I'm confident that Britain will find it's way post-Brexit. It might take the 5-10 years before the rewards are reaped... but the way the EU is heading, it will be looked upon as a good decision further down the line.
Britain's economy dwarfs Russia, despite not being on the same page when natural resources are considered, so while Putin's aspirations might be in the right place... the reality on the ground is far different.
in terms of the reality on the ground as you refer to size of economy -- this is correct.
the giant of giants of course we know -- as the USA -- that dwarfs everyone else country by country - standing at 18 TRILLION dollars ''worth" .
BRITAIN'S stands at 2,9 TRILLION dollars worht
CHINA at 12 TRILLION dollars worth.
Russia's at 1,9 TRILLIONdollars worth.
it SUDDENLY changes in real 'worth" once the DEBT is mentioned...
USA EXTERNAL debt -- that owed to foreign entities, largely governments holding US treasuries as a result of the Bretton-woods arrangements in 1950's nd then to continue that as the USA CHANGED from ''creditor" to debtor after the vietnam war (at which point the USA treasury STOPPED all public reporting or examination of its gold ''reserves" while -- notably refusing to repatriate demanded gold by germany, andother countries -- and one must consider the reported and known LIBYAN gold worth 1 billion that disappeared after gaddaffi -- that was going to be the guarantor of his african dinar )
this external debt stands at 19.5 TRILLION dollars -- PUBLIC internal debt stands at 90 BILLION dollars.
UK external debt stands at 9.5 TRILLION dollars -
CHINA external debt stands at 1.680 TRILLION dollars
France and germany BOTH owe over 2 trillion dollars -- something like their total economic worth...
RUSSIA'S EXTERNAL debt stands at 600 BILLION dollars...
etc..
IT SHOULD be noted that the european western countries are more dependent on ''national wealth " based on FINANCE leverage - rather than actual produced goods, resources and labor or even purchasing power (which is the ability of a country to purchase similar goods that are not 'luxury' in that country -- mcdonalds is luxury in the philippines but cheap food in the usa -- but a whole chicken in the philippines is cheaper than mcdonalds and feeds more)
and that by standards of world bank, imf, united nations -- and more and more economists -- what REALLY matters is purchasing power to judge the ''general well-being'' of a country regardless of its size in the global economic index. -- and it can include the ability of that country to BUY foreign assets after the proper exchange rates are calculated -- based on that country's position as to whether a ''net creditor" or net debtor REGARDLESS of the size of its economy.
thus -- RUSSIA has MORE purchasing power than UK OR USA based on having a lower external debt or internal public debt..
and the only way the USA -- alone AMONG nations -- ''buys" foreign assets -- is by the enforced use of the US dollar as ''required" foreign reserves held by governments as ''insurance" for them to engage in trade and finance and transactions and payments and receivables -- while of course paying a ''service fee" to the USA Treasurywhenever they actually DO make a transaction with theUSA dollar as ''in-between" ...
because investors 'like it as a secure" currency.
until of course the day when more industries within countries and countries reach a critical MASS of NON-usage of the ''middle-man dollar " as 'store of value and then...
that DEBT EXTERNALLY -- well ..........
this is the same, theoretically on practically every european country whose external debt has reached far beyond its actual ''worth". SHOULD holders of debt insist a certain portion of owed money needs to be paid -- say "becuse we need to convert it to our DOMESTIC currency to use as direct exchange payment with ANOTHER COUNTRY".
such as between russia and china for example..and russia might call in some of that debt owed by a european country which happens to have external debt -- unlike russia -- that is OVER its actual economic worth or size.
so this is not as ''straightforward" as the ground reality says .
of course the MYTH that russia earns only as a ''big gas station" isn't true -- its beginnings of the domestic agricultural reconstruction as a reaction to the sanctions -- in two harvest seasons turned russia into the world's largest exporter of wehat and barley -- over USA AND CANADA COMBINED...surpassing russia's exports in oil as earnings.
