Time to Scrap outdated and expensive G8 meetings?

Started by Josephus, July 09, 2009, 09:12:48 AM

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MadImmortalMan

I agree with sask. They have to meet sometime, it might as well be this way. Besides, if they're off gallivanting about at summits they aren't at home passing laws. And that's just good for everyone.
"Stability is destabilizing." --Hyman Minsky

"Complacency can be a self-denying prophecy."
"We have nothing to fear but lack of fear itself." --Larry Summers

Zanza

It's funny that he quotes Angela Merkel. Her modus operandi is to go for as many photo ops as possible, instead of actually doing any policy work. If it was up to her, they would have one of these meetings every few weeks so she can pose with the world leaders and show the Germans what a wonderful diplomat she supposedly is.

The Brain

Women want me. Men want to be with me.

Josephus

Quote from: MadImmortalMan on July 09, 2009, 11:24:55 AM
I agree with sask. They have to meet sometime, it might as well be this way. Besides, if they're off gallivanting about at summits they aren't at home passing laws. And that's just good for everyone.

On that I agree 100 per cent. Especially when it comes to Harper.
Civis Romanus Sum<br /><br />"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." Jack Layton 1950-2011

Habbaku

Quote from: Valmy on July 09, 2009, 11:05:42 AM
Oh and the left never gets tired of beating the drum about how horrible globalization and free trade are.  Protectionism and provicialism seem to be their winning formula for a better economic tommorow.

Are you going to make up your mind about free trade, or is this one of this instances where it's okay for us to engage in protectionism, but not others?
The medievals were only too right in taking nolo episcopari as the best reason a man could give to others for making him a bishop. Give me a king whose chief interest in life is stamps, railways, or race-horses; and who has the power to sack his Vizier (or whatever you care to call him) if he does not like the cut of his trousers.

Government is an abstract noun meaning the art and process of governing and it should be an offence to write it with a capital G or so as to refer to people.

-J. R. R. Tolkien

Valmy

#20
Quote from: Habbaku on July 09, 2009, 01:26:17 PM
Are you going to make up your mind about free trade, or is this one of this instances where it's okay for us to engage in protectionism, but not others?

I would vigoriously defend myself here but I am not sure what you are talking about.  I am all about the free trade.

Is this where I mistakenly defended the American System as a infrastructure project forgetting the tariff angle and grumbler bashed me for it?  Because I sorta figured that would be buried in that thread and forgotten.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Habbaku

Quote from: Valmy on July 09, 2009, 01:28:06 PM
Is this where I mistakenly defended the American System as a infrastructure project forgetting the tariff angle and grumbler bashed me for it?  Because I sorta figured that would be buried in that thread and forgotten.

Yes.  And you were wrong.  :P
The medievals were only too right in taking nolo episcopari as the best reason a man could give to others for making him a bishop. Give me a king whose chief interest in life is stamps, railways, or race-horses; and who has the power to sack his Vizier (or whatever you care to call him) if he does not like the cut of his trousers.

Government is an abstract noun meaning the art and process of governing and it should be an offence to write it with a capital G or so as to refer to people.

-J. R. R. Tolkien

Viking

Quote from: Neil on July 09, 2009, 10:02:30 AM
The G8 doesn't represent the world.  It represents civilization, although that weakened a bit once they brought Russia on board.  I suppose the G7 represents civilization, and Russia is there to speak for the barbarian world.

So you are saying that the G8 speaks for both the Civilized and Barbarian World? If so, who is there who is not represented? So why do you state that the G8 doesn't speak for the world?
First Maxim - "There are only two amounts, too few and enough."
First Corollary - "You cannot have too many soldiers, only too few supplies."
Second Maxim - "Be willing to exchange a bad idea for a good one."
Second Corollary - "You can only be wrong or agree with me."

A terrorist which starts a slaughter quoting Locke, Burke and Mill has completely missed the point.
The fact remains that the only person or group to applaud the Norway massacre are random Islamists.

