Neil Oliver, It’s All a Political Pantomime but the Audience Isn’t Buying It…


Posted originally on the CTH on August 19, 2023 Sundance

For his weekly monologue, Neil Oliver hits on a familiar metaphor.  The grand theatrical performance of global politics and the orchestration of the actors and scripts.  The difference, in this modern era, is that no one in the audience is watching the pantomime any longer; it is all too predictable.   WATCH:

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Always a good presentation

Zelensky the War Criminal


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Aug 18, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The international age limitation on military drafts is generally 18 years or older. Canada and Australia put it at 17 years old. Zelensky has imposed two decrees which prohibit the departure of teenagers aged 16-17 from the country, effectively turning Ukraine into a prison camp. Over 8 million Ukrainians have fled from this tyrant. He has burned through the adults in his army. Instead of entertaining any idea of peace or just allowing the Donbas to vote peacefully as he pretends to defend Democracy, Zelensky has turned to mobilizing the children so he does not have to admit he is wrong. Zelensky is in good company. Time Magazine also named Hitler and Stalin, twice in 1940 & 1943, all Men of the Year.

With a second decree, Zelensky tightened the conscription policy and not just drafted children under 18 but also disregarded whether they were fit or not for military service. On Zelensky’s orders, he is now taking children by force. He refuses to consider the population of Ukraine but prefers to only talk about how great it will be for investors to buy Ukraine since he is killing off the population. He refuses to negotiate and seems to be intentionally turning the people against him personally.

There are many Ukrainians who are starting to see the light that their enemy is Zelensky – not Putin. The day before the invasion, he told the press that Ukraine would rearm with nuclear weapons. That was the final straw; Putin even said that in his speech to the nation as the reason to invade, the same as the US concern over Cuba back in 1962.

Even the pro-Ukraine Washington Post, which would love World War III to sell more papers, reported that Zelensky knew when Russia would invade and did not warn his people because of money. “If we had communicated that … then I would have been losing $7 billion a month since last October, and at the moment when the Russians did attack, they would have taken us in three days,” Zelensky said.

If Zelensky is assassinated, the West will blame Russia. There is far more incentive to kill this high-heel pretend head of state from inside the ranks of Ukraine for destroying their country, all on the orders of the Neocons for a strip of land that has been the home of Russians for hundreds of years. Russia did NOT invade Ukraine; it came to support the Donbas, which was supposed to have a democratic right to vote on their separation under the Minsk Agreement. Why should China, Russia, or any country trust the EU and the United States ever again when they do not honor agreements?

The lies are just over the top. Ukraine was free. Just honor the Minsk Agreement; the Ukrainians had their first country in history. But no! Zelensky is lining his pockets while pretending he was fighting for freedom and demonocracy when that was secured under the Minsk Agreement. This is going down in history alongside the weapon of mass destruction. The Neocons also bullshitted the world for another one of their endless wars they never win. These people are the real war criminals. They start wars all for their deranged view of hatred.

Zelensky has done nothing but try to drag the entire world into his war against Russia. And for what? A territorial grab where Ukrainian have never lived? Any politician who supports Ukraine and this deliberate attempt to create World War III should be barred from ever holding any public office, including a dog catcher or a sanitation worker cleaning toilets.

He wants to kill off our American children now so he can create the biggest investment project with Blackrock – real blood money. Personally, I would not advise anyone who puts money in Blackrock. They should take a gun, go to Ukraine, and fight like they want everyone else to do so they can make their subsequent big profit over the blood of our children. Pure evil scum! I would not invest with any firm looking to do business in Ukraine.

Mercedes-Benz Disconnects from Russia


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Trade Re-Posted Aug 16, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

As my readers know, part of the Great Reset is to eliminate private car ownership under the premise of climate change. But technology has become a new tool that manufacturers and the global elite can use to limit the freedom of movement. German automaker Mercedes-Benz recently declared that Russians will be removed from their software. Yet, Germany is technically not at war with Russia, and this is a penalty for civilians.

Dealerships are rushing to find loopholes, such as connecting vehicles to European IP addresses. Russian customers will have access to a limited online service that shows if part of the vehicle’s system is failing. Why would someone want to maintain the payments on a luxury vehicle if they’re not receiving full support? Mercedes-Benz will no longer export vehicles to Russia, marking a 1.4 billion euro loss for the company. Their plant in Moscow was discontinued in April, where they previously manufactured 30,000 cars per year.

