IF in an 'ole THEN stop digging UNLESS erringly ideological

.. neoliberalism ...

  .. foist upon us 'unasked' ...

    .. bipartisanly = un- & anti-democratically

Musing: I recall some debate; contra = 'race to the bottom,' pro = 'a rising tide lifts all boats' and 'a smaller slice of a larger pie may actually turn out bigger.' Also, neoliberalism was sold as if it would enable the poverty-struck to pull themselves out of their misery. Well, we can see how well it all worked out; lots of the already-rich got richer, and many/most of the non-rich rest got viciously ripped-off = *further* impoverished.

There's only one 'real' question, Q: Did they know what they were doing?

Suggested A1: No, all the damage was 'accidental' = 'they' were pig-higorant = criminally negligent, or

Suggested A2: Yes, all the damage was deliberately inflicted = 'they' were outright criminal; but whatever, in both cases 'they' must be brought to justice.

As usual with major crime, we have the prime-perpetrators = 'they,' the string-pullers, the 'powers behind the throne.' 'They' are basically hidden, for it's not openly acknowledged that in our democracies, there may be 'outside influencers' - who have purchased 'special considerations.' But that's obviously what's happened; the prime-perpetrators have their accessories, first the so-called 'leaders' = politicians - of both 'sides' (bipartisan = un- & anti-democratic), here more often than not acting *against* our, we the people's interests. Then come the rest of the perpetrator/exploiter/accessories forming the M/I/C/4a-plex[1], and dragging along at the rear, the various apologists, including the pro-war + pro-crime = pro-corruption internet trolls. Since the perpetrators' modi operandi include deception, oppression and murdering theft, I see only one effective solution: Tumbrels, then a new start; this time down the correct, socially just path.

-=*=-

Trigger article 1, some history:

Debt and Democracy – Has the Link Been Broken?
By Michael Hudson
December 02, 2011
  «By giving taxpayers this voice in government, the Dutch and British democracies provided creditors with much safer claims for payment than did kings and princes whose debts died with them. But the recent debt protests from Iceland to Greece and Spain suggest that creditors are shifting their support away from democracies. They are demanding fiscal austerity and even privatization sell-offs.
...
This is being dictated by financial proxies euphemized as technocrats. Designated by creditor lobbyists, their role is to calculate just how much unemployment and depression is needed to squeeze out a surplus to pay creditors for debts now on the books. What makes this calculation self-defeating is the fact that economic shrinkage – debt deflation – makes the debt burden even more unpayable.» 
[ICH, nakedcapitalism/Michael Hudson]

Comment: One could recall "no taxation without representation." It's no good for representatives to 'do what they want;' first they have to present a 'platform' then proceed to honour their 'mandate.' But not only, as our representatives they must do their best *for us*, not kowtow to just anyone offering them $s. Consider: The representative model's time has passed; time to stop the lies, cut out the politician middle-wo/men & move to 100% *direct* democracy.

Trigger article 2, some ideas:

Dec 1, 2011
ECB a barrier to crisis exit
By Ellen Brown
  «One solution might be for the publicly-owned banks of eurozone governments to exercise their right to borrow from the ECB at 1.25%, then use that liquidity to buy up the country's debt, or as much of it as does not sell at auction. (The Federal Reserve does this routinely in open market operations in the US.) The government's securities would be stabilized, keeping speculators at bay; and the government would get the interest spread, since it would own the banks and would get the profits back as dividends.» 
[atimes/Ellen Brown]

Comment 1: Note: "keeping speculators at bay;" why are we still being plagued by such scum?

Comment 2: There are few publicly-owned banks, i.e. Aus' C'wlth was privatised by Labor (traitors). So the first step is to nationalise the trading banks, whilst disbanding the investment banks (as being more than merely un- but counter-useful.) Whereas 'nationalise' may be synonymous with socialism, itself next to communism, the right-wing rhetoric becomes tiresome. Time to return to what's known to work, as opposed to the predominate US-brand of capitalism = mindless exploitation = *erring* ideology.

