Tunisia

The article I read is about the politics of Tunisia. Since a couple of weeks, there are a lot of riots and demonstrations because the people wanted the president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, to hand over the reins.
The people wanted that his authoritarian rule ended and now it seems like they won because the president handed over the power.
Fouad Mebazaa, the speaker of parliament, will be the interim president until a new solution is found.
The prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, wanted to rule the state until there was a new solution but the people didn’t want that because Mohamed Ghannouchi has the same ideas as Ben Ali and so nothing would change.
I understand the people in Tunisia completely. Ben Ali has had the power for about 23 years and now, it’s time that there come some changes. I understand that the people didn’t want Mohamed Ghannouchi as a new interim president because they realize that nothing will change that way. Mohamed Ghannouchi was close to Ben Ali and so he has the same ideas and principles.
The people in Tunisia are exhausted but however, they are standing outside, yelling and screaming because they feel relieved. They argued for several days on a row, so it’s pretty normal that they are tired.
You can see the relief in the eyes of the people but there’s also an atmosphere of uncertainty. I think that’s normal because the locals don’t know how the future will evolve. I hope that Ben Ali learned his lesson and that he never comes back to Tunisia. The people in Tunisia were treated badly for too long and I hope a good president will come who treats the people fair and right.
In the article is also mentioned that Ben Ali and his family wanted to go to France but the French president didn’t want them to stay in France and refused to welcome them. I think that the French president has the right to refuse to welcome someone in his country. Ben Ali is no longer the president so the French president is no longer obligated to welcome him.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/20111153616298850.html

Lisa (2ma2)

10-05-2011 om 18:16 geschreven door LKEJ  

Tunisia

Summary

The games must go on in Egypt and Tunisia. Soccer, obviously, took on less meaning during the recent political upheavals in both countries. But the coincidences remain: Tunisia and Egypt were the first Arab nations to experience apparent political openings in the past few months. The decision to resume league play is a bid, in both countries, for a return to normalcy. In Egypt and in Tunisia soccer fans played a role in anti-government protests for change. They were using their acumen with social media and smartphones to maintain communication, much as they do before, during and after matches.

My opinion

I find it quite funny that while their country is without government and in serious reformation problems, Tunisian people worry about soccer. First it was my opinion that they had more important things to worry about. Like restructuring their country, elect a new president and let everyone cool down. But then it became clear to me, it was not just about the soccer itself, but what it represents. When they take up the treads of the games, it means that everything is – as good as – normal.  That Tunisia is reviving. It also means that the soccer clubs and authorities believe that it is save enough to allow assemble of people and let go of the curfew.

In this way I can understand that is a big deal if the soccer games are allowed again. I find it very remarkable that everything is already becoming more normal after only a few months. Ultimately, it was a huge thing they Tunisian people accomplished, after decades of suppression they were finally able to shed yoke of dictatorship. And a lot of other countries followed their lead. Tunisia really unchained a wave of revolution that frightened many Arabic leaders. With reason, as we see know. This is something to be proud of.

Source: http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/in-egypt-and-tunisia-the-games-must-go-on/?scp=4&sq=tunisia&st=cse

Evelyne (2MA2)

10-05-2011 om 17:05 geschreven door LKEJ  

A short guide to the Italian political system

INTRODUCTION

The modern state of Italy came into force on 17 March 1861 when King Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia signed into law a bill in which he took for himself the title King of Italy.

Italy adopted a new constitution in 1948 after the traumatic experience of Mussolini's fascism and the Second World War. Unusually the two Houses of the Italian Parliament possess the same rights and powers - a particular form of parliamentary democracy known as perfect bicameralism. However, this is far from being the only oddity of the Italian political system.

Italy is something of an aberration in the democratic sweep of Europe. For decades, it somehow combined the maintenance of the same political party in power with constant changes of government while, in more recent years, it has witnessed a fundamental transformation in the pattern of political parties and this process is still in flux.

Meanwhile, in recent years, the electoral system has been changed frequently and substantially and the current version is both immensely complex and hugely controversial.

Politics in Italy is constantly beset with scandal and corruption and, at times, it has seemed astonishing that the Italian economic system could be so robust, when the Italian political system has been so chaotic – and I write as a half-Italian.

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

The Italian monarchy was abolished in a referendum of 1946 (when my mother voted against the retention of the King) and, under the constitution of 1948, the head of state is the President of the Republic. He is elected for seven years by a two-thirds majority of the Parliament sitting jointly with 58 regional delegates.

The Italian President of the Pepublic heads the armed forces and has powers to veto legislation, disband parliament and call elections. He nominates the senior Government minister, called the President of the Council (equivalent to the British Prime Minister). The current President of the Republic is Giorgio Napolitano who is a former Communist Party member.

Day to day power is exercised by the President of the Council who is nominated by the President of the Republic (one needs to be careful with the term President in Italy) and confirmed by the Parliament. The current President of the Council is Silvio Berlusconi.

It is the President of the Council who proposes the other ministers (formally named by the President). The Government ministers make up the Council of Ministers. Vice-ministers - called “Sottosegretari” (Undersecretaries) - are not formal members of the Council. In Italy, anyone can be appointed a minister, with no requirement to be a member of the Parliament or a political party.

THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES

The lower house in the Italian political system is the Chamber of Deputies. It has 630 members elected by all Italian citizens older than 18.

617 members are elected by proportional representation from party lists for each of 26 constituencies. Lombardy has three constituencies, Piedmont, Veneto, Latium, Campania and Sicily each have two constituencies, and all the other 13 regions have one. Another Deputy is elected in the Aosta Valley (a mountainous region in north-western Italy).

A peculiarity of the Italian Parliament is the representation given to Italians who are permanently living abroad (about 2.7 million people). Therefore, as well as the 618 nationally elected Deputies, there are 12 elected in four distinct foreign constituencies.

The term of office of Deputies is five years, but the Parliament may be dissolved by the President before then if it proves impossible to form a stable government (this has happened six times since the war).