This opens a new door for tyranny and control as car manufacturers can now directly punish the people of any nation. Germany is allegedly not at war with Russia, but they have the ability to prevent Russians from properly maintaining their vehicles. This is just the beginning, as now car manufacturers will have the power to disconnect customers from services with no repercussions. They state that only the wealthy Russian oligarchs can afford Mercedes, but that is simply not true. These smart cars have added maintenance requirements, and the software must be updated frequently. So, they’re ensuring that Mercedes in Russia become obsolete in the near future.

Daimler, one of the largest auto companies in the world, is a World Economic Forum partner. Mercedes-Benz Group AG was formerly known as Daimler AG as the companies are connected. Yes, there is an active plan in place to end private car ownership by 2050.

Biden Needs $24 Billion More for Ukraine


From Armstrong Economics Aug 14, 2023

The blank checks are never-ending. I speak of the economic impact Biden has had on our country daily. This war in Ukraine has simply been the largest money grab in recent history rivaling COVID. Biden is asking for another $24 billion in aid to Ukraine. At this point, it is nearly comical because most of us realize that Ukraine is going to ask for aid indefinitely, and our politicians willfully comply because that’s in their best interests as well. They’re going to keep the war and money wheel going. Everyone but the people are enjoying the spoils of needless war. No details on where the money will be spent and why our politicians are prioritizing foreign aid over domestic.

Weeks ago, the Pentagon reported that they lost $600 billion in aid to Ukraine over an accounting error. Every supposed check and balance is letting that slide because Biden and the Neocons have become unstoppable. House Republicans say they will not vote for more aid, but there are Neocons who WANT WAR on both sides.

Absolutely no one with a sane mind is voting to send their money to fight “Russian aggression.” Times are not what they used to be and we do not have a common enemy. We have never had a common enemy. US politicians are ignoring the $31.4 trillion in debt that they cannot pay off. Postponing the debt ceiling debate was one of the main reasons US debt was downgraded.

Not everyone living in Ukraine is in squalor. There is a reason all top officials casually travel there like the airport is JFK. This entire scheme of Ukraine is going to cause an uprising.

London Riots


Armstrong Economics Blog/Civil Unrest Re-Posted Aug 12, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Hundreds of teenagers formed a mob and descended upon Regent Street in London after police issued a riot dispersal order at Oxford Street, as they were storming local stores and just looting everything. There has been a growing trend on social media calling for riots and looting in JD Sports. They shared posts on TikTok and Snapchat beginning the riots using the tag “Oxford Circus JD robbery.” There were even statements urging a “dress code” and a warning: “Don’t come if you can’t run. Don’t bring any weapons.”

Western Sanctions Not Impacting Russian Economy as Much as Expected


Posted originally on the CTH on August 9, 2023 | Sundance 

I have been researching the MACRO economic dynamic in Russia quite deeply for the past six months.  Essentially looking to discover not only what impact the western imposed sanctions might be having, but more broadly looking to see what happens to self-sustainability when essentially locked out from the world of commercial imports.

The research is fascinating, not simply because it is a unique opportunity, but also because national economic issues play a big role in the overall social dynamic.  That said, I can say the social aspect is stunningly more interesting than the data driven outcomes.  When you really dig deep into actual life of the ordinary people in Russia, far away from the geopolitical contexts, you get an entirely different perspective.  My worldview of the average Russian person/family has completely changed.

There is a really good thread on how the western sanctions against Russia are having a much lesser impact than initially thought [SEE HERE].  On the economic side, one thing I would point to is how the economy is essentially an outcome of two facets: (1) the internal production strength, and (2) the service side of the ledger.

[READ HERE]

The author makes the accurate point that from a production side perspective, Russia actually has a larger economy now than Germany, the largest EU nation.  The cause for this is “autarchy” or self-sufficiency.  Indeed, as the timeline of the sanctions closes in on the second year completing, the Russian production economy is even stronger than when the sanctions began.  Quite simply, they are making even more of their own goods now.

The sanctions hit what would typically fall into the service side of the economy, as well as financial and economic roadblocks.  However, that aspect of the Russian economy was much smaller than most suspected and there were sanctions going back to 2014 which made the outcome of the 2022 western imposed restrictions less impactful.

I will be finishing my review of the economic data once Q3 is over, that will give me an entire year of data to share.  However, the social stuff is even more fascinating.

I have a new understanding of why former NSA contractor Edward Snowden was so comfortable using Russia as the place to hide after his release of classified intelligence showing how the U.S. government was spying on Americans via social media and metadata collection.

I have mostly been looking at three areas in Western Russia.  Kazan, Moscow and St Petersburg (formerly Leningrad).  Of the three generally large metropolitan areas, St Petersburg is by far the most interesting.  It’s beautiful there and the city is alive and vibrant.

In many ways you might compare Russia in 2023 to the USA in/around 1988.  Life is just not complicated and far more socially engaged.

