Eurozone Inflation and ECB Incompetence


Armstrong Economics Blog/European Union Re-Posted Apr 5, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

According to Eurostat, the European Union statistics company, inflation in Europe rose to a new all-time high in March after advancing by 7.5%. This surpassed the high of 5.9% set in February and marks the fifth consecutive month of inflation in the Eurozone. Europe’s reliance on Russian energy has resulted in a 44.7% uptick in energy prices in March after rising 32% the month prior. Food prices rose 5% in March as increased costs for suppliers are passed down to consumers. The price of goods such as clothing went up 3.4%, while services advanced 2.7%.

The US and Britain have both raised rates in a too little, too late effort to combat inflation. Will the European Central Bank (ECB) follow suit? The ECB voted to maintain the 0% benchmark rate during their March meeting. ECB president Christine Lagarde is in no rush to raise rates.

The ECB moved to negative rates in 2014, and 2022 is now representing 8.6 years since that detrimental decision and we are seeing everything hit the fan. This entire Great Reset is now due to the fiscal mismanagement of governments and central banks. Those who still think there will be some return to normal finance are no doubt those wearing masks and lining up for booster shots every six months.

The central banks are keenly aware that they cannot stimulate economic growth, although they will not state that publicly. The wheel of fortune has completed its revolution.

Zelensky – The Madman of Ukraine


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Apr 4, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The bias of the Western Press is just unimaginable. I reported previously that our contacts in both Serbia and Hungary were reflecting overwhelming support for Putin and Russia. The press can’t report on anything honestly and calls Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor an “authoritarian” or a “nationalist” because anyone who dares to go against their agenda is evil. The BBC reported Orbán said: “We have such a victory it can be seen from the moon, but it’s sure that it can be seen from Brussels.”

It has been widely known that Serbia was very pro-Russia. I reported from our readers in Serbia that they were sick and tired of the West’s propaganda that they saw Zelensky for what he was – a puppet of the West. But the Western press will not report the truth about Zelensky and his covert connections. The press is oblivious to the truth and constantly paints Zelensky as a hero when in fact not merely did he outlaw the Russian language in a country made up of 30% Russians and over 50% also speak Russian, but he has also attacked the Russian Religion – he has been seeking to also outlaw Russian Orthodox Christianity.

These are actions that caused Putin to recognize independence for the Donbas but when VP Harris, at the Munich Security Conference on February 20th said Ukraine should join NATO, four days later Putin invaded. One must ask – was this all intentional or just stupidity?

So while Zelensky pretends to be a soldier for the cameras simultaneously preaching World War III to everyone else, his actions show a deep-seated hatred of the Russian people, especially those who live in the Donbas. He has made no effort to end the civil war since taking office in 2019. The West ignores Zelensky’s action outlawing the Russian language and his more recent attempt to outlaw the Russian Orthodox religion. Orbán immediately criticized Zelensky who the Press will NEVER criticize because all they ever preach is the agenda of the Neocons and their determination to manufacture World War III.

Religious liberty in Ukraine has been put at risk by Zelensky but the Press will not report that. The West will not report religious complaints about Zelensky from Putin. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has become a political partner in this invasion of Ukraine. Putin is defending the Russian people against this anger from the West and even their religion. Moscow Patriarch Kirill has given the full religious blessing to the regime’s foreign policy agenda. Why?

What is NOT being reported is that Zelensky has been proposing the draft Law of Ukraine No. 7204 of March 22, 2022 “On Banning the Moscow Patriarchate on the Territory of Ukraine”, published on the VR website, its author is Oksana Savchuk, a deputy who entered the Rada on the lists of the All-Ukrainian Association “Svoboda” party in district No. 83 (Ivano-Frankivsk). Zelensky is attempting to even usurp the religion and ban in Ukraine the Moscow Patriarchate – the Russian Orthodox Church and religious organizations that are part of it, “including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”.

This is like King Henry VIII who seized the Catholic Church, stole all its wealth, and created the Church of England eliminating the Pope. Zelensky is doing the same to terminate the Moscow Patriarchate as the head of the church in Ukraine. This is the man the West is cheering and never reports on what Putin is saying about the assault on religion.

This would be like the Jews seizing control of the Temple Mount and outlawing Islam. Hillary and others only talk about Ukrainians defending their home. About 30% of Ukraine are Russian and they do not like having their language being banned, the attempt to outlaw their religion as well.

