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Sweeping victory for Macri consolidating his reform plans and 2019 reelection bid

Monday, October 23rd 2017 - 06:25 UTC
Full article 76 comments

Candidates allied with Argentine President Mauricio Macri enjoyed sweeping victories in Sunday’s mid-term election, strengthening his position in Congress while dimming prospects for a political comeback by his predecessor Cristina Fernandez. free-spending populist who nearly bankrupted the country during her 2007-2015 rule. Read full article

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  • The Voice

    Excellent!

    Suck it up Tinkle...... :-)))))

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 08:37 am - Link - Report abuse +6
  • British_Kirchnerist

    “Fernandez’s second-place showing still grants her one of the province’s three Senate seats under Argentina’s list system.” So the “defeat of Cristina” narrative is being overplayed then, no? In British terms this is Ed Milliband or Jeremy Corbyn not quite coming first, not George Galloway failing to get a seat. Very sorry for Taiana though, he would have been a great Senator. And that Macri could have such a triumph immediately after Santiago Maldonado's corpse was found in such murky circumstances is depressing indeed. Bet Macri hopes more won't come out about how he ended up in that river or this victory might yet be an inaccurate guide to his chances of being re-elected or indeed of staying out of jail...

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 08:52 am - Link - Report abuse -12
  • shackleton

    The map interestingly shows that the Falklands voted for Kirchner. Maybe some of those visiting students or, more likely, their teachers put in a postal vote? Although how it would get to the mainland before Xmas is a mystery, Arg snail mail being even slower than a snail.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 09:05 am - Link - Report abuse +5
  • Brit Bob

    The ambassador in London (Alicia Castro) recalled that back in 1997, Macri was interviewed on the issue and his reply surprised everybody. He minimized the claim and stated, “I never quite understood the sovereignty claims of such as big country as ours. We don't have a space problem such as Israel, for example”.

    But apparently he did not stop there: in effect as a pro-business man and faithful to orthodox economics, the heir of an industrial and real estate conglomerate added, “as far as I know it costs quite a bit to the English Treasury to keep the Malvinas Islands” so if they are recovered for Argentina, “Malvinas will become an additional deficit for the country's accounts”.

    Recovered?

    Seriously, have you heard of a territory being usurped in the 19th century?

    Falkland Islands – The Usurpation (1 pg): https://www.academia.edu/34838377/Falkland_Islands_The_Usurpation

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 09:18 am - Link - Report abuse +4
  • Stoker

    Anybody know how the former “Malvinas Secretary” Daniel Filmus got on in the election? ;-D

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 09:27 am - Link - Report abuse +4
  • DemonTree

    Looks like all the papers predicting that finding Maldonado's body would affect the election were wrong. This result seems to be pretty much in line with the polls beforehand.

    @BK
    It was always inevitable that she would win a seat. As I understand it, if she had come first in Argentina's most popular province it would be seen as a positive sign for a new presidential bid in 2019. There is no runner up prize in the presidential election.

    @Shackleton
    There are a handful of Argentines living there who can presumably send in a postal vote. I suppose they just coloured them for Tierra de Fuego, though it would make more sense to grey them out.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 09:56 am - Link - Report abuse +2
  • golfcronie

    Argentine logic I see, or maybe a slip of the pen? Still colourful none the less.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 11:52 am - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Think

    Well... well..., well...
    Time to a short..., personal analysis of yesterdays election...

    The good stuff...:
    A cleancut electoral process..., no “surprises”..., no “delayed/lost results/ballots”..., no opposition crying “foul”..., no parlamentarian mayority for the current neoliberal adminstration...

    The bad stuff...:
    The continuation for at least two more years of the present catastrophic economical course...:

    1) During the last two years, our TOTAL FOREIGN DEBT has grown from being ~15% of our GDP to the current ~59% of our GDP....... at twice the interest rate paid in the region...

    2) During the last two years, that FOREIGN INDEBMENT has been used mostly to finance Argentinas' FISCAL DEFICIT that has grown to about 6%..., mainly because of the elimination of one of the state's main sources of revenue..., the taxation of agropecuarian exports...

    3) During the last two years.., 80% of the FOREIGN INVESTMENT arriving to in Argentina has been SPECULATIVE CAPITAL/HOT MONEY that is invested in Argie bonds that pay a whopping 26% interest... Who can blame them...!

    4) During the last two years, our INTERNATIONAL TRADE BALANCE has gone from being about +5,000 million U$ yearly to ÷6,000 million U$... projected for 2017...

    5) During the last two years, uneployment has risen from ~7% to ~10%... and inflation has been ~65%...

    All he above described symptoms have I lived through several times before in my beloved cyclothymic Argentina..., governed by an Elite that only sees her as a CASH COW to serve their groups' egotisic interests...

