MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

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  Condorito

  “bill proposes increasing public spending by roughly 5% next year”
  
  There aren't many countries in that luxury position these days. In fact public spending has increase 127% in the last 6 years - without increasing debt!
  
  The problem is that today's celebrated spending increases are what everyone takes for granted tomorow. It is much harder to decrease public spending, just look at europe.
  
  This is a tighly run ship my friends, lets keep it that way.
  Quatermaster! three sheets to the wind!

  Oct 01st, 2012 - 01:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  pecurto

  Os jovens do Chile tem todo o direito de ter uma educação seja de que classe social e o estado deve apoiar os estudantes do Chile

  Oct 01st, 2012 - 01:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  Pete Bog

  Pity the Chilean government supports Argentina's claim for the Falklands, but glad that it's willingness to provide an airlink abnd trade with the Islands brings in valuable income for them and enabvles its citizens to benefit from working in the Islands
  
  Stil, Snr Pinero take a look across the water at your neighbours eucation system.
  
  FIG spends 25% national budget on education which includes sending its' citizens to UK universities free of charge

  Oct 01st, 2012 - 08:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  British_Kirchnerist

  Chile is moving to the left under pressure from the masses, the dead hand of Pinochet loosens ever more, can't wait for the Bachelet comeback =)

  Oct 03rd, 2012 - 12:04 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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  Condorito

  BK
  Bachelet should never have left office. Our constitution allows only one term in office, which in this case has been counter-productive. Bachelet left office with 80% approval. I think having to remove a popular leader is almost as undemocratic as not being able to remove an unpopular one. At the end of the day, the majority have not got what they want and this leads to unrest and the situation we have now. In this climate the right policies lose out to political tribalism, which is bad for everyone. I am not a Bachelet supporter but I would have preferred the political cycle to flow naturally, rather than curtail democratic wishes.
  
  The one-term law was an understandable knee-jerk reaction to the dictatorship, but it needs to be changed. In the words of your national bard: “..
  The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
  Gang aft agley,
  An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
  For promis'd joy!”
  
  The great irony is that, if we had had a second Bachelet term, Hidroaysen would have gone ahead and the students wouldn’t have got their way. Did you follow the student protests in 2006? More tear gas, more water cannon, less outcry. Wonder why?

  Oct 03rd, 2012 - 01:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  British_Kirchnerist

  #5 I agree with your main points, which is why I support the moves to amend the Argentine constitution so Cristina can run again if she likes, and if the people still want her, as they obviously did with Bachelet. The irony is that its this interruption of Concertation rule that has galvanised a mass movement against the new conservative government, which I hope and expect will in turn empower Bachelet to be more radical in her 2nd term than the post-Pinochet straitjacket allowed her to be in her 1st (as your examples illustrate), so in this case it may be all to the good...

  Oct 04th, 2012 - 02:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  Condorito

  BK
  Many have come to the conclusion that 2 terms is a safe and wise limit. In a country with strong institutions and strong rule of law there is not a big danger of allowing more than two terms. However Argentina has neither of these things. If you actually wanted what was good for Argentina you would not want CFK in for a 3rd term. I do not support the Concertacion, but I can say (and have said) that I would have preferred Bachelet to continue because it would have been better for national unity – I am not tribal, I want my country to succeed.
  
  “the post-Pinochet straitjacket “: You fundamentally misunderstand the Concertacion. During the first 4 post Pinochet years, you could have said there was a psychological straightjacket, due to a fear that the army may come back. But since then there has been nothing holding or restraining policy, other than legitimate political opposition. The Concertacion’s strict fiscal control was their own policy, there are no two ways about it, no one would deny it, least them. They are (rightly) very proud of it. During the credit crash the finance minister (Andes Velasco) boasted about it and made clear that Chile’s resilience to the crisis was due to the gov’t policy of building up reserves. And he was right. The reason he crowed was because prior to the credit crash he had been under pressure from all sides to loosen policy and use the reserves more aggressively. He was Bachelet’s right-hand man, but if he decides to run, he will be a serious contender for president.
  
  I just found this for you:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56BGJ5wtVhk
  
  I had never heard him speak English before, which he does very well. At min 17 he touches on what I am saying. This is not a man in a straight jacket. This is a man who is an acclaimed economist and had the balls to hold the line, do what was difficult, unpopular, but right. As he says Lehman Bros proved him right.

  Oct 04th, 2012 - 04:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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