent, Frank Merriam, anyway—the same Merriam who called the machine guns to the San Francisco waterfront. Merriam trounced Sinclair, who waited patiently for the Roosevelt endorsement that never came. “He didn’t realize at first that communism was the threat,” Camp recalled of Creel, regarding the official’s work; “he became one of the greatest fighters [against communism].” So much for the New Deal.

[…]

Communism, Hoover and his allies saw, was not merely a political party running Russia or an economic philosophy. It was a real movement that threatened to abolish capitalist control over society and thereby destroy capitalism in its entirety. Communists were communists whether they realized it or not, even when they thought they only wanted better wages. It’s easy now to look back and see the Hooverites as victims of a paranoiac fantasy about the world—to see them either as the only ones who really believed the Marxist revolutionary rhetoric or as cynical operators stoking an arbitrary moral panic. But Bert knew the global revolution was real. He saw it in China, narrowly escaped it in Russia, confronted it outside the window in DC, and heard it tear apart his farm in California. They took his mines, and they would kill him and take the rest if he wasn’t vigilant, just like they did to his formerly privileged friends around the world. Still nursing his wounds from defeat but far from vanquished, Herbert Hoover devoted the rest of his life to winning the class war. Palo Alto became his watch tower.

Malcolm Harris, Palo Alto

[scapinoz]

L’APPEL DU VIDE, genshin impact.

note, well for starters i have no idea how to use this app without having a breakdown yet here we are since i simply could not hold back myself from doing this. so, here we are, my genshin oc finally getting written down (i still hate him).

synopsis, scapino, the fourth of the twelve and the escape artist, wasn’t always the loyal hound he showed himself to be.

warning, mentions of blood, attempted murder & assassinations. scapino himself is a huge warning. usual fatui agendas. usage of weapons and such. aether as traveler because abyss lumine is girlboss.

PROLOGUE,

Scapino was simply just another pawn— a pawn in the greater game ahead— that much he acknowledged. He shall do ask they ask, and move to any square they command him to— always ahead and never back. He wasn’t unsettled by the fact that one day he would be discarded, thrown away from the board— perhaps because he was asked to make the wrong move or maybe perhaps he was a sacrifice in taking a small step towards his creator’s plans. All the pieces will eventually perish, my son his father had said, not once but over a thousand times; almost reminding his younger self of his position (and maybe perhaps his future as well, but Scapino didn’t understand that back then). And he could do nothing but accept the inevitable, afterall what was a pawn compared to any other pieces on the board?

Scapino was simply just another pawn— just a pawn, not a rook nor a knight, just a pawn— and he was reminded of the actuality of his situation every now and then. Scapino, though a harbinger, was no one of importance compared to his associates. Surely he knew that he was not a survivor of a fallen nation, or a puppet who was meant for greatness, nor was he someone who survived the abyss at his younger ages. No, No, Scapino was just a pawn— someone who was solely there to take over his father’s place among the twelve. His father may have been the bishop in the board but Scapino was simply another piece— nothing of importance, something that could be easily replaced by another piece (he knew that better than anyone, of course).

Scapino was simply just another pawn— a pawn that could be stuck down any moment. Scapino was well aware of the walking dangers; he was aware of the phantom sillouhoutes shadowing his every step, always keen on sheathing and hiding their blade the moment he glances over his shoulder (even ones from the same organization he had been from). He had known about the perils beforehand— he had seen his father come home with bruises and bloodied gloves (yet the blood was never his, as far as Scapino knew). He had known that everyone would look at him differently, the mothers directing their children away from him and the men clamouring out of the streets everytime they see him. And surely all of them knew, as much as he did, that one day he too would be replaced like his father once was. And Scapino could tell that they were all indeed waiting for that day to rise. For the pawn to be discarded from the board.

Scapino was simply just another pawn— a soldier, nothing more or nothing less. Scapino was not a diplomat, a banker or even a leader; Scapino was a soldier, a killer if he would have to word it better. Scapino’s purpose was not one of peace, but it was rather quite the opposite. Scapino, the fifth of the twelve harbingers, he had been the one to wage wars in the name of her highness— to bring victory and the heads of her enemies to her feet. Scapino’s purpose was not to protect but to destroy (though he found it quite amusing that he and his subordinates were always patrolling around the borders, always looking for any present threat. He supposes that he did protect the land to an extent). He knew his purpose, he accepted what her excellency had thought was best for him— and never once had he acted against her words. Just like a dog. And that’s just what he was in the eyes of everyone around Teyvat, her excellency’s loyal guard dog who wouldn’t hesitate to seperate your head from your shoulder if you ever even breathe an air of hostility against the Tsaritsa.

And Scapino, Scapino had never denied it. For what was he if not a pawn in the game of the divines? For how pertinent was he if he was not used in the game? What was his purpose if not to destory in the name of her majesty? That was all he was good for— following orders and being played.

Everyone in the land of everlasting winter had heard about the tale of the loyal hound— the tale of a harbinger who succeeded his father’s throne after his demise. Everyone had it memorized it by heart for it was really not that much big of a story. Everyone knew of the story and everyone also knew of the loyalty Scapino held for his Archon.

Everyone has heard of the tale about the loyal hound and yet no one in Snezhnaya had ever heard about how the hound bit the hand that fed him (Scapino knew that no one ever will— her majesty’s orders that no one will ever hear of the ultimate betrayal). None of the civilians knew of it, not even the foot soldiers were informed about the events that took place. No one has been informed about the duel before the throne— a duel between the escape artist and the captain— a duel that Scapino lost (and of course, was he really a match for Capitano?). Not everyone who knew of the story of the hound were fortunate enough to know the ending to it, only those who were resided in the palace that night had been fortunate enough to witness the dance of blades between an artist and a captain. And yet everyone’s mouths had been sealed shut— direct orders from her majesty Pierro had said before Scapino had been dragged away to the dungeon, the last words he heard (that and Dottore’s laughter, of course, Scapino could never forget that laugh).

