Politics - Page 4

Is Your Business Brexit Ready?

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As Brexit is now delayed until Halloween 2019, many businesses are becoming increasingly frustrated with the uncertainty surrounding it. While it’s certainly not ideal, why not turn the delay into an advantage?

You can take the additional time to ensure your business is Brexit ready, regardless of how it plays out. Below, we’ll look at how your business can best prepare in order to survive Brexit with minimal damage.

Preparing for changes in EU trade

One of the biggest concerns businesses have regarding Brexit, is the potential trade implications. As the UK will lose its free trade status with the EU, it’s likely going to cause significant delays and increased costs to imports and exports throughout Europe. So, if your business wants to prepare for this, there are a few things you can do.

Firstly, researching alternative trade options can help. Either searching for UK-Based suppliers or looking further afield internationally and developing new trade relationships is a good idea. However, if you’re set on remaining with your existing suppliers, stockpiling could be an alternative option.

Img source: briefingsforbrexit.com

Focus on your supply chain

It’s a good idea to talk to your supply chain to see what they’ll be doing to prepare for Brexit. If just one supplier fails to plan ahead, it could cause issues for the entire supply chain. This, in turn, will be devastating for your business as just one issue can lead to delayed orders which will significantly affect customer satisfaction. So, don’t wait until after Brexit to talk to your supply chain, do it now so you can adequately prepare.

Making sure you’re financially prepared

Whatever the Brexit outcome, there could be huge delays and complications both in trade and in your supply chain. Therefore, you need to make sure you’re financially prepared. You can check out loan providers such as Liberis for financial funding.

Img source: gpluseurope.com

If you can, you’ll want to start saving money you can use as an emergency fund when Brexit finally happens. That way, any delays and increased costs are unlikely to affect the business. Take a look at your list of clients too and how likely it is they’ll be affected by Brexit. If your clients struggle financially, you will too!

These are just some of the way’s businesses can start getting ready for Brexit. While the delay may be frustrating, it does give you the opportunity to spend more time preparing, potentially reducing the negative effects Brexit will have on your business.

 

Rhetoric Remain a Potent Political Weapon?

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Anti-immigrant rhetoric paved the way for the victory of Trump as President of the United States. From the moment he went out to announce his candidacy for the presidency, he enveloped all cable news channels because of his hatred against Mexicans.

The same thing happened earlier in the UK when Brexit won despite polls suggesting otherwise. The anti-immigration rhetoric fanned by Brexit leaders made people decide to vote to leave even if there are overwhelming reasons to stay.

However, in both instances, it has been clear that voting for leaders and policies based on immigration alone are not going to work. When Trump won, he barely had any policy that uplifted the lives of those whom he promised to deliver change to. Until now, there is no clear path towards Brexit.

Img source: app.com

People made impulsive decisions because of the anti-immigration sentiments they heard even if there are other issues they care about.

The good thing though is that things are starting to turn around. In 2018, the Democrats took control of Congress for the first time in a long time despite the anti-immigration fear that Trump stoked. In France, anti-immigration rhetoric was not enough for Le Pen to win over Macron. It does not mean that this rhetoric is over, but it is not as potent a political weapon as it used to be.

It is not enough to focus on immigration alone

There are various concerns in a country and to make decisions based on immigration policies alone is not enough. Politicians need to focus on kitchen table issues that everyone feels concerned about. Even if right-wing leaders keep fanning the flame of hatred towards immigrants, it will not be enough in the end. When people have nothing to eat because they got fired from their job, they will not think of immigration policies first. When seniors do not receive adequate healthcare, they will also not worry about immigrants working in various jobs available in a country. Therefore, using immigrants as a political tool will only work to a certain extent.

Img source: theamericanconservative.com

Immigrants proved their worth

Another reason why anti-immigration rhetoric will not prevail is that immigrants continue to show that they are capable of integrating into society. People realize that they extend help to the country especially in enhancing the economy. When immigrants are not around to work specific jobs, some services people enjoy will not be available anymore. Therefore, branding all immigrants as criminals and stealing jobs will not work.

Do not be afraid

Given these reasons, you cannot allow yourself to feel discouraged by the loud voices against immigrants. You are not doing anything wrong. As long as you go through legal channels and you receive a visa to stay within a country, you have nothing to fear.