Orbán proclaimed Zelensky is evil and he stands with the EU and George Soros. He said: “This is a victory over the left at home, the international left, the bureaucrats in Brussels, the money of the Soros empire, the international media, and even the Ukrainian president.” Orbán and Serbia along with many in the Middle East, Asia, and even India, are starting to see this man calling for World War III as the greatest single threat to world peace. But the Western press will not report the full scope of his actions that show it is not democracy he seeks, but tyranny.

Orbán has so far refused to allow the supply of weapons to Ukraine or even permit military aid to pass through Hungarian territory. He gas angered NATO allies and Zelensky, who has called the Hungarian prime minister “[Vladimir] Putin’s only European supporter”. But it is Zelensky who could have simply let the Donbas go but prefers to put Ukraine through a living hell many are starting to see that he is just a puppet of the Neocons.

It is also interesting to see Hillary Clinton coming out all the time filling the airwaves with hatred of Russia. Hillary has always been one of the Neocons who started the hatred of Putin by creating the fake Steele Dossier to claim Putin interfered in the 2016 election. She has now been fined by the Federal Election Commission but the press ignores all that and how much it cost the country is fake investigations. She accomplished her goal – 70% of Democrats believed Russia was the evil empire.

All my sources clearly say that Zelensky is a FRAUD. To the Italian Parliament, he claimed Russians were kidnapping children and torturing them with no proof. Then he claims that when the Russian left a town there were bodies everywhere when in fact that was another false flag and Russia has called for a UN security council meeting to look into this bullshit. Then he tells the Netherlands they will be next so start World War III now!

The US merely takes whatever Zelensky says and files charges against Russia like war crimes. It is actions like this that ensure we will NEVER return to world peace when all that is hurled at Russia is pure hatred. Never before the Biden Administration did we EVER witness any American President despise the head of Russia or China deliberately refusing to act civil. Even Kennedy sought peace through negotiation as did Nixon, Carter, and Reagan. We have no peacemakers today – only warmongers.

Then Zelensky appeared on the Grammys to sell the idea of war to the American people. Would they ever put Putin on to listen to his side of the story? Of course not!  I really wish everyone who cheers Zelensky should just go to Ukraine and go try and kill as many Russians as they want since they have been filled with such hate thanks to all the brainwashing. He could settle this and simply comply with (1) the 1991 Belgrade Agreement and Ukraine staying NEUTRAL, and (2) the Minsk Agreement and let the Russian section decide their own fate after he reversed the law and demanded that ONLY Ukrainian is the official language.

Polish Army forces have been put on alert near the border with Ukraine for Zelensky’s refusal to negotiate in good faith has created a change in plans. The Belarusian Armed Forces are preparing to enter the war and will attack Zelensky in Kyiv for they too have a national security risk as Zelensky keeps trying to drum up World War III and keeps pushing for NATO to enter. Belarus will take western Ukraine up to the border with Poland and Russia will take the East. We may see this launch by next week and this will mean that Zelensky has put Ukraine at risk for his refusal to negotiate in good faith honoring the Belgrade and Minsk Agreements.

Zelensky has supported the Ukrainian Nazis who have even bragged that they feed the bones of Russian-speaking children to their pet wolves. He could have easily resolved this entire crisis by releasing the very people Zelensky hates so much. He knows what he is doing by constantly trying to get NATO to enter Ukraine which will be World War III that he said has already started. He will go down in history as someone up there with Adolf Hitler when the dust settles. He wants all our children to die for his personal hatred. Pushing Russia against the wall will only lead to Nuclear War. He has divided the entire world and it seems he is following orders. He cannot be this reckless.

Investigating Hunter Biden Records, Senator Grassley Says More Details Coming This Week


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 5, 2022 | Sundance

Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa appeared on Fox News Monday morning to discuss his investigation into the documents contained on Hunter Biden’s laptop.  Senator Grassley and Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) are both collaborating on their investigation and revealing their findings in Senate speeches.  WATCH:

“Well, we just follow the money and the facts where they lead us, and we aren’t done with this yet. We’ll probably be making some more revelations yet this week in Senate speeches”…

Collins, Romney and Murkowski All Affirm Their Vote to Support Supreme Court Nomination of Ketanji Brown-Jackson


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 4, 2022 | Sundance

I have not written much about the confirmation hearings and pantomime for Ketanji Brown-Jackson to take a Supreme Court seat because, well, the entire plan for her installation was obvious from before Joe Biden took office.   If you want to review the map READ THIS from January 6, 2021.

