G7 pledge to share vaccines, make a fairer global economy

Hi 1Glenn. Other than "relatives" who live in Scandinavia who don't understand the meaning of socialism, can you answer my question;

Can you name 1 example of a socialist state in history that wasn't a human tragedy?

Just one.

I have Scandinavian relatives, and they know very well that they are living in socialist countries. They have socialist education and healthcare, and in the case of Norway, the oil industry is socialized, so that everyone benefits, and not just a few fat cats. Of course, private property is not socialized. The government is used for the benefit of the people, rather than for the benefit of corporations.

This article is about the democratic countries of the G7 trying to help the rest of the world with vaccines and economic recovery. And on that topic......

I have read today that in China they are experiencing a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic. This, despite the fact that they have numerous locally developed and produced vaccines. Western analysis of their vaccines is that they have an efficacy rate of less than 50%, which helps explain why so many countries that have a high rate of inoculation with the Chinese vaccines are experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks. A 48% effectiveness rate is better than nothing, but not good enough. I suggest that China takes advantage of President Biden's offer for other countries to manufacture without patent penalties the vaccines developed in the West, the ones with efficacy rates of 95%.

The 8 billion humans are going to need 16 billion doses of the two dose regimen, and if countries like China get on board with making the best vaccines, that would be a big help. Maybe if we told China they are only allowed to make the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines if they steal the secret of their production, then they would be more inclined to make them. It is a shame that reverse psychology is needed on something so important, but whatever works.

And the Scandanavian countries fit your and other rightist posters definitions of "socialist".

And right on cue, the lazy and of course, false rallying cry of "Scandinavia!".

High taxes do not equal socialism, my friend. Scandinavia has very strong property rights and lower corporate tax rates than even the US.

Tell any Scandanavian that they are living in a socialist country and they will be very surprised!

Again, can you name a single socialist state that wasn't an abject humanitarian disaster?

*Hi dagon! Real GDP grew over one-third during Reagan's presidency, an over $2 trillion increase. The compound annual growth rate of GDP was 3.6% during Reagan's eight years, compared to 2.7% during the preceding eight years.*

GDP has been shown to be meaningless as Heritage Foundation stats. Lots of Wall Street easy money and S and L scams under Reagan with inner city poverty and violence and the destruction of the US manufacturing base. Did NAFTA bring "economic freedom" to the middle class?

And the Scandanavian countries fit your and other rightist posters definitions of "socialist".

If Biden announced guaranteed social welfare, housing, health and education using high corporate taxes like in those countries you would be screaming he is a Marxist reincarnation of Joseph Stalin and opening gulags for CEOs.

Howdy bob. More pertinent to this article, can you name a single example where trickle down, supply side economic policy resulted in anything but the enrichment of a tiny wealthy class? Has cutting corporate taxes ever helped?

Exhibit 1: The US during the Eisenhower/Kennedy years with 75% to 90% taxes on the highest earning and a booming middle class. And then the disaster of Reaganomics and the collapse of the middle class.

Hi dagon! Real GDP grew over one-third during Reagan's presidency, an over $2 trillion increase. The compound annual growth rate of GDP was 3.6% during Reagan's eight years, compared to 2.7% during the preceding eight years.

If thats a disaster, give it to us every year please.

The fact is, although free market capitalism isn't perfect (what is?) its the very best tried and true economic method the world has ever seen. As we’ve seen across continents, the freer an economy becomes, the less likely its people are to become entrapped in extreme poverty.

This can be corroborated by tracking the rise of “economic freedom,” which is related to the openness of a country’s markets and corresponding increases in living standards. Over the past 25 years, the global average economic freedom score—as calculated by the right-leaning Heritage Foundation—has increased by 3.2 percentage points, with many countries joining the ranks of at least the “moderately free.”

Indeed, global economic freedom has experienced a nearly six percent increase since 1995—after the Soviet Union’s collapse. Capitalism is more commonplace now than ever before.

But enough about that. Its very telling that both you and "Express sister" have yet to come up with a single socialist state that didn't result in a human tragedy.