If you still feel confused about the process and you do not know where to begin, you can ask www.gulbenkian.co.uk for help. You will then receive information on how to process your visa and secure its approval.

Exodus! Skilled Trades & Nurses Queue Up to Leave Brexit Britain for Australia

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A recent poll by the UK’s #1 Australia Visa Consultancy, Lets Go Global confirms politicians worst nightmare, that tens of thousands of highly skilled British born Nationals are looking at every possible way to leave the UK, citing Brexit uncertainty as their Number One reason.

Steve Hadley, Senior Associate with Lets Go Global went on record to say “we’ve seen a huge 300% increase in inquiries, mostly from key workers and skilled UK tradespeople like electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and mechanics. We’ve also seen a huge surge from those in Financial Services yet finance skills are not as wanted down under as trades and those in the medical profession.”

The United Kingdom is in crisis and a recent study by Lets Go Global Australian Migration found that most enquirers were from swing voters around Brexit, some pro remainers, some pro-Brexit. “It’s not the issue of Brexit itself says Hadley, it’s the indecision that’s changing their outlook.”

“These are hardworking UK Citizens, simply fed up with the debacle going on in British Politics.”

It’s no surprise that Australia tops the list of preferred destinations, with almost year-round sunshine, a great education system, amazing work-life balance, and World class healthcare. With only 25 million people on a landmass bigger than Europe, it’s no wonder disillusioned UK workers are dreaming of a new life down under.

Cities like Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney feature consistently in the Economist’s Most Liveable City Report and have done on and off for over a decade.

When you combine this with exceptional pay scales for Trades and Nurses there’s simply no comparison with the United Kingdom. In accordance with these events,  Officespace.com.au have noticed a marked increase in UK business inquiring about office space for rent in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Img source: briefingsforbrexit.com

However, Hadley cautions that it’s certainly not an easy process. Australia isn’t open for all and theirs is one of the strictest immigration systems in the World.

Emigrating to Australia is now only an option for those with the right skills, qualifications, and experience that can fill critical skills shortages across the vast Country. It’s a long, complicated and significant legal process. “We’re still amazed when potential clients think their UK passport gives them an automatic right to move to Australia.”

And for those in demand the benefits are vast, holders of the much coveted 189 and 190 skilled migration visa classes are granted:

  • The right to live and work in Australia
  • Skilled Migration does not require holders to have a job first
  • Free education for Children
  • Access to Medicare
  • Access to Financial Services

… and best of all, these visas are designed to convert into Australian Citizen after four years, enabling these new Citizens to hold Dual UK and Australian Citizenship.

How to save Ukrainian Elections from Russian Influence – Interview with political strategist Yuri Vanetik

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According to Ukrainian News Agency, UNIAN, Russia intends to commit another absurd action –to deploy “two observers to monitor the upcoming elections in Ukraine despite the ban earlier imposed by the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, on any citizens of the Aggressor State to perform monitoring functions during the voting process.”

I’ve reached out to a person who can definitely give me an explanation about Russia’s suspicious political moves in Ukraine and the role of election monitors.

Mr. Vanetik, you are a California based GOP strategist, a lawyer, and a businessman.  What is your background? You have done some consulting for Ukrainian politicians in recent years. What do you think about what is happening in Ukraine’s politics?

I am a political activist, and over the last 20 years, I have held leadership positions in political finance within the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Republican Governors Association. I have also held various state appointments. I have been a California Delegate, Lottery Commissioner and Served on the California Criminal Justice Commission, to name a few. My main business is private equity investing.  Inadvertently I have advised some Ukrainian politicians and business leaders last several years.

Consequently, I have become known as to some aspects of Ukraine’s political and economic climate. Ukraine is in search of an identity. It is consumed by corruption, and it is in open conflict with Russia. Some think that it may not survive as a country and may splinter like former Yugoslavia. Despite these formidable challenges, there is hope for a democratic and prosperous Ukraine, and it remains our good friend in Eastern Europe. And it is in trouble…

Mr. Vanetik, Ukraine is having elections in less than two months.  There has been talking about election observers. What are your thoughts on the subject?  Has this come up in your highflying political circles in Washington?