oil of course which prices depressed in the last 3 years or so - remaining under 45, even to 40 dollars per barrel .. a severe blow for sure -- but YESTERDAY went above 58 dollars per barrel......we must remember that 600 billion dollars in rubles was wasted to defend the ruble collapse -- until it stabilized at 64 or so ..and now stands at 61 to a dollar (which itself is always artificially 'strong" by nature of being a FIAT currency that doens't need to worry ''where to get the money" which the USA cna't actually 'pay' its 19 trillion dollar external debts -- so -- just send them more ''toilet paper " as ''guarantee" ...
in many ways -- as russian farmers and domestic producers for exports like -- ''PLEASE don't stop the sanctions" - lol.
as theymight NOT be getting the borrowings from western banks due to sanctions -- but also -- do not ADD to their external debt by much ..
so - i guess -- a lot depends on how one looks at what is ''large" economy and what's IN it or what it's TRUE worth is.
imean -- have you looked at the size of just ONE ''small'' region currently being opened up -- in east-south siberia? for agriculture? it is enormous -- bigger than germany...
i only recently realized -- from my visit in st petersburg past summer for 2 weeks -- why i saw so many college students - especially as my river-front hotel was a regular path for so many going back and forth to their universities that i would ask them about as i looked from the distance ''what are those tall towers?"
and they'd explain "oh that one science institute, that other one engineering and construction,,, other side is national naval institute, on other side space science and physics,, i go to agriculture institutue..and many were into agriculture...
meaning? an already long-plannned policy -- to become the global food superpower of non-GMO which is absolutely forbidden in russia...and as even the enormously hungry and growing middle class with plenty of spending money in china looks north -- guess who will feed many of those billions willing to pay NON-GMO....
there IS one thing russia warned europe about sanctions:
"the sanctions dictated by the USA WERE intended to destroy our economy -- hoping that the people will get restive and revolt for a new leadership more obedient to western interests like in 1990's -- the countersanctions - we consider appropriate --
but when the moment arrives that europe will find it is at least as costly to them than for us -- we can NOT GUARANTEE that europe's lost markets and presence in russia will be there waiting for them as it will be filled by others".
now - look at FRANCE -- with an economy larger than russia's -
1/3 of its 400,000 farmers have just called for the government to create policies to allow farmers to BECOME cooperatives as -- separately theycan no long survive with 1,500 euros a month to 'stay in business" as government support, or 1,500 euros as a one =-time payment to GET OUT of their farm business, or 1,500 euros for job retraining with a collapsing economy as a result of sanctions andlost markets..while their DOMESTIC prices have been reduced due to over-production.
this is all of course based on a ''big european economy" as a bloc that has now engaged in the american-style ''fiat money printing" -- known as ''quantitative easing" to fund its -- what else -- debt-based ''economy" --
but what happens as more ''brexits" follow ? from hungary, austria, italy. spain,etc?who's going to pay that money to where from whom? and finance the bubble economy ? meanwhiletheir EXPORTS -- - europes single biggest trade partner IS russia..or has been --
are not ''guaranteed to find their old positions even after europe lifts the sanctions" ?
what i DO know is -- when i was in st petersburg -- everything you wanted in food -- groceries were exploding to the brim with food -- of very high quality . the sanctions basically HURT RUSSIA definitely -- in terms of difficulty in borrowing from western banks to make projects work more smoothly -- but -- thats really about it. the internal market is doing just fine, in fact what is really an example of a rather healthy one...
good consumption rates - peole -- instead of going outside for vacation in egypt as one of their favorites or turkey or europe -- to save money at the drop of the ruble DIDN'T stop vacationingor touring. on the contrary -- they explore ENORMOUS russia and nearby asia ... and keep the money domestically instead -- thus growing their economy even more in a stable way. i met many russians in st petersburg that were saying "- i - from moscow region -- me from dagestan, me from far east , me from north siberia, me from tatarstan -- country is so big -- so many places like a different country to see...no problem".
what IS well-known in russia is this:
the vast, vast MAJORITY are FURIOUS at the current government -- and i don't mean PUTIN -- or LAVROV of the foreign ministry or the defense head SHOIGU who are considered the most trusted and respected..
they are furious rather that their constitution that even putin must be careful about not going against unless he can somehow convince the DUMA (parliament) to completely rewrite it -- was actually WRITTEN by JEFFERY SACHS from the USA in 1991...THAT BOUND their currency and central bank to the USA federal bank and treasury policies...
and that their economic policies are largely controlled -- NOT by putin and his circle -- who are called in russia
"the orientalists or sovereignists" -- or an intellectual class usually known as the 'GLAZIEV AND STOLYPIN" thinkers..
