European union... our politicians constantly tell us that European Union is Heaven on Earth. But is that true?
Let's see a bit of history.
European Union forced us to privatise firms, banks and so on - all of them being sold for bagatel price to foreigners. Land is being sold too.
Right now, not single one of 10 leading banks in Croatia is in Croatian hands - hands of Croatian state - all of them belong to foreign banks. "So good, what this has to do with us?", you might say. Well, it has a lot - first of all, foreign banks are exactly that - foreign. They don't care about people here. As soon as things home get nasty, they'll withdraw money from Croatia - and any other countries they have their tentacles in - to help their own firms. Actually, it seems like European Union is trying to achieve what US did - fasistic, corporatistic state where state is literally owned by private corporations.
In such conditions, state does not exist. Except as private bank corporations can take money from. Also, anything that stands in way of unrestricted privatization and wild capitalism - like patriotism, nationalism, religion - is attacked. That is reason behind media campaign against Catholic Church, is apparent all over Western world, including Croatia - Catholic Church, with 1.2 billion members in hard pyramidal structure is strongest oposition wild capitalism can possibly face here in West. Of other churches, Protestant Church is not offering any noteworthy resistance, some of its ideas actually helping to create modern capitalism, and being divided into dozen sub-churches and movements, and Orthodox Church is divided into national churches, and so unable to offer strong resistance. While there are pedofils in all institutions, only those working in Church are heavyi"advertised" by media.
Let's take look at US, where that "transition" from functional state to corporatistic state run by ideals of free, unrestricted trade and corporatistic dictatorship is mostly finished. There, the Friedman's ideals are running rampant - literally. War against Terror itself is exampleof these ideals - under guise of "security", White House increased police surveillance, and control in general. After that, these duties, along with some others (defence, building) were given to private sector to make profit from it.
Althought "official" reason is War Against Terror, in truth, it was full-blown privatization, with national security, law, health institutions, building institutions, even intelligence departments being privatized - if Ferengi were real, US would be heaven on Earth for them.
Now, you might ask what all of this has to do with EU. But there is simple fact that EU is doing exactly same things, and is asking us to do them too. Also, many major European firms are owned by US ones. In that regard, EU is nothing more than US colony, and is full-heartedly supporting US "values".
Meanwhile, there are many attempts to equalize free trade with democracy. It cannot be further from truth. "Democracy" comes from combination of Greek words demos (people) and kratios (power). So, it is when people are in power. However, politicians are not chosen by people - they are put in power by powerful corporations, in order to further their own interests, and capitalists make no distinction if these politicians are "chosen" in "democratic" way or put in power by US-financed "revolution".
IMF and World Bank, both having headquarters in Washington, are primary institutions used to spread Free Trade ideals around world.
Their primary ideals are that "all state-owned companies should be privatised" and "all barriers preventing spread of foreign capital (primary US capital, althought UK, France, Russia and China are also looking for their piece of cake) should be removed". When crisis - struck states ask IMF for help, Fond replies with complete shoch therapy programs, which regularly means complete privatization ("You want to save the state? Then sell it away!").
There is also example of right-wing activists of Polish Solidarity which were succesfull in freeing state from Communist dictatorship, only for corporatist capitalism to take it over. Margaret Tatcher and Ronald Reagan were quick to see "crack" in Soviet "armor" created by Solidarity, crack they could use, despite the fact that Solidarity fought for establishment of rights these two politicans were trying to destroy in their own countries.
Walesa said: "On our own misfortune, we won!". And he was right - after Solidarity won, it was put in power of monetarily crippled, over-indebted state; a fact MMF was quick to capitalize on. Poland, interesting due to large numbers of state-controlled firms, was offered program of radical shock therapy, which, as always, was centered around privatization. MMF let Poland sink into debts and inflation, while US told Solidarity that it expects from them to return all debt of old regime, while offering only 119 million dolars of help.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Sachs, shock doctrine agent with connections in Washington, offered Poland 3 billion dollars of help. However, it had price - government had to accept offer, one which was later christened as "Sachs plan" or "shock therapy" by polish newspapers. Sachs advised selling of state mines, factories and shipyards to private sector - things which were in complete contrast to Solidarity's programs. Althought leaders of Solidarity were sceptical with program - Solidarity was formed during rebellion against drastic communist-induced rise of prices, and Sachs just told them to do the same, but in even bigger proportions - years of imprisonment and life in underground left consequences, and they accepted. Result? Even worse chaos of poverty and deindutrialization, and it lasts even today.
In the end, this is what it became:
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