Because there isn't.

Its typical garbage that you are supposed to be swallowing so you comply and keep following the party line.

Govts all over the world are corrupt and they pushing a greater agenda on the masses in cohoots with their fellow friends who also sit at the top of govt in other countries and push their agenda on the masses. Here is prove they are nothing more than a big organized gang making them selves legal by passing draconian laws on the masses who they rule over.

Flying around the world in their state funded private jets making up lies & laws to tell us how we all should live, yeah right while giving away our tax money and pocketing what they cant squander!!!

T R U TH !!

GdTokyoToday  07:12 am JST

Hey, nobody got pushed aside, no handshake wars, no idiocy.

How refreshing.

Oh yeah, the problems of the world are cured because everyone is standing still for a picture.

Hi Express sister. On second thought, can you name a single socialist state that didn't devolve into economic and social tragedy? Can you name one, please?

Howdy bob. More pertinent to this article, can you name a single example where trickle down, supply side economic policy resulted in anything but the enrichment of a tiny wealthy class? Has cutting corporate taxes ever helped?

Exhibit 1: The US during the Eisenhower/Kennedy years with 75% to 90% taxes on the highest earning and a booming middle class. And then the disaster of Reaganomics and the collapse of the middle class.

I love this. “Things being fair is socialism”. Just a perfect insight into the mind of the right. Something that most people agree is good, fairness, is abhorrent to them. The idea of equality is anathema to GOP supporters. Maybe that’s why they’re so against rights for minorities.

Hi Express sister,

Can you name a single example of a socialist state that successfully created a fair playing field for all citizens?

Just one, please.

Yes if only the word equal really meant equal. and not “more equal” for some and “less equal” for others.

make a fairer global economy

Sounds like an ode to socialism.

I love this. “Things being fair is socialism”. Just a perfect insight into the mind of the right. Something that most people agree is good, fairness, is abhorrent to them. The idea of equality is anathema to GOP supporters. Maybe that’s why they’re so against rights for minorities.

The irony, the pledge to share vaccines, the promise of a fairer global economy, a global agreement

to embrace a global minimum tax of at least 15% …...

A pledge here. A promise there.

3.7 million people souls have been lost to this pandemic, yet the pledges and promises stop at holding the Government of China to account!!

G7, my backside, you cowards.  

7 white feathers.

Both Putin and Xi Jinping stand tall, simply because these 7 hide behind the sofa.

Heaven knows why, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel are attending in the first place?

Germany, France, Italy, represent the EU.

£14.1 million to stage this farce.

What a bunch of clowns. By the way, why do they take a socially distanced photo? Aren't they fully vaccinated? What a circus these meetings are.

make a fairer global economy

Sounds like an ode to socialism.

Somebody else has to stand in the back with Japan and the 2 EU officials? Otherwise it would be too obvious.

Italy qualifies for G7 how?

Cold War Steve is killing it, as usual. The man's a genius!

https://coldwarsteve.com/

Our suga()-(san)daddy looking tensed.

The most corrupt people in the world all together pledging to use marxism to make the world a better place. That’s damn funny.

Name one Marxist policy they are proposing. You cannot.

Bailing out megacorps might be corporate socialism though. And they are corrupt. And capitalist.

The most corrupt people in the world all together pledging to use marxism to make the world a better place. That’s damn funny.

And Putin is laughing his butt off.

The most corrupt people in the world all together pledging to use marxism to make the world a better place. That’s damn funny.

Clown Circus group of 7 , look at them, bunch of circus clowns - clueless , rudderless, careless, hopeless, meaningless, directionless and brainless !

Why did they put Japanese leader in the back during photo shoot?

He forgot his secret shoes.

Climate change discussions..........while these over entitled ones flying around burning fossils fuels in personal planes , riding around limos dragging large entourages like no tomorrow. Anyone see the irony ?

Japan is the leading donor to both Covax and giving doses to countries. Yet, does not get any credit in the media. In fact, until recently, the US has been blowing off request for both money and doses. Japan had to step in and do the heavy lifting but now America comes in and thinks its the hero and gets all the credit.

