https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50670613
This double windfall for capitalism is most clearly
demonstrated by recent events in France. President Macron has announced pension
reform. He argues (contrary to the numbers) that the present system is
unsustainable and as such he wants to raise the minimum retirement age and
expand the contribution requirement resulting in lower payouts for some. The
money just isn't there, he argues.
But at the same time, Macron is proposing to significantly
expand the military budget of France – all justified of course by the threat of
Russia, the same Putin regime that couldn't even take Kyiv. France may seem a
minor player in military terms when compared with the likes of the United
States or China, but in reality Paris is a major player on the world scene. It
is still active within the confines of its former empire and it is a major arms
vendor – with a particular appeal to nations that are looking for an
alternative to the United States.
France will build up its military – this move itself part of
a larger complex set of issues regarding its relationship to Atlanticism and
the rest of Europe, but French markets are also looking to cash in on sales –
which is also a vehicle for political influence and control.
Often referred to as the president of the rich, the pressure
from Macron's market backers is apparently strong enough that he's willing to
risk a repeat of the Yellow Vest Protests that plagued him in the years leading
up to Covid.
The war allows one industry to thrive but also provides a
cover for a social and fiscal austerity agenda Macron (and other leaders like
him) have been trying to implement for some time. We see similar moves in the
United States and even in the UK where the Labour Party is now more or less on
board with the Tory privatisation programme for the NHS.
War provides a convenient smokescreen for the implementation
of radical policy and for many Western leaders the propaganda campaign
regarding Ukraine (it is hoped) will unify divided populations. Fear of the
Russians and all the rhetoric about freedom and rights is employed to distract
from internal divisions and griefs. The attacks on the NHS are directly
connected to the rumours that Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is
expected to announce a significant increase to the UK's military budget in the
near future. These governments are all using the same script and their
'left-wing' opposition parties (all beholden to the same financial interests)
after a little drama and showmanship reveal that they're also on board with this
agenda of austerity and militarization - a profit windfall for the financial class.
It also needs to be understood that such 'reforms' also are
meant to guarantee dysfunction in the targeted bureaucracies and institutions.
Dysfunction will necessitate further 'reforms' and calls for change and
efficiency. It's a means to undermine and ultimately dismantle these social
programmes. In the case of France and the UK, the corrupt political class is
simply echoing an old GOP trick from across the pond and one the new congress
is about to take up in earnest.
See also:
https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/selling-off-our-nhs-piece-by-piece/
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