MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Bolsonaro and Macri announce the EU/Mercosur trade deal is “imminent”
The presidents of Argentina and Brazil said on Thursday that an agreement is imminent on a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and Argentina's Mauricio Macri expressed confidence that the deal would soon be signed as they met in Buenos Aires for talks. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesMacri and Bolsonaro, two partners in crime.
Jun 07th, 2019 - 10:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0From which circus did these jokers escape?
Jun 07th, 2019 - 12:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Bolsonaro looks super uncomfortable in that picture. Just where is Macri's hand?
Jun 07th, 2019 - 12:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@DemonTree
Jun 07th, 2019 - 01:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: where is Macri's hand?
One hand does not know what his other hand is doing. But you'll have to admit that you have never seen such well-dressed beggars/buggers before - that's perfectly NORMAL - a specialty in fact - in politics:
http://www.chargeonline.com.br/php/charges/son.jpg
DT (cont. “CFK to be # 2 ...”)
Jun 07th, 2019 - 06:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Wanted to see if EM recognized the fact Macri inherited a bad situation - not contesting that he made it worse. As to “wasn’t inevitable”, it's debatable, but as I don’t follow ARG politics closely, no point speculating.
“Like, stupid people may do things for bad reasons”…that’s right...Here, they can be nice, affable, and plain stupid - due to ignorance, not seeing thru a politicians' false promises. They're easy prey, it’s clear that the basics are beyond their comprehension. And even when they accept a kg of sugar to support someone, they think they're acting correctly.
The oligarchs ‘n their MO is all that many poor in the NE, know. They’ve become accustomed, without realizing they’d be better with a change…so the failed promises continue, ‘n they keep on being re-elected…father to son, to grandson.
Collor was not put on trial same way as Lula was – he appealed to the STJ to regain his political rights 'n lost. In 94, he was accused of passive corruption, ‘n the STF ignored overwhelming proof (his connection to PCFarias), 'n dismissed all charges.
If PG’s version of the pension system passes, govt should save abt R$ 100 billion/year. This alone won’t do the trick, but together, with other changes in the pipeline (ex., reducing red-tape, spreading the tax-burden more evenly) ‘n with more flexible labor rules, should... by increasing private ‘n public investment.
Economic growth predictions are bleak, based on a half-baked reform…which at best, will postpone the inevitable. The local labor laws, in the sense of benefits while working, ‘n if fired – which roughly double payroll expenses – are far greater than in the US….why they (US) put up with it ? what choice do they have ? it’s how it is.
Don’t know how deep the cuts to ‘research’ were, but as it’s only one component of the 3,4 %, (of the total contingency, R$ 1,7 billion) can’t be very much…it’s not as if research will be abandoned, but I don’t know the details.
@Jack Bauer
Jun 07th, 2019 - 08:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “Economic growth predictions are bleak, based on a half-baked reform”
Half Baked?
With the New Fad of “Peso Real” the goose could be thoroughly cooked - sooner than expected:
http://www.chargeonline.com.br/php/DODIA//tacho.jpg
Oh dear Moro did something so illegal the Lula's case would be thrown out in 'common law' jurisdictions. The trial would be considered irreversibly tainted as “Fruit of the Poisoned Tree”.
Jun 09th, 2019 - 01:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0DISGUISED MEASURE
All 25 lawyers from Lula's office were stapled
Print out Submit
March 17, 2016, 6:27 p.m.
By Marcos de Vasconcellos and Sérgio Rodas
Federal judge Sergio Moro did not break the secrecy of only Roberto Teixeira , lawyer of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but also of the central telephone of his headquarters, Teixeira, Martins e Advogados , in São Paulo. With this, conversations of all 25 bankers with at least 300 clients were stapled, as well as phone calls from employees and bank trainees.
Roberto Teixeira and Cristiano Zanin Martins requested that the Sections of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro of the Brazilian Bar Association take “all appropriate measures in relation to this serious attack on the Democratic State of Law.”