    Let's do our best to stop them in Congress... and in the 2019 Presidential election...

    Also sprach El Think

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 11:53 am - Link - Report abuse -5
  • Stoker

    No great surprise that Argentina have to pay twice the going rate of interest for the region since the Republic of Argentina currently holds both world records for:-
    1) Most ever sovereign debt defaults &
    2) Highest value sovereign debt default.
    To see how it should be done just look west
    https://conservativepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/chile-gdp.jpg

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 12:45 pm - Link - Report abuse +5
  • Zaphod Beeblebrox

    I note that CFK couldn't be bothered to vote for herself (again).

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 01:43 pm - Link - Report abuse +4
  • Marti Llazo

    The country is slowly making its way out of the peronist morass and the corresponding condition of pariah state, perhaps even on the threshold of garnering some respectability, and tinkle just can't stand it.

    Judging by the generally positive and rather convincing support for the present government, the self-induced drowning of a few more rats might well be a good thing.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 02:35 pm - Link - Report abuse +4
  • DemonTree

    @ZB
    Isn't voting compulsory in Argentina? That means as well as setting a bad example by not bothering to vote, CFK was setting an even more bad example by breaking the law.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 02:49 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
  • Brit Bob

    Stoker

    Re Filmus

    Undiad Porteña's main candidate in the City, Daniel Filmus, spoke after the results of the legislative elections were known and he was conformed as his party positioned itself as the first opposition force of the district, after taking out the 21.7 of the votes.

    “We have to be more generous and open. Today our vote is to say no to adjustment policies, ”said Filmus, adding:“ We are here who are not going to vote for indebtedness for future generations. ”

    “This has been the election that we carry forward with more anguish for Santiago Maldonado,” said the candidate of Peronism in the City.
    Meanwhile, in his Twitter account, Filmus launched: “We made a very important election, again we are the main force of the opposition in the City of Buenos Aires.”

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 03:14 pm - Link - Report abuse +4
  • Think

    Mr. DemonTree...

    Q...: Isn't voting compulsory in Argentina?
    A...: Yes...

    Q..: That means as well as setting a bad example by not bothering to vote, CFK was setting an even more bad example by breaking the law...?
    A...: Nope...
    Quienes no están obligados a votar...:
    - ”Los que el día de la elección se encuentren a más de quinientos (500) kilómetros de distancia del lugar donde deban votar y justifiquen que el alejamientos obedece a motivos razonables, debiendo presentarse en el día de la elección a la autoridad policial más cercana, la que extenderá una certificación escrita.”
    https://www.electoral.gov.ar/pf.php
    As any Argie knows..., Mme. Cristina Elsbet Fernandez de Kirchner resides in El Calafate, Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina..., some 2,100 km away from Buenos Aires...

    Educate yourself...

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 03:37 pm - Link - Report abuse -6
  • DemonTree

    I see. So she couldn't have voted for herself anyway because she's registered in Santa Cruz? (And I'm kind of surprised you can just look her up in a national database to find her polling station.)

    Can't you get a postal vote if you're planning to be more than 500km away on election day? Or even if it's less and you just don't want a long trip back?

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 04:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    Geeeeeeeeeeee......

    Argentina is NUMBER ONE ( Numero uno)..., says Bloomberg.com...
    And Bloomberg is quite happy about that... For the time beeing..... until...
    We Argies are well ahead of China..., Korea..., Mexico..., Indonesia..., Saudi Arabia..., the list goes on and on and on...!!!
    We are the Free Market darlings again...!
    Good Job..., Macri &Co.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-10-02/would-you-buy-7-percent-bonds-from-this-guy

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 04:31 pm - Link - Report abuse -7
  • Stoker

    LOL......at least you aren't Venezuela.......for now ;-D

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 04:54 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
  • DemonTree

    Looks like the area where Santiago Maldonado would have voted if he were alive went for Macri's candidate:

    https://i.imgur.com/aYpFRmJ.png

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 05:00 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
  • imoyaro

    Filmus still agonizing over Salvador Maldonado and no mention of the Ultra K's son who left him to drown, then cashed in on the body's location just before the election? Hilarious!

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 05:18 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
  • Marti Llazo

    @Tinkle “As any Argie knows..., Mme. Cristina Elsbet Fernandez de Kirchner resides in El Calafate, Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina..., some 2,100 km away from Buenos Aires...”

    As anyone who actually lives in pcia Sta Cruz knows, La Yegua's legal residence, and residence for voting, is here in Río Gallegos, and not El Calafate. That one might own commercial properties involved in legal prosecution, such as money laundering, does not make one a legal resident of El Calafate.