Once you know how to spot the strings on the DC marionettes, the puppet show becomes predictable.  KBJ was always going to be on the supreme court if Joe Biden was installed as president.

However, that said, in absolute affirmation of their UniParty ideology, the usual suspects have once again shown up to display their positions:

WASHINGTON DC – In a 53-47 vote, the Senate voted to advance Jackson’s nomination out of committee, with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) joining all 50 members of the Democratic caucus in supporting Biden’s high court pick. All three of those senators have now said they will support Jackson’s confirmation to the high court. (link)

{BACKGROUND Story HERE – January 6, 2021}

Garland was made AG because he was on the DC Circuit Court.  Pulling Garland into the AG slot removed the block he represented.

It was always about getting the path for KBJ cleared.

KBJ will deliver rulings identical to those – as if Barack Obama was on the SCOTUS.

Lisa Monaco was appointed and confirmed Deputy AG as an insurance policy for the DOJ intent.

During Victory Speech Hungarian Prime Minister Orban Warns Citizens of Western Alliance About Zelenskyy Role Advancing New World Order


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 4, 2022 | Sundance

The citizens of Hungary have again dealt a massive blow to the globalist movement, the new world order and the newly created autocracy of western leaders selling the “new democratic norm.”  As an example, the Associated Press [article here] spins the overwhelming reelection of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a major setback to the western alliance.

Within the statements reported from his victory speech, Orban also warned citizens of the NATO and western allied countries about the manipulation of Ukraine and how he views the Zelenskyy regime:

[…] “while speaking to supporters on Sunday, Orban singled out Zelenskyy as part of the “overwhelming force” that he said his party had struggled against in the election — “the left at home, the international left, the Brussels bureaucrats, the Soros empire with all its money, the international mainstream media, and in the end, even the Ukrainian president.” (link)

The subtle as a brick through a window implication, is a warning to citizens that all of the aforementioned institutions were in alignment to push a united agenda that erodes the best interests of sovereign nations.  This statement from Orban should serve as a warning to review the Ukranian propaganda that is being pushed by government interests.

Associated Press – […] “Orban — a fierce critic of immigration, LGBTQ rights and “EU bureaucrats” — has garnered the admiration of right-wing nationalists across Europe and North America.

Along with the parliamentary election, a referendum on LGBTQ issues was held on Sunday with questions pertaining to sex education programs in schools and the availability to children of information about sex reassignment. Participation failed to reach the 50% threshold to make it legally binding, with 20% of voters spoiling their ballots, part of an opposition initiative to sabotage the referendum which it decried as homophobic. Of the 44% of voters who cast valid votes, more than 92% voted with the government’s position

In a surprise performance, radical right-wing party Our Homeland Movement appeared to have garnered more than 6% of the vote, exceeding the 5% threshold needed to gain seats in parliament. (more)

The early spring election result in Hungary 2022 is being compared to the precursor Brexit vote in 2016.  Ultimately, Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. election vote which followed the Brexit referendum; and now all of the current signals are that leftists could suffer a similar defeat in the fall of 2022 underlining a similar U.S. vote sentiment similar to what was just expressed by Hungarian voters.

In order to regain footing, Orban is being called an “autocrat” by the globalists.  It is not coincidental that Joe Biden and everyone in the Biden administration has been using the term “autocracy” to proactively define anyone who would challenge the new perspective of western democracy that comes following the COVID-19 experience.

No one was more autocratic in their governance than the western leaders who triggered shutdowns, mandates, forced business closures and ultimately mandatory vaccines and documents (vaccine passports) to prove our vaccine status.  None of those COVID-19 rules, regulations and mandates came from democratic authorization; all of them came from unilateral fiat and powers grabbed as a result of emergency declarations.

The unilateral power deployed during COVID-19 was the embodiment of western autocratic behavior.  This type of unilateral power is what lies behind the claimed “new democratic norms” as pushed by western leaders who do not want to return to the era where requesting permission and authorization from representative government was standard.

Collectively the western alliance destroyed the fabric of democracy during COVID-19.  Now they want to redefine democracy to retain the unilateral power they enjoyed during the emergency.   Many governments including the EU, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States are trying to create new legislative constructs which would continue and extend the power within the executive, prime minister or president.