And so the pawn was discarded from the game— only to become the master of his own game. When the pawn reaches the other side of the board it could be anything you want it to be, his father had once explained the rules of the chess board when he was quite young. And so Scapino’s treachery is what led him directly to the other side of the board— by the hands of his own master nonetheless.

And he wasn’t called the escape artist without a reason. Hence he had left his motherland behind— godless and branded a traitor by his family— to make his journey towards the city of freedom. All to find the wandering travler seeking his sister.

god, i hope this man lives a pitiful life and he realises that capitano doesn’t return his affections. also scapino, well, how are we all liking him so far? and the thing is scapino isn’t my first genshin oc. we have rayne gunnhildr (has the hots for diluc, as he should), ren/seir (an adeptus) from liyue and alvira amana (has a thing with both *cough* alhaitham & *cough* kaveh) from sumeru. so, fics for them or are we leaving them in the basement to rot?

fun fact— scapino’s father’s title was Brighella and he assisted in finding something very peculiar— something that helped the fatui become a little more powerful.

[xoxolaw]

frostbite, 005

- - - -

THE SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE OF Dottore was dismissed by everyone and they were soon back to doing their work and that's when Pantalone decided to bring up the topic of House of Hearth because it was a bit too boring to work without having an interesting conversation going on. 

"So... what's going in the House of Hearth these days," He asked while trying to cover up his smirk with a straight face but his intentions about asking that question were very clear to Arlecchino. 

"It would be nice if you could just stay out of it. I'll handle it in my way." She stated and Pantalone shrugged while flipping through the pages but the matter with House of Hearth was a serious issue and not something that could be overlooked. "I can present this matter to the Tsaritsa if it gets out of hand. Do you want me to do it?" Pierro asked and Arlecchino sighed "I don't need the Tsaritsa's help for these matters. I believe I am more than capable to handle it on my own. 

"But you clearly aren't handling the situation well..." Said Capitano who had been so quiet during the whole session until now that he went unnoticed by everyone. "I am starting to question your position as a harbinger... Sandrone had to go to the rescue of your team A and Z. Shouldn't you be the one going?"

"I didn't ask her to. According to the last location of my team that went missing, her team was near them so she stepped forward to lead the rescue mission. And I obviously don't want someone who hides his face to tell me how worthy I am of being a harbinger!" Arlecchino raged, snapping the pen in her hand.

"Now there guys, we shouldn't be fighting here. A lot of things have been happening. Let's discuss it and figure out some solutions" Childe suggested. "About the House of Hearth..." Y/N spoke up, "I can buy it."

"And who gives you the right to do that?!" Arlecchino screeched, caught off guard. Y/N turned towards her, raising an eyebrow, "And who gives you the right to stop me? Now that you've been stripped of your title as the owner?"

Arlecchino slammed her fist on the table, leaving the chair to fall from the impact. Columbina smiles and places a hand on Arlecchino's gently "I would suggest we listen to what Y/N has to say. Calm down~" she advised.

"How would you buy it?" Pierro asked. 

"Since Arlecchino had to give up her ownership due to illegal construction, and now the ownership has shifted to Cosmos, I'll buy it from them and transfer ownership to my company, 'Hope.' We've dealt with similar cases, clearing buildings of legal issues. And I don't think I need to explain what 'Hope' is, right?"

"Y/N, be honest with me... are you really the brains behind Hope's network that spans across nations?" Pantalone inquired. Y/N raised an eyebrow at his remark, "Well, what do you think, Mr. Banker? I don't appreciate such remarks."

"My bad, please continue with your plan," Pantalone conceded.

"And of all things we do, we are most famous for handling the legal cases related to any building and that's exactly what Arlecchino is having trouble with. So it would be best if I buy it. Once I have done that, all the matters will be resolved she can have the ownership back and run the orphanage however she wants to and the Cosmos will never show up again." 

"That doesn't sound right..." Capitano stated "What will you gain from doing all this? Taking ownership, clearing out the matter and then giving the ownership back? I don't see you getting benefits from going through so much trouble." 

Y/N chuckled, amused by Capitano's skepticism. "I guess you don't know much about how Hope works. Arlecchino will only be the owner in the eyes of the people but on the paper, the building will still belong to us. She will be allowed to do anything she wants with the building like any owner but the House of Hearth will forever be under Hope. All the buildings we have are that way and the only thing that benefits us is the revenue. 45% of all the revenue made from any activities from the building goes to us. It's just like making us your business partners." 

"What if something illegal happens in the building? How do you handle that case?" Pulcinella asked. "I'm not comfortable revealing more secrets about our business model. All I can say is that we've yet to lose a single court case," Y/N responded.

"But Cosmos is built to keep the harbingers in check and if something illegal in the House of Hearth takes place, they'll show up again," Childe added. 

"Well, once the building is under Hope, Snezhnaya's officials can't seize it because the property now belongs to Fontaine. Technically, the building is still in Snezhnaya, but all legal matters can only be investigated by Fontaine's court or police. If Cosmos wants to take action, they'll have to contact Fontaine and obtain their approval for seizure," Y/N explained.

"That's absurd... It doesn't sit right with me. How does that make sense?" Pantalone questioned. "A nation's officials should easily be able to investigate matters within their own borders. Just because it's under Hope, they're restricted? You have to be kidding me."

"Well, do you think your sense of justice surpasses that of the nation of justice itself? That was the condition when the treaty was signed by all nations, approving our business. The Tsaritsa herself signed it."

"What?" Arlecchino mumbled, her surprise evident. 

"And this very Fatui headquarters... is a building under Hope."