    “Cristina Kirchner no podrá votarse a sí misma: sigue empadronada en Santa Cruz - La ex presidenta se postula senadora por provincia de Buenos Aires, pero mantiene el domicilio de Río Gallegos. ”

    Declaración jurada:

    ' Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, DNI 10433615, por mi propio derecho, con domicilio real en la calle Mascarello 441, Río Gallegos, provincia de Santa Cruz, junto con mi abogado defensor, Dr. Carlos Alberto Beraldi, CUIT 20-13430665-4, en la causa N° 3732/2016, caratulada “FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER, CRISTINA Y OTROS s/ ABUSO DE AUTORIDAD…”, '

    ”.... la ex presidente Cristina Elisabet Fernández (en el padrón no figura su apellido de casada), tiene lugar de votación en Alcorta 321, sección electoral 7, de Rio Gallegos, provincia de Santa Cruz.”

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 05:35 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
  • Chicureo

    I had to look up the meaning of cyclothymic...
    Sort of explains Argentine personality precisely.
    In all fairness, don't you think that Macri inherited a number of serious problems from CFK and that's why Argentina is currently suffering from the problems you describe?

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 05:44 pm - Link - Report abuse +4
  • DemonTree

    Oh well, it's not like CFK voting would have made any difference. Her 'mesa' went overwhelmingly for Cambiemos: https://i.imgur.com/GGJzqjI.png

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 05:58 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
  • Zaphod Beeblebrox

    BK,

    “And that Macri could have such a triumph immediately after Santiago Maldonado's corpse was found in such murky circumstances is depressing indeed.”

    The circumstances were murky primarily because of the lies of the witness and the escalation of protests by the Kirchnerites. The evidence is now pretty clear that he drowned because he was a non-swimmer trying to wade across a river that was too deep, cold and fast-flowing for him. He was the author of his own misfortune. Maybe he deserves a Darwin award?

    “Bet Macri hopes more won't come out about how he ended up in that river ...”

    And there you go again trying to escalate nothing into something. Macri kept silent on the matter apart from saying that we'd have to wait for the investigation to look at the evidence and come to its conclusions. We now know that the witness lied and Macri and the police are completely innocent of any involvement. Maybe this evident reality just before the election helped him since people realised that, just like the witness, the Kirchnerites were lying to them?

    Your comments indicate that you'd rather try and support evident lies than admit the truth that Macri has actually been the good guy in all of this. You evidently prefer the sort of “truth” obtained by lies, riots and Molotov cocktails that is a hallmark of Kirchnerism.

    Are you planning any protests against the many people who disappeared under CFK? Nisman? No? Then you are a hypocrite.

    “So the “defeat of Cristina” narrative is being overplayed then, no?”

    So she's one of a very much reduced K presence in senate. She's like an independent MP in the house of commons-pretty much powerless. The Peronists got a beating in the polls too.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 06:04 pm - Link - Report abuse +4
  • Think

    In all fairness, hermanito Shileno......., here's the Macri administrations'very own Official 2016 Description of the Country they “inherited” fom CFK...

    https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/MarianoGomezQuiroga/argentina-land-of-opportunities-investors-teaser

    As you may know..., the above linked Official Document has been produced and utilized to promote foreign investments in Argentina..., and as such..., must not contain any incorrect information that could eventually be used against the Argentinean State in a foreign court of law...

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 06:45 pm - Link - Report abuse -6
  • Marti Llazo

    @tinkle “.....must not contain any incorrect information that could eventually be used against the Argentinean State in a foreign court of law.....”

    As if Argentina would respect a foreign court of law.

    Especially a court of law where the jurisdiction was selected by Argentina itself.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29415608

    “Official document,” my arse.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 07:33 pm - Link - Report abuse +5
  • Chicureo

    THINK:
    Yes, there's a open bottle presently nearby...

    In my opinion, Macri and his administration are guilty of following the time honored national tradition of embellishing the numbers and encouraging new investment with creative accounting. Perhaps less than the former government, but just the same.

    Duhalde inherited a financial economic mess who in turn passed a greater one on to Néstor, followed by Cristina who in turn lost to Macri. Despite the grand tradition of economic mismanagement, your country is always performing better than most of the world. Everyone has their own theory why, but your always just a hands reach away from the G20 group.

    Political exaggeration, as you well know, in Argentina is far more hyper aggressive with greater frequency and intensity than in here in Chile. Based on ones political orientation rather than any reasonable accurate survey, it seems that a moderate (or politically apathetic) third of your citizenry watches the other ideologically overstimulated two-thirds hurling accusations of every kind at each other is a national sport.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 08:56 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
  • Think

    Like this Mendoza lady...?
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8nc__dakE

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 09:56 pm - Link - Report abuse -6
  • imoyaro

    Looks like Chopper's mother...

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 10:07 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Chicureo

    ...People wonder why I drink...