I’ll have more on this later, but if you are ever bored check out the Russian YouTubers who livestream broadcast “a day-in-the-life” type of activity.  The infrastructure is in generally good repair, the people seem warm and friendly and there is a strong social value placed on family and kids.

There are certainly negatives and the cultural dynamic of the former USSR is still evident.  Technologically they are somewhat behind in some details, but the overall cohesion of their value system is something I did not fully appreciate until I started down this road of research.

I can see why the average Russian could be wide-eyed during a visit to the USA and fascinated with the overall quality of life that might be considered indulgent.  However, I can also see how reciprocally the average American could be wide-eyed and smiling at the overall sense of the Russian people.

Strip out the politics, and we are all much more similar than we are different.

Ramaswamy Sued the WEF and Won


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Aug 8, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

This story has not gained enough attention. GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy took on the globalist elite of the World Economic Forum (WEF) for “creating a false perception” that he was involved in their organization. The WEF attempted to list Ramaswamy as a Young Global Leader but he denied their invitation. After repeatedly asking the organization to remove his name from their marketing, he filed a lawsuit against them in 2021.

“The World Economic Forum’s mission to achieve global ‘equity’ poses a serious threat to the American way of life,” Ramaswamy said in a statement. “Our Founding Fathers fought the American Revolution to declare independence from the Old World monarchy. That old monster now rears its head again in the form of WEF’s agendas including ‘stakeholder capitalism’ and the ‘Great Reset.’ That’s why I’ve been one of the most vocal crusaders in America against WEF, and I am filing this lawsuit to hold them accountable for creating the false illusion of affiliation to undermine its opponents – so that they don’t do it again to others,” he added.

This is a common fake news tactic. The WEF wanted to discredit the candidate by claiming he was associated with them. The globalists did the exact same thing to me and claimed that a man named Martin Armstrong was contributing to their World Economic Forum. I received numerous calls and emails asking me if I suddenly switched sides. Look, I began our WEC in 1985. Schwab started his WEF in 1987. Marcus Vetter did the film, “The Forecaster,” on me, so Schwab called him and paid him to do a documentary too. This has been a back-and-forth ordeal for a long time.

I appreciate a presidential candidate who is knowledgeable and vocal about the Great Reset – not a pawn of the Deep State or willing to cave to the pressures of being labeled a conspiracy theorist for calling out one of the most powerful organizations on the planet. He has also directly called out George Soros, despite critics saying he received funding from the Soros organization to attend Yale Law School. “The WEF has a radical worldview that rejects the principles America was founded on. I’m not interested in being a ‘global citizen.’ I’m an American,” he stated.

European Companies Lost Over €100 Billion on Russia Amid War


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Trade Re-Posted Aug 8, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The Financial Times estimates that European companies have lost at least €100 billion ($110 billion) since the Russia-Ukraine war began. Around 176 European companies noted significant losses in their fiscal year reports for 2022, and the future remains grim as tensions continue to grow.

Naturally, energy-related industries faced half of those losses, followed by banking, chemicals, industrial, and automotive. BP, TotalEnergies, and Shell lost 40.6 billion euros due to the war, but the spike in energy costs helped them to post favorable earnings reports. Numerous European companies cited “asset impairments, foreign exchange-related charges and other one-off expenses as a result of the sale, closure or reduction of Russian businesses.” Britain, Germany, and France reported the steepest losses, attributing to at least 20 billion of the 100 billion euros lost.

Half of the 1,871 European companies previously operating in Russia are still conducting full or limited business there, according to the Kyiv School of Economics. Russia has since required foreign companies fleeing Russia to pay a 10% exit fee and sell their assets to Russian companies at a 50% discount. It is nearly impossible for companies to operate in Russia due to high sanctions, logistics, and public pressure. Businesses that did not flee will be faced with massive charges from Moscow and are practically stuck between forfeiting their businesses or attempting to operate amid an escalating war.

Trudeau’s Tinder Profile


Armstrong Economics Blog/Humor Re-Posted Aug 4, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Must be a quadruple-vaccinated conformist who rejects all freedoms. Open to all genders or non-genders! Must enjoy long plane rides to Davos, the occasional lockdown, and be interested in implementing the New World Order with me and my friends at the World Economic Forum. Absolutely no truckers or family members of truckers — swipe left if you even own a large vehicle. My friends would say I am overprotective and controlling. I will likely freeze your bank account if you break up with me. Swipe right if you want to be remembered as the next Eva Braun of Canada!

WEF Agenda 2030


Armstrong Economics Blog/WEF Re-Posted Aug 3, 2023 by Martin Armstrong