Cristiano Zanin Martins also stressed that he hopes that these requests will be forwarded to the National Council of Justice, which can take disciplinary measures against Moro
https://www.conjur.com.br/2016-mar-17/25-advogados-escritorio-defende-lula-foram-grampeados?fbclid=IwAR2iWIEuCHk2F7otIGsrRGXYi9SS6yRL31o5Hlt0CybcIp2eQIeMlB2FgaA
@JB
Jun 09th, 2019 - 05:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Here, they can be nice, affable, and plain stupid”
Wish I could see what's going on for myself. I've met stupid people, but not too many who couldn't work out that other people may not be telling the truth, for their own reasons. And you'd think the other parties would campaign against the oligarchs, point out when they didn't keep their promises... it's strange.
Re Collor, sounds like the STF used to be a lot more corrupt than they are today. Would the judges back then have been appointed by the military presidents?
I've seen the gloomy economic predictions, and those are assuming the pension reform passes. I thought Guedes was supposed to be pretty well-regarded as an economist, so why the lack of confidence?
”why they (US) put up with it ? what choice do they have ?”
They could vote for representatives who would give them employment protection, and paid holidays, and other benefits that make life more secure and less stressful. Apparently that's not what they want. There are a lot of very strange people in America.
As for research, depends how much they were spending in the first place. Temer already cut a lot of spending, there may not be much left by now.
”THE INTERCEPT BRASIL today published three explosive exposés showing highly controversial, politicized, and legally dubious internal discussions and secret actions by the Operation Car Wash anti-corruption task force of prosecutors, led by the chief prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, along with then-Judge Sergio Moro, now the powerful and internationally celebrated justice minister for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Jun 10th, 2019 - 12:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0These three articles were published today in The Intercept Brasil in Portuguese, and we have synthesized them into two English-language articles for The Intercept. Given the size and global influence of Brazil under the new Bolsonaro government, these stories are of great significance to an international audience.
This is merely the beginning of what we intend to be an ongoing journalistic investigation, using this massive archive of material, into the Car Wash corruption probe; Moro’s actions when he was a judge and those of the prosecutor Dallagnol; and the conduct of numerous individuals who continue to wield great political and economic power both inside Brazil and in other countries.
https://theintercept.com/2019/06/09/brazil-archive-operation-car-wash/
How long this “Brotherhood of Beggars” is going to last?
Jun 10th, 2019 - 02:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0@DT
Jun 10th, 2019 - 10:52 pm - Link - Report abuse -1“...but not too many who couldn't work out that other people may not be telling the truth, for their own reasons”......not surprising....the uneducated here are truly ignorant and easily manipulated by unscrupulous politicians... The oligarchs are in most parties, so who is going to speak up against them ? Anyway, despite the possibility of parties entertaining antagonistic views, what reigns in Congress is corporativism.
During the military regime, don't know who would appoint STF judges, as you didn't hear much about them, and I doubt that the court had much imfluence back then.
Re the pension reform, whose lack of confidence ? PG's, Congress's or the people's ? Anyway, until the future looks better, no one is investing. And lack of confidence that it will help ?
“They could vote for representatives who would give them employment protection...” sounds nice, but have any representatives ever brought this up during a campaign ? IF never proposed (?), are Americans even aware that they could fight for such rights ?
Brazil has always spent a fraction of what more advanced countries spend on research....and even then, I don't know what sort of research the federal universities would be doing....or whether it's going to suffer irreversible damage or just a temporary setback..
Regardless of the cuts, I don't think they would be made if there was any other alternative....perhaps cut more from public health ? (bad idea). It's a matter of prioritizing scarce resources, no one is cutting investments to piss people off...at the moment it is pretty damned unavoidable...at times I wonder what state Brazil would be in if Haddad had won, 'n carried on with Dilma's policies, even after seeing how disastrous they were...but knowing the PT, I believe the situation would be even worse...and although he is a crook, Temer at least did what he could.