BUT INSTEAD is controlled in policy making and economic planning by a group from the 1990's USA 'influenced" 'economic experts "
who are called DERISIVELY in russia as ''the atlanticists"
namely the people whose friends were the former officials who were so corrupt and became oligarchs raiding the treasury, the national resources and industries and collaborated with the american ''advisers" sent by the west during the 1990's ''RE-organization and reform " of russia which PLUNGED the country into ruin -- throwing millions -- and i say MILLIONS out of jobs, businesses, industries, pensions simply wiped out by a stroke of the pen...
AND caused starvation that is NEVER reported int he west as COMING FROM THAT same 199o's decade but instead reported as ''from teh USSR era".
i met actual people )fellow musicians where i went to that festival --
who told me what really happened:
"in the USSR we always had everything -- not what they say int west -- once the western reforms arrived -- everything was destroyed -- nothing worked -- it was clearly intentional , budgets were simply wiped out as part of reform -- for the first time we went to school without lunch because even the food credits we had in the USSR which was a national right -- was removed - this -- we NOW realize is what american democracy really meant...and we will NEVER again permit that to happen to us -- it was pure rape of our country..there is no question about that"
and THAT is - to some extent still being attempted to RETURN to something of that sort -- ''privatize russia everywhere under foreign management" --
represented by these ''atlanticists" -- and the russians IDENTIFY ONE of the leaders -- the PRIME MINISTER MEDVEDEV himself with his very cozy relations with berlin, london, washington, etc...as well as heads of the ministries of economics, finance, banking, --
and are openly considered TRAITORS..
but since putin and duma have to be constrained by the 'rules of the constitution" that they can not just re-write as naturally a good number of deputies and duma etc..are beholden to that -- showing that even PUTIN is FAR from the 'authoritarian" he is painted to be--
it can only be gradually ''put to the test and show ITS failure" by its own policies.
such AS the recent capture of a high minister of the 'ECONOMICS policy" -- who was one of the original architects of selling out russia in the 1990's.
for bribery-- so a 'proper case" has to be made as heads ROLL one by one until the country is PURGED of the atlanticists who are responsible for SUPPRESSING The economic welfare of the country by their own policies such as
tada -- ''AUSTERITY" - as practiced by berlin against GREECE which destroyed greece and rendered it subjecto plunder by german investors...
and the SAME tactics from brussels which the ITALIAN populace is realizing they are NOW the next target ...
of the lords of 'finance and capital " residing in the atlantic coasts.
it is now becoming VERY clear.
that's also why -- in russia -- it might surprise people -- their television programs -- among the most popular across the country are several huge discussion and debate shows where they actually INVITE westerners -- these same representatives or experts of the ''washington consensus " -- some british or german, polish, dutch -- whatever - who can speak quite fluently in russian --
and debate across the room the group of ''nativist" russians --
nd lay their merits on the table --
PURELY to SHOW the russian people the ABSURDITY of the ''washington consensus- and the atlantic imperialists".
who have the GALL to show their faces and ''prescriptions of democracy and reforming russia' --
meaning -- LETTING THEM DISPLAY their ''wise policies" -- so that the russian people can actually see how ABSURD these foreign ''experts" are whose EXAMPLES AND TROPHIES of superiority of economic miracles are
UKRAINE, GREECE, THE BALTIC BASKET CASES, IRELAND, ICELAND, and so many more countries.