The revelation surprised all the harbinger members. Throughout their years there, they had remained oblivious to these details.

"Then that just makes your position in the harbingers more confusing. If you are from Fontaine and already have a successful business going on... then I don't think you have any motives to be here in the first place... or maybe you are a spy!" Capitano declared, drawing his sword and pointing it at Y/N, causing alarm among the others.

"Ugh, I see... I still haven't made a place amongst all of you. Who said I was from Fontaine? It's just my business that has its headquarters over there. The only archon I believe in is the Tsaritsa and if my memory is correct... I was freaking born here." 

"I don't believe you, and I don't think any of the other harbingers do," Capitano retorted. Y/N observed the skeptical expressions around the room. "Prove that you don't have any ill intentions," he challenged, stepping forward. 

Y/N sighed and glowing dust particles emerged, forming a sword in her hand. The group instinctively prepared for an attack, but they were taken aback when Y/N pointed the sword's tip at herself.

"I could give my life away anytime for the Tsaritsa and I have no problem in proving it."She said and stabbed herself making panic rush through the veins of others when they saw the tip emerge from the other side of her body. Blood splattered out from her mouth and her snow-white coat slowly turned crimson red as she collapsed on the cold floor.

"Y/N!!!" 

I hope you enjoyed it <3 006 -> <- 004

[m0thmachine]

On Zionism, goblins, and where antisemitism is

One thing I struggled to understand was how my parents and sister could so firmly insist that supporting Palestine was inherently antisemitic—that to say the slaughter in Gaza is an atrocity is to condone Hamas, and thus is to call for the death of all Jews—while at the same time, letting obvious examples of antisemitism slide.

My parents plan on going to a Harry Potter museum. They know that J.K. Rowling has been publicly opposing and denying trans existence with her wealth and fame, and yet are content to spend more money on her franchise. They also know about the goblins in Harry Potter.

The goblins are almost comically antisemitic. From their design to their behaviour, they’re like something out of a mid-20th-century propaganda leaflet. When I have brought this up before, my family has waved it away as me exaggerating and being sensitive.

I couldn’t understand the hypocrisy. How can calling for human rights be antisemitic, but an insular race of hook-nosed bankers be just a series of unfortunate coincidences? Were they being cruel, or being blind?

But talking it out and complaining to a friend, I think I have come to understand.

Antisemitism is real. I’ve experienced it, my family has experienced it; I have living relatives who survived the Holocaust. Antisemitism is not something any of us doubt. But it’s much easier to think it is something belonging to a nation, because nations can be defeated.

Wouldn’t it be convenient, if antisemitism was a people? People can be killed. Terrorists can be fought. If antisemitism is a nation, military might can save Jews.

It is much scarier to think that antisemitism is something casual and subtle, something that is accepted in polite society if you present it right. Antisemitism being in beloved children’s books, with nobody calling it out because it’s normal (or even charming and whimsical), is not a threat that can be defeated with guns and bombs.

Don’t you wish that your safety was the simple matter of winning wars, of having a state? It would be so nice if your marginalization could be taken out with gunfire. It’s easier than admitting that it is normalized in massive media franchises and children’s books, especially when you enjoy that media yourself. I am a good Jew, I would never enjoy a story with antisemitic caricatures. You are a bad Jew, since you do not care for our nation. It’s much easier this way. This way, antisemitism can be killed.

[tmarshconnors]

New World Order.

1773 - Mayer Amschel Rothschild assembles twelve of his most influential friends, and convinces them that if they all pool their resources together, they can rule the world. This meeting takes place in Frankfurt, Germany. Rothschild also informs his friends that he has found the perfect candidate, an individual of incredible intellect and ingenuity, to lead the organization he has planned – Adam Weishaupt.

May 1, 1776 – Adam Weishaupt establishes a secret society called the Order of the Illuminati. Weishaupt is the Professor of Canon Law at the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria, part of Germany. The Illuminati seek to establish a New World Order. Their objectives are as follows:

1) Abolition of all ordered governments

2) Abolition of private property

3) Abolition of inheritance

4) Abolition of patriotism

5) Abolition of the family

6) Abolition of religion

7) Creation of a world government

July, 1782 – The Order of the Illuminati joins forces with Freemasonry at the Congress of Wilhelmsbad. The Comte de Virieu, an attendee at the conference, comes away visibly shaken. When questioned about the "tragic secrets" he brought back with him, he replies: “I will not confide them to you. I can only tell you that all this is very much more serious than you think.” From this time on, according to his biographer, "the Comte de Virieu could only speak of Freemasonry with horror."

1785 – An Illuminati courier named Lanze is struck by lightning, and killed while traveling by horseback through the town of Ratisbon. When Bavarian officials examine the contents of his saddle bags, they discover the existence of the Order of the Illuminati, and find plans detailing the coming French Revolution. The Bavarian Government attempts to alert the government of France of impending disaster, but the French Government fails to heed this warning. Bavarian officials arrest all members of the Illuminati they can find, but Weishaupt and others have gone underground, and cannot be found.

1796 – Freemasonry becomes a major issue in the presidential election in the United States. John Adams wins the election by opposing Masonry, and his son, John Quincy Adams, warns of the dire threat to the nation posed by the Masonic Lodges: “I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils under which the Union is now laboring.”

1797 – John Robison, Professor of Natural History at Edinburgh University in Scotland, publishes a book entitled “Proofs of a Conspiracy” in which he reveals that Adam Weishaupt had attempted to recruit him. He exposes the diabolical aims of the Illuminati to the world.

1821 – George W. F. Hegel formulates what is called the Hegelian dialectic – the process by which Illuminati objectives are achieved. According to the Hegelian dialectic, thesis plus antithesis equals synthesis. In other words, first you foment a crisis. Then there is an enormous public outcry that something must be done about the problem. So you offer a solution that brings about the changes you really wanted all along, but which people would have been unwilling to accept initially.