The election system for the Chamber of Deputies is new and complex. In its newest form, it dates only from 2005; its complexity comes from the fact that it combines a proportional representation system (a version of which produced so many weak post-war governments) with a 'prize' for the coalition securing the largest number of votes (so that the resulting government has a stronger basis than would otherwise be the case).

To obtain seats, some thresholds must be surpassed on a national basis as follows:

• a minimum of 10% for a coalition (if this requirement is not met, the 4% limit for single parties apply)
• a minimum of 4% for any party not in a coalition
• a minimum of 2% for any party in a coalition (however, the first party in a coalition that rates below 2% is also assigned seats).

As an Italian friend of mine put it: "Look!!! I fund a party, my mother another one and my father as well. We join together into a coalition and we get 30 votes (just the votes of the neighbourhood), rather far from 2%. But, as candidate of the first party, I can claim for a seat. In Italy everybody can go the Parliament, that’s democracy!"

Finally, the coalition or party that obtains the largest number of seats but is assigned less than 340 seats, is assigned additional seats to reach this number, which corresponds roughly to a 54% majority. This is the 'prize' and this is the incentive to form coalitions.

The Chamber of Deputies actually sits in a palace: the Palazzo Montecitorio.

THE SENATE

The upper house in the Italian political system is the Senate. It has 315 members elected by all Italian citizens older than 25.

309 members are elected by a system of proportional representation system based upon party lists for the 20 regions of Italy.

As mentioned earlier, an oddity of the Italian Parliament is the representation given to Italians abroad. Therefore, as well as the 309 nationally elected Senators, there are 6 elected in four distinct foreign constituencies.

The term of office of elected Senators is five years,

As well as these 315 elected Senators, the Senate includes former Presidents and appointed Senators for life (no more than five) by the President of the Republic according to special constitutional provisions.

The electoral system for the Senate is very similar to the one for the Chamber of Deputies, but it is in many ways transferred from a national to to a regional basis. Therefore the thresholds – which are different – are applied on a regional basis as follows:

• a minimum of 20% for a coalition
• a minimum of 8% for any party not in a coalition
• a minimum of 3% for any party in a coalition (there is no exception for the first party in a coalition below this threshold, as in the lower house)

The coalition that wins the largest number of seats in a region is automatically given 55% of that region's seats, if it has not reached that percentage already. In contrast to the situation for the Chamber of Deputies, there is no mechanism to guarantee a nation-wide majority in the Senate.

So the real oddity in this electoral system is the lack of a 'prize' in the Senate. As widely confessed by Roberto Calderoli (a Senator from the Northern League and the creator of this electoral law), the new electoral system was written and approved during the last months of the Berlusconi Government in order to put the new winning coalition (at that time the Centre-Left coalition was substantially ahead in the opionion polls) in trouble with a weak majority in the Senate. In Italy, this electoral law is infamous and well known by everybody for its amusing 'nickname', the "porcata” (a rather rude way to say 'a load of rubbish') and this is the name that television and newspapers often use to refer to it.

The Senate actually sits in a palace: the Palazzo Madama.

POLITICAL PARTIES

After the end of the Second World War, Italian politics - and even more so its government – was dominated by a single political party Democrazia Cristiana (DC - Christian-Democrats) for more than forty years, while the opposition was led by the Italian Communist Party (PCI). The third important party was the Italian Socialist Party (PSI).

Accordingly, in the period 1946-1992, there were no less than 28 governments and all but two of them were headed by a Christian Democrat.

Everything changed in the early 1990s. First, all the governing parties were caught up in a major scandal called the Tangentopoli and dissolved themselves so that the Christian Democratic and the Socialist parties ceased to exist. Second, following referenda of 1993, substantial electoral changes were introduced, shifting the country from an unstable system of proportional representation to a more stable additional member system (although the voters had actually expressed a wish for a majoritarian system similar to the French model [click here]). Third, a further electoral change provides a 'prize' to the coalition which secures the largest number of votes in the Chamber of Deputies (which is intended the give the government a stronger base) which has the effect of encouraging political parties to join one of two major coalitions.

The results of all these changes are that, in an effort to maximise votes, simultaneously political parties are splitting and political power is now contested by two broad coalitions bringing together most of these (often small) parties:

• a Centre-Left one known as the Democratic Party – a descendant of the Olive Tree coalition - which originally consisted of 11 parties (Democrats of the Left being the largest) and is led by former Communist Pierluigi Bersani
• a Centre-Right one known as the People of Liberty – a descendant of the Pole of Freedoms – which originally consisted of 8 parties (notably Forza Italia, the National Alliance and the Northern League) and is led by Silvio Berlusconi

In July 2010, supporters of Gianfranco Fini, a co-founder of the People of Liberty movement, set up their own groups in both houses of parliament under the name of Future and Freedom for Italy. Technically this means that Silvio Berlusconi lost his majority in the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies.

The factionalism of Italian politics has some echoes of the party political situation in India [click here] but, in European terms, this situation of a multiplicity of parties and changing alliances is unique.

THE JUDICIAL BRANCH

The Constitutional Court of Italy is the country's supreme court. It is composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the President, one-third elected by the Parliament, and one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts. The Constitutional Court is a post-war innovation. Its powers, volume, and frequency of decisions are not as extensive as those of the Supreme Court in the United states

The other senior court is the Court of Cassation.

Given the conflict and corruption in the Italian political system, the courts in Italy find themselves embroiled in political issues in a manner largely unknown elsewhere in Europe.

So it was the courts who played a major role in provoking the fundamental political restructuring and realignments of the early 1990s as a result of the exposure of the corruption-based system called Tangentopoli (Italian for bribeville) that dominated the country until the 'Mani pulite' ('clean hands') investigation delivered it a (possibly fatal) blow in 1992. The 'clean hands' operation exposed corruption at the highest levels of politics and big business. Several former prime ministers were implicated and thousands of businessmen and politicians were investigated.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps only in Italy could a business leader (Silvio Berlusconi) create a major political party (Forza Italia) from scratch and then become Prime Minister while simultaneously owning the majority of the country's television channels and while still in office facing substantial corruption charges.

