Ursula von der Leyen has stated that sanctions on Russia will remain in place until its economy is ‘torn apart’ - adding Europe’s solidarity with Kiev is unshakable at a time to show determination.
I saw that headline on a coworkers shared screen during a meeting and had to stifle a laugh.
2023 will be the year politicians learn they are not so untouchable after all. Discontent is growing already in Europe, and it’s not even winter yet.
Lukewarm measurements will be implemented to keep shit from hitting the fan soon. So far they seem to have a small effect on the price, but they don’t sit right with me at all. A lot of focus is on green energy and a part of the profit from gas companies will be taken. But I’m sure there will be ways for them to get out.
Some experts predicted a decrease of 1250 euro’s a year in the advantage of the people. Which means 100 euro’s a month. Which does nothing is your bill is now 500-600 euro’s. We will see what happens.
I honestly don’t see what they can do at this point. Around 60% of energy that Europe was getting from Russia has no replacement. Other countries simply can’t crank up their output by needed amount, and even if that was possible there aren’t enough LNG terminals in Europe to offload it. Europe is going to crash hard this winter.
Seizing profits from companies is an option, but that won’t fully happen of course.
Stopping the sanctions but with all the talk from the EU that will never be an option.
Or just implement clever tricks in accounting combined with lowering taxes and budget cuts in other sectors.
Right now they are going after a small part of the profits and the other shortages will be covered by the governments. Which is a very short term solution that has consequences for the future, possibly bad consequences as well.
To add to this: a price cap gets implemented as well but as far as I can tell it will mainly be for green energy and green electricity. There’s no clear vision for gas, which is the number one problem.
I just watched this statement by Yanis Varoufakis https://youtu.be/NicE0-N9ux0?t=130
The price caps implemented in Greece are being used as the model for the EU-wide price caps. This model ends up paying the energy suppliers out of state pockets instead of just lowering the prices of energy to their real value (he even offers a 5% profit, it would still be 50% cheaper than current prices). It’s a massive scam on the public.
Story as old as capitalism. After every crisis, capitalist end up being richer than before. It’s literally why bourgeois state exists, its primary function. Covid crisis was an arena for the biggest transfer of wealth up in the history. And this now will be more serious than Covid, it’s base necessities crisis. It will be tragedy for billions, but a boon for the few.
Russia really needs to understand I think Europe won’t fold easily. They need to expand the SMO and take Kiev, put Zelenski and the other fascist war criminals of his regime on trial for crimes against humanity and make it clear that the fascist puppet Ukraine they said they’d support until the end doesn’t exist and never will again if Russia can help it. Start negotiations from there.
Because European liberals seem even more delusional and fanatical than the ones in the US in their willingness to commit suicide for the US and I think there is the possibility too many here and possibly in Moscow underestimate the amount of pain enough of the European population will suffer.
Quite frankly the US and Europe are determined to make Ukraine a quagmire. Russia cannot simply achieve peace and independence for the breakaway republics as the Ukrainians will never stop getting arms from NATO and will never stop attacking so long as they have men and women to throw as fodder at the Russians. It is time for a decapitating blow of the fascist government. Otherwise this is just going to be a problem for Russia.
Yes, it hurts Europe in the short-term but I do think there is a serious risk that Europe builds out enough green energy, efficiency, etc that aside from people suffering in cold homes every winter they may be able to weather this situation with Russia and just lock in a new cold war with Ukraine as an eternal front. If Russia pulls out they overrun and massacre and then attack Russia. If Russia stays they attack them there. They have to bring the Ukraine government down and the more time they waste waiting for Europeans to buckle the worse it is going to be for them. Because despite the reactionary and leftist discontent with the situation Europe is not a democracy, it is a US puppet and I have doubts for the Europeans being able to overcome gladio and other elements meant to prevent any populist anti-US, anti-NATO reaction from gaining the ability to exercise power.
Russia really needs to understand I think Europe won’t fold easily.
They already do, that’s why they keep it at SMO.
You need to understand that they have time on their side.
Russia’s current goal isn’t to get Zelensky on his knees, but to get the US on it’s knees.And how do you think Europe is building out it’s green energy?
Those windmills and solar panels don’t pop out of the ground
and with Europe and the US de-industrializing, who do you think is building them?And how do you think Europe is building out it’s green energy?
Also, if they somehow manage to do it, it will still be a positive thing. Because it will make them less prone to bootlicking USA, not to mention climate will feel it too.
Unfortunately, it seems as for now, the only thing that will happen will be austerity and probable crash even bigger than Great Crisis.