1828 – Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who finances the Illuminati, expresses his utter contempt for national governments which attempt to regulate International Bankers such as him: “Allow me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who writes the laws.”

1848 — Moses Mordecai Marx Levy, alias Karl Marx, writes “The Communist Manifesto.” Marx is a member of an Illuminati front organization called the League of the Just. He not only advocates economic and political changes; he advocates moral and spiritual changes as well. He believes the family should be abolished, and that all children should be raised by a central authority. He expresses his attitude toward God by saying: “We must war against all prevailing ideas of religion, of the state, of country, of patriotism. The idea of God is the keynote of a perverted civilization. It must be destroyed.”

Jan. 22, 1870 – In a letter to Italian revolutionary leader Giuseppe Mazzini, Albert Pike – Sovereign Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry – announces the establishment of a secret society within a secret society: “We must create a super rite, which will remain unknown, to which we will call those Masons of high degree of whom we shall select. With regard to our brothers in Masonry, these men must be pledges to the strictest secrecy. Through this supreme rite, we will govern all Freemasonry which will become the one international center, the more powerful because its direction will be unknown.” This ultra-secret organization is called The New and Reformed Paladian Rite. (This is why about 95% of the men involved in Masonry don't have a clue as to what the objectives of the organization actually are. They are under the delusion that it's just a fine community organization doing good works.)

1875 – Russian occultist Helena Petrovna Blavatskyfounds the Theosophical Society. Madame Blavatsky claims that Tibetan holy men in the Himilayas, whom she refers to as the Masters of Wisdom, communicated with her in London by telepathy. She insists that the Christians have it all backwards – that Satan is good, and God is evil. She writes: “The Christians and scientists must be made to respect their Indian betters. The Wisdom of India, her philosophy and achievement, must be made known in Europe and America.”

1884 – The Fabian Society is founded in Great Britain to promote Socialism. The Fabian Society takes its name from the Roman General Fabius Maximus, who fought Hannibal's army in small debilitating skirmishes, rather than attempting one decisive battle.

July 14, 1889 – Albert Pike issues instructions to the 23 Supreme Councils of the world. He reveals who is the true object of Masonic worship: “To you, Sovereign Grand Instructors General, we say this, that you may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32nd, 31st and 30th degrees: The Masonic religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the Luciferian doctrine.”

1890-1896 – Cecil Rhodes, an enthusiastic student of John Ruskin, is Prime Minister of South Africa, a British colony at the time. He is able to exploit and control the gold and diamond wealth of South Africa. He works to bring all the habitable portions of the world under the domination of a ruling elite. To that end, he uses a portion of his vast wealth to establish the famous Rhodes Scholarships.

1893 – The Theosophical Society sponsors a Parliament of World Religions held in Chicago. The purpose of the convention is to introduce Hindu and Buddhist concepts, such as belief in reincarnation, to the West.

1911 – The Socialist Party of Great Britain publishes a pamphlet entitled “Socialism and Religion” in which they clearly state their position on Christianity: “It is therefore a profound truth that Socialism is the natural enemy of religion. A Christian Socialist is in fact an anti-Socialist. Christianity is the antithesis of Socialism.”

1912 – Colonel Edward Mandell House, a close advisor of President Woodrow Wilson, publishes “Phillip Dru: Administrator”, in which he promotes "socialism as dreamed of by Karl Marx."

Feb. 3, 1913 – The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, making it possible for the Federal Government to impose a progressive income tax, is ratified. Plank #2 of “The Communist Manifesto” had called for a progressive income tax. (In Canada, the income tax is introduced in 1917, as a “temporary measure” to finance the war effort.)

1913 – President Woodrow Wilson publishes “The New Freedom” in which he reveals: “Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men's views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.”

Dec. 23, 1913 – The Federal Reserve (neither federal nor a reserve – it's a privately owned institution) is created. It was planned at a secret meeting in 1910 on Jekyl Island, Georgia, by a group of bankers and politicians, including Col. House. This transfers the power to create money from the American Government to a private group of bankers. The Federal Reserve Act is hastily passed just before the Christmas break. Congressman Charles A. Lindbergh Sr. (father of the famed aviator) warns: “This act establishes the most gigantic trust on earth. When the President signs this act the invisible government by the money power, proven to exist by the Money Trust Investigation, will be legalized.”

1916 – Three years after signing the Federal Reserve Act into law, President Woodrow Wilson observes:“I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world. No longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.”

1917 – With aid from Financiers in New York City and London, V. I. Lenin is able to overthrow the government of Russia. Lenin later comments on the apparent contradiction of the links between prominent capitalists and Communism: “There also exists another alliance – at first glance a strange one, a surprising one – but if you think about it, in fact, one which is well grounded and easy to understand. This is the alliance between our Communist leaders and your capitalists.”(Remember the Hegelian dialectic?)

May 30, 1919 – Prominent British and American personalities establish the Royal Institute of International Affairs in England and the Institute of International Affairs in the U.S. at a meeting arranged by Col. House; attended by various Fabian socialists, including noted economist John Maynard Keynes.

1920 – Britain's Winston Churchill recognizes the connection between the Illuminati and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. He observes: “From the days of Spartacus-Weishaupt to those of Karl Marx, to those of Trotsky, Bela Kun, Rosa Luxembourg, and Emma Goldman, this world-wide conspiracy for the overthrow of civilization and for the reconstitution of society on the basis of arrested development, of envious malevolence and impossible equality, has been steadily growing. It played a definitely recognizable role in the tragedy of the French Revolution. It has been the mainspring of every subversive movement during the nineteenth century, and now at last this band of extra- ordinary personalities from the underworld of the great cities of Europe and America have gripped the Russian people by the hair of their heads, and have become practically the undisputed masters of that enormous empire.”