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 10:20 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
  • DemonTree

    But you don't even live there. I pity the sane 1/3 of the population, if they exist.

    Oct 23rd, 2017 - 10:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    Chicureo...
    Don't tell me that's Mrs Chicureo...!
    I thougt I could detect a transandinian accent on her...!

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 09:55 am - Link - Report abuse -5
  • British_Kirchnerist

    Brit Bob, quoting Macri: ““I never quite understood the sovereignty claims of such as big country as ours. We don't have a space problem such as Israel, for example”.”

    That's not as good a look as you think. So he's basically saying Israel can occupy someone else's land because its small. Charming. As for the Falklanders I don't think the most right wing Argentine leader since Galtieri will be a consistent friend. Better to have taken up Cristina's offer of talks without preconditions.

    Demon: “There is no runner up prize in the presidential election.”

    No, but there is a runoff if no-one gets 50%. Cristina got 37% to Cambiembos' 41%, with 5% for the ultra-left and 4% for the right-wing Peronists whose leaders may be closer to Macri than her but their voters less so. On those numbers she'd have just an extra 4% to make up out of the remaining middle ground, as opposed to 9. The right did well by being united. If its opponents learn to do the same the numbers suddenly look less bleak. And its obvious who should be united around, between the Blairite Peronists who came below the Trots, and la flor mas bella who would have won if they hadn't stabbed her in the back the way our Blairites kept doing with JC

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 10:28 am - Link - Report abuse -7
  • Think

    Mr. British_Kirchnerist
    Allow me to complement...:
    Cristina got ~37% to Cambiembos' ~41%, with ~5% for the ultra-left..., ~11% for the right-wing Peronists (Massa) whose leaders may be closer to Macri than her but their voters less so.,and ~5% for the “whoknowswheretheyreallystand” Peronists (Randazzo) whose leaders thught that the Zeitgeist was ripe for a Cristinism without the más bella flor as you call herare quite close to to Macri than her but their voters less so and n those numbers she'd have just an extra 4% to make up out of the remaining middle ground, as opposed to 9. The right did well by being united. If its opponents learn to do the same the numbers suddenly look less bleak.

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 10:49 am - Link - Report abuse -7
  • DemonTree

    I'm more inclined to agree with the Bubble that CFK is what is preventing the left from uniting:

    “Fernández has a large base, but there’s a much larger amount of people who can’t tolerate her and is more than willing to only vote for a party if it means she won’t go back to being President – i.e Cambiemos. Her reluctance to retire despite being perfect for the government’s strategy sets a ceiling on the opposition.”

    I see plenty of people online who can't tolerate her and would rather stick with Macri despite his so far poor results than go back to CFK. And it seems there were plenty of such people at the polls on Sunday too.

    @BK
    I'm pretty sure that's not what he's saying. Losing or gaining some land is just a bigger deal in practical terms for a small country than a large sparsely populated one. But then I don't think anyone in Argentina wants the Falklands for practical reasons.

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 11:20 am - Link - Report abuse -5
  • Think

    Mr. British_Kirchnerist... (bis)

    Allow me to complement...:
    - Cristina got ~37% to Cambiembos' ~41%, with ~5% for the ultra-left..., ~11% for the rightwing Peronists (Massa) whose leaders may be closer to Macri than her but their voters less so..., and ~5% for the “whoknowswheretheyreallystand” Peronists (Randazzo) whose leaders thought the Zeitgeist was ripe for a “Cristinism” without the “Más Bella Flor” as you call her..., but are quite close to to Cristinas' policies and their voters more so...

    One must remember also the “little detail”of Cristina saying before this election that if it showed that her leadership was an obstacle for the union of Peronist fractions..., she would elegantly step to the side...

    By the way............................... Welcome back and I hope you keep posting...
    You get nearly a double amount of ticks on your comments than me...
    You must be doing something right... ;-)

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 11:33 am - Link - Report abuse -6
  • The Voice

    Great to see the Think turnip squirming. No return to choripan driven corrupt political shenanigans in prospect.

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 12:42 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
  • British_Kirchnerist

    Think, thanks for the extra details. I was wondering where Randazzo had gone, wondered if he's been eliminated in the primaries. I must make a mea culpa btw, I wanted him to be the candidate in 2015 when he seemed to be closer to la jefa than Scioli, in fact Scioli despite his unpromising start under Menem seems to have turned out to be a thoroughly decent human being and stood by Cristinita in her wilderness years while he's turned out to be a narcissitic tinpot slitter. Btw didn't people on here used to call him Randy when he was still one of the good guys? The only time I called Harriet Harperson was when she tried to block Corbyn, so I might join in now ;)

    As for the “little detail”, hopefully she considers on the evidence of 37& vs 11 and 5 =) Of course if she really doesn't want the job there are lots of other good candidates, I was very happy to see Kicillof is now a deputy, Juliana di Tulio would be amazing and there are great new leaders coming up through UC like Victoria Montonegro and Lorena Pokoik. The global evidence is a leftist is needed, a “centrist” who copies Macri would only lose to the real thing.