Election monitoring is typically handled by NGOs and has been a practice after World War II. It is a way for the international community to assess the fairness of elections based on international election standards as well as local laws. The mission of these efforts is to observe and report; there is no direct enforcement by the monitors. Election observation increasingly looks at the entire electoral process over a longer period of time and having a delegation come in just days before the election is probably not as effective. The legitimacy of an election can be affected by the criticism of monitors, so long as they are not biased themselves.

I am well aware of elections in Ukraine. As I have suggested, Ukraine is our ally and is a victim of conflict with Russia and rampant kleptocracy that has plagued this diverse and beautiful country since its independence from the Soviet regime.  I have been approached with questions about election monitors by African specialists, my Ukrainian friends, and previously in the Republic of Georgia where I consulted in connection with the Presidential elections.

Election monitors are an important part of election integrity in developing democracies. At the same time, they can serve as a facade for dictators or those keen on manipulating elections while softening the reproach of the free world. In other words, they can be a tool in the hands of sore losers or dishonest winners. These are the negative externalities of election monitors that are either bought or manipulated. Therefore, Russian monitors in Ukraine raise the proverbial red flag. There is no rational justification in Russia’s efforts to install its election monitors in Ukraine. This is pure populism. They try to portray Ukraine as a country that does not adhere to the rule of law and international standards for transparency in elections, yet Russia is the aggressor in Ukraine! And it’s not a secret! This action from the Russian’s Foreign Ministry looks like a strategy predicated on provocation.  I am a big adherent to using American election monitors in Ukraine.

Mr. Vanetik, Who are these people? What qualifications do they need to have?

There are reputable organizations that provide these western “services”. National Republican Institute provides election monitors to many former Soviet counties. For Ukraine, the key person at NRI is Stephen Nix. I am confident that Nix and NRI will be involved in your country’s efforts to have election monitoring with integrity.  There is NDI, NRI’s Democratic counterpart.

Img source: entrepreneur.com

 

There are also various law firms and advisors in Washington that as a service can help put together a team of qualified independent experts to serve in that role. I highly recommend that these teams be put in place.  Ukraine’s efforts at advancing its democracy depend on fair elections that can be at least tacitly endorsed by the U.S. and the rest of the free world. Also, the American embassy in Ukraine will have a say as to what happens on the ground. Our State Department is concerned about Ukraine.  We want Ukraine to succeed. We know that Ukraine’s business elite and politicians are part of a lingering corrupt cabal that Ukraine has not been able to purge. We also know that losing candidate will level all sorts of accusations against one another and the losing candidates will likely challenge the results of the elections in Ukraine.  All these things we know.  It is important that not only the western monitors are qualified and report what they see fairly, but that the optics of fairness are also addressed.  In politics as in many other disciplines, optics matter.

By way of qualifications, I don’t believe there is a science to it.  There is no professional degree or a license to be an election monitor. I high profile respected opinion leader is often put at the helm of the group to bolster its credibility and set high ethical standards.  Ideally, these should be people with experience and integrity. Obviously, experience and deep understanding of elections – especially foreign elections – and politics count.  Integrity counts. You don’t want a partisan group.  If someone appears like they have a predisposition or a historical bias, this will impact the trustworthiness of their opinions.   We need to understand that the reaction to Ukraine’s election results and Russia’s potential efforts to influence them will depend on the credibility of American officials on the ground in Ukraine observing and reporting on the election process.

What is the weightiest contribution that election monitors bring to the table for Ukraine and generally?

They are analysts of political processes, and they educate the home base. Most importantly, they bring credibility and they can validate or challenge election outcomes and the integrity of the process. Western institutions often rely on their colleagues more than local sources that in countries such as Ukraine can be easily bought or threatened into blind compliance.

6 US Presidents With Most Corrupt Cabinets (Compared To Donald Trump’s)

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Politics has always been a nasty piece of business and throughout the history of America, the presidential cabinets were corrupt to one degree or another. However, some presidents were not so lucky with the people who surrounded them and here are six US presidents with most corrupt cabinets. Also, we will draw parallels to see how this compares to the current situation and incumbent president Donald Trump.

Img source: cnn.com

James Buchanan

At the onset of the Civil War, James Buchanan failed to act which only helped his corrupt cabinet. One of the most important people at the time was Secretary of the Treasury Howell Cobb who “abandoned his faith in the Union.” He assisted in the formation of the Confederate States of America and went against the US.

