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A Quick Glance At What’s Happening Around The World. It’s A Mad House Out There

May 9, 2008

The world financial crisis, caused, as we have all been told, by the so-called credit crunch, which has nothing to do with banks and all to do with nasty homeowners refusing to pay their mortgages, is getting worse with the numbers of house repossessions growing and yet governments pretend that things are not really that bad and it is only a matter of time before they will improve. Not a single banker up to now has been taken to account for the mess that has been created, although millions of people are already paying a high price for the greed and incompetence of the money men.

World oil prices are continuing to rise and big oil companies are reporting huge profits as a result of this. The Opek countries are stubbornly refusing to increase production to stop the rise in oil prices and leading industrial nations seem unable and unwilling to step in and ease the pressure on millions of their own people caused by the obscene cost of fuel. The most absurd development to have come from this situation is that the hedge funds, which have been to a large extent responsible for the current turmoil on the financial markets, have been investing heavily into oil and – surprise-surprise – contributed to the rapid rise in oil prices.

Belgium, the country where the European Union has its headquarters, is on the verge of breaking up because of the long running political crisis that has left it without a proper government in the last 8 months. It is deeply ironic that the EU, which advocates the need for further integration between members of the Union, is actually running things from a place which has been constantly in danger of disintegrating. What a startling example of the difference between words and deeds.

In Ireland Bertie Ahern, who has been the country’s prime minister since 1997, has finally stepped down after announcing last month that he simply has to go because… he is an honest man and as an honest man he can’t continue to be the country’s leader. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Well, that’s politics for you. The real reason of Ahern’s departure is, of course, the fact that he is being investigated for corruption by a tribunal and it has come to light that he had been accepting serious amounts of money from all sorts of people in the form of loans. Sensing an approaching show down, Mr Ahern, who still insists that he hadn’t done anything wrong, decided to step down and, hopefully, negotiate some sort of an arrangement to get himself off the hook. But the most amazing thing is that he has already thrown his hat into the ring as a candidate for the next President of the EU once the Lisbon treaty, which is in reality a constitution, is ratified by all members of the Union. If he gets the job it would be the most spectacular comeback in political history for a man who has resigned because he is honest. Another candidate for the EU presidency, by the way, is Ahern’s close friend, Tony Blair, who in an ideal world should be banned from politics for his disgraceful role in starting the war against Iraq. But that now seems such a distant event that everyone seems to be prepared to forgive and forget. Strange, very strange.

Meanwhile, another prime minister, this time in the Middle East, is also finding himself in hot water because of his murky dealings in the past and is under pressure to resign. It is Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, who is being investigated by the prosecutors for his links to an American millionaire Morris Talansky. The current political crisis takes on an added significance as it is happening on the eve of President George Bush’s historic visit to Israel to take part in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of its creation. Mr Bush, if you remember, has promised to solve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and by the end of his term in office miraculously pull an independent Palestinian state out of his hat. No one is quite sure how he is going to do this, considering that relations between Israel and the Palestinians are getting from bad to worse. But Bush and his senior aides and advisers seem undeterred by this and keep insisting that the initial pledge stands and that behind all the fighting and killing things are actually getting better. Considering Bush’s record in Iraq a lot more Israelis and Palestinians will have to die before the US plan even gets going.

In the US itself the Democratic primaries are still going on, with both candidates, senators Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, insisting that they are on the road to victory. The Republicans, who have long ago chosen senator John McCain as their nominee, are watching with great delight as Obama and Clinton go for each other’s throats and do the job that they, Republicans, would have had to do had their opponents selected their presidential nominee. The funniest thing of all is that all three candidates for the White House are not exactly the best people for the job of the country’s president. But such are the times that the selection of potential candidates has become so expensive that it’s the people who bankroll them who decide who best would serve their interests. The rest of the voters are left choosing the lesser evil.

In Burma the devastating cyclone is now known to have killed around a 100,000 people and left another 1.5 million people homeless. While the West is involved in a tense stand-off with the military junta in Rangoon and the UN is playing its usual game of expressing its concern with the growing humanitarian tragedy, while being unprepared and unwilling to do anything drastic about it, more people are dying and more are left homeless.