Valmy

Quote from: Habbaku on July 09, 2009, 02:09:21 PM
Yes.  And you were wrong.  :P

I know :blush: Languish has the memory of a herd of nerdy elephants.

I still think the infrastructure was good though.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

grumbler

Quote from: MadImmortalMan on July 09, 2009, 11:24:55 AM
I agree with sask. They have to meet sometime, it might as well be this way. Besides, if they're off gallivanting about at summits they aren't at home passing laws. And that's just good for everyone.
+1
The future is all around us, waiting, in moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of that future or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain.   -G'Kar

Bayraktar!

Jaron

#25
Quote from: Viking on July 09, 2009, 02:09:43 PM
Quote from: Neil on July 09, 2009, 10:02:30 AM
The G8 doesn't represent the world.  It represents civilization, although that weakened a bit once they brought Russia on board.  I suppose the G7 represents civilization, and Russia is there to speak for the barbarian world.


So you are saying that the G8 speaks for both the Civilized and Barbarian World? If so, who is there who is not represented? So why do you state that the G8 doesn't speak for the world?

neil = owned.
Winner of THE grumbler point.

Siege

Why is Italy irrelevant?
I thought they were a rich country.




"All men are created equal, then some become infantry."

"Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't."

"Laissez faire et laissez passer, le monde va de lui même!"


Monoriu

The G8 is there for the interests of the G8.  Why is there an expectation that they somehow have to work for the good of the world?

Barrister

Quote from: Josephus on July 09, 2009, 12:53:16 PM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on July 09, 2009, 11:24:55 AM
I agree with sask. They have to meet sometime, it might as well be this way. Besides, if they're off gallivanting about at summits they aren't at home passing laws. And that's just good for everyone.

On that I agree 100 per cent. Especially when it comes to Harper.
:rolleyes:
Posts here are my own private opinions.  I do not speak for my employer.

Viking

#29
Quote from: Monoriu on July 10, 2009, 01:15:33 AM
The G8 is there for the interests of the G8.  Why is there an expectation that they somehow have to work for the good of the world?

To make this clear.

The G7 is there to preserve capitalism and guide the free market. It there to make it possible for the largest free market economies to act in concert leading by example with a decision making procedure which has few enough voters to make every vote unilateral. The G7 is here to solve problems like the current credit crisis, and I must point out a de-facto "G-7" meeting was held in Washington in November 2008 where the G-7 plus 12 large trading economies (many of them market economies) did have a "G-7" style discussion about how to deal with the credit crisis. In effect the G-20 has superseded the G-8. This was done without "inviting" new members, but rather it was done by the relevant international players meeting. G-20 countries are 85% of the world economy and 80% of world trade.

The G-8 however is turning into a monstrous irrelevance. It has been rendered impotent by first of all inviting Russia to join hoping that membership would coax Russia into the direction of an open society, this has failed and since the G-# concept requires unanimity this make decision making impossible with a pseudo dictatorship in the group. But look above at what I said about the G-20, they have Russia in it, but they talk about things that matter like exchange rates and trade policy and tariffs. The G-8 has to deal with Bono and his Ilk talking about development and AIDS and Malaria and Clean Water and Global Warming. Which just results in meaningless pre-planned statements where the whole point of the exercise is to have a good photo opportunity and to look good when making a statement about something the politicians who rule when you are dead will have to deal with.

If anybody destroyed the G-8 it was Bono and the Global Warming/AIDS/Development etc.etc. activists who demanded that the G-8 members in unison did something they couldn't be arsed to do individually.
First Maxim - "There are only two amounts, too few and enough."
First Corollary - "You cannot have too many soldiers, only too few supplies."
Second Maxim - "Be willing to exchange a bad idea for a good one."
Second Corollary - "You can only be wrong or agree with me."

A terrorist which starts a slaughter quoting Locke, Burke and Mill has completely missed the point.
The fact remains that the only person or group to applaud the Norway massacre are random Islamists.