Therefore Italian democracy remains a work in progress.

We cannot be sure that the present electoral system will be preserved; we cannot be sure that the present coalition structures will be unchanged; and much work needs to be done to reduce corruption and restore voter confidence.

Source: 18/02/2011, http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/Italianpoliticalsystem.html, internet

Summary :

Nowadays Italy is a republic, this is because the Italian people voted against the monarchy in a referendum, this all happened in 1946. This was a consequence after the collapse of the fascist regime, the monarchy was questioned, especially because of the state of mind of the royal family at the time of the fascist regime of Mussolini.
In 1948 a new constitution came in force presided by a new president of the republic. A president is elected for a term of office for seven years by a two-thirds majority of the Parliament sitting combined with 58 regional delegates.
In a Italian political system you have bicameral parliament that consists of the senate and the chamber of deputies, the lower house in the Italian political. The members of the chamber of deputies are choosen by the citizens who are older than 18. In contrast with the senate were the electors need to be older than 25 years. A weirdness of the parliament is that there is given representations to Italian people living in a foreign country.  The term of office of Deputies is five years, as well in the senate as in the chamber of deputies.
The Italian politics are characterized by a lot of scandals, for example in the early nineties Tangentopoli scandal.  It was such a big scandal that even Christian Democratic and the Socialist parties ceased to exist. This all leaded to some changes in the political scene,  shifting the country from an unstable system of proportional representation to a more stable additional member system. And another change was  the providing of a “prize” to the coalition which leads to the encouraging of the political parties to join one of two major coalitions namely a center-right or a center-left coalition.
The juridical branch comprise the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation. The Constitutional court of Italy is consist of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the President, one-third elected by the Parliament, and one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts. Both courts were involved with political scandals in the past like Tangentopoli scandal.
Also Silvio Berlusconi is accused of corruption. So a lot of work needs to be done to reduce corruption and restore voter confidence.

My opinion:

I found it interesting that the political system is totally different of here in Belgium. I thought actually that in the most part of Europe it was the same system, but it’s the opposite. Off course the system raises some questions, if you see that there’s so much corruption. I could not imagine that this would happen in Belgium, if this would happen here, the country would be in a total chaos and the people would stand up and manifest in the streets. And so far I remember there were some protest against Berlusconi, which I think is good but I think that the Italian citizens could do more. Maybe I know less about Italy, the policy, the government and its people to judge this article.
Of course there’s a long way to go because a lot of things should be changed in their system I think, like the fact that Italians who live in a foreign country can be elected for the chamber of deputies and the senate is wrong. These people don’t live in Italy and in my opinion there’s a need to be in touch with your country  by living there. You need to know what takes place in the citizens their minds.
What I do know from the newspapers of Italy is mainly the scandals that Berlusconi has caused. I personally think that he is unprofessional and an embarrassment to an otherwise superb country. When the earthquake hit he went to the camp where people were living and pretty much said ''it will be like a nice little camp out'', not to mention the incident of him pretending to “do” that woman from behind... Also his meeting with Barack Obama, the president of the United States, Berlusconi described Barack Obama as "young, handsome, and tanned". I'm sure that's not how you're supposed to act as a political leader. So I would suggest the Italian citizens to abandon Berlusconi and choose a total new political government or regime.

 Jasmien Vuye

2MA2

09-05-2011 om 20:54 geschreven door LKEJ  

Italy

Summary

Tensions rose between Italy and its European Union partners over how to handle an influx of immigrants from North Africa, prompting the Italian interior minister to question the utility of the European Union. At a meeting in Luxembourg, European Union interior ministers said they would not recognize the temporary permits that Italy had said it planned to issue to scores of immigrants who have arrived since January. These permits were intended to allow them free travel within Europe. France and Germany rejected Italy’s plan. This made Italy’s interior minister, Roberto Maroni wonder ‘if it makes sense to stay in the European Union’.

My opinion

In this matter I must agree with France and Germany. Once the immigrants possess this permit, they can travel through Europe freely, without any kind of control system. Europe has to ‘swallow’ already so much immigrants and it is very hard to keep track of everyone. With these permits this problem will only enlarge.

However I understand Italy as well. Since the begin of the riots in North African, they have had to manage an influx of immigrants. Of course it is very hard for Italy to provide first care and shelter from all of them. Imagine having to provide it on long term. So I agree that all those immigrants can’t stay in Italy. So Europe will have the come up with a solution. Perhaps they can start by verifying whether none of the immigrants in Italian can return to his or her country. Of course I understand that this will not be possible in the majority of the cases. So if it’s not possible there has to be some kind of plan.  A plan to ‘divide’ the immigrants all over Europe. Then they can establish a permit. However this permit needs to be accompanied by some rules. These rules will make it possible to keep track of the whereabouts of the immigrants. They should not just go up in the air and become someone else’s ‘problem’.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/world/europe/12italy.html?scp=7&sq=italy&st=cse

Evelyne Vlerick (2MA2)

09-05-2011 om 19:00 geschreven door LKEJ  

Italy

Summary :

