Comments on: Doha collapses (the trade round, not the city)

By: Don

Don — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:30:57 +0000

forgot to add this.
http://www.washtimes.com/news/2003/dec/07/20031207-114046-8545r/

By: Don

Don — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:26:48 +0000

It’s amazing - who could have predicted there would be such problems …

“Agricultural subsidies targeted

Originally published 11:40 p.m., December 7, 2003, updated 12:00 a.m., December 8, 2003

U.S. and European agricultural subsidies, worth billions of dollars to farmers, will be open to attack at the World Trade Organization as soon as next month.

….

“I think U.S. and European subsidy policies are subject to legal challenge at the WTO. There are billions or tens of billions of dollars in consequences,” said Richard Steinberg, a law professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.

…

The United States paid farmers almost $15.7 billion in subsidies during 2002, and the U.S. Agriculture Department projects $18.7 billion for 2003. Subsidies, which rise and fall opposite market prices, peaked in 2000 at $32.3 billion, the USDA said.

The 15-nation European Union annually spends roughly $50 billion, nearly half its annual budget, on its common agricultural policy and rural development. ”

If only I’d gone to school …

If the US and Europe won’t reduce subsidies as part of the WTO negotiations then they won’t do it in unilateral negotiations. You should have heard what the Aussies here thought of the Aussie / US agreement.

BTW - people here on international contracts have been switching from US$ to Euros when they renegotiate for at least the last two years.

By: Sam Buchanan

Sam Buchanan — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:37:10 +0000

I noticed the five cent coin going - tuataras don’t get enough exposure.

Plus you need them for the ‘Lady Luck’ machine at the Aro Street fish and chip shop.

By: turnip28

turnip28 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:59:55 +0000

bigblukiwi, i’m converting all my us dollars into US penny’s, at least that way when the US finally goes Mugabe style on the US dollar i can melt them all down and have some zinc and copper.

i just need to convince my work here to stop direct debiting my pay check but rather deliver me a bucket of 1 cent penny’s instead

Of course NZ is way ahead of the US since we got rid of our 1,2 and 5 cent piece and nobody in NZ even noticed.

By: bigblukiwi

bigblukiwi — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:10:14 +0000

Another nail in the coffin of Globalization ? Along with the unholy mess the financial system is in at present. They are intimately tied together, and are set to collapse spectacularly, along with the US Dollar. I’m moving my assets as far away from any dollar exposure as I possibly can, but it’s difficult to find a safe haven in a ‘perfect storm’.

By: libertyscott

libertyscott — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:31:58 +0000

Of course as Sue Kedgley was out cheerleading those who would happily see this fail, I’m hardly surprised the Greens don’t care that an opportunity to make a fundamental difference to NZ’s terms of trade has failed. Governments are not communities, trade barriers are restrictions on communities, consumers and taxpayers as well as governments. This will cost in enormous lost opportunities for trade and development, and meanwhile people will wonder “what to do about Africa” when the answer was for the semi-rich third world, EU, Japan and USA to throw off the shackles of their own protectionism.

By: Strings

Strings — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:22:15 +0000

ANother 8 years, another “no change” result!

The WTO is just an excuse for jollies for the boys (and girls) and we should get out and save ourselves a fortune. Bi-lateral negotiations are always going to fare better than an attempt at designing a ‘one size fits all’ trade environment by committee. Remember the Camel - a mobile home designed by committee!