Multinational corporations benefit from authoritarian regimes, because it makes corruption easier.  However, the result of the election in Hungary is a blow to wannabe dictators and rulers.  Watching the western media and authoritarian government leaders rail against Viktor Orban with accusations of autocratic leadership is a case study in projection and hypocrisy.

Sri Lanka Inflation and Food Crisis Results in Widespread Social Chaos


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 4, 2022 | Sundance 

I have stated for the past year ‘the absence of food will change things‘.   The inflation and food affordability crisis has now surfaced in Sri Lanka. Global media is paying attention, even sending out warnings about what this might represent for other nations.

Sri Lanka has a debt to GDP ratio of 120%, approximately the same as the United States.  However, Sri Lanka does not have the benefit of their currency being supported as the global trade currency; therefore, the debt and domestic inflation rate are directly tied together.

The rate of food inflation in March has exceeded 30%…. the absence of the public being able to afford food has now surfaced and the government is collapsing.  Read the news from Sri Lanka through the prism of what could happen in U.S. cities if we lose the dollar as the global trade currency.

(Via Reuters) – Reuters Breakingviews) – Sri Lanka’s collapse is front of mind for many. Protesters fed up with crippling shortages of essential food and fuel items are on the streets, prompting multiple members of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s cabinet to offer to resign late on Sunday.

Social unrest will probably accelerate a restructuring of some $44 billion of international sovereign debt. Though Sri Lanka’s problems follow years of mismanagement, its speedy unravelling is a warning to sturdier economies from Europe to Asia suddenly grappling with a spike in the cost of living.

A current account crisis read more has intensified after the West fired its sanctions bazooka at Russia as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine. Rolling blackouts and a state of emergency are frightening away remaining tourists, a crucial source of foreign exchange. Food inflation hit an eye-watering 30.2% in March.

The currency’s 40% depreciation against the U.S. dollar in one month, including a central bank managed devaluation, is blowing out leverage ratios: Public debt estimated by the International Monetary Fund at 120% of GDP is perhaps some 40 percentage points more than might be deemed sustainable, guesses Citi.

[…] It’s a reminder of the political implications of high prices. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, few Asian countries had consumer inflation in double digits. The standouts were Sri Lanka and Pakistan, whose Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday dodged a no-confidence vote and called fresh elections. Poorer countries are more vulnerable to surging global food prices because their populations spend more on food than discretionary items. (read more)

Food inflation in Sri Lanka reached 30%…. things start immediately collapsing.

Consider the recent projected rate of food inflation in the United States (wave 2, this summer):

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Biden Accuses Putin of War Crimes in Bucha, Ukraine


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 4, 2022 | Sundance

Following the script written by the State Dept and CIA, the installed White House occupant calls for a criminal trial against Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine.  A person can only naturally surmise that whatever the U.S. was/is doing in Ukraine before and after the Russian ‘special military option’, must be of such consequence that the DoS/CIA are willing to risk taking us into a NATO war over it.

[White House Transcript] – “THE PRESIDENT:  I have one comment to make before I start the day.  You may remember I got criticized for calling Putin a war criminal.  Well, the truth of the matter — you saw what happened in Bucha.  This warrants him — he is a war criminal. 

But we have to gather the information, we have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight, and we have to get all the detail so this can be an actual — have a wartime trial.

This guy is brutal.  And what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous, and everyone’s seen it. 

I’ll — I’ll —

Q    Do you agree that it’s genocide?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I think it is a war crime.

Q    What are you going to do about it, sir?  Are you going to do more sanctions on Russia?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m seeking more sanctions, yes.  I’ll have time to announce that to you.

Q    Can you actually hold Putin accountable, though?  You called him a war criminal.

THE PRESIDENT:  He should be held accountable.

QCan you actually hold him accountable without sanctions?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, no —

Q    What else can you do?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, no — go — go — the war crimes tri- — yes, I’m going to continue to add sanctions.

Thank you.

Q    What kind of sanctions, Mr. President?  What are you thinking?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ll let you know. 

(link)

State Dept Launch New Division to “Support U.S. Values Associated With Cyberspace”


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 4, 2022 | Sundance

Whenever the United States government launches a new control agency from within the State Dept./CIA mission, we can always be assured it is not in the best interests of domestic policy.  [State Dept Announcement Here]

With the current context of rising corporate fascism and western authoritarianism in the forefront, the creation of a cyber division within the State Department looks more like another tool to promote globalism and block any on-line cyber activity that would be created or distributed against their interests.