1920-1931 – Louis T. McFadden is Chairman of the House Committee on Banking and Curency. Concerning the Federal Reserve, Congressman McFadden notes: “When the Federal Reserve Act was passed, the people of these United States did not perceive that a world banking system was being set up here. A super-state controlled by International Bankers and international industrialists acting together to enslave the world for their own pleasure. Every effort has been made by the Fed to conceal its powers, but the truth is – the Fed has usurped the Government. It controls everything here, and it controls all our foreign relations. It makes and breaks governments at will.” Concerning the Great Depression and the country's acceptance of FDR's New Deal, he asserts: “It was no accident. It was a carefully contrived occurrence. The International Bankers sought to bring about a condition of despair here so they might emerge as the rulers of us all.”

1921 – Col. House reorganizes the American branch of the Institute of International Affairs into the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). (For the past 60 years, 80% of the top positions in every administration – whether Democrat or Republican – have been occupied by members of this organization.)

December 15, 1922 – The CFR endorses World Government in its magazine “Foreign Affairs." Author Philip Kerr states: “Obviously there is going to be no peace nor prosperity for mankind as long as the earth remains divided into 50 or 60 independent states, until some kind of international system is created. The real problem today is that of world government.”

1928 – “The Open Conspiracy: Blue Prints for a World Revolution” by H. G. Wells is published. A former Fabian socialist, Wells writes: “The political world of the Open Conspiracy must weaken, efface, incorporate, and supersede existing governments. The Open Conspiracy is the natural inheritor of socialist and communist enthusiasms; it may be in control of Moscow before it is in control of New York. The character of the Open Conspiracy will now be plainly displayed. It will be a world religion.”

1933 – “The Shape of Things to Come” by H. G. Wells is published. Wells predicts a second world war around 1940, originating from a German-Polish dispute. After 1945, there would be an increasing lack of public safety in "criminally infected" areas. The plan for the “Modern World State” would succeed on its third attempt, and come out of something that occurred in Basra, Iraq. The book also states: “Although world government had been plainly coming for some years, although it had been endlessly feared and murmured against, it found no opposition anywhere.”

Nov. 21, 1933 – In a letter to Col. Edward M. House, President Franklin Roosevelt writes: “The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the larger centers has owned the Government since the days of Andrew Jackson.”

March 1942 – An article in “TIME” magazine chronicles the Federal Council of Churches [which later becomes the National Council of Churches, a part of the World Council of Churches] lending its weight to efforts to establish a global authority. A meeting of the top officials of the council comes out in favor of: 1) a world government of delegated powers; 2) strong immediate limitations on national sovereignty; 3) international control of all armies and navies. Representatives (375 of them) of 30-some denominations assert that “a new order of economic life is both imminent and imperative” – a new order that is sure to come either “through voluntary cooperation within the framework of democracy or through explosive revolution.”

June 28, 1945 – U.S. President Harry Truman endorses world government in a speech: “It will be just as easy for nations to get along in a republic of the world as it is for us to get along in a republic of the United States.”

October 24, 1945 – The United Nations Charter becomes effective. Also on October 24, Senator Glen Taylor (D-Idaho) introduces Senate Resolution 183, calling upon the U.S. Senate to go on record as favoring creation of a world republic, including an international police force.

Feb. 7, 1950 – International financier and CFR member James Warburg tells a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee: “We shall have world government whether or not you like it - by conquest or consent.”

Feb. 9, 1950 – The Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee introduces Senate Concurrent Resolution #66 which begins: “Whereas, in order to achieve universal peace and justice, the present Charter of the United Nations should be changed to provide a true world government constitution.”

1952 – The World Association of Parliamentarians for World Government draws up a map designed to illustrate how foreign troops would occupy and police the six regions into which the United States and Canada will be divided as part of their world-government plan.

1954 – Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands establishes the Bilderbergers: international politicians and bankers who meet secretly on an annual basis.

1961 – The U.S. State Department issues Document 7277, entitled “Freedom From War: The U.S. Program for General and Complete Disarmament in a Peaceful World.” It details a three-stage plan to disarm all nations and arm the U.N. with the final stage in which “no state would have the military power to challenge the progressively strengthened U.N. Peace Force.”

1966 – Professor Carroll Quigley, Bill Clinton's mentor at Georgetown University, authors a massive volume entitled “Tragedy and Hope” in which he states: “There does exist and has existed for a generation, an international network which operates, to some extent, in the way the radical right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Groups, has no aversion to cooperating with the Communists, or any other groups, and frequently does so. I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960s, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it or to most of its aims, and have, for much of my life, been close to it and to many of its instruments. I have objected, both in the past and recently, to a few of its policies, but in general my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known.”

April 1972 – In his keynote address to the Association for Childhood Education International, Chester M. Pierce, Professor of Education and Psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University, proclaims:“Every child in America entering school at the age of five is insane because he comes to school with certain allegiances toward our founding fathers, toward his parents, toward a belief in a supernatural being. It's up to you, teachers, to make all of these sick children well by creating the international child of the future.”

July 1973 – International banker and staunch member of the subversive Council on Foreign Relations, David Rockefeller, founds a new organization called the Trilateral Commission, of which the official aim is “to harmonize the political, economic, social, and cultural relations between the three major economic regions in the world” (hence the name “Trilateral”). He invites future President Jimmy Carter to become one of the founding members. Zbigniew Brzezinski is the organization's first director.

There are three major economic areas in the world: Europe, North America, and the Far East (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, etc.). If, under the pretext of having to join forces to be able to face economic competition with the two other economic regions, the member countries of each of these three regions decide to merge into one single country, forming three super-States, then the one-world government will be almost achieved. Like Fabian socialists, they achieve their ultimate goal (a world government) step by step.