@:o))
The 'Peso Real', if it ever gets off paper, won't be before 2040...so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you..
@Jack Bauer
Jun 11th, 2019 - 12:53 am - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “if it ever gets off the paper, won't be before 2040”
True!
That too if the Brotherhood of Beggars lasts long enough!
http://www.chargeonline.com.br/php/charges/AUTO_luscar.jpg
Brazil Fails to Replace Cuban Doctors, Hurting Health Care of 28 Million
Jun 11th, 2019 - 05:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0By Shasta Darlington and Letícia Casado. June 11, 2019
This small Brazilian city, Embu-Guaçu, home to 70,000 people, recently lost eight of its 18 public-sector doctors, a devastating loss for the city’s network of free clinics, forcing hard choices about who gets care and when.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Fernanda Kimura, a doctor who coordinates the assignment of physicians to the clinics for the local health department. “Like choosing which child to feed.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/world/americas/brazil-cuba-doctors-jair-bolsonaro.html
“The oligarchs are in most parties, so who is going to speak up against them ?”
Jun 11th, 2019 - 05:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Suppose that's a good point, but even so I'd expect them to condemn other parties for it. Don't think too many politicians have a problem with hypocrisy.
I checked on Wikipedia, and the military presidents continued to appoint judges to the STF. Collor himself appointed 2 judges, and Sarney 5, of whom I think 4 were still on the court. The other 5 would have been chosen by the military. That's who dismissed the case against Collor.
“whose lack of confidence ?”
Whoever makes predictions about the economy. Investors, economists, banks? I think it's exactly that no one is willing to invest until the future looks better, and until they start investing, it won't.
“are Americans even aware that they could fight for such rights ?”
Surely. They don't live under a rock. The US used to have powerful unions that got people better pay and conditions - maybe they became too powerful and people turned against them? And as for other benefits, perhaps Americans just care about money above everything else? I should think mandatory holidays, sick pay etc would result in somewhat lower salaries.
I'm not sure Haddad could exactly have carried on Dilma's policies, since she changed them so much over time, trying to fix the recession. Besides that, he didn't seem to have any fixed ideas, so who knows what you'd have ended up with. I was interested to see him complain about the banks in the interview you linked to, though. Guedes recently said something very similar, that the banks have a monopoly and are making too high a profit. Surprising to see people from opposite political poles agree like that!
As for the Peso Real, :o))'s Peso Morto is more like it. Can't imagine what they were thinking.
@TH
Jun 11th, 2019 - 05:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “Brazil Fails to Replace Cuban Doctors”:
Isn't the “Native Variety” good enough?
https://i1.wp.com/blogdeassis.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/paixao.jpg?resize=480%2C339
DT
Jun 11th, 2019 - 06:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0F.Collor appointed his cousin, Marco Aurelio, to the STF…easy to see a trend that Presidents appoint those whom they believe will go easy on them, but they might become unpleasantly surprised.
“whose lack of confidence”: “Whoever makes predictions abt the economy. Investors, economists, banks?” Ok, exactly…what’ I’ve said all along…who's going to commit their money when the outcome is so uncertain ? I know it has to start at some point, but private investment will only appear when Congress unties the govt’s hands, allowing Brazil to get out of the rut, 'n produce confidence in the future.
I know Americans don’t live under a rock, some may have even thought abt a few minor changes here ‘n there, but it goes against the general business culture, so I can’t see any politicians who depend on donations to start plugging unpopular agendas for big business. ”…mandatory holidays, sick pay etc would result in somewhat lower salaries”…think so too, as business won't simply reduce profits without tough negotiation…but I’d say it's business that holds the knife, & the cheese.