Nowadays Italy is a republic, this is because the Italian people voted against the monarchy in a referendum, this all happened in 1946. This was a consequence after the collapse of the fascist regime, the monarchy was questioned, especially because of the state of mind of the royal family at the time of the fascist regime of Mussolini.
In 1948 a new constitution came in force presided by a new president of the republic. A president is elected for a term of office for seven years by a two-thirds majority of the Parliament sitting combined with 58 regional delegates.
In a Italian political system you have bicameral parliament that consists of the senate and the chamber of deputies, the lower house in the Italian political. The members of the chamber of deputies are choosen by the citizens who are older than 18. In contrast with the senate were the electors need to be older than 25 years. A weirdness of the parliament is that there is given representations to Italian people living in a foreign country.  The term of office of Deputies is five years, as well in the senate as in the chamber of deputies.
The Italian politics are characterized by a lot of scandals, for example in the early nineties Tangentopoli scandal.  It was such a big scandal that even Christian Democratic and the Socialist parties ceased to exist. This all leaded to some changes in the political scene,  shifting the country from an unstable system of proportional representation to a more stable additional member system. And another change was  the providing of a “prize” to the coalition which leads to the encouraging of the political parties to join one of two major coalitions namely a center-right or a center-left coalition.
The juridical branch comprise the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation. The Constitutional court of Italy is consist of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the President, one-third elected by the Parliament, and one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts. Both courts were involved with political scandals in the past like Tangentopoli scandal.
Also Silvio Berlusconi is accused of corruption. So a lot of work needs to be done to reduce corruption and restore voter confidence.

My opinion:

I found it interesting that the political system is totally different of here in Belgium. I thought actually that in the most part of Europe it was the same system, but it’s the opposite. Off course the system raises some questions, if you see that there’s so much corruption. I could not imagine that this would happen in Belgium, if this would happen here, the country would be in a total chaos and the people would stand up and manifest in the streets. And so far I remember there were some protest against Berlusconi, which I think is good but I think that the Italian citizens could do more. Maybe I know less about Italy, the policy, the government and its people to judge this article.
Of course there’s a long way to go because a lot of things should be changed in their system I think, like the fact that Italians who live in a foreign country can be elected for the chamber of deputies and the senate is wrong. These people don’t live in Italy and in my opinion there’s a need to be in touch with your country  by living there. You need to know what takes place in the citizens their minds.
What I do know from the newspapers of Italy is mainly the scandals that Berlusconi has caused. I personally think that he is unprofessional and an embarrassment to an otherwise superb country. When the earthquake hit he went to the camp where people were living and pretty much said ''it will be like a nice little camp out'', not to mention the incident of him pretending to “do” that woman from behind... Also his meeting with Barack Obama, the president of the United States, Berlusconi described Barack Obama as "young, handsome, and tanned". I'm sure that's not how you're supposed to act as a political leader. So I would suggest the Italian citizens to abandon Berlusconi and choose a total new political government or regime.

Source: 18/02/2011, http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/Italianpoliticalsystem.html, internet

Jasmien (2MA2)

09-05-2011 om 00:00 geschreven door LKEJ  

Italy

All over Italy, women have demonstrated against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi but the demonstration was not intended to bring political changes. They were about the frustrations that the Italian have concerning the role that women have in Mr. Berlusconi’s Italy. They also have a deep pessimism about the future of the country because there will be a growing divide between the needs of the country and the concerns of the government. The demonstrators want a country where women can live in dignity and not a country where there’s no capacity of growth because that is a country that goes backward.

It’s a great initiative that several women organize a demonstration for more respect towards women. There are a lot of women all over the world who don’t get the respect that they deserve just because of their gender. The sex scandal of Mr. Berlusconi and the way he treats women were the reasons for this demonstration. I think it is ‘not done’ for a Prime Minister to have sex parties with escort girls. Berlusconi is also accused for having paid sex with Ruby, an underaged illegal fugitive from Morocco. After these incidents, Mr. Berlusconi also used his power as the Prime Minister of Italy, to get Ruby out of jail after she was arrested for theft. As the Prime Minister of a country, you have to stay neutral and you can’t use your powers for personal profit. That’s what Berlusconi has done and I think it’s only fair that he has to come to court for his actions. I hope this sends a signal to all the people in the world that they have to show some more respect towards women and not to see them only as a toy. So, Hooray to the demonstrations for more respect towards women!

Source: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/world/europe/14italy.html?ref=italy

08-05-2011 om 18:00 geschreven door LKEJ  

Italy

It seems that Berlusconi doesn’t take count of the other, negative side of those rumors because for the first time in his long and successful career, some people doesn’t agree with him anymore. A part of the people is turning their backs against him and that group contains mostly women. People don’t tolerate the behavior of the prime minister anymore and there is a petition started on the internet against him.
Berlusconi tries to prove his innocence by saying he never paid for sex in his whole life. I personally think that this is a poor argument to prove you’re innocent.
I also think that people should go against the behavior of Silvio Berlusconi. With people I mean not only women but also men.
What the rumors tell, doesn’t testify a lot of respect towards women. A minister should give the right example and should have a good behavior but Berlusconi doesn’t seem to care about that.
Besides, Berlusconi is an 74-old men, I don’t think that a behavior like that is suitable.
 I think that Berlusconi will lose a lot of votes at the next elections, and I personally think that’s fair.
Berlusconi does his job right and he is a great minister and a great leader but his behavior outside politics is not acceptable. There are plenty of other good candidates who want to be prime minister and who have a good attitude, inside and outside politics.
I would like to come back to the latest sex scandal. It’s forbidden to do sexual  actions with a minor. Berlusconi just laughs that rumor away in staid of proving that he didn’t do that. For me it’s clear that Berlusconi had paid the girl for sex in that way. When you are really innocent, you try to prove that the rumour is fault but you just don’t laugh about it. I think that Berlusconi should get a punishment and that the rumors about his life should definitely be investigated to see if he also did other thinks that are forbidden.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/world/europe/03italy.html

Lisa (2MA2)

08-05-2011 om 17:00 geschreven door LKEJ  

Greece

Greece’s economy is in desperate trouble. This situation began several years ago and is caused because Greece couldn’t pay its debts anymore. They thought that, when they joined the euro, all their problems would end, but however, they expanded. The first time Greece applied to enter the European Union, it was refused because it’s debts and inflation were to high. Greece lied about its figures to get in the European Union. The fault that Greece made, was that it borrowed money and used it to raise salaries instead of paying its enormous debts. Now, Greece is in a vicious circle.