This aim is almost achieved in Europe with the Single European Act (Maastricht Treaty) that was implemented in 1993, requiring all the member countries of the European Community to abolish their trade barriers, and to hand over their monetary and fiscal policies to the technocrats of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.

In January, 2002, all these European countries abandoned their national currencies to share only one common currency, the “Euro”. Moreover, the Nice Treaty removed more powers from countries to give them over to the European Commission. What begun innocently in 1952 as the EEC (European Economic Community, a common authority to regulate the coal and steel industry among European nations), finally turned into a European super-state. Jean Monnet, a French socialist economist and founder of the EEC, had this in mind when he said: “Political union inevitably follows economic union.” He also said in 1948: “The creation of a United Europe must be regarded as an essential step towards the creation of a United World.”

As regards the North American area, the merger of its member countries is well under way with the passage of free trade between Canada and the U.S.A., and then Mexico. In the next few years, this free-trade agreement is supposed to include also all of South and Central America, with a single currency for them all. Mexico's President Vucente Fox said on May 6, 2002, in Madrid: “Eventually, our long-range objective is to establish with the United States, but also with Canada, our other regional partner, an ensemble of connections and institutions similar to those created by the European Union.”

1973 – The Club of Rome, a U.N. operative, issues a report entitled “Regionalized and Adaptive Model of the Global World System.” This report divides the entire world into ten kingdoms.

1979 – FEMA, which stands for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is given huge powers. It has the power, in case of “national emergency”, to suspend laws, move entire populations, arrest and detain citizens without a warrant, and hold them without trial. It can seize property, food supplies, transportation systems, and can suspend the Constitution.

Not only is it the most powerful entity in the United States, but it was not even created under Constitutional law by the Congress. It was a product of a Presidential Executive Order. An Executive Order becomes law simply by a signature of the U.S. President; it does not even have to be approved by the Representatives or Senators in the Congress.

A state of “national emergency” could be a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, or a stock market crash, for example. Here are just a few Executive Orders associated with FEMA that would suspend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These Executive Orders have been on record for nearly 30 years, and could be enacted by the stroke of a Presidential pen:

# 10995: Right to seize all communications media in the United States.

# 10997: Right to seize all electric power, fuels and minerals, both public and private.

# 10999: Right to seize all means of transportation, including personal vehicles of any kind, and total control of highways, seaports, and waterways.

# 11000: Right to seize any and all American people and divide up families in order to create work forces to be transferred to any place the Government sees fit.

# 11001: Right to seize all health, education and welfare facilities, both public and private.

# 11002: Right to force registration of all men, women, and children in the United States.

# 11003: Right to seize all air space, airports, and aircraft.

# 11004: Right to seize all housing and finance authorities in order to establish “Relocation Designated Areas”, and to force abandonment of areas classified as “unsafe”.

# 11005: Right to seize all railroads, inland waterways, and storage facilities, both public and private.

# 11921: Authorizes plans to establish Government control of wages and salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institutions.

1991 – President George Bush Sr. (father of the current U.S. president) praises the New World Order in a State of the Union Message: “What is at stake is more than one small country; it is a big idea - a new world order... to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind... based on shared principles and the rule of law... The illumination of a thousand points of light... The winds of change are with us now.” (Theosophist Alice Bailey used that very same expression – “points of light” – in describing the process of occult enlightenment.)

June, 1991 – World leaders are gathered for another closed door meeting of the Bilderberg Society in Baden Baden, Germany. While at that meeting, David Rockefeller said in a speech: “We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries.”

Oct. 29, 1991 – David Funderburk, former U.S. Ambassador to Romania, tells a North Carolina audience:“George Bush has been surrounding himself with people who believe in one-world government. They believe that the Soviet system and the American system are converging.”

May 21, 1992 – In an address to the Bilderberger organization meeting in Evian, France, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger declares: “Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by their world government.”

July 20, 1992 – “TIME” magazine publishes “The Birth of the Global Nation,” by Strobe Talbott, Rhodes Scholar, roommate of Bill Clinton at Oxford University, CFR Director and Trilateralist (and appointed Deputy Secretary of State by President Clinton), in which he writes: “Nationhood as we know it will be obsolete; all states will recognize a single global authority... All countries are basically social arrangements... No matter how permanent or even sacred they may seem at any one time, in fact they are all artificial and temporary... Perhaps national sovereignty wasn't such a great idea after all... But it has taken the events in our own wondrous and terrible century to clinch the case for world government.”

1993 – A second Parliament of World Religions is held in Chicago on the 100th anniversary of the first. Like the first convention, this one seeks to join all the religions of the world into “one harmonious whole,” but it wants to make them “merge back into their original element.” Traditional beliefs of monotheistic religions such as Christianity are considered incompatible with individual “en- lightenment”, and must be drastically altered.

July 18, 1993 – CFR member and Trilateralist Henry Kissinger writes in the “Los Angeles Times” concerning NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement): “What Congress will have before it is not a conventional trade agreement but the architecture of a new international system...a first step toward a new world order.”

1994 – In the Human Development Report, published by the UN Development Program, there was a section called “Global Governance for the 21st Century.” The administrator for this program was appointed by Bill Clinton. His name is James Gustave Speth. The opening sentence of the report said: “Mankind's problems can no longer be solved by national government. What is needed is a world government. This can best be achieved by strengthening the United Nations system.”

May 3, 1994 – President Bill Clinton signs Presidential Decision Directive 25, and then declares it classified so the American people can't see what it says. (The summary of PDD-25 issued to members of Congress tells us that it authorizes the President to turn over control of U.S. military units to U.N. command.)

Sept. 23, 1994 – The globalists realize that as more and more people begin to wake up to what's going on, they have only a limited amount of time in which to implement their policies. Speaking at the United Nations Ambassadors' dinner, David Rockefeller remarks: “This present window of opportunity, during which a truly peaceful and interdependent world order might be built, will not be open for too long... We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis, and the nations will accept the New World Order.”

