The worlds poorest president

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RF
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The worlds poorest president

Post by RF »

I have just come across a report about Jose Mujica who I suspect that most of you have never heard of. He is currently president of Uruguay.

And he is rather different to the usual stereotype of Latin American leader or caudillo or indeed the likes of virtually all western leaders. He doesn't bother to live in the presidential mansion that the Uruguayan state provides but on a ramshackle farm where the farmhouse is literally falling down. He donates 90% of his salary as president (about £7,500 per month) to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs. His only other asset apart from the farm (which grows flowers) is a 1987 Volkswagon Beetle.

Mind you he is ex-Tupermaros and for his pains was shot six times and spent 14 years in jail.

Perhaps he ought to be president of the USA...... can't see him somehow as the Republican candidate......
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Vic Dale
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Re: The worlds poorest president

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During my time in politics, a constant demand was for all MPs to receive the average wage of the people they represent. There were three MPs who acted on this Pat Wall, Dave Nellist and Terry Fields. They tried to refuse part of their salaries, but this was blocked, so they donated the surplus to the labour movement and what a howl of anguish that caused. From Tory Liberal and Labour MPs who were all too fond of their money. The three also opened their expense accounts to public scrutiny, so everyone could see they were not lining their own pockets, out of government money.

What great example these guys set and their reward? They were expelled from the labour party.

When the left wing council in Liverpool scrapped the mayoral limousine, that too was denigrated across the board by MPs who love privilege.

We also demanded that Trade union leaders should be paid the same as those they represent. That too caused a rumpus, not least form the Tories, Clearly they see how money corrupts and a corrupt trade union leader is someone they can deal with, not some zealot who will take to the job simply for the pleasure of representing their work mates.

Makes you wonder by what right these money grubbers get into office. Talk about attracting the right people. Yes if attracting the most selfish people on the planet is what you want then pay them the money.

MP's here are about to get and 11% pay rise making them up to £74,000 pa, plus their expenses. That is going to cause some strife, in a nation which been told we are all in it together and must tighten our belts.
Byron Angel
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Re: The worlds poorest president

Post by Byron Angel »

What other pursuit, other than politics, can line your pockets AND satisfy one's megalomania all in one go???

B
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RNfanDan
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Re: The worlds poorest president

Post by RNfanDan »

Byron Angel wrote:What other pursuit, other than politics, can line your pockets AND satisfy one's megalomania all in one go???B
Well, George Soros seems to have ONE good answer to your question! :lol:
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RF
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Re: The worlds poorest president

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Vic Dale wrote: Makes you wonder by what right these money grubbers get into office. Talk about attracting the right people. Yes if attracting the most selfish people on the planet is what you want then pay them the money.
Its the voters who put them there and those who don't vote who allow them to be elected.
MP's here are about to get and 11% pay rise making them up to £74,000 pa, plus their expenses. That is going to cause some strife, in a nation which been told we are all in it together and must tighten our belts.
Well, can't the voters sack them at the next general election? And vote in some new politicians such as the Greens or Trade Unionists against the Cuts?
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
Vic Dale
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Re: The worlds poorest president

Post by Vic Dale »

Problem is, the government will be formed by one of three main political parties - probably not the liberals - independents will not get a look in unless they give support to either Labour or Tory. The candidates for these two parties are selected at constituency meetings, but if they elect one who does not suit the party leaders they will have one appointed. That isn't exactly democracy.

So the voters ultimately only get to chose from carefully selected candidates, so which ever way you vote it will be more of the same. If you don't vote it will be more of the same also. Small wonder people are not bothering to vote.

It doesn't really matter if people don't vote. Society never changes through the ballot box any way. If the masses come up against a barrier for too long they will eventually push it aside. That is how it went in Russia against the czar and we can see it happening around the world where long established leaders are getting shown the door. If we have a general strike here in Britain and the government falls they can blame no one but themselves. They are the ones destroying democracy. A general strike actually posses the question of ultimate power so tread very carefully.
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RF
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Re: The worlds poorest president

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Vic Dale wrote:Problem is, the government will be formed by one of three main political parties - probably not the liberals - independents will not get a look in unless they give support to either Labour or Tory
.

But only if they maintain their mass vote. In the last 50 years since the heyday of the two party system, at the 1955 general election, their vote in mass terms has seen a steady decline. They have shed millions of votes, just compare 2010 with 1955. To give but one illustration, in 1955 the Tories held more than half the seats in Scotland. The SNP barely existed. Today the SNP is dominant, the Tories practically wiped out.
The candidates for these two parties are selected at constituency meetings, but if they elect one who does not suit the party leaders they will have one appointed. That isn't exactly democracy.
Agreed. But millions of people vote now for other parties. They aren't as important as they were.
So the voters ultimately only get to chose from carefully selected candidates, so which ever way you vote it will be more of the same. If you don't vote it will be more of the same also. Small wonder people are not bothering to vote.
Those who voted for George Galloway or Caroline Lucas may beg to differ.
It doesn't really matter if people don't vote. Society never changes through the ballot box any way.
I beg to differ. Voters collectivelly can change society. They did that in Weimar Germany - Hitler emerged on the backs of millions of votes. And from your perspective Vic, there was also the example of Allende in Chile
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Vic Dale
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Re: The worlds poorest president

Post by Vic Dale »

I would always favour a mass coup by the people. Military coups and fascist coups are anti working class.

George Galloway was always a good left, but as an ultra left he lacks perspective and will never lead a mass of people.

The status quo always continues, bosses on the top and workers down the bottom. Hitler conducted his coup but did not change a hair on the head of capitalism. That is another mark of shame. The big capitalists were all too ready to profit from slave labour waiting ready in the camps.

We expect the Tories to favour big business over working people, but Labour is supposed to our party. If it was democratic it would reflect the aims and ideas of working people, but as we can see the minute workers become involved the leaders shut it down and install their own man, even resorting to the police to get their own way. The labour party was infiltrated by tories many years ago and since then all candidates have been vetted to ensure they are pro-capitalist or that they don't have a cogent idea in their heads. As far as capitalism is concerned the labour party leaders must be safe or the state will come down on them.

We might consider for a moment what is the purpose of the state. It is no more than an armed body which ensures the rights of the ruling class. If we did not have classes in society there would never have been any justification for a state machine. Humans lived for a million years without classes or a state machine and look at the mess we have been in for the past 3,000 years. Our history books are marked out by wars and famine. The finest act for a young man is go to war and lay down his life for his country. That is no life, it is obsession with death.

Humans can do far better than they are doing at present. All that is needed is the freedom to do it. We have massive industries but they can only run at a fraction of their capacity. We have raw materials in abundance around the globe and lush growing land, yet we cannot feed our people. There is a single reason for all of this. nothing gets done unless someone makes a profit. Take the profit motive away and let the machines run and the workers produce, to satisfy need. Then see how society develops.

We have whole swathes of humans who never get a chance to have their say or develop culture, or invent, simply because their country sits on land which is rich in minerals which the west needs and they must give their lives because people are fighting over their resources.

If anyone challenges the system which has brought us wars and famine, they are written off as extremists.
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