Latest News Clips2017.10.23

                     

1.      Austria is on the verge of electing a 31-year-old. Does his age matter?

World leaders seem to be getting younger. But whether youthful energy and verve can ever make up for lack of experience remains a vexed question

        

 ‘Four years ago Sebastian Kurz was made foreign minister at the age of 27. Clearly it was time for a new challenge if his career trajectory was to be maintained.’ Photograph: Vladimir Simicek/AFP/Getty Images

The Guardian  16 October 2017 

Grey power this is not. Sebastian Kurz, the 31-year-old leader of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), looks set to become the world’s youngest head of government after Sunday’s elections. The country of elegantly dressed, respectably middle-aged ladies and gentlemen has handed the keys of the Mercedes to a fresh-faced kid.

Kurz may look young but he is not a new figure on the Austrian political scene. Four years ago he was made foreign minister. Clearly it was time for a new challenge if his career trajectory was to be maintained.

Along with Emmanuel Macron, 39, and Justin Trudeau, a boyish 45, Kurz represents a new wave of perky, youthful leaders. In Austria they call him “Wunderwuzzi”, which translates roughly as “whizz kid” or “boy wonder”. The proof of the strudel will be in the eating, of course, but for now Austrian voters are making a big bet on youth.

This is not unprecedented. When Jack Kennedy was elected US president at the age of 43, he and his young family symbolised a break with the past. Present at his inauguration in January 1961 were some distinguished old men: former presidents Harry S Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. And Kennedy made explicit the point about his relative youth: “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans …”, he said.

In May 1997, Britain elected its own bright young thing, Tony Blair, just short of his 44th birthday. Such was his youthful and bright-eyed demeanour that some critics had dismissed him as “Bambi”. When David Cameron resigned in June 2016 he became a 49-year-old ex-prime minister. Barack Obama, now 56, is hardly over the hill after having served eight years in the White House.

Energy is one thing, however, and experience is another. Leaders need both. If you don’t have first-hand experience yourself, it is wise to draw on those who can provide it. No matter how clever you may be, you can’t have seen everything before the grey hairs start to show. We don’t always know what we don’t know. Someone may have to point this out.

In the euphoria and excitement that surrounded New Labour’s arrival in power, some older, calmer voices were not heeded. Blair could have sought more advice from Jim Callaghan, Denis Healey and Michael Foot, for example, all of whom were still alive for most of his time in office.

There is a telling moment in one of Michael Cockerell’s documentaries with a young prime minister Blair being asked whether he would contemplate holding long cabinet meetings, as Callaghan had done during the IMF crisis in 1976. There is a look of amused disbelief on his face as Blair explains that, no, there shouldn’t be any need for cabinet to meet for such extended periods. But in 2002-03 that might not have been such a bad idea.

Businesses that eject older workers too soon destroy their corporate memory, and deprive themselves of grown-up people who might in the past have dealt with problems that are similar to those being faced today. In a world where more of us will work for longer, managers have to make the multi-generational workplace work. We are facing what Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott have called The 100-Year Life.

According to some, at 50 you are still a youngster, with half your life ahead of you. But others see you as decrepit

The sharing of experience and perceptions can work both ways, of course. Some companies, including MasterCard, Cisco Systems and Mars have taken to using “reverse mentors” – that is, younger workers who can advise older ones on how to approach the tasks in hand. Inga Beale, the 54-year-old chief executive of Lloyd’s of London, has a 19-year-old “junior mentor” who leaves her “inspired”.

We need to take a more balanced and more generous view of age. Having just turned 50 myself (meaning that I am, for the first and only time, on trend) I have discovered how varied opinions can be. According to some, at 50 you are still a youngster, with so much yet to learn and half your life still ahead of you. But others see you as decrepit and practically on the way out. I prefer answer a).

So good luck to young Herr Kurz as he takes on this daunting responsibility at the age of 31. I trust he’s getting some good advice. Presumably he hopes that his political career is only just beginning. But he should also be aware that sometimes they can be short – or, as they say in German, kurz.

2.      Spain to impose direct rule as Catalonia leader refuses to back down

Madrid will press ahead with suspending autonomy on Saturday after Catalan leader refuses to abandon independence push

The Guardian    19 October 2017

 

The Spanish government is to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy and impose direct rule after the region’s president refused to abandon the push for independence that has led to Spain’s biggest political crisis for 40 years.

The announcement of the unprecedented measure came after the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, threatened a unilateral declaration of independence if the Spanish government did not agree to talks on the issue.

In a letter to the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, sent on Thursday morning – the deadline set by Madrid for the region to abandon its independence plans – Puigdemont said discussions were the only way to resolve the crisis.

The Catalan president accused Spanish authorities of seeking to repress the independence movement after a national court judge denied two of its leaders this week, and said that using article 155 of the 1978 constitution to impose direct rule from Madrid would force his hand.

 “The suspension [of the independence declaration] is still in place. The [Spanish] state is entitled to decide to apply article 155 if it secures the senate’s approval,” he wrote.

“But despite all our efforts and our desire for dialogue, the fact that the only reply we have been given is that autonomy will be suspended suggests that you do not understand the problem and do not wish to talk.

“If the [Spanish] government persists in hindering dialogue and continues with its repression, the Catalan parliament could, if it deems appropriate, proceed to vote on the formal declaration of independence, which it did not do on 10 October.”

