MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazilian farmers blast Mercosur for its ‘bad leadership and worse presidents’
Mercosur has become characterized for “bad leadership and worse presidents” of the countries that make up the block, since there is no incentive for the regional organization and it has become “an ideological battle political field”, said Cesario Ramalho da Silva, president of the Brazilian Rural Society. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesDoes it serve any reasonable purpose that most of the chairs of the Federations and Associations in Mercosur countries tell their up-and-coming-dictators what we all know: That the governments - and especially the presidents - are ruled by emotions instead of cool and rational deliberations.
Aug 05th, 2013 - 08:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0That is not exactly a well kept secret, those of us who have observed their actions have known it for years.
That headline is funny......lol, real....but funny.......real funny.
Aug 05th, 2013 - 10:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Cesario wants attention.
Aug 06th, 2013 - 04:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0Especially female attention.
The problem Cesario faces is that Cesario hasn't seen a muff, not even when he was born...
What a pity it is that MercoPress doesn't seem to understand that the proper word to use for these groupings is “bloc” not “block”. The third and fourth paragraphs are a prime example of this.
Aug 06th, 2013 - 06:56 am - Link - Report abuse 0Just look at this extract from wikipedia:
Eastern Bloc, a former group of countries in Europe
Voting bloc, a group of voters voting together
Political bloc, a coalition of political parties
Trade bloc, a type of intergovernmental agreement
See, it's a perfectly acceptable word!
However, to the meat. Senhor da Silva is, of course, quite right. Be it an organisation, a country, a bloc, either there is progress or there is stagnation and then death. Argieland is well past the stagnation phase and now at the necrosis stage. Bits are dying, starved of the nutrient, investment, that they need. However, despite panic measures, argieland cannot supply all the nutrient it needs. Just as a qualified doctor checks various “vital signs”, so there are “vital signs” for an organisation, a country or a bloc. As has been said more than once, all that the CFK government is doing is slapping on band-aids. Hoping that one or more will create a miracle.
I used to like Dilma, though she seems to be unwilling to get rid of a toxic ally, and I'm afraid it's beginning to rub off on her.
Aug 06th, 2013 - 07:19 am - Link - Report abuse 0Mercosur has become “an ideological battle political field”,
Aug 06th, 2013 - 08:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0You said it Cesario.....time to join the only real free trade bloc in S. America.....the Pacific Alliance....but don't bring your neighbour Argenzuela with you....they're not welcome!!!
I like Dilma and have sneaking admiration for Mujica.
Aug 06th, 2013 - 08:43 am - Link - Report abuse 0“they want and need cohesion”, said Ramalho da Silva.”
Aug 06th, 2013 - 09:04 am - Link - Report abuse 0Judging by the times South America calls itself brothers for the cameras then its individual countries promptly place trade tariffs and say' by the way when are your returning that land you stole?' then cohesion is along time coming.
Mercosul(r) has no reason to exist other than reaffirm that politics are far more important and relevant than its mesmbers economy. Nothing good came or comes from the useless group of countries. In special Argentina does not respect rules and treaties breaking their according to its will and needs.
Aug 06th, 2013 - 03:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Its hardly surprising that it is this organisation that is blowing the whistle on Mercosur and identifying *explicitly* that its problem is the *presidents* of the member countries.
Aug 07th, 2013 - 12:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Presidents play politics without seeing the larger game. And now they have incorporated Venezuela to complete the dominance of dogma, to the ultimate destruction or degradation of all the nations involved.
The ONLY future for these middling, great or once-great countries is the application of economics to relate trade production in the Mercosur countries to the trade needs of the rest of the world (and vice versa).
If you want to see an example of a country isolates itself from the world, look at Bhutan; it may (or may not) have 'integrity', but it is as poor as it gets.
The window of opportunity for the countries of Mercosur is in the process of slamming shut. But presidents can't see it.
Geoff
Aug 07th, 2013 - 01:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Mercosur doesn't want isolation, but if we have to choose between isolation or sell cheap and buy expensive, the choice is easy.
We know what we have, and we know that you need it.
Lets trade.
But lets trade fair.
Yes, get on with the negotiations.
Aug 07th, 2013 - 03:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Trade between blocs needs masses of agreements, sub-optimal in some areas, supra-optimal in others. France and Ireland will press hard on beef import prices/volumes, Germany on high-end manufactured goods, etc, etc.
But the most important fact is that the last TEN years have seen rock bottom development of the trading protocols of Mercosur. The trading model is publicly available for them in all the EU protocols - which are excellent.
The protocol MUST MESH in the sense that both parties use the same business paradigm.
We both need the elimination of politics, removal of 'off the cuff' presidential edicts, and massive rapid training of the Mercosur administrative arm (the 'civil service').
And we certainly need some leader from within Mercosur to 'kick the team up the arse' to get things moving!
I think that if the EU accepted a taxing on manufactured goods equal to the one they introduce on the agricultural ones, we may just have an agreement.
Aug 07th, 2013 - 05:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0That, or remove the taxing on the agricultural products.
Of course the blocs will have to agree within eachother, that's a must...
Again, lets trade fair.
'... get things moving!'
Aug 08th, 2013 - 05:19 am - Link - Report abuse 0Nothing will get moving. Mercosur cannot move out of it's own way let alone make a trade deal. What significant deals have Mercosur accomplished? 20 years......two decades and nada.
Aug 08th, 2013 - 08:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0It appears to have served more as an idea (and ideas are important in Latin America) and as a chess piece in complex political strategies both among the MERCOSUR members, and between them and powerful outsiders, notably the United States and EU(especially in its now failed efforts to dictate a Free Trade Area of the Americas)
The only thing notable with USA, is their farm bill and its subsidy money.
Aug 08th, 2013 - 12:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Again I say, lets trade, but lets trade fair.
I think, Dany, that the President of Mercosur should visit Brussels (the EU) and tell them that Mercosur is just an idea of politics (#15).
Aug 09th, 2013 - 07:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0Europe has been labouring for over two decades under the illusion that they were trying to make trade pacts with a trading bloc.
Never has this country had such a corrupt government like this. Who is Dilma? An ex-terrorist, communist. Nothing good can come from her and her ailing government. Luckily Lula is again in hospital waiting for the doors of hell to open for him: our only hope a new generation of politicians can change the wrong course this giant country has taken.
Aug 09th, 2013 - 03:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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