The global financial crisis had its origins in the US when interest rates fell from 6% in January 2001 to 1% in mid-2003. This led to banks and other financial institutions awash with cheap money to conclude that lending to home buyers at obvious risk of defaulting their repayments was a safe bet.
Global Financial Crisis (2007ā2008 financial crisis, GFC)
The preparations for the federal budget, due to be handed down by Treasurer Joe Hockey on May 13, began on October 22 last year. This is the date on which Hockey announced a National Commission of Audit.
The commission is chaired by Tony Shepherd, who just happens to be the President of the Business Council of Australia, the organisation representing Australiaās 100 largest companies. Shepherdās appointment amounts to an invitation to big business to tell the government how it wants the economy to function in its favour during the Coalitionās term of office.
When the global financial crisis (GFC) unfolded in 2008, the unemployment rate for 15 to 19-year-olds looking for full-time work in Australia increased from 15% to 25%. It has remained at this level ever since.
In July, it stood at 25.5%. However, in the 10 areas listed by the Department of Human Services as the most disadvantaged in the country, the youth unemployment rate is more than 40%.
Portugal's working class brought the country to a standstill on November 24 to press the Socialist Party government to scrap its regressive cuts program.
The general strike against European Union-mandated austerity, the first to be organised jointly by Portugal's two main unions since 1988, is the country's largest ever stoppage.
Trains and buses did not run, planes were grounded and banking services halted.
āThe Group of 20 countries [which met in Seoul over November 11-13] were supposed to have stamped out the financial market abuses at the heart of the global crisis but little seems to have changed since their last summit, analysts say. āHopes for reform after the market chicanery that brought down a series of ātoo-big-to-failā banks and sparked the worst slump since the 1930s have faded with the return of the āget rich quickā mentality, according to analysts.
At first glance, you might have mistaken Londonās packed streets on November 10 for a Mardi Gras carnival. There young faces and large grins, combined with incessant whistle-blowing, trumpet-blasting and drum-beating. All mixed together to form the din of student protest.
The noise took shape and all of a sudden burst from the centre of the crowd, picked up by everyone else: āNo ifs, no buts, no education cutsā ā the main chants of the 50,000 students marching forward from Westminster to the destination of the Milbank headquarters of the Conservative Party.
āRise like lions after slumber/In unvanquishable number!/Shake your chains to earth, like dew/Which in sleep had fallān on you/Ye are many āthey are few.ā
These days, the stirring lines of Percy Shelleyās āMask of Anarchyā from 1819 may seem unattainable. I donāt think so.
Shelley was both a Romantic and political truth-teller. His words resonate now because only one political course is left to those who are disenfranchised and whose ruin is announced on a British government spreadsheet.
The Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) released by treasurer Wayne Swann on November 9 shows that Labor is betting on the minerals boom continuing. While admitting that the global economy remains tenuous, and that the whole house of cards could collapse, it has no āplan Bā.
āThe update forecasts strong growth, falling unemployment and a big pipeline of investment thatās gathering momentumā, Swann said.
Republicans are trumpeting their big gains in the November 2 midterm elections as a mandate to turn the country sharply to the right. Donāt buy it. Mainstream media commentary on the election was largely set before a single vote was cast. Voters would correct President Barack Obamaās supposed leftward course in his first two years in office by sending a cabal of right-wingers to Congress. The scale of the Republican victories ā especially in House of Representative races, where the party now holds a comfortable majority ā cemented the mediaās impressions.
The Conservative Party, or Tories, has never really forgiven the British working class for demanding and winning the creation of the āwelfare stateā. Gains won included such things as free health care, council homes at affordable rents, and care for the elderly and vulnerable.
From the Toriesā point of view, these are all things individuals should sort out for themselves. The modern state should provide the same level of social protection as was available to Queen Victoriaās subjects in the 19th century.
The Irish Republicās government said on November 4 that it wants to slash 6 billion euros from its 2011 deficit, MorningStarOnline.co.uk said the following day. The cuts were announced despite the government admitting it would lead to lower economic growth.
Irelandās deficit is set to reach an astronomical 32%, MorningStarOnline.co.uk said, mainly because the governmentās bailout of the banks with public funds cost 31 billion euros.
The country has already endured two years of recession driven by the bail-out costs and a doubling of unemployment to 13.6%.
A million trade unionists marched past Romeās Colosseum on October 16 in defence of rights that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconiās government and Fiat bosses are trying to water down.
The attacks are part of the governmentās ādeficit reductionā measures.
Under red flags, and the banners of the metal workersā union (FIOM-CGTI), workers from metal and other industries, students and opposition politicians shouted: āStrike, strike, strike!ā
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