It’s a stupid thing that the Greek government did, borrowing money from the banks and other countries. I think that the money should have been used to pay its debts and not to raise the salaries or fund their pension system. This system is the most generous one in the world. That conflicts with their debts. Any intelligent person would first pay his debts and after that, spend his money on other things. It is also because Greece can’ pay its debts that several other countries in the European Union had financial problems. These countries lent money to Greece and because of that, they came into trouble themselves. I personally think that the E.U. didn’t make its ‘homework’ before they let Greece enter the Union. Otherwise, they would have discovered that Greece had financial problems and that they lied about their figures. In the future, there has to be an more profound research on the countries who want to enter the European Union so that problems like these won’t take place anymore in the future. My conclusion for this is that I think it’s both the fault of Greece and the European Union that the financial problems of Greece aren’t solved yet.

Source: 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/7646320/Greece-why-did-its-economy-fall-so-hard.html  

Kelly (2MA2)

07-05-2011 om 13:22 geschreven door LKEJ  

Greece

Summary

Almost a year after it adopted sweeping austerity measures as a condition of an international rescue package, Greece has failed to get a grip on its public finances. This increases the fears that the country may have restructure its mountain of debt.

In 2010 the deficit of Greece was 10,65 per cent of gross domestic product. This deficit exceeds the 9,6 per cent target that was set last fall by the government and the European Commission. European finance ministers have sought to ease Greece’s plight by extending the maturity period of its loans and agreeing to reduce the interest rate it has to pay. Portugal and Irelands deficits also exceeded  the percentages set last fall. Spain was a good student, it’s deficit was slightly lower than forecasted.

My opinion

I believe that it’s a good thing, the support given to the countries in need by the European Commission and International Monetary Fund. The outer world sees Europe as one ‘country’, the good and the bad things. So it is positive to show that the other member states are very capable to help a brother in need. This fact also shows that only a few countries experience trouble and not the entire Union. This is particularly important to keep on attracting foreign investors to invest in our enterprises and economy.

Although I believe it was a good decision to help the member states in need, I believe that some rules should be attached to the given loan. For the repayments, duration of the loan and other conditions. This clearly was the case with Greece. However, now Greece could not live up to the agreement, there should be consequences, along with the measures to ease, proposed by the European finance ministers. Nevertheless these consequences should not get them into more debt. Perhaps they can draw up some agreement to pay a ‘fine’ when the country has restored its economy. Al these ‘fines’ will at last make a fund for economical emergencies.  In the future this fund could serve to advance member states in financial or economic trouble. But in general it is my opinion that Europe has handled the economic crisis well. All of the countries survived, didn’t they!?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/business/global/27euro.html?scp=4&sq=greece&st=cse

Evelyne (2MA2)

05-05-2011 om 19:43 geschreven door LKEJ  

Greece

The country Greece has plans to build a gigantic wall along the border with Turkey to keep immigrants out. The wall will measure about 128 miles.

A Greek minister says that the wall is necessary because last year Brussels had to send border guards to keep illegal immigrants out and that this is the only solution to prevent such an immigrant crisis. There’s also mentioned that the people who live in Greece don’t want any more immigrants than presently. There are some people who are partisans but there are also critics. They say that the wall will be a symbol of division on several levels.
I personally think that there are already a lot of immigrants in Greece, but this is not always a bad thing. There is however a certain limit, where it has to stop. I understand that the people don’t want any more immigrants because that would take away the real culture and atmosphere of Greece. The amount of immigrants should be limited because it’s not the intention to have more immigrants than real Greece people.
However, I think that the idea of building a wall is a little bit exaggerated. The critics are right, it will lead to division on several levels and I think a lot of people won’t be happy with that.
For example on the level of belief, some people will think that this is an anti-Muslim-matter or a anti-Turkish-matter.
The number of illegal immigrants entering Greece from Turkey increased five-fold so it’s clear that there have to come some measures and solutions in Greece.
I think that a wall could lead to a Third World War, so building a wall is definitely out of the question. I think the government of Greece has the responsibility to take some good decisions. The government can for example take more measures to prevent that illegal immigrants can enter Greece such as more border controls.  

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/8237331/Greece-to-build-128-mile-anti-migrant-wall.html

Lisa Maes, 2MA2

03-05-2011 om 00:00 geschreven door LKEJ  

Greek Tourism Anticipates Double-Digit Increase in Foreign Visitors

February 13, 2011 by Greek News   
Filed under Greece

The Greek tourism industry is anticipating a double-digit increase in foreign visitor arrivals this year, but the big wager remains whether this will translate into a corresponding rise in revenues capable of boosting the country’s GDP. Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasting (ITEP) chairman Prof. Dionyssis Hionis told ANA-MPA that a 4.5 percent increase in tourism revenue is forecast for 2011, representing a 1pct increase in GDP, with all that entails for a rise in employment, although it is still early to make specific predictions.

At this time, early bookings in hotels have posted a 3 percent increase over last year, although, he added, in the ‘good years’ for Greek tourism early bookings approached 25 percent

Hionis also anticipated that the unrest in Egypt will also give a boost to the tourist wave to Greece, with tour operators already preparing for that.

Hellenic Hotels Federation president Andreas Andreadis also anticipated a substantial increase in tourist arrivals of “a high single-digit or low double-digit” percentage. He added that early bookings from Britain have marked a 7-9 percent increase over last year, while interest was also high from such countries as Russia, France and Italy.

Tourism bookings rise

Expedia on Monday sent optimistic messages over this year’s tourism trends in Greece, saying figures available, so far, for April, May and June are very encouraging, with significant reservations recorded for April and November. Speaking to reporters during a news conference, the international travel agency’s officials in Athens said a government decision to lower Vat rates for hotels — resulting in slightly reduced room prices — has positively contributed to the attractiveness of Greek tourism.

Expedia said it would continue promoting Greece through news letters, its website and through online and offline marketing policies.