However, there was another member of Buchanan’s cabinet who weakened the military and he was called John B. Floyd. In the meantime, Secretary of the Interior Jacob Thompson conspired to set fire to New York. Buchanan’s cabinet was quite harmful to the US.

Img source: history.com

Andrew Jackson

Under Jackson, the spoils system was established. It meant that government officials got jobs based on what they had done for the incoming administration. “It took decades to dismantle the spoils system that started under Jackson,” the publication explains. “And it can be argued that it’s never gone away completely.”

Img source: talkingpointsmemo.com

Ulysses S. Grant

Despite Grant was honest and honorable, his Cabinet was quite shady. The publication reports: “A near-ceaseless flow of money from speculation and western expansion led to an epidemic of corruption.” But Grant didn’t acknowledge the problem. Instead, he “responded by stubbornly protecting those accused of graft.”
Over 100 officials that were under grant were stealing tax revenue from whiskey sales and most of the Secretaries were easily bribed.

Img source: wikipedia.com

Warren G. Harding

Despite having a short presidency, Harding will remain remembered for a corrupt Cabinet and a large number of scandals. His Secretary of Interior Albert Fell was in prison due to the Teapot Dome scandal, which also claimed the Secretary of the Navy. Also the attorney general resigned over a “bootlegging kickback scheme.”

Img source: publicbroadcasting.net

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon may as well be the most corrupt US president of all time and everybody knows that he faced impeachment after the Watergate scandal. However, his vice president Spiro Agnew was implicated in a tax evasion scheme.

But that was not all. Nixon’s CIA director conducted illegal surveillance on US journalists and plotted assassinations in Chile. And these are just the bigger ones.

Img source: wikipedia.com

Ronald Raegan

The Raegan’s administration was quite notorious with 138 members faced investigations, indictments and convictions. People are familiar with Iran-Contra Affair. The US government led by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger illegally sold arms to Iran. With the money gained from weapon sell, they funded Contra rebels to overthrow Nicaragua’s socialist regime.

Img source: nbcnews.com

Donald Trump

The Washington Post says that Trump spent decades “not only manipulating the economic, legal and political systems to increase his wealth but publicly bragging about his ability to do so.” Furthermore, Trump is believed to be using his position to promote his private businesses, according to Huffington Post.

Trump promised to drain the swamp and chase away people who are not working for the benefit of the country. However, is that really the case?

Time explains, “While his Cabinet-level picks have been less traditional — a lot more billionaires and retired military officers than usual, for one thing — it’s clear that they are much more swampy as a whole than Trump pledged.”

Trump’s first mandate is not even over yet and already his administration has been plagued with scandals. After everything that has happened, will Trump get another chance to run the country?

World War I – 20 Interesting Facts

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This year is a 100-year anniversary of World War I ending and important political figure gathered in France earlier in the year. It was the biggest war the world has ever seen at that point and there are plenty of things you should know about it. Here are 20 interesting facts about WWI.

20. World War I was massive and over 65 million men from 30 different countries were fighting. At the end, almost 10 million casualties were counted. The Allies lost around 6 million soldiers, while The Central Powers suffered the loss of 4 million.

19. The British categorized their tanks as males and females. The former came with cannons, while the latter had heavy machine guns.

18. The most successful pilot in the war was German warrior Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen. He was known as Red Baron, but he was eventually shot down near Amiens. He knocked down 75 enemy planes.

img source: stripes.com

17. Woodrow Wilson ran for president with the slogan “He kept us out of war”. A month after he took office, the US declared war on Germany.

img source: bbci.co.uk

16. Most people died in battles, but the Spanish flu was responsible for 33% of military deaths.

15. Even though the United States joined this war as it was drawing to a close, the country spent over $30 billion.

14. Thousands of soldiers who survived were disfigured and disabled. Some even had to spend their entire lives in nursing homes, despite reconstructive surgery that was performed at the time.

13. World War I is the sixth deadliest conflict in the history of humankind.

12. The world map changed significantly after the war ended. Four empires collapsed: Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman.

11. Today, World War I goes under several different names. These include the Great War, the World War, the War of the Nations, the War to End All Wars.

10. World War I started on June 28, 1914 when Serbian Gavrilo Princip killed Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.

img source: awesomestories.com

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and they were supported by Germany.
Serbia on the other hand received support by Russia and France, but they suffered lots of casualties and were forced to withdraw all the way to Greece on foot through the mountains of Albania.