In a statement on Thursday morning, the Spanish government said Puigdemont had again failed to confirm whether independence had been declared. “At an emergency meeting on Saturday, the cabinet will approve measures to be put before the senate to protect the general interest of Spaniards, including the citizens of Catalonia, and to restore constitutional order in the autonomous community,” it said.

Madrid criticised Catalan authorities for “deliberately and systematically seeking institutional confrontation, despite the serious damage it’s causing to coexistence and Catalonia’s economy”.

According to article 155, which has never been used, the Spanish government will need to lodge a formal complaint with Puigdemont, then submit its proposals to the senate for debate and approval. As a result, it will be at least a few days before concrete steps are taken.

A Spanish government spokesman said this week that article 155 had been designed not to remove Catalonia’s autonomy, but to ensure its autonomous government adhered to the law.

“We have envisaged a range of scenarios and will apply 155 accordingly,” he said. “It’s not a question of applying it in its entirety or of taking over every government function or department. Clearly the Catalan government would lose many of its powers, though not all. It’s a case of using a scalpel, not an axe.”

Its application could still be avoided in theory if the Catalan government were to call a snap regional election without confirming independence, but the Catalan foreign minister, Raül Romeva, speaking in Brussels on Wednesday, said: “Elections from our perspective are not an option.”

Senior European officials have so far insisted that the secession issue is an internal matter for Spain, and limited their interventions to calls for dialogue.

Speaking at the European union summit in Brussels on Thursday, however, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said the event would be “marked by a message of unity around member states amid the crises they could face; unity around Spain”.

Xavier Bettel, the prime minister of Luxembourg, said as he arrived at the summit that the Spanish constitution should be respected. “I hope they are going to find a solution, political, diplomatic and they talk together. No other solution would be good,” he said.

Puigdemont has said the unilateral independence referendum held on 1 October – in which 90% of participants opted for independence – gave his government the mandate to forge a sovereign state, but he has proposed that the effects of an independence declaration be suspended for two months while both sides open dialogue aimed at resolving the standoff.

Rajoy issued a last-minute call on Wednesday for Puigdemont to calm the situation and act in the interests of all Spaniards and Catalans. Speaking in parliament, he asked the Catalan president’s colleagues to persuade him “not to make any more problems” that would “oblige the government to make decisions that would be better never to make”.

3.     Xi Jinping speech: five things you need to know

The Guardian  18 October 2017

Xi Jinping opened a historic Communist party meeting in Beijing with a three hour and 23 minute speech that heralded a “new era” in Chinese politics. A mostly monotone affair, Xi became emotional at several points, and the party faithful in the audience responded with applause at the appropriate pauses. 

Here are the most important points and what to watch during Xi’s next five years as China’s leader:

Xi wants China to rise on the global stage

Xi made several pointed comments directed at the US president, casting himself as the anti-Donald Trump by denouncing isolationism and championing cooperation among nations.

“No country can retreat to their own island, we live in a shared world and face a shared destiny,” he said, making at least one indirect reference to the US leaving the Paris climate accord.

He also mapped out a long-term future for China’s rise on the global stage, predicting that by 2050 the country will “stand proudly among the nations of the world” and “become a leading global power”. Part of that plan includes building a “world-class” military than can fight and win wars.

China has no interest in systems of western democracy

Xi warned the Communist party faced a variety of challenges, most notably corruption, but doubled down on the system, saying China would never copy political systems in other countries. His comments are a clear signal that China’s leaders have no interest in western notions of democracy.

In the past five years, Xi has become known as a strongman, and he did not shy away from the reputation, saying the party would permeate all aspects of life in China, from law to technological innovation.

He also unveiled his theoretical contribution to party thought, the very wonky “Socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era”. On corruption, he promised new laws to tackle the problem, as graft cases are currently handled by a shadowy internal party process.

Beijing talks tough on regions eyeing independence

Mostly addressing Taiwan – whose government China does not recognise – but also Hong Kong, Xi became visibly animated and received the longest applause for his tough talk on regions with designs to declare formal independence.

“We will not tolerate anyone, using any means, at any time to separate one inch of land from China,” he said. “Blood is thicker than water.”

Distrust of China has been growing in both Taiwan and Hong Kong, and Xi announced propaganda pushes for the regions in order to “strengthen the ranks of patriot who love our country”. Similar overbearing attempts in the past have had little success in swaying the younger generation.

Xi seeks to calm fears over the economy

Xi worked to calm fear of rising home prices that have hit ordinary Chinese particularly hard. Real estate is a preferred investment in a country where the financial system is viewed with distrust.

“Houses are for living, not for speculating,” he said, coining a catchphrase that will no doubt become a mantra.

He also pledged to transform China into a “country of innovators”, focusing on aerospace, cyberspace, transportation. He promised to increase market access for foreign companies and also increase the markets’ role in the financial system and exchange rate, but it remains to be seen if this speech will translate into concrete policies.

The communist party wants a “Beautiful China”

As part of making China great, Xi spent a lot of time tackling environmental issues. He pledge to build a “beautiful China” with a clean environment, high tech companies and responsive government.

The Communist party need to “meet people’s ever-growing demands for a beautiful environment”, Xi said. “Chinese people will enjoy greater happiness and well-being.”

He acknowledged that happiness was more than just material goods, long believed the key to winning the loyalty of the masses, and said the party would fix the toxic levels of air, water and soil pollution that have plagued China for years.