More:

  «Europe is in the process of being "structurally readjusted" by a private banking cartel. If its people are to resist this silent conquest, they need to rise up and, using the ballot box and public banks, throw out the new banking hegemony before it is too late.» 
[Ellen Brown, ibid.]

Comment: One big, if not *the* biggest problem is that the people don't even realise the details of what's really going on (= threatening financial collapse and/or serfdom), thanks, but "No, thanks!" to the corrupt & venal MSM (including 'national' = taxpayer-funded broadcasters like the AusBC), misinforming the people = deliberately omitting info - when not telling outright lies[2]. I term this process the pushed-propaganda paradigm, dumbing the people down (i.e. the sheople are being ppp-dd'd.)

Trigger article 3, some reality:

By Marshall Auerback
Eurozone Catastrophe: How Saving the Euro Could Mean Blood on the Streets
The whole future shape of Europe must be resolved in a week or so. It’s a high-stakes game of poker that the Germans are determined to win--at the expense of misery for many.
December 2, 2011
  «The eurozone is facing two distinct, but related, problems: Problem #1 is a national solvency issue, which only the European Central Bank (ECB) can solve. Problem #2 is deficient "aggregate demand" (a fancy term for the spending power of consumers), which calls for a stronger fiscal policy response to offset declining investment and purchases in the private sector.
...
The only institution in the EMU that can spend without recourse to prior funding is the ECB. That is the consequence of the flawed design of the monetary system that the neo-liberal conservatives in Europe forced upon the member states at the inception of the common currency.
...
From what I can see, there's no chance that the ECB would fund and at the same time mandate the higher deficits needed for a recovery, because the Germans will never allow it. In which case the only thing that will end the austerity is blood on the streets in sufficient quantity to trigger chaos and a change in governance.» 
[alternet/Marshall Auerback]

Comment 1: 'National insolvency' is a direct result of, primarily, deliberately reducing govt. income - by cutting taxes off the 1%, say. 'Deficient aggregate demand' is a direct result of, primarily, cutting wages, opportunities (via off-shoring), conditions & benefits from the 99%. Both govt. income & expenditure cuts result from the neoliberal *erring ideology*, as opposed to any *proven* theory. Proof is in the results.

Comment 2: We have the choice; wait for the damage THEN try to recover OR act soonest on what we can foresee, trying to save a lot of BIG TROUBLE in advance. Prevention is better than cure.

Fazit: the current result could hardly have been better for the 1%, or much worse for the 99%, and since we don't 'do' coincidences, I presume neoliberalism was thusly designed. Our so-called 'leaders' have sold us out = betrayed us; they are nothing other than filthy traitors. The 'normal' penalty for treason = execution, hence tumbrels. For both the string-pullers and the M/I/C/4a-plex order-givers, plus their should-know-better order-takers, and ditto for apologists = pro-crime + pro-war = pro-corruption internet trolls, say; off to gaol with the lot - some directly to death-row.

-=*end*=-

PS I, as a dilettante/dabbler with 'normal' allocation of brains and time, can see what's going on, as could anyone in my circumstances = able to bypass the 'info-gatekeepers' = the corrupt & venal MSM. IF I can see (proof = this article + citations), THEN what of the so-called 'leaders' = politicians with big-$ backing, supposedly clever staffs, not to mention the 'real' bastions of deep-thought = university departments (like economics, say?) The magnitude of the problems speak directly to the so-called leaders' (+ accessories', apologists') failures; once more: Tumbrels.

-=*=-

Ref(s):

[1] M/I/C/4a-plex = Military-Industrial (as per Eisenhower), then Congress (US for parliaments), the 4th Estate = corrupt & venal (including lying) MSM and 'a' = whatever parts of academia wanted by the 1% and prepared to sell-out - which seems to be lots, starting with economics (neoliberalism, 'economic rationalism,' globalisation; all together = race to the bottom for workers, wages & conditions) and psychology (more lying = scientifically designed propaganda).

[2] lie2  -n. 1 intentionally false statement (tell a lie). 2 something that deceives. -v. (lies, lied, lying) 1 tell a lie or lies. 2 (of a thing) be deceptive.  give the lie to show the falsity of (a supposition etc.). [Old English] [POD]