Dilma’s attempts to fix the recession she could see looming on the horizon, made it worse. She did none of the right things…blind, stubborn, or stupid ? or all three ? Might be good to note, that when the Dilma was in power, it was Lula 'n the PT who gave the orders, so I don’t think Haddad would have had much room to be his own man either….'n even if he would’ve been less acquiescent than Dilma, he would depend on the PT to get anything done. Nearer the end of the campaign he adopted versions of what B was fighting for, as if they were his original ideas…in the hope it might recover votes. Don’t think he'd have been much different to Dilma.
Re the banks, even Lula ranted against them, but once in power, got into bed with them.
Peso Real : don’t know where the idea came from, but it was clear it was very long term…the media, in the beginning tried to imply exactly the opposite.
@Jack Bauer
Jun 12th, 2019 - 11:56 am - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “Peso Real: don’t know where the idea came from, but it was clear it was very long term”:
True!
Surely there were dumb politicians before Bolsonaro!
I admire his foresight about yearning to be hand-in-gloves with Macri [Argentina?]! After all, the Titanics of the two are struggling to head for similar icebergs:
http://www.chargeonline.com.br/php/charges/AUTO_gilx.jpg
@JB
Jun 12th, 2019 - 05:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“easy to see a trend that Presidents appoint those whom they believe will go easy on them”
Yup. Except Dilma maybe, since her appointments voted against Lula's HC. She strikes me as being much more idealistic than Lula.
“can’t see any politicians who depend on donations to start plugging unpopular agendas for big business”
That's the other explanation. Most countries have limits on donations, so maybe the politicians are a little more responsive to voters. I think those illegal campaign donations in Brazil would be 100% legal in the US... sucks for Americans.
“[Dilma] did none of the right things...”
She must've at some point, since she reversed her course after she was reelected. Dilma started the cuts and Temer expanded/deepened them.... didn't help, though.
“I don’t think Haddad would have had much room to be his own man either”
Probably not, especially the way he was put forward as a substitute for Lula. If he had been candidate from the beginning, he might have been a bit more independent and started to put his own stamp on policies, but who knows.
Seems to me Lula/the PT tried to improve things for the poor, but without addressing the real and difficult reforms needed. Likely in the beginning he didn't feel his position secure enough, and later when things seemed to be going okay, he lost interest in rocking the boat. It's disappointing, he could have achieved a lot more.
Re Peso Real, I expect it was B opening his mouth without engaging brain again. It's an odd idea, are they planning some kind of South American Euro? Because that hasn't worked out so well.
@DT
Jun 12th, 2019 - 07:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0With the exception of Tofolli, Lewandowski (declared petistas), G.Mendes (for sale to the highest bidder) and now Morais, who all lean left, the STF has been pretty impartial, in that they (the others) have not been influenced by who appointed them. Sometimes they rule in favor or against, but to the outsider (me) seems generally consistent with the law (as I know it) and logic.
I don't think Dilma was idealistic...not trying to be nasty, but she was just not-bright. Totally lost. What Dilma cut was cosmetic....made absolutely no difference. More propaganda than real effect.
Haddad was Lula's 'post', he would've done everthing Lula told him to. Haddad was appointed by Lula to be his 'stand-in'...Haddad accepted it....after Lula told him he would be the candidate, and that Manoela DÁvila (an out 'n out communist) would be his VP, he accepted it. Haddad wouldn't even take a dump if Lula didn't authorize him to. Sad fact is that Lula has enough influence to make or break any Petista.
Lula and the PT simply did the bare minimum to keep people from starving...could've done so much more, but what he did was enough to hook them, so why go any further ? Govt propaganda played a very big role in the PT administrations. (The big media outlets, especially Globo, over the last 6 months, have fired many and/or renegotiated salaries of just about all of their hired artists). Lula was an expert at not rocking the boat....especially if he were in it. Always took the easy, populist way out ...reason why no reforms worthwhile talking of, were carried out. TBH with you, do not feel like hashing over all this crap again.