    Demon I wouldn't go by the Bubble, they always seemed confused about Cristina, they really wanted to like her, her dancing, voguing, “crazy fun” diva ways, but also were connected to the right wing press, so despite seeing how cool and likeable she was had to see her at the end of the day as an opponent. Sad. On who is dividing the opposition, I'd refer you to my numbers and Thinks amendments...

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 04:22 pm - Link - Report abuse -6
  • Chicureo

    Meanwhile across the Andes, we're getting ready for probably replacing Bachelet with Piñera, who originally replaced Bachelet...

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 05:02 pm - Link - Report abuse +4
  • Think

    Mr. British_Kirchnerist
    I had forgotten the high level of information you possess about Argentinean politics...
    But I remember you saying that British politics was dull...
    Before BREXIT and Corbyns' much deserved political resuscitation... I reckon...;-)

    Here is one new rising star in the political scene you maybe haven't heard of...
    She's gooooooooood.... and her opponents are really afraid of her cool intelligence...
    A kind of feminine Kicillof...;-)
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=165s&v=V5nNwkblHTA

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 06:14 pm - Link - Report abuse -8
  • DemonTree

    @BK
    The internet is full of people who hate CFK and very few who praise her, so they may just be trying to cater to their readers.

    Of course it takes more than one person to split the vote, but the Bubble reckon CFK's supporters would vote for someone else if she wasn't standing, and they could pick up other voters who dislike her.

    Do you think Macri's party gained such a large share of the vote because he's done so well in his first two years, or do you think it's because they find the alternatives even less appealing and want to go forwards, not back? I think 'the left' would be better off with someone new who had new ideas, but I don't know if there is such a person who could have wide appeal.

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 07:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Enrique Massot

    The government of Mauricio Macri gets a blank cheque to continue running the country...towards economic abyss.
    He got a victory based on a relative stability for some provided by massive borrowing, a party of financial speculation, massive imports that are killing local job sources, and much more.
    All these things can only please those abroad that are doing excellent business operations now in Argentina.
    Unfortunately, the electorate will now have to discover what's in store for them by swallowing whole the bitter pill of Macri's economic reform that will transform the country in a gambling place for others to come, make quick gains, and fly.
    Meanwhile, Cristina consolidates herself as the core opposition to the government without the rotten sectors of conservative Peronism, always ready to negotiate and help those holding the real power.
    Get a seat and watch.

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 07:33 pm - Link - Report abuse -6
  • Chicureo

    Don't you honestly think that Cristina IS the rotten sector of Peronism?

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 10:36 pm - Link - Report abuse +6
  • imoyaro

    Komrade/Kamerad Rique IS part of that rotten sector, He is a die hard Kirchnerite. For me, the sign that he is lying is that we now have Argentine produce where I shop, and it is good quality. Before the only thing you could find from Argentina was lemon juice, and I would boycott that. Eventually the brand started handling Brazilian juice. It now appears that Argentina is recovering it's strength in the Ag sector, after years of being gutted by La Asesina, who sent La Campora thugs out into the fields to cut open soy farmer's silobolsas to ruin them. Kamerad/Komrade Rique is a frustrated and angry little SJW (Socialist Justicialist Wrecker,) and his assessment is about as real as his claims of Maldonado being arrested and disappeared...worth a good horse laugh.

    Oct 24th, 2017 - 10:51 pm - Link - Report abuse +5
  • Don Alberto

    Who will be the first to claim that Maldonado was kicked and beaten, the unkicked and unbeaten and drowned in the river by Macri himself ... Idiot Child Reekie or Shrinkbrain?

    Oct 25th, 2017 - 04:26 am - Link - Report abuse +2
  • Enrique Massot

    A lot of gratuitous vitriol in the two posts above.
    What is it, imoyaro?
    Can't formulate any arguments so insult is your only way out?
    And what's Don Alberto doing bringing Santiago Maldonado to this discussion on Cristina and adding a few more insults?
    You would think that anyone with an average intelligence would have realized by now that insults won't drive Enrique away.
    So why not have some fun instead?
    Come on, imoyaro and D. Alberto! Get your creative juices to work! I am dying to see what you are capable of.

    Oct 25th, 2017 - 06:17 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Think

    :-)

    Oct 25th, 2017 - 06:39 pm - Link - Report abuse -3
  • imoyaro

    As always, Kamerad/Komrade Rique, I don't want to drive you away. I want you to return again and again to take that pie in the face. That IS fun!