and that way -- make FOOLS of themselves as the russian people LAUGH at them!! WHEN the orientalists slice apart their economic ''logic"
in many ways - directly --even if of course i don't speak russian but could CERTAINLY begin to get a ''drift' of it -- and later on checking the articles explaining these matters in english -- and the translations of the shows --
this IS putins way to allow his people :
"let us have these western experts on economics come and explain themselves to us -- without limit - debate them -- and see how their logic is destroyed so easily -- then YOU decide how we shall move forward..."
expressed in overwhelming support for putin AND the real patriotic russians of the ''GLAZIEV" thought -- who of course are reminding russians
"we are NOT a true sovereign country so long as our central bank follows market policies of washington " (which is why even teh central banker NAIBULLINA --TRAINED IN LONDON -- is considered highly suspect for continuing to depress russia's INTERNAL economy with her tight policies but whcih putin still gives her credit for ''stabilizing" the ruble with that 500 dollar infusion to protect it -- that is, ''buying back rubles by spending dollars to re-introduce rubles into the economy" ..
but HER TIME CLOCK is fast ticking because as the recession caused by the sanctions and attack on the ruble PASS -- and russia returns -- is returning to grown at 2 percent which is stable based on LOW external debt -- SHE and her ''atlanticist" policies BETTER START showing GROWTH or ELSE something is very wrong.
and THATS another way that putin - according to really knowledgeable russians -- is demonstrating to ALL russians --
"SEE THESE ATLANTICISTS - LOOK AT HOW THEY ACTUALLY WORK FOR washington and london and brussels".
"now WE go back to our sovereignist, orientalists who have been reminding us to TAKE BACK our central bank as a national bank -- ".
THAT'S the real game going on .how russia PURGES the western, atlanticist, washington consensus filth out of power that has served to SABOTAGE the russian people -- in service to their ''western tutors" .
every russian i ever met in st petersburg told me the same thing>
"this government -- medvedev , u know..people who got power in the 1990's -- like gorbachev and yeltsin -- they are the traitors who will sell russia cheap to the west but it is not that easy to get rid of them"..
and THAT'S the REAL russia, folk.
and in someways - this is putin's and th ereal patriotic russians who DO know wht to do with their economy -- but have largely been ''marginalized" ESPECIALLY by the 1990's ''appointments'' dictated from washington (such as who was going to direct the finance, the economics policies, ALL of them washington poodles , including medvedevn himself -- UNTIL YELTSIN just before he died SLIPPED in his last appointment 1999-- PUTIN who meanwhile quietly gathered the REAL patriots around him and bid their time and finally KICKED out the westenr plunderers like exxon, british petroleum unless they agreed to RUSSIA'S regaining the business rules step by step ) -- this is the mirror way of putin and lavrov basically
letting obama shout and sanction -- and regime change and build his army up to russia's doorstep ,their terrorist /plus mass migration,social chaos projects, austerity ''reforms" -- ''too big to fail banks" MINUS ZER0 quantitative easing ''credit default swaps" , bubbles, and more such ''atlanticist /washington miracles"
-- let the washington atlantic consensus SHOW how wonderful their prescriptions are --
in syria, in europe, etc...and lay themselves for the whole world to see what FILTH they are..in the plundering and misery they bring to people everywhere.
MEANWHILE -- the chinese are demanding RUSSIAN ICE-CREAM, DAIRY products, cheese, fruits, for their kids to HURRY UP ALREADY and export some more to china -- along with those HEALTHY -- very high standard food quality NON GMO - AND those planes and helicopters, motorcycles, speed boats and more stuff that barack obama says ''russia doesnt produce anything anybody wants except oil and gas".
and i am WITNESS to such things -- machines old and new -- of all kinds -- of such HIGH quality and toughness -- in the air, the ground and water...in buildings and on the streets...that are only starting to find their way into the region with the MONEY to pay -- ASIA!!
which as of the new year -- is RUSHING to buy rubles as the best performing currency on earth !! after obama proclaimed with pride
"we have succeeded to render russia's economy in TATTERS -- SHE IS ISOLATED"
BUT ON THAT TOO -- PUTIN ALLOWED the the HOLLOW salesman to display himself before the world for the FOOL that he is!!
ROFLMAO.
