Monday, July 21, 2008

Back to our "Boring" Sunday Headline News - July 20th 2008

The Farmer/Government conflict is over ... or is it?

Clarin and La Nación, Argentina´s largest papers, are still covering the fallout of the conflict - which is, for Cristina Kirchner and the FPV (Frente para la Victoria) bunch, not over yet.

In La Nación, Province of Buenos Aires governor (and ex-VP alongside hard-line Néstor Kirchner) is asking for "self-criticism" amidst the official radio silence on the conflict's resolution last week. The Senate's vote and later derogation of Resolution 125 marked the long-awaited victory for the farmers but opened a "Now what?" phase which has been exacerbated by the President´s silence regarding this matter.

The second news-making event is a calculation of our National Savings if subsidies were cut. Ex-President Kirchner elaborated and intricate network of subsidies for basically all economic activities for which prices were "frozen" (electricity, gas, water, bus, trains, subways ...). Untangling it without setting free the seven-headed beat of inflation will be no easy task, especially when there is no real conviction of even believing that inflation is a problem to start with.

The third piece of news is a Tango show in La Boca ...

Clarín is also dealing with thje fallout of the conflict. Two Cobos followes, who had a job in the government, were apparently asked to resign. This has been one of many official measures taken from the government to ensure VP Cobos feals the heat of his decision. Last week, when he asked for the Tango 02 (the equivalent of the Air Force 1 for the VP) to head home to Mendoza (Argentinean province neiughboring Chile), his request was denied by Oscar Parilli, the President's secretary. He has gotten harrassed by FPV supported and told off by countless politicians. The crisis which he has set off in the government will only be properly measured in a few months.

Although he has denied resigning, I speculate he will run for a Senator post next year; this would give him an exit with some dignity and allow the President to save face after having her VP issue the decisive vote
against her export-tax bill.

Other news refer to Martín del Potro´s recent tennis victories.

(La Nación cover is not reproduced because the new brilliant online identity prevents me from copy-pasting the cover).