The travel agency said room reservations for Greek hotels, through special promotional offers, accounted for 43 percent of total reservations.

Specifically, package reservations for Greek islands were up by 50 percent in 2010, compared with last year, with visitors mainly coming from the US (36 percent), Italy, the UK, France and Germany.

Greek hotel room prices, booked through Expedia in 2010, were unchanged compared with 2009, although they fell slightly in the last quarter of the year, with this decline expected to be continued in 2011.

IN ISRAEL

Greek tourist destinations were promoted at the 17th International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) in Tel Aviv, Israel. The tourism trade fair took place between Feb. 8-9, offering fertile ground for the promotion of Greece’s tourism market for Israeli tourists.

Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) officials have also hinted at the possibility of greater tourism arrivals in the country due to the current turmoil in North Africa. Tourist arrivals from Israel posted an impressive 200-pct increase in 2010, corresponding to 250,000 tourism arrivals in Greece.

Summary:

This year Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasting (ITEP) anticipates that the tourism in Greece will increase because of a double-digit of foreign visitors. They estimate a 4,5 % increase of tourism revenues this year. This would be great for the Greek economy because the rising of  4,5 % tourism income conforms to an expansion of 1 % in GDP and this lead to more occupation in this sector. Nowadays early booking hotels notice that there are 3 % more booking compared  to last year. But we may not be positive, because when the tourism was on their best in Greece, they obtained 25 % early bookings. Hionis also thinks that through the problems in Egypt the tourism in Greece will rise.
Hellenic Hotels Federation president Andreas Andreadis says there’s  especially interest from countries like Britain, Russia, France and Italy for the early bookings.
If we look to the sales figures there are good expectations for the months April, May and June. This might be a consequence of the lower VAT rates on hotels and this had a positive influence to the appeal of the Greek tourism sector, because the price of the rooms declined and this trend will continue in 2011.
At a trade fair in Israel, Greece promoted his country to the Israelites. In 2010 they’ve noticed a dazzling growth of 200 % tourists from Israel who visited Greece.

My opinion:

I’m glad that Greece will do better in 2011, because 2010 was a dramatic year for them due to the economical crisis, negative reports about the country’s debts  and the effects of the Icelandic volcanic ash which affected flights in and out of the country.. Tourism has been one of the most important pillars of development for Greece, I’ve heard that one in five persons living in Greece is directly or indirectly employed in the tourist sector. The improvement of visitors from foreign countries will give a major boost to the economy and to the people who have suffered under the consequences of an almost bankrupt Greece.
For us, in Belgium it’s tempting to go on holiday to Greece because of  the cheaper hotels, good weather and nice Mediterranean food. Certainly now the taxes on hotels are declined, I think this is a very good step of the government, it helps to attract people to visit the country and certainly those people who’re sensitive to price changes.
I find it good that they don’t only aim their target on the European market but also on countries in Asia like Israel. If you see by doing some trade fairs in Israel leads to an increase of 200 % in one year! And this is corresponding to 250,000 tourism arrivals in Greece, if I would be the Greek government I would do more trade fairs in Israel and in the adjacent States. So they can exploit the tourism sector as much as possible.
I do hope that in the interests of the Greek population and the European level of prosperity the tourism will do better in 2011 and gives us hope towards the future.

Jasmien Vuye
2MA2

02-05-2011 om 14:17 geschreven door LKEJ  

Iran

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran’s most powerful economic, social and political institution, has moved aggressively after the contested 2009 presidential election to tighten its grip on society. The Guards where initially meant as an elite military force. But its broad mandate, to protect the revolution, has allowed it to reach far beyond its military capacity. Since the post-election protests, senior Guards officials have been moved into many important government positions. The Guards have taken over a majority share in the nation’s telecommunications monopoly. This takeover has amplified concerns in Iran over what some call the rise of pseudogovernment, prompting members of Parliament to begin an investigation into the deal. A private firm was excluded from the bidding one day before shares went on sale, and a company affiliated with the elite force won the bidding.

In my opinion the governments of any country should try to interfere as little as possible in its economy, because we believe in the principles of a competitive market situation. Of course for some markets, as public transport, it is vital that the government is involved. However if we examine the electricity market, let’s say of Belgium, it becomes clear that because of the monopoly the prices rise, which is negative for the consumers. And Belgium is a developed country. The situation much worse in Iran, I believe. It’s an unstable country where a lot of the economy is in the hands of the government. This makes it hard for civilians to become self-employed, or to get promoted or even just get a long term job. Their income is obviously irregular, doubtful and questionable. If they would earn more and with regularity, they can provide an education for their children, so they get better jobs and the chicken-and-egg situation turns to the positive. This way eventually the living standard will improve. Which can only be positive for the development of the country.

According to me it was wrong to prevent the private firm of bidding on a majority share in the nation’s telecommunications monopoly.  Not just for Iran, but for any country. All interested persons should be given the opportunity to bid on their object of interest. If the Guards where so eager to own the majority share, they could have outbid the private firm.

This matter shows that Iran is not willing to improve, or at least some institution aren’t. It’s government wants to stay in control of the economy. It’s pity the Guards reacted this way, otherwise they could have send a positive signal to the outer world, to show improvement. Now they haven only confirmed what we already knew.

