Please post some examples how the EU is fleecing the third world! One would suffice.
The EU is keeping poor countries poor:
"Take its tariff regime, which sets higher tariffs for more processed products. Raw coffee beans, for instance, can be exported to the EU tariff-free, while roasted coffee is subject to a 7.5 percent tariff. If the coffee is decaffeinated, the tariff rises to 9 percent. The same goes for chocolate – cacao beans have no tariff, but chocolate bars are subject to a 30 percent tariff. "
"This is no accident. It is designed to stop countries such as Ethiopia and Ghana processing their own produce and then exporting it, which EU leaders fear would threaten the lucrative food industry in Europe. Producers are instead encouraged to export the raw produce while the “generous” EU ensures that developing countries take only a fraction of their potential profit, preserving the spoils for itself.
In fact, in 2014, Germany earned more from coffee exports than all of Africa combined. "
The EU also harms local fishing industries. Having instituted rigorous fishing quotas in Europe, the EU makes deals with various West African countries to allow its large trawlers to fish on a massive scale in those countries’ waters. Mauritania, for instance, has allowed the EU to fish in its waters for over 25 years, in return for around £1 billion.
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and from the guardian newspaper:
"Nothing symbolises the EU’s problematic behaviour better than its own history of protectionism. According to one analysis, of the 7,000 harmful trade measures implemented by countries across the globe since 2009,
have come from the EU. If Africa needs a Trump, it’s in no small part because of the ways in which the liberal, rights-loving EU has screwed it. The common agricultural policy (CAP) seriously distorted commodity markets, depressing prices for African maize, sugar and beef and
many African countries should have had in a free marketplace. "
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from a website called TRT world:
“The fact is that the natural resources (fuel, gold, gas etc.) of most, if not all, African countries… are still being syphoned off through offshore companies that, to a large extent,
are linked to European and American companies and businessmen.
,
anonymous companies (about 1,400 in total) and tax havens are used to exploit the natural wealth of some of the world's poorest countries”.
In addition to Kamel’s claims, a
that Africa is estimated to be losing more than $50 billion annually.
According to the report, estimates prove that, over the last 50 years, the continent
has lost “in excess of $1 trillion in illicit financial flows” that are operated by Western corporations.
Moreover, t
– mainly former French colonies –are obligated to maintain at least 50 per cent of their monetary reserves in the French Treasury.
These countries, including Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali and Niger, have no control over their monetary policies. France, by maintaining its post-colonial hegemony, makes billions of euros from African countries’ reserves.
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European milk is pouring into Africa, with disastrous effects for local herders and farmers.
Multibillion-euro dairy multinationals are exploiting rock-bottom European milk prices to expand aggressively into West Africa. Over five years, they have nearly tripled their exports to the region, shipping milk powder produced by heavily subsidized European farmers to be transformed into liquid milk for the region's booming middle class.
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from FEE [foundation for economic education]
Forty years of international aid transfers have left Latin America with a foreign debt of $430 billion, sub-Sahara Africa with per capita incomes lower today than they were in the 1970s, and India with an annual per capita income of around $300.
Much aid has been wasted in poorly planned, ill-administered projects of little benefit-such as crop-storage depots built where peasants never go, or funds allotted to buy a profitable private bus line in India and turn it into a money-losing public enterprise.
Billions of dollars, collected from middle-class taxpayers of the West, have “aided” Third World elites to possess grand estates, private zoos, classic car collections, and Swiss bank accounts.
Basically there is a 'carve up' still going on, involving the usa, eu, imf/world bank etc... why do you think china is investing in africa, to get a piece of the action.
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"Hiding all the time behind "oh it was the higher powers" who caused all the problems is simply an easy escape route to avoid taking responsibility. The only ones directed by the leaders in the colonial era was the military, the rest who were sailing to the colonies did it to pillage what was on offer and make themselves rich. "
You've heard of the east india company?
from wikipedia
"On 22 September 1599, a group of merchants met and stated their intention "to venture in the pretended voyage to the East Indies (the which it may please the Lord to prosper), and the sums that they will adventure", committing £30,133. Two days later, "the Adventurers" reconvened and resolved to apply to the Queen for support of the project. Although their first attempt had not been completely successful, they nonetheless sought the Queen's unofficial approval to continue. They bought ships for their venture and increased their capital to £68,373.
The Adventurers convened again a year later, on 31 December, and this time they succeeded; the Queen granted a
to "
, and 215
,
, and
" under the name, Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading with the East Indies.
For a period of fifteen years, the charter awarded the newly formed company a monopoly on English trade with all countries east of the
and west of the
.
Any traders in breach of the charter without a licence from the company were liable to forfeiture of their ships and cargo (half of which went to the Crown and the other half to the company), as well as imprisonment at the "royal pleasure".
The governance of the company was in the hands of one governor and 24
or "committees", who made up the Court of Directors. They, in turn, reported to the Court of Proprietors, which appointed them. Ten committees reported to the Court of Directors. According to tradition, business was initially transacted at the Nags Head Inn, opposite
church in
, before moving to India House in
.
[Sir James Lancaster commanded the first East India Company voyage in 1601. Wealthy merchants and
owned the EIC's shares. Initially the government owned no shares and had only indirect control until 1657 when permanent joint stock was established ]
And yet again "upper echelons" - I don't know mack, put it looks like you have some psychological complex (for the lack of a better word)... In your posts, you are always shifting blame to somebody.
These were not the average people in the street, I think to say they would be amongst the upper echelons is fair and historically accurate, to say western countries policies during those centurys were decided by the average man in the street is historically wrong therefore why should they take the primary blame for the pillaging?
I suppose the blame must not be shifted from the real sinners, the kind of person who would vote for brexit or trump...
somebody was saying on twitter that fox were sacking her, but I couldn't see anything.
Or, a reference to their regulation of British Tea?