    Oct 25th, 2017 - 08:24 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
  • Don Alberto

    Sorry about the insult, Enrique, won't happen again.

    In the future I'llcall you 'Idiot child Enrique' and not Reekie.

    I was worried though, because you suddenly disappeared from the thread where you wrote, among other insane rubish “... to see whether society will accept extra judicial executions as a method of silencing protests. ... If the election results show the government can get away with murder”, showing that you are an idiot child

    I thought you might have realized how stupid you are and had committed suicide.

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 03:41 am - Link - Report abuse +2
  • St.John

    Please! please! don't drive Enrique away from mercopress.

    I so enjoy his stupid blabbering, which reminds me of Groucho Marx (albeit Groucho was performing on the screen while Enrique is sincere).

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 05:34 am - Link - Report abuse +2
  • British_Kirchnerist

    Demon “Do you think Macri's party gained such a large share of the vote because he's done so well in his first two years”

    Do you think I think that ;) Though a lot of people here who used to hate Argentina do, and by your impeccable logic they should be even less critical of Cristina than I am ;) My own argument is that the splitting of the anti-Macri vote, by right wing Peronists, the far left and Randazzo's vanity project, makes Macri's own support look better than it actually is, and in a runoff there will be nowhere to hide.

    “CFK's supporters would vote for someone else if she wasn't standing, and they could pick up other voters who dislike her.”

    Blairite triangulation, a method now losing everywhere. Compare the contrasting unexpected results for Clinton and Corbyn...

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 10:00 am - Link - Report abuse -3
  • Think

    Mr. British_Kirchnerist...

    Not forgetting two mayor challenges facing Macri's Cambiemos all but monolithical alliance...

    1) The “Radical Party”..., very..., very unhappy of being fagocitated by the “PRO Party” (kind of the Lib. Dems. and the Tories..., I reckon)

    2) Elisa Carrio, with her own presidential ambitions... A very..., very..., very loose cannon..., ..., if you get me drift... ;-)

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 10:46 am - Link - Report abuse -3
  • DemonTree

    @BK
    I think you are a statistical anomaly. ;)

    And I assume people would vote for one of the candidates in a run off, even if they choose not to vote tactically. But looking at the numbers, in the Presidential election in 2015, Scioli won the first round in BA, and in the run-off Macri closed the gap but was still behind.

    Now two years later, if CFK herself can't beat a mediocre Cambiemos candidate for senate that's not a positive sign for her.

    By right-wing Peronists, do you mean Massa's 1País party? Because he lost 390,481 votes between the PASO and the real election, and CFK only gained 261,942 in total, some of which presumably came from the small parties and people who didn't vote the first time. So I wouldn't be too sure his voters would switch to her in a run-off either.

    The other two parties actually gained votes in the real election, so who knows what their voters would do in a run-off.

    Also, I was under the impression that Randazzo was in the same party as CFK, until she decided to create this new Unidad Ciudadana, basically leaving him standing for her old party. Is that not correct?

    @Think
    Do you mean 'anything but monolithic' (= not at all monolithic)? 'All but monolithic' would mean 'almost monolithic'.

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 12:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • British_Kirchnerist

    I think he means its monolithic for now, but won't last. Carrio for President after Macri makes me think of Marx's comment on history repeating itself - first tragedy then farce. Would be interesting to see how people who called Cristina crazy explain supporting her ;)

    Think: ”Here is one new rising star in the political scene you maybe haven't heard of...
    She's gooooooooood.... and her opponents are really afraid of her cool intelligence...
    A kind of feminine Kicillof...;-)
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=165s&v=V5nNwkblHTA”

    Me likeee too =) Certainly better than our Blairite German-born Brexiteer Gisela Stuart! Is she in Congress now?

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 12:39 pm - Link - Report abuse -5
  • Think

    Thanks Mr. British_Kirchnerist...
    At least one Brit that understand my bad Engrish... ;-)
    And nope... Mrs. Marziotta didn't make it into congress... hope she keeps the good work, though...

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 01:28 pm - Link - Report abuse -6
  • British_Kirchnerist

    Me too, and gets in eventually, in Congress or as a government minister or at a Senate by-election in 2 years. I take it ure comment on ure English was in reply to the other thread http://en.mercopress.com/2017/10/17/argentina-s-macri-let-s-change-coalition-clearly-predominant-ahead-of-sunday-s-midterm-elections/comments You did translate Cristina's meaning and attitude very well, on the shitty authoritarianism unleashed by Macri

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 02:07 pm - Link - Report abuse -4
  • Think

    Mr. British_Kirchnerist...