In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy has finished his first year in office by becoming the most unpopular French leader since the last war. Mr Sarkozy went on television and assured the nation that he understands the frustration of the French people. Although he did not mention it in his address, Sarkozy is quite amazed that his whirlwind romance and consequent marriage to former model Carla Bruni did not send his popularity rating going through the roof and keeping it there whatever he did while in power. He assured his people that he would get his act together and push through the reforms that he had promised to implement during his election campaign. But he still looks like a man who thinks that the French nation would eventually warm up to him once people realise how deep his love for his wife is and how great they both look as a couple.

In Russia, the so-called transition of power from now former president, Vladimir Putin, to the new head of state, Dmitry Medvedev, has finally taken place. Putin, who broke every rule in the book by choosing his successor and arranging for him to get elected in a landslide even though no one knew anything about him in Russia, has appointed himself prime minister with sweeping powers rivalling that of the new president. The whole farce has been sealed by a military parade on the Red Square on May 9. It was supposedly conducted to celebrate Victory Day but in reality it was a warning to anyone who has any doubts about the legitimacy of the transition of power to back off. No one in the world has objected or protested against Putin staying on in power in Russia, although, of course, it was a straightforward coup with a bit of legitimacy sprinkled here and there.

In Austria, the child molesting monster, Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter locked up in the basement of his house for 24 years and fathered seven children with her, has come out fighting to try and change the public’s perception of him. Through his lawyer he has passed a message to the world media explaining that he had decided to imprison his daughter because she was a very naughty girl and used to hang out in bars till late at night and smoke. Papa Fritzl, as it turns out, had his daughter’s best interests in mind when he built a dungeon under his house and imprisoned her there. Furthermore, in an apparent attempt to take her mind off drinking and smoking he presented her with seven children to keep her occupied. Who on earth allowed this hideous man to launch a charm offensive is unclear.

The new computer game, Grand Theft Auto IV, which has more senseless violence in it than all of Quentin Tarantino’s films taken together, has grossed $500 million across the world in its first few days of release. In London one man was stabbed in the queue waiting outside the shop which was putting it on sale. The unknown actor, who has been providing a voice over for the main character in the game, has been flooded with requests to play leading roles in action films. Calls to ban the game or at least restrict its access to children have drowned in a sea of praise for the new instalment of the Grand Theft Auto series. A spate of copycat crimes, resembling the ones that are committed in the game, is expected around the world.

Meanwhile, another superhero blockbuster, Iron Man, has been released in America and has grossed an impressive $100 million it its first weekend. Iron man is a mirror image of such great cinematic creations as Superman, Batman and Spider-Man and features Robert Downey Jnr as the superhero, Iron Man, and Gwyneth Paltrow as his lady assistant who, of course, has no idea of what he does in his spare time. In his spare time, by the way, he puts on a strange looking costume and battles the villain, Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges. Before the film’s release it was already decided that there will two more sequels made. Although Iron Man is the least exciting of all the comic superheroes and the film itself is not exactly great fun to watch, judging by its success the future looks bright for the superhero stable.

The Olympic flame has finally arrived in China where, strangely enough, there were no pro-Tibetan protests registered and where the ceremony of carrying the torch proved to be an overwhelmingly success. The Chinese leadership has proven once again to its people that it can outwit all those hostile foreign powers who are always trying to humiliate and offend the great Chinese nation. Operation ‘protect the Olympic flame’ proved to be a huge success, with Chinese secret service agents dressed as sports officials managing to defend the torch from the angry pro-Tibetan protesters. The whole world is still somehow missing the point that the Olympic Games should not have been awarded to China in the first place.

And, finally, the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea, which will take place in Moscow, as it should, being an all English affair, promises to be treat for the English fans. In the spirit of goodwill the Russian authorities have decided to wave visa restrictions for English fans and will allow them to enter the country if they present a valid ticket for the match and an immigration card with their details. Russian hospitality is renowned throughout the world and to make a point of it the Moscow government has asked the Kremlin to bring in extra Interior Ministry troops and police into the capital. To make the football fans feel even more welcome.

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