March 1995 – U.N. delegates meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss various methods for imposing global taxes on the people of the world.

Sept. 1995 – “Popular Science” magazine describes a top secret U.S. Navy installation called HAARP (High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) in the state of Alaska. This project beams powerful radio energy into the earth's upper atmosphere. One of the goals of the program is to develop the capability of “manipulating local weather” using the techniques developed by Bernard Eastlund. (The program has been underway since 1990.)

September 27, 1995 – The State of the World Forum took place in the fall of this year, sponsored by the Gorbachev Foundation located at the Presidio in San Francisco. Foundation President Jim Garrison chairs the meeting of who's-who from around the world, including Margaret Thatcher, Maurice Strong, George Bush, Mikhail Gorbachev, and others. Conversation centers around the oneness of mankind and the coming global government. However, the term “global gov- ernance” is now used in place of “new world order” since the latter has become a political liability, being a lightning rod for opponents of global government.

1996 – The United Nations' 420-page report “Our Global Neighborhood” is published. It outlines a plan for “global governance,” calling for an international “Conference on Global Governance” in 1998 for the purpose of submitting to the world the necessary treaties and agreements for ratification by the year 2000.

2003... The world is on the verge of another global war, the “state of emergency” looked for by the one-worlders to impose martial law and the universal microchip under the skin... But with enlightened peoples help, they will not have the last word!

2017... It may sound like an Orwellian nightmare, but the technology to implant RFID chips into human beings and track their every move has been there for years.

RFID stands for radio frequency identification, and uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects, including an implanted chip

[mariacallous]

PARIS—At first glance, France’s trade unions have never been better. Their campaign against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age has drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters to the streets, and labor leaders are fixtures on the most popular TV channels. Almost half of the French think trade unions rather than any political party embody the real opposition to Macron, and the overwhelming majority think the damaging strikes against his pension reform are justified.

But under this patina of success, French unions are wheezing. Membership numbers are down sharply, and many labor leaders feel their organizations have failed to stem the neoliberal wave that has been eroding workers’ rights for decades—and has only accelerated under Macron. Since he took power in 2017, Macron—a former investment banker who campaigned on a centrist, pro-business platform—has loosened the rules for firing employees, capped compensations for illegal layoffs, and favored agreements between management and workers at the company-level rather than for entire sectors, which critics say undermines employees’ bargaining power.

“The unions’ strategy over the past decades has not yielded any major victories on a national level,” said Olivier Mateu, head of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT)’s Bouches-du-Rhône section in southern France.

Unions, particularly the fiery CGT, have tried to put up a fight. But their leaders have been criticized for a lack of unity and determination as well as for thinking they could get Macron to change course by sitting at the negotiating table rather than taking to the picket line.

“Macron really took them for a ride,” said Jean-Bernard Gervais, a former communications advisor at CGT and the author of a scathing book about the union’s inner workings.

It’s been a long fall from glory for what was one of Europe’s most powerful labor movements. In 1936, the country’s first successful general strike led to paid leave, shorter working hours, and higher salaries. Workers’ rights were further expanded by means of tough strike actions in the years following World War II, when unions could count on millions of members. In the 1960s and for most of the 1970s, unionization rates were still hovering well above 20 percent. In May 1968, mass walkouts by an unprecedented 10 million workers yielded major concessions, such as a big increase in the minimum wage and a larger role for union representatives in the workplace.

Since the late 1970s, however, with the eruption of neoliberal economic policies in the Western world, French unions have been in a steady decline. The French working class, with its purchasing power dwindling and employment conditions worsening, seems increasingly disillusioned about the mechanisms in place to defend its rights. The share of unionized workers has fallen to barely 7 percent. Elections held last December to select union representatives in the public sector saw the lowest turnout on record, and the share of people who have confidence in trade unions has shrunk to barely 36 percent.

France is not alone. Unions have lost one-quarter of their members since 1980 in the United States, and 47 percent in Germany. Even British unions, which can count on strong ties with the mainstream Labour Party and are currently involved in unprecedented walkouts by health service staff over pay, have hemorrhaged almost half of their affiliates.

Part of the malaise has roots common to most of the developed world. Manufacturing, which traditionally was heavily unionized, has been hollowed out in much of the West. But with their membership tanking at a faster pace than in most wealthy countries, French unions have problems of their own. More than elsewhere, French workers’ organizations are heavily reliant on a variety of public handouts, which means they are less dependent on large numbers of paying members. This, in turn, has led to the rise of an apparatus of full-time union employees that has little accountability to (and is often distrusted by) the regular workforce. Since 1974, while the CGT’s affiliates have fallen by two-thirds, its central staff has increased fivefold. “It’s a bureaucracy whose sole goal is to protect itself,” Gervais said.

Despite the fierce battle currently underway over Macron’s pension reform, the reality of French labor relations is hardly in line with the stereotype of French unions constantly at war with employers and the government. Most of them benefit from material resources provided by the companies where they are present, leading to worries about their representatives’ independence and bargaining power. And while the French do stage walkouts more than almost any other country in Europe, a French private sector worker goes on strike barely one day every 17 years on average.

Feeling they aren’t being properly represented by trade unions, France’s have-nots have found other ways to channel their discontent. The surge of the far-right National Rally party has been largely fueled by working-class votes. In 2018 and 2019, weekly “yellow vest” rallies against taxes and economic inequality often escalated into violent clashes with the police.

At the time, Macron was quick to scrap the fuel tax hike that had originally triggered the demonstrations. Now, should the unions fail to stop the government’s pension reform, some worry that more violent forms of protest could make a comeback.