As Orwell would predict, a U.S. version of the Ministry of Truth and democracy.  The State Dept will officially define the U.S. values that will be permitted in the cyber-space.  Any violation of those values will now be reviewed by the “Digital Freedom Coordinator”.

(State Dept) – The Department is pleased to announce that the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP) began operations today. A key piece of Secretary Blinken’s modernization agenda, the CDP bureau will address the national security challenges, economic opportunities, and implications for U.S. values associated with cyberspace, digital technologies, and digital policy.

The CDP bureau includes three policy units: International Cyberspace Security, International Information and Communications Policy, and Digital Freedom. Ultimately, the bureau will be led by a Senate-confirmed Ambassador-at-Large. Starting today, Jennifer Bachus, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, is serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the CDP bureau. PDAS Bachus will serve as Senior Bureau Official until an Ambassador-at-Large is confirmed. Michele Markoff is serving as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security, Stephen Anderson is serving as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Information and Communications Policy, and Blake Peterson is serving as Acting Digital Freedom Coordinator.

The Department appreciates the service and collaboration of all who will work with and within the CDP bureau in the coming months and years to empower it to achieve its vital mission. (LINK)

It all looks sketchy…

…. because it is sketchy.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy Makes a Broadcast Appearance at the Grammy Awards


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 3, 2022 | Sundance

It was February 24, 2022, when Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh appeared at the White House podium to announce the official U.S. strategy for Ukraine.  Singh boiled down geopolitical power to a cultural issue of social likeability when he said, “In this century, strategic power is increasingly measured and exercised by economic strength, by technological sophistication and your story – who you are, what your values are.”

Singh stated the quiet part out loud.  The White House views “strategic power” through the prism of social influence and likeability.  Within that approach pop icons are used as influencers and ambassadors, and Hollywood is the quintessential State Department tool.

So, it does not come as a surprise to see the U.S. government promoting the propaganda behind President Zelenskyy on the Grammy Awards broadcast. {Direct Rumble LinkWATCH:

Unfortunately, once you see the strings on the marionettes, you can never return to that moment in the performance when you did not see them.  Notice how Zelenskyy talks in short metaphors and soundbites for encapsulation and distribution.

That script was written for him to deliver by the same performance artists within the U.S. Department of State and intelligence community.  It is 100% constructed propaganda intended to support the ‘strategic power’ mission as outlined by Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh.

These are the same people who created “#BringBackOurGirls” and “#KonySurrender” as strategic narratives intended to sway popular public opinion. This performance was made for a gullible television audience. There is nothing wrong with seeing through the scheme.

The harder they push this propaganda; the more people wake up to the manipulation.  It’s a vicious cycle.  The more desperate they become, the harder they push the propaganda.  It’s one of the structural flaws that always exists in these operations.  You are not crazy for noticing it.  Trust your instincts.

Sunday Talks, Hillary Creeps Out from the Catacombs to Demand More War and Bloodlust


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 3, 2022  | Sundance

If there’s one political figure who should remain stewing over her toxic cauldron in the dark recesses of political caves, it’s Hillary.  The same creature who purposefully destroyed the nation of Libya by organizing a NATO invasion, has no credibility to discuss foreign invasion by Russia.

Regardless of the outcome in Ukraine, whenever the conflict finishes, there will not be modern human slave markets in the streets, widespread graphic violence using machetes, race-driven and tribal genocide and tens of thousands of people continually shoveled by the dump trucks into mass graves.  That’s the current status of ‘life’ in the north African country of Libya following the aftermath of Hillary’s war.

I would not normally even think about sharing any viewpoint from this evil and maniacal creature if it wasn’t for Clinton recently reopening the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative so she could scrape off some of the $14 billion in aid congress has allocated for Ukraine.  Watch as she starts to frame her attack position and position Saudi Arabia, India, parts of Europe and China as targets for more “diplomatic leverage,” vis-a-vis blackmail sanctions, if they do not adhere to her call for the destruction of Russia.

She’s transparently trying to promote her influence – Tony Blinken was her former protege’ – as a potential influence broker if countries want to avoid being on the wrong side of the Biden-Blinken operation in Ukraine.  Clinton is the Al Sharpton of shakedowns using geopolitical blackmail.

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