Re the Peso Real, even B, when asked about it by reporters, was clear...“long term”...like the EU. (but imo, even long term would never work in South America). If you actually saw him /heard what he said, you'd know the press had jumped to its own conclusions.
@Jack Bauer
Jun 13th, 2019 - 05:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “for sale to the highest bidder”:
It will really be very surprising - shocking, as a matter of fact - if someone does have Power + Legal Protection and still not even a little bit corrupt! Such a person urgently NEEDS Severe Psychiatric-Treatment!
http://www.chargeonline.com.br/php/DODIA//jbosco.jpg
@JB
Jun 13th, 2019 - 06:36 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Morais? Wasn't he appointed by Temer? I'm surprised you say he leans left, I'd have though Temer would be especially keen on appointing an acquiescent judge, given the cases hanging over him...
Dilma studied economics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Maybe it's not as good as USP, but she can't have been that dim. (Good thing she wasn't at your university really, you might have known her.) Plus, she was Secretary of Energy for Rio Grande do Sul before she ever met Lula, so she can't have been that incompetent. Just not well suited to being president, and too much under Lula's thumb. I found an interesting article about her, from before she was elected:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-election-rousseff/special-report-dilma-rousseff-brazils-automatic-pilot-idUSTRE68M1SA20100923
You can tell me how many of their predictions came true.
“Sad fact is that Lula has enough influence to make or break any Petista.”
Hmm. Supposing that wasn't the case, and they wanted a candidate who had their own mind and policies, rather than Lula's puppet. Who in the PT would make the best leader?
“do not feel like hashing over all this crap again.”
Okay. But why did Globo have to fire their presenters? Because they aren't getting money from the government any more?
As for the Peso Real, why would Brazil want to take on Argentina's inflation problems, especially when Brazil only just recovered from its own hyperinflation? And why would Argentina want to share a currency with a much bigger neighbour, especially given the disaster that happened when they tied the peso to the USD? If the Euro is their model, that's not exactly been a stunning success, either. Seems batty.
DT
Jun 13th, 2019 - 10:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Morais was appointed by Temer, but he got to where he did in politics under Alckmin...who seems to have been a secret 'petista' (his initial backing of Haddad in 2nd round).
When are you going to realize, political indications to public jobs (in BZL) are rarely based on competence ? RS was predominantly PT so no surprise that she, being an obedient acolyte, would be looked after. And to believe graduating implies someone is 'not-dim', would depend on where they graduated from. Well I only saw her while she was in PB and as Prez...a dismal failure, in both. She even managed to bankrupt a $ 99 cent business.
Predictions that came true (or what she got wrong): she said no need to loosen up on Brazil's restrictive labor laws (wrong ); no need to make budgetary cuts (of course not, just keep on spending); said Bzl could keep on growing at 7%/year....wrong; she wagered she'd create millions of jobs - she did the opposite ; said she'd improve education with subsalt oil revenue she didn't ; she claimed to be her own woman, but Lula thought differently...she WAS his doormat; she led the country into stagnation, then recession; how incompetent does someone have to be to do everything wrong ?
Lula, being the PT's almighty God, would always get his way....and still does....Who, from jail, appointed Gleisi Hoffmann as PT president ?
Without the Federal Government's generous propaganda package, Globo lost billions in revenue....good enough reason ?
The Peso Real - a vague plan for when ? 2040 ? - would presume that by then, Argentina's economy would grow to the extent it could accompany Brazil's... wasn't that one of the premisses (althou not 100% respected) to become a member of the EU ? Brazil's been free of hyper inflation for 25 years, so what're you talking about ? And why would Germany want to share a currency with Portugal (back in 1985/6) ? The whole thing (Peso Real) was an exercise in speculation...wishful thinking....don't take it seriously.
“Alckmin...who seems to have been a secret 'petista'”
Jun 14th, 2019 - 06:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Now that really seems unlikely. Either Alckmin believed supporting the PT would be of most benefit to him, or else he thought Haddad the lesser of two evils (much like Americans who voted against Hilary, or against Trump, without approving of either). But what did Morais do to make you think him left-wing?