“It may have a radicalizing effect, with some workers deciding that nothing can be achieved by playing nice and they should do like the yellow vests—smash everything up,” said Jean-Dominique Simonpoli, a former branch leader at CGT and president of La Fabrique du Social, a consultancy that aims to facilitate labor relations.

French unions are also extremely fragmented, with eight main organizations competing for members, influence, and resources. The two largest, the CGT and the more moderate (and even bigger) French Democratic Confederation of Labor, are on notoriously bad terms, with the former often accusing the latter of “betraying” workers by settling for minor concessions. Divisions run deep within single organizations too, often making it hard to come up with a coherent strategy. The CGT, in particular, is plagued by long-standing tensions between the more combative sections, such as the Railway Workers’ Federation, and those more open to compromise, with CGT leader Philippe Martinez coming under fire at the same time for being too soft and too hard-line.

“Managing all this is more circus art than a political exercise,” said Dominique Andolfatto, a professor of political science at the Université de Bourgogne.

Despite the bleak picture, trade unions still occupy an important place in French society. Macron may have battered them and ignored their concerns on many fronts, but he is not former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

“At company level, Macron has sought to boost the unions’ role,” Simonpoli said. Shortly after taking power, the French president imposed a new rule that forces companies to get the green light from unions representing more than half of their employees—if they want to make changes on issues like salaries or working hours.

“Macron’s intuition is that unions are more and more out of touch with workers, which is not a good thing, and we must revitalize them at the firms’ level,” said Antoine Foucher, chief of staff for Macron’s former labor minister, Muriel Pénicaud, between 2017 and 2020. Boosting unions in the canteen is one thing, but letting them decide how the central government should use its purse is another. In Macron’s view, when it comes to national reforms, “trade unions aren’t representative enough while the political power has the legitimacy of universal suffrage,” Foucher said.

With a wildly unpopular pension reform looming, union leaders beg to differ. After six weeks of nationwide strikes, they are planning to “bring France to a standstill” on March 7. For the first time in decades, all major workers’ organizations have managed to set their differences aside in a show of unity that is revitalizing the movement. It’s either the last gasp of French labor—or the beginning of a rebirth.

“Regardless of how it will end, this will have been a remarkable success for the unions,” Andolfatto said. What remains to be seen is “whether this is the beginning of a deeper shift.”

[titoist]

yesterday night i watched the goddard film "La Chinoise" with a friend.

it's hard to detail interpretations of movies - movies that are vague enough to where you're reasonably expected to have your own interpretation of its events, anyway - most of the time. mainly since, within me, there's definitely an instinct to search first for possible interpretations which seem or sound smart. as an aside from being egocentric, it also leads to some vain contamination of opinion where i might start feeling that it's not even be what i really think of it so much as what i would like to think of it. luckily for me, as a french arthouse film it tends to be much more pretentious (describing it as that with some degree of affection, here!) than even i'm capable of.

in short, the way it struck me was that the film was about 1. the sociopolitical circumstances of student activism in 60s france, & activism more broadly (this is the obvious part!), 2. the relation of art to truth, complicated though it tends to be. i paid more attention & gave much more thought to the first clause presented here.

what's immediately striking, & what i think set the tone for the rest of the film rather well, was the apartment of the maoist cell the film opens on. a pristine, white, cleanly & spacious studio apartment in urban Paris - plastered neatly with red propaganda posters portraying the cultural revolution, walls painted on with slogans like "A MINORITY WITH THE RIGHT POLITICS IS NOT A MINORITY" (interesting), piles of little red books making pillow fort-like defensive ramparts. i think it goes out of its way to portray the members of the cell as little bourgelings - a member details how the summer resort which his father owns on the coast of France operates on the same conceptual blueprint as the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. another offhandedly mentions coming from a family of bankers.

it shows a lot of ideology repurposed as philosophy - most of the film depicts them going along the motions of giving lectures to one another, transcribing the little red book by hand over & over again, playing darts on a board taped with pictures of reactionaries & revisionists like degaulle or foucault. there's a scene that sums up a large amount of the film for me, i think. near the end, when veronique is taking the train en route to a hotel where she plans to assassinate the soviet minister of culture. they get into a debate about with her professor what she is about to do, her arguing that this is a necessary step towards shutting down the universities & getting students onto the streets, how this is her first step in a revolution for "independence", how it's comparable to the algerian revolution. "the crucial difference," the reply goes. "is that the algerian revolution had an entire nation behind it. the only ones behind you are your cell - you can participate in a revolution, but you cannot invent one." & then, her reply, a kind of theoretical climax for me: "Well… Many people don't realize it, yet. That's why we do the thinking for them." a minority with the right politics is not a minority, then.

what it reminds me of is an interview with Nicholas Unger, a student radical involved with the whole anti-war american new left in the 70s. the SDS, the weather underground. his response for why the militant tendency did the things they did, why there was such a general culture of student fanaticism, was basically that… the war felt so evil and so horrifying, so deeply & overtly & primally unjust, that everyone at once felt viscerally that they just had to do something. it didn't matter what - you had to drive yourself insane & run in circles & make your heart tear itself into pieces, you had to act just to attempt to soothe a feeling of existential guilt & unease. you just had to know that you weren't complicit. when i look into the heart of western radicalism, this is mainly what i tend to see hiding under the curtain.

earlier on in the film, a member of the cell originally planned to commit the shooting plans out his suicide, which he intends to include as a finisher to the shooting. you see him practicing & fiddling nervously with the trigger of a pistol. a whole show is made of it, he has to sign a suicide letter & make sure it'll be found on his body. later on, the night before the attack is to be carried out, he goes & shoots himself prematurely anyway: this isn't politics in the sense of wanting to exert your vision unto the world, it's an excuse to kill yourself.

in the end, not much is changed. summer break is over for the little bankers & the resort-town sons, & so is the revolution.