"Group of Seven leaders brought pledges to share vaccine doses and make a fairer global economy"

We all know what this means.

Corona was never about health.

Japan is the third largest global economy, regardless of the leaders ,height, width, or weight.

Trudeau needs to learn some manners and etiquette. the effrontery, get to the back, show some respect.

The Top 25 Economies in the World

https://www.investopedia.com/insights/worlds-top-economies/#3-japan

you can still see the marks of the slap that macaron got few days ago

What's the use of the G7 group anyway, given that we have G20? Some countries in G7 are neither the richest nor have any say in global politics (even if they want to believe they do).

P. SmithToday  08:46 am JST

Likely because he’s the shortest and putting him in front would have made it seem he was shorter because he would have been standing in front of taller people who would have been standing on the rear step, which would have made them much taller than Suga. Nothing nefarious.

That explanation doesn't make any sense.

Angela Merkel is 5'5", and she is in the front row. Suga is 5'6".

I see Suga not participating in the conversation in all the photos

I cannot help but suspect that the Prime Minister of Japan would have preferred to have been anyaware else than having to pose for the G7 photo shoot.

Can't say I blame him.

Joe Biden, laid back relaxed, Yoshihide Suga, attempted to hide behind assorted hedge and vegetation, whist Macron and Johnson “billowing out” like big girls blouses.

I thought at one stage both Marcon and Johnson where about to break out into song and dance with a rendition of Wham's “I your man”, to gain Joe Biden's attention.

The Leaders of the free world, we're are all up poo creek without a paddle.

Scheming how best to scr*w the rest of the world. This is the club that gobbles up the world's resources and woe unto those who resist and choose their own sovereignity, they get branded and threatened China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela ... Feels like there ACTUALLY should be a WWW3 soon just to rid ourselves of these predatorial tendencies.

Suga and Italy Prime Minister at the back on the picture. Who is six and seven in the ranking ?

It speaks out

To make the global economy "fairer."

Did they decide to be more "gentle" and "kind" as well?

How silly.

JJ: Laughable. The world's number 2 economy isn't in it. 

The group wasn't formed based on a list of economies. A group of countries decided they wanted to meet and that's the long and the short of it.

Let's hope they can do some good with the vaccine distributions. People are still dying.

The G7 is still one of the biggest waste of time. They are supposed to be the 7 best countries. Laughable. The world's number 2 economy isn't in it. China, India, Brazil, and Russia are more relevant and economically better than 3 of the 7. 3 of the 7 are not even top 10.

These people DO NOT repesent us.

They represent corporate greed.

"It is vital that we don't repeat the mistake of the last great crisis, the last great economic recession in 2008, when the recovery was not uniform across all parts of society," he said after leaders posed for a formal "family photo" by the sea.

"And I think what's gone wrong with this pandemic, and what risks being a lasting scar, is that I think the inequalities may be entrenched," Johnson added.

If this was an actual and not just a stated goal, then you would not be seeing the same patterns from 2008: Easy QE money for banks and financial institutions, massive corporate subsidies and bailouts, and some sparse and meager gestures toward relieving the misery among the vast majority of the public.

Human chess! Looks fun.

Sounds good and progressive, until you notice who they exclude from their 'sharing vacccine' and 'fairer global economy', at which point you'll understand this is really just PR cover for continued bullying of any country that doesn't enrich the oligarchs of the G7.

sakurasukiToday  07:29 am JST

Why did they put Japanese leader in the back during photo shoot?

I am outraged.

Why did they put Japanese leader in the back during photo shoot?

This G7 nonsense is just a big excuse for these so called leaders to have an opulent party whilst the rest of the world suffers.

The “Magnificent Seven” have made a lifestyle choice and will soon be sharing needles. I expect great things to happen.

Hey, nobody got pushed aside, no handshake wars, no idiocy.

How refreshing.

Good Morning, Everyone! - A ‘well-staged’ photo with a certain ‘forced perspective’ of some of the ‘free world’ leaders here.