Re Dilma, she wasn't in the PT at that point; she helped found the PDT (Brizola's party). And she had quite a few jobs in the state government, surely they want someone at least minimally competent? As for her degree, she started at UFMG but quit to be a revolutionary. She completed it in Porto Alegre after her release from prison. Good institutions or not?
It sounds like the article was right about her lack of vision. She wasn't willing (or perhaps able, thanks to Lula) to make the changes Brazil needed, but simply wanted things to continue as they had.
“how incompetent does someone have to be to do everything wrong ?”
How much was her and how much Lula, though? And as for Gleisi Hoffmann, I could have sworn she was president of the PT before Lula went to prison. I suppose she's another of his faithful acolytes?
Re the Peso Real, even if Argentina's economy was stronger, it would still be dwarfed by Brazil's, due to their respective population size. And I know I exaggerated about the hyperinflation, but the Brazilian government is still pretty concerned with keeping inflation low, I don't know why Germany wanted to share a currency with Portugal, but they did, even before 85. They bent the rules to let Greece in, and I'm sure everyone regrets it now.
Britain was in the first ERM, and it fucked the economy until we were forced to pull out, losing billions of taxpayers' money in the process. Memory of that is why we didn't join the Euro, and I'd strongly advise against a single currency.
@Jack Bauer
Jun 15th, 2019 - 01:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “wishful thinking....don't take it seriously”:
True!
But this wishful thinking sounds more like defecating in public and still hoping that the public [knowledgable, at least] will ignore the defecation!
And besides, to make the defecating easier:
http://www.chargeonline.com.br/php/DODIA//pelicano.jpg
I guess the main point is that the leading candidate was arrested as part of a US cooperative anti-corruption investigation between the US Department of Justice and the Brazilian public prosecutor’s office.
Jun 15th, 2019 - 04:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Now, he was arrested with no material evidence, and the main beneficiaries of the fact that he and the PT party were removed from the race this year are American corporations. And so I think that Americans should know that their government, their corporations, had a hand in what’s happening down here, and had a hand in the return to fascism. Brian Mier
https://truthout.org/audio/how-the-us-contributed-to-brazils-return-to-fascism/
@Terence Hill
Jun 15th, 2019 - 09:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Did you see? There is an explanation for EVERYTHING! And besides; ONCE a politician; ALWAYS a crook [or vice versa - depending who one's favorite crook is]!
https://www.otempo.com.br/image/contentid/policy:1.2195452:1560390480/CHARGE%20O%20TEMPO.JPG?f=3x2&q=0.6&w=620&$p$f$q$w=904c3fd
@DT
Jun 15th, 2019 - 09:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Now that really seems unlikely.”...just a figure of speech, but since when does a politician whose always claimed to be 'in the middle', support his arch-enemy ? But whatever he thought, he should've known his stance would have consequences...it wasn't just abt having coffee or tea....if at all, should've declared neutrality.
Morais' decisions, the most recent - to team up with Tofolli in trying to pass laws censuring free-speech, in not allowing public criticism of the STF, or it's members, equating it to 'threats' - indicates he believes it's ok to invade Congressional jurisdiction (legislating); 'n others, where he's sided with the trio formed by Lewandoski, Tofolli (rabid petistas) and Gilmar Mendes (corrupt SOB). Morais might not be 'left-wing' but sure lets it influence him.
Dilma's political career started in the MDB, then the PTB. After the PTB acronym was lost to another political group, she co-founded the PDT (Brizola).