    You are making me blush... ;-)

    Going back to that Engrish expression ...: “ALL BUT”..., it seems I am not the only foreign or native speaker being challenged by it...:

    ”I was searching for the origin of this phrase,(ALL BUT) because I agree with many of you that it is a poor construction since it can have two opposite meanings.
    Example:
    For the phrase “All but finished”
    The intended meaning is “Almost finished”
    However, it can also be translated as “Not finished” (every case except finished)
    As we know, “Almost finished” and “Not finished” have nearly opposing definitions, therefore proving the construction “all but...” to be terrible! :)”
    https://painintheenglish.com/case/258/sort:PostComment.score/direction:desc

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 02:29 pm - Link - Report abuse -5
  • DemonTree

    Hmmm, I don't see how 'all but finished' could mean 'not finished', it's a pity they didn't give an example.

    The comment above is more helpful in understanding it:

    “Interesting that none of your examples use quantity. Compare: ”All but one were eliminated.” It is a similar (but not identical) grammatical construct.”

    Anyway, I didn't want you blaming me for misunderstanding your bad English again, so I thought it better to check.

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 02:41 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Think

    Hmmmmm....
    The comment below is more helpful in understanding it...:

    “I was just watching a documentary, the narrator explained how a person ”purchased all but 8 cents of his salary in war bonds”.
    This is a prime example why this expression is problematic.
    Did the person use all his money to buy bonds with the exception of 8 cents which he used for something else?
    Or did the person buy ALMOST 8 cents worth of bonds every month?
    I understand that it is the latter. But as a translator, I tend to use the first grammatical construct because it is a very common one in Spanish.
    So now the question is, if I want to say that the person spent all his money on bonds EXCEPT 8 cents (which he kept), how do I say this?
    I cannot use the words “all but” because they would be interpreted to be used as an idiomatic expression and not in their literal meaning.
    I figure I could say: The person spent all his money on bonds except for 8 cents.
    This format takes away the emphasis of the original sentence, which focuses on the large amount expended on bonds and shifts the emphasis onto the 8 cents NOT used for the purchase of the bonds. So the reader is not getting the intended purpose, the emotional emphasis, of the writer. This idiomatic expression stops me from using a very common form in Spanish and forces me to give wordy explanations or unfit alternatives. Lost in the translation, you might say.”

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 02:51 pm - Link - Report abuse -5
  • DemonTree

    That comment makes no sense to me. Firstly, you don't purchase a salary, you are paid a salary. And if I heard someone had purchased war bonds with all but 8 cents of their salary, I would assume they now have 8 cents left, and a whole lot of war bonds.

    If I wanted to say the reverse, I would say they spent only 8 cents of their salary on war bonds.

    Do any native speakers disagree?

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 02:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......

    Time to use one of my second mother in law favourite phrases...:

    “END OF DISCUSSION...”

    Oct 26th, 2017 - 03:17 pm - Link - Report abuse -6
  • Zaphod Beeblebrox

    Think,

    ”Mr. British_Kirchnerist...You are making me blush... ;-)”

    Get a room! :-D

    Oct 27th, 2017 - 12:09 am - Link - Report abuse +1
  • British_Kirchnerist

    Well, that makes a change from what people used to think about me and Cristina ;)

    Oct 27th, 2017 - 09:52 am - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Think

    :-)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

    Oct 27th, 2017 - 09:59 am - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Clyde15

    All of his salary BUT eight cents makes it clearer, however it is an America speaking and they do not speak English !

    Oct 27th, 2017 - 12:37 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • DemonTree

    That's a bit unfair, it could have been a Canadian or an Aussie. ;)

    I was curious so I looked up the phrase in Spanish. 'Todo menos' is nearly always translated as 'anything but' or 'everything but', while 'todos menos uno' is usually translated 'all but one'. Not sure why it's 'todo' and not 'todos' in phrases like 'todo menos armas', but maybe it'll become obvious when I've learned more.

    Oct 27th, 2017 - 02:41 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Clyde15

    No. They speak English !

    Oct 27th, 2017 - 03:10 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • R. Ben Madison

    Too funny -- the Argentine map shows that the Falkland Islanders voted for “Kirchnerismo”. Can Argentines get any more delusional?

    Oct 29th, 2017 - 06:36 am - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Marti Llazo

    R. Ben Madison: .... Falkland Islanders voted for “Kirchnerismo”

    I think at the moment there are what, five resident argentines in the Falklands?

    But yes, delusion is the stuffing that keeps Argentina afloat.

    Carrió with 50.95% against the Kirchnerist 21.73% but the Kirchnerists here in the foro see near-term return to power in that? That's what we call delusion. Just can't acknowledge the monumental shellacking they took in the elections, and the eclipse of their famously corrupt empire.