9. German trenches included bunk beds, furniture, cupboards, water tanks, electric lights and even doorbells. They were built to last.

8. Despite the popular belief, it was France, not Germany, that used gas against enemy troops.

7. During the war, the United States sent about 7.5 million tons of supplies to France, including 70,000 horses, approximately 50,000 trucks, 27,000 freight cars and 1,800 locomotives.

6. Interestingly enough, the American decided to rename hamburgers (named after the German city of Hamburg) to Salisbury steak. Frankfurters were also renamed to liberty sausages!

5. Millions of soldiers who survived the war suffered what is known as “shell shock”. This is a post-traumatic stress disorder, which isn’t surprising considering the horrors they have seen. The soldiers would stop speaking, they couldn’t sleep, and they whimpered for hours and twitched uncontrollably. Some of them managed to recover, but the others couldn’t.

4. Native Americans didn’t receive the US citizenship until 1924 but almost 13,000 served in World War I.

3. Over 500,000 pigeons carried messages between headquarters and the front lines. They were trained to do so. They were dropped into the occupied areas by parachutes and until soldiers responded, they were kept there.

2. After WWI, the United States became the largest military power in the world, remaining so until this day.

1. Thanks to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Allies had a chance to extend their influence into the Middle East. Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria were all declared mandates under the League of Nations. France would take control of Syria, while the other three fell under the British “rule”.

The most famous unusual and successful political campaigns

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Political campaigns exist for a long time already. Each year different political parties start this elegant ‘war’ to win their place under the sun. In this list, we present to you 5 most famous, unusual and successful political campaigns that ever existed. Enjoy!

1. Jon Gnarr, Iceland

Source:patrickcox.wordpress.com

You definitely heard of this person if you ever visited Iceland or maybe even lived there. Probably the most controversial politician that this country has ever seen, he, nevertheless, managed to become a mayor of Reykjavik. What is so controversial about him, you might ask? Well, to begin with, he is a founder of the ‘Best Party’ of Iceland. Yes, it is a real thing and they even won 6 out of 15 seats in Reykjavík City Council back in the day. Their political campaign included promises like providing free towels in all swimming pools, buying a polar bear for the local city zoo, prohibition of drug use in the parliament and many more. Despite the controversy, the party and Jon Gnarr won.

2. Tiririca Clown, Brazil

Source:english.alarabiya.net

Political campaigns in Brazil have always been fun to watch, especially when this guy showed up. Being a professional clown, a man, whose real name is Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, decided to pursue his career in politics. His political campaign was based on honesty and the ability to relate to his electorate. He honestly claimed that he knew nothing about politics and surprisingly he got his place at the Congress. As time went by, he turned out to be one of the most well-disciplined politicians out there.

3. Stubbs Cat, Alaska

Source:en.wikipedia.org

This candidate’s political campaign was quite simple. All he had to do was to look cute and fluffy. Sounds weird, right? The thing is that this politician is…a cat. Years ago, citizens of Talkeetna decided that they were fed up with human politicians and voted for a cat to be their mayor. Since then, this fluffy guy has been re-elected several times already.

4. Darth Vader, Ukraine

Source:geek.com

A few years back, the world was shocked to know that the famous Star Wars character called Dart Vader became a politician. It may considered as a joke yet there was indeed  a men – as a member of ‘Ukrainian Internet Party’ – who was claiming to be Darth Vader. He was trying to run for president and later prime minister of Ukraine. He failed but we thought that it would be unfair not to include him in this list as his political campaign was really outstanding. And why would not it be? Using this character as a part of political campaign website builder would definitely bring your party to the big audience. Or at least that is what they probably thought.

5. Lyndon B. Johnson, USA

Source:americanholidayscalendar.com

The 36th President of the United States won the election while his investments in political campaign was minimal – there was only one video that was showed only once. Now that is some professionalism! His famous ‘Daisy’ ad is now considered one of the best political advertisements ever. In this video, he decided to throw some shade on his political opponent, who was a Republican, rather than to claim how great of a politician he was himself. Surprisingly, that worked.

Conclusion

So this is a list of 5 most unusual political campaigns in the world and politicians, who led them. It seems that sometimes a little bit of unorthodox approach would only bring your chances higher. So who knows, maybe with time political world will become more “human-like” and understandable for every person.

 

 

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