“At least minimally competent” ? well, as qualifications for a job in politics (here) are secondary to blind loyalty, she was very competent. Her signing off on the purchase of the Pasadena refinery - US$ 1,2 billion, when it was worth less than 10% - makes her what ? competent, stupid, smart, corrupt ? Just to listen to her speak says it all...she is dim, unqualified for larger jobs, i.e., president of the PB board, 'n the Presidency....but she fit the profile Lula wanted....dumb 'n obedient. The institutions she went to are nowhere near the top. Fyg, USP is about 250th in the world ranking, UFMG 'n UFRGS about 600th...'n even then, getting in could've easily been just luck. I met a few university graduates who weren't too bright. Gleisi is fanatically loyal to Lula. Just as radical in certain issues.
The Peso Real is totally impracticable, now and for the foreseeable future. Free-trade can exist between countries, without a single currency... so why complicate matters by self-imposed unrealistic conditions ?
@Jack Bauer
Jun 15th, 2019 - 10:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “why complicate matters by self-imposed unrealistic conditions?”:
Exactly! Even the good old Barter-System wasn't so bad!
“since when does a politician whose always claimed to be 'in the middle', support his arch-enemy ?”
Jun 16th, 2019 - 11:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0I suggest it means Alckmin/the PSDB trash-talked the PT while facing them in elections, but didn't really believe what they were saying. No doubt it would help them get elected if they accused the PT of being radicals/communists/planning to turn Brazil into Venezuela, but while they had real differences, their basic programs weren't so dissimilar. Possibly Alckmin really thought Bolsonaro would be worse, or possibly he was trying to protect himself, but either way I don't think he'd have done it if he believed as you do about the FdSP etc.
Morais decision to limit free speech has nothing to do with being left-wing; banning criticism of himself is pure self interest. What else has he sided with the 'petistas' on? I do remember he voted against Lula's HC, so he wasn't supporting them then.
“Just to listen to her speak says it all”
People used to say the same about Bush II, did you think the same of him?
(Which reminds me, I saw this the other day: http://i.imgur.com/nG6hBM2.jpg . Think it was made during Obama's presidency, but it's amazing how much is still true of Trump's. “Vladimir Putin was still seen as a 'bad guy'” is especially striking.)
“USP is about 250th in the world ranking”
That's surprisingly low if it's the best in Brazil. I wonder how much difference there really is when you're ranking 1000 institutions? I found another ranking and that puts USP at 77, so yes, changing the methodology can drastically change the rank. Still, 600th probably represents a real difference. I reckon USP is comparable to my university, while the other two would be medium-to-good in the UK. We do have bad universities, and I have met some not-so-bright people who got into them.
“why complicate matters by self-imposed unrealistic conditions ?”
Indeed. There are advantages, but for the EU I suspect the desire for 'ever closer union' was the main reason.
Jack Bauer aka Proof-less and Truth-less
Jun 16th, 2019 - 12:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Dilma's ... she is dim ... The institutions she went to are nowhere near the top”
Hmm, your biased musings or the fact she was Lula's Chief of Staff, and he is the most popular president ever, hired someone who was incompetent, hardly likely.
Whereas, Ernesto Geisel, the general who presided over Brazil’s dictatorship from 1974 to 1979 — in a compendium of interviews published in 1997 by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) academic institution — called Mr Bolsonaro a “bad military man”.
In over thirty years as a legislator can point to not one single achievement. This week is having a major tantrum and firing cabinet members left and right, and is well on track to being Brazil's worst President ever.
@DT
Jun 16th, 2019 - 02:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “There are advantages, but for the EU I suspect the desire for 'ever closer union' was the main reason”:
THAT may be true in case of the EU but in South America; the MAIN reason is: “Friend in need isn't a friend of mine” [NOT publically; of course]! Remember the “Club [group] of Lima”? The Club-Members can teach Harry Houdini a few Latest Disappearing Tricks!
Speaking of the “Disappearing Tricks”; nobody knows where Queiroz is and neither could they find the “kit Gay”!
https://www.marcoeusebio.com.br/files/charge-amarildo_add6ea5c.jpg
Bryan Harris in São Paulo and Andres Schipani in Rio de Janeiro JUNE 10, 2019
Jun 16th, 2019 - 07:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Lawyers for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the jailed former Brazil president, have called for his release following the publication of leaked messages that appeared to show co-operation between prosecutors and the judge who put him in prison.