Source: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/islamic_revolutionary_guard_corps/index.html?scp=1&sq=iran%20economy&st=cse

26-04-2011 om 00:00 geschreven door LKEJ  

Arab Unrest Propels Iran as Saudi Influence Declines

Summary of the article :

Because of the revolts in the Arabic world, Iran has strengthen their position (they have send some warships through the Suez Canal it was the first time since the revolution in 1979 they passed the Suez Canal and Egypt’s new military leaders didn’t stop them.) 
While Iran their position is strengthen, it’s rival Saudi Arabia has became weaker. King Abdullah started a “policy” to head of the unrest in the country by announcing new invests in welfare for the people. But the main reason why there is unrest in Saudi Arabia that they’re enclosed by the countries who’re very unstable at the moment and also because of the uprising of the Shiit majority while the leader is a Suni. Also the partnership of Saudi Arabia with the United States, could lead to some resistance of the people of course Iran could be the big winner in this situates. Some people think that Saudi Arabia have to worry, that the region is ripe for Iranian exploitation. And Iran has shown in the past that it’s capable to take advantages of the regional instability.
Even though the circumstances can change for Iran, for instance when popular political movements take the control. But the troubles in the Arabic world have also removed the attention from Iran’s nuclear program and this leads to disturbance of attentiveness of the international movements. Iran’s influence grows each day, since 11^th of September they’ve beaten the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq… this leads to a bigger force of Iran. The country could also gain force through the growing assertiveness of the Shiites. Shiites have been discriminated by the Sunnis; a good example is Bahrain where 70% Shiites are discriminated by the Sunni rulers. Since last week, they began a public protest where they ask for democracy. First the government used lethal force to try to stop the opposition, and 7 people were killed. Now the government wants to speak with the huge numbers of Protestants, but they want that the government retrieves and the people also rejected the Iran’s type of Islamic government.
But at the end the main question is, will Iran maintain to increase their influence in the Arabic World or will another movement? 

My opinion:

20-04-2011 om 10:28 geschreven door LKEJ  

Iran
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iran/nuclear_program/index.html?scp=5&sq=iran&st=cse

This article is about the nuclear program of Iran. This nuclear plan is one of the most important and alarming cases in the world in terms of nuclear weapons. America and Europe believe that Iran is developing one or even more nuclear weapons while Iran claims that their nuclear program has as main goal generating electricity and also providing fuel. International inspectors have said in May that Iran has enough nuclear fuel to make 2 nuclear weapons, what is very alarming.
There have already been several attempts to engage Iran diplomatically but Iran refused to cooperate every time.
I personally think that the nuclear plan of Iran contains the building nuclear weapons. Iran is acting suspicious and they also refused several investigations concerning their nuclear plan. Each time they refused to give the inspectors the information that they need to examine their plan.
When they have nothing to hide, why don’t they just cooperate?
It’s necessary that the world pays attention to this matter, and goes against this nuclear plan all together. Obama took already several attempts to negotiate with Iran, and that’s a good thing, but it’s important that all countries do something like this. When every country takes measures like this, the pressure on Iran is higher and so we can reach more in this way.
We have to stop Iran, because nuclear weapons are very dangerous and should not be made in our world. Iran would have a lot of power when they are in possession of nuclear weapons and we have to prevent that!
I don’t understand why Iran is making this sort of bombs or weapons because you can’t reach a lot when you are fighting. When you have a goal and you want to reach that goal, the best thing to do is talking and negotiating, not fighting.
I’m really scared that this can lead to a World War 3, and that the rest of the world won’t have a chance against such powerful weapons.
It’s clear to me, we have to prevent it and try to stop Iran and their nuclear plan, before it’s too late.

 (photo: http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/nuclear-bomb-test.jpg)

17-04-2011 om 12:08 geschreven door LKEJ  

In Iran, there is still a mystery over the whereabouts of the 2 main Iran opposition leaders. There are several contradictory reports whether Mir Hussein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi had been in jail or that they were under extreme house arrest. The 2 men haven’t been seen in public or by their own children since the protests on the 14th of February. A website, which is published by Moussavi supporters, says that both men and their wive were in Heshmatieh prison in Tehran, while a website that is run by Karroubi supporters, says that a neighbour saw the couple getting away in a car to a hidden location.

I personally think that the location/whereabouts of the 2 men and their wives is deliberately  being kept a secret to the people. When the people don’t know where the 2 opposition leaders are, they can’t attack or hurt them and their family. The Iran government doesn’t want that the protests of February are repeated so they keep the location of the 2 men a secret. By spreading rumours that the men are in prison or that they are under extreme house arrest, that only provokes the people more. Supporters of the 2 men and the White House press secretary say that the detention of the 2 is unacceptable and that they should be released. On the other hand, I don’t think that the supporters of the 2 opposition leaders can be stopped just by telling that both men are in prison or under house arrest. If the supporters want to keep on protesting and showing they agree to the political statements of the opposition leaders, nothing can stand in their way. In my opinion, the best thing the Iran government can do, is giving the true whereabouts to the people and releasing the 2 opposition leaders out of jail or from their house arrest. 

Source:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/world/middleeast/01iran.html?ref=iran 