    Oct 29th, 2017 - 11:47 am - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Tarquin Fin

    Otro whisky y ya van mil
    yo me pregunto entonces si aún estarías aquí cuando yo no era nadie
    y no tenia plata en el bolsillo.
    La nostalgia que otra vez
    no entiendo los que hacen lo mismo que yo hice ayer
    pero como hasta ahí nomás
    como viviendo en el pasado.
    Me escapé sin pensar,
    escuché a los Beatles
    y me fui a buscar la soledad
    y vos también estabas verde.

    Oct 30th, 2017 - 03:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • British_Kirchnerist

    Demon Tree: ”@BK I think you are a statistical anomaly. ;)”

    Well I've gone from being in a very small Party a couple of years ago to being in the biggest Party in Europe, as a strong supporter of the leadership that has inspired such growth, so I feel I'm doing OK ;)

    “if CFK herself can't beat a mediocre Cambiemos candidate for senate that's not a positive sign for her”

    If I was Bullrich I'd be pretty pissed at this story that's being spun by his own side that he was actually no good. Maybe he won because he was a great candidate, but that wouldn't be as humiliating for Cristina as losing to a dunce. So to further degrade her (along with repeating ad nauseam that she “lost” by getting elected) they have to throw their own guy under the bus. So I *really* don't buy they're no longer worried about la flor mas bella

    Oct 31st, 2017 - 09:08 am - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Clyde15

    Do tell us, what is the biggest party in Europe ? The brown nose party ?

    Oct 31st, 2017 - 12:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Marti Llazo

    So it looks as though today's Mister Kirchner - that would be Máximo - voted in the lower house of congress here to remove de Vido's immunity.

    Kirchnerism abandoning its rats when they are caught. Will there be jails enough to hold them all?

    CFK continues to publicly insult the judge who has charged her with treason (traición a la patria) and is evidently considering issuing an arrest request. (Publicly insulting a judge is considered an excellent legal strategy in Argentina).

    'La flor más bella' no; la maleza más nociva, sí.

    For those unfamiliar with the processes here, recall that it was the judiciary that asked for derogation of immunity for de Vido, and not the executive branch as the autodenominado British Kirchnerista would have us believe.

    Oct 31st, 2017 - 03:44 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • British_Kirchnerist

    Labour. Your not much of a Red Clydesider, clearly ;)

    Hadn't seen that about Maximo, and won't take it as read just from you tbh. Not heard much about him for a long time, seems all that stuff about him as the Kim Jong Un of the dynasty was a load of sensational rubbish - who'da thunk it ;) To be serious I don't know much about de Vido, except it seems to be part of a pattern of Macrist repression, the main target of which is Maximo's mother. So it your report seems a bit strange.

    “Publicly insulting a judge is considered an excellent legal strategy in Argentina”

    I take it you mean that ironically, but whatever the strategy involved, the insults are pretty damning, no? That he was actually the most anti-Nisman, even threatened him, when Nestor first brought him in to break the logjam in the investigation; astonishing that he'd be allowed back on the case now.

    Oct 31st, 2017 - 05:52 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Marti Llazo

    Actually it appears that Máximo simply didn't appear for the desafuero vote (that ultimately stripped de Vido of his congressional immunity) thus giving a voting advantage to those in favour of removing that immunity. Earlier media stories were unclear about precisely how Máximo had betrayed de Vido.

    For those who may wish to read a bit about the Máximo abandonment of now-jailed Kirchnerist Julio de Vido, there are many new stories on the topic. Goggle them and ... infórmate...

    “Por qué Julio De Vido está enojado con Máximo Kirchner - Mantenían una vieja relación pero el joven lo abandonó cuando se complicó el escenario judicial del ex ministro.”

    “Gómez Bull y Máximo Kirchner, ausentes sin aviso en el desafuero de De Vido”

    and since one good turn deserves another.... a move in the lower house to strip Máximo himself of congressional immunity:

    “Ahora en Diputados avanza un proyecto para quitarle los fueros a Máximo Kirchner”

    Will there be jails enough for all the convicted Kirchnerists?

    Oct 31st, 2017 - 06:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Clyde15

    BK

    Correct. I have come from a strong trade union and labour background BUT the bunch of closet communists we are heading for now are just as bad as the bunch of Tory twats we have in power. The last time we had a decent socialist government, I was about 5 years old.
    They gave us the NHS.

    Oct 31st, 2017 - 06:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    @BK
    Is the story about Bullrich being weak coming from his own side? I thought it was the papers who judged him a weak candidate, and pointed about that Vidal was carrying the weight of the campaigning for him.

    I know Think and Enrique were hoping the left would make big gains at this election, and that hasn't happened. And judging by the reactions of Enrique and the left wing press after the PASO, it does indeed make a big difference whether she came first or second.

    I doubt her opponents will stop worrying about her completely until she retires, but I imagine they are feeling a lot more comfortable after this result.

    Nov 01st, 2017 - 01:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0

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