“There is no question the procedures against former President Lula are tainted by extremely serious issues when it comes to violations of fundamental guarantees and denial of one’s rights,” said lawyers for the former president, who served between 2003 and 2010.
“Lula should be released immediately and the courts should recognise once and for all that he has not committed any crime”, Lula da Silva’s lawyers said, following the release of the messages purportedly showing Mr Moro offering advice to chief prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol.
https://www.ft.com/content/2fa618ee-8b8e-11e9-a1c1-51bf8f989972
@DT
Jun 16th, 2019 - 08:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“I suggest it means Alckmin/the PSDB trash-talked the PT while facing them in elections...”
Well, what you are saying is they are all the same shit....and that the best option is to choose the least worse. Obviously campaign rhetoric is meant to show what they consider other candidates' flaws, but I knew Alckmin and was surprised at his 'defection'. Looking at his record, at his past actions, was difficult to imagine he might even side with the PT...anyway, am still waiting to see all the nasty things B said - many taken out of context - come true. Regarding the FdeSP, it's not about people believing in it more, or less...it is what it is...a political organization, composed of corupt left-wing parties, with the objective of dominating S.America. Believe it or not.
Morais siding with the 2 PT judges, in supporting censorship, shows what ? No use picking out one decision here 'n there to show a judge's tendency...it's the collection of decisions over time that shows his true colors. I'm not going to list his decisions, because there's nothing to gain by it...but seeing him - and others - in action allows one to form an opinion.
Bush has nothing to do with Dilma....you always try to compare things to justify your beliefs...Dilma was not bright, period. Accept it...or show me how great she was.
Yr link on GWB suggests the world has been going steadily down the drain....people, countries don't get along peacefully anymore, there is no more respect...and I don't see how any of that - triggered by the advance of the left, imo - is better.
The USP 'was” in the top hundred a few years ago....and # 1 in South America....may've gone down the drain, which wouldn't be surprising - IMO - because the truth is, over the last 20 years it's become infiltrated with communist teachers (like in much of the public human science faculties), who give more importance to indoctrination than to learning. Stats can be misleading, but 50 years ago, USP was the undisputed # 1 here.
“what you are saying is they are all the same shit”
Jun 16th, 2019 - 11:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I look at it the other way; I never thought the PT were as bad as you believe, and Alckmin's choosing Haddad over B is confirmation of that, so they're not as shit as they appeared. But if you see him again maybe you can ask. As for the FdeSP, “believe it or not” - maybe he didn't?
“Morais siding with the 2 PT judges, in supporting censorship, shows what ?”
That they have more to hide, or don't care about free speech? Who knows? There's corruption and people wanting to cover their asses in all parties. It would be his decisions on areas where there is a split between left and right that would show which 'side' he's on, but I'm not sure what those are in Brazil.
“you always try to compare things to justify your beliefs”
Yes. What's wrong with that? Bush was famous for his gaffes, if you don't think that made him stupid then why should I believe it of Dilma?
Plus, I mostly hang out with other left-wingers. I know the arguments, and then I talk to you and sometimes I hear the same things reversed. The similarities are striking.
“people, countries don't get along peacefully anymore”
They never did, really. But GWB made a big contribution, by starting the Iraq war. That was one of the major reasons for the birth of ISIS, and the current Islamic terrorism in the US and Europe. Obama got involved in Libya, a minor skirmish compared to Iraq, but it ended just as badly. Now Bolton seems to be egging Trump on the attack Iran, so he can have his own disastrous war. What's the left got to do with countries not getting on?
If USP has gone down the rankings, it could be that other universities have improved rather than USP getting worse. Don't know if you're exaggerating, but I wouldn't have thought there were enough real communists left to have much effect.
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