17-04-2011 om 00:00 geschreven door LKEJ  

WAT IS CONCREET DE BEDOELING??
De bedoeling is dat u op regelmatige basis een bericht toevoegt op uw blog. U kan hierin zetten wat u zelf wenst.
- Bijvoorbeeld: u heeft een blog gemaakt voor gedichten. Dan kan u bvb. elke dag een gedicht toevoegen op uw blog. U geeft de titel in van het gedicht en daaronder in het bericht het gedicht zelf. Zo kunnen uw bezoekers dagelijks terugkomen om uw laatste nieuw gedicht te lezen. Indien u meerdere gedichten wenst toe te voegen op eenzelfde dag, voegt u deze toe als afzonderlijke berichten, dus niet in één bericht.
- Bijvoorbeeld: u wil een blog maken over de actualiteit. Dan kan u bvb. dagelijks een bericht plaatsen met uw mening over iets uit de actualiteit. Bvb. over een bepaalde ramp, ongeval, uitspraak, voorval,... U geeft bvb. in de titel het onderwerp waarover u het gaat hebben en in het bericht plaatst u uw mening over dat onderwerp. Zo kan u bvb. meedelen dat de media voor de zoveelste keer het fout heeft, of waarom ze nu dat weer in de actualiteit brengen,... Of u kan ook meer diepgaande artikels plaatsen en meer informatie over een bepaald onderwerp opzoeken en dit op uw blog plaatsen. Indien u over meerdere zaken iets wil zeggen op die dag, plaatst u deze als afzonderlijke berichten, zo is dit het meest duidelijk voor uw bezoekers.
- Bijvoorbeeld: u wil een blog maken als dagboek. Dagelijks maakt u een bericht aan met wat u er wenst in te plaatsen, zoals u anders in een dagboek zou plaatsen. Dit kan zijn over wat u vandaag hebt gedaan, wat u vandaag heeft gehoord, wat u van plan bent, enz. Maak een titel en typ het bericht. Zo kunnen bezoekers dagelijks naar uw blog komen om uw laatste nieuwe bericht te lezen en mee uw dagboek te lezen.
- Bijvoorbeeld: u wil een blog maken met plaatselijk nieuws. Met uw eigen blog kan u zo zelfs journalist zijn. U kan op uw blog het plaatselijk nieuws vertellen. Telkens u iets nieuw hebt, plaats u een bericht: u geeft een titel op en typt wat u weet over het nieuws. Dit kan zijn over een feest in de buurt, een verkeersongeval in de streek, een nieuwe baan die men gaat aanleggen, een nieuwe regeling, verkiezingen, een staking, een nieuwe winkel, enz. Afhankelijk van het nieuws plaatst u iedere keer een nieuw bericht. Indien u veel nieuws heeft, kan u zo dagelijks vele berichten plaatsen met wat u te weten bent gekomen over uw regio. Zorg ervoor dat u telkens een nieuw bericht ingeeft per onderwerp, en niet zaken samen plaatst. Indien u wat minder nieuws kan bijeen sprokkelen is uiteraard 1 bericht per dag of 2 berichten per week ook goed. Probeer op een regelmatige basis een berichtje te plaatsen, zo komen uw bezoekers telkens terug.
- Bijvoorbeeld: u wil een blog maken met een reisverslag. U kan een bericht aanmaken per dag van uw reis. Zo kan u in de titel opgeven over welke dag u het gaat hebben, en in het bericht plaatst u dan het verslag van die dag. Zo komen alle berichten onder elkaar te staan, netjes gescheiden per dag. U kan dus op éénzelfde dag meerdere berichten ingeven van uw reisverslag.
- Bijvoorbeeld: u wil een blog maken met tips op. Dan maakt u telkens u een tip heeft een nieuw bericht aan. In de titel zet u waarover uw tip zal gaan. In het bericht geeft u dan de hele tip in. Probeer zo op regelmatige basis nieuwe tips toe te voegen, zodat bezoekers telkens terug komen naar uw blog. Probeer bvb. 1 keer per dag, of 2 keer per week een nieuwe tip zo toe te voegen. Indien u heel enthousiast bent, kan u natuurlijk ook meerdere tips op een dag ingeven. Let er dan op dat het meest duidelijk is indien u pér tip een nieuw bericht aanmaakt. Zo kan u dus bvb. wel 20 berichten aanmaken op een dag indien u 20 tips heeft voor uw bezoekers.
- Bijvoorbeeld: u wil een blog maken dat uw activiteiten weerspiegelt. U bent bvb. actief in een bedrijf, vereniging of organisatie en maakt elke dag wel eens iets mee. Dan kan je al deze belevenissen op uw blog plaatsen. Het komt dan neer op een soort van dagboek. Dan kan u dagelijks, of eventueel meerdere keren per dag, een bericht plaatsen op uw blog om uw belevenissen te vertellen. Geef een titel op dat zeer kort uw belevenis beschrijft en typ daarna alles in wat u maar wenst in het bericht. Zo kunnen bezoekers dagelijks of meermaals per dag terugkomen naar uw blog om uw laatste belevenissen te lezen.
- Bijvoorbeeld: u wil een blog maken uw hobby. U kan dan op regelmatige basis, bvb. dagelijks, een bericht toevoegen op uw blog over uw hobby. Dit kan gaan dat u vandaag een nieuwe postzegel bij uw verzameling heeft, een nieuwe bierkaart, een grote vis heeft gevangen, enz. Vertel erover en misschien kan je er zelfs een foto bij plaatsen. Zo kunnen anderen die ook dezelfde hobby hebben dagelijks mee lezen. Als u bvb. zeer actief bent in uw hobby, kan u dagelijks uiteraard meerdere berichtjes plaatsen, met bvb. de laatste nieuwtjes. Zo trek je veel bezoekers aan.

WAT ZIJN DIE "REACTIES"?
Een bezoeker kan op een bericht van u een reactie plaatsen. Een bezoeker kan dus zelf géén bericht plaatsen op uw blog zelf, wel een reactie. Het verschil is dat de reactie niet komt op de beginpagina, maar enkel bij een bericht hoort. Het is dus zo dat een reactie enkel gaat over een reactie bij een bericht. Indien u bvb. een gedicht heeft geschreven, kan een reactie van een bezoeker zijn dat deze het heel mooi vond. Of bvb. indien u plaatselijk nieuws brengt, kan een reactie van een bezoeker zijn dat deze nog iets meer over de feiten weet (bvb. exacte uur van het ongeval, het juiste locatie van het evenement,...). Of bvb. indien uw blog een dagboek is, kan men reageren op het bericht van die dag, zo kan men meeleven met u, u een vraag stellen, enz. Deze functie kan u uitschakelen via "Instellingen" indien u dit niet graag heeft.

WAT IS DE "WAARDERING"?
Een bezoeker kan een bepaald bericht een waardering geven. Dit is om aan te geven of men dit bericht goed vindt of niet. Het kan bvb. gaan over een bericht, hoe goed men dat vond. Het kan ook gaan over een ander bericht, bvb. een tip, die men wel of niet bruikbaar vond. Deze functie kan u uitschakelen via "Instellingen" indien u dit niet graag heeft.


Het Bloggen.be-team wenst u veel succes met uw gloednieuwe blog!

Met vriendelijke groeten,
Bloggen.be-team

06-04-2011 om 15:27 geschreven door