100 years ago, Argentina was one of the richest, most successful countries in the world. Even as recently as the early 1960s, its GDP per capita was higher than that of Japan, Italy, Spain or Austria.

What went wrong? Never-ending shambolic governance, never in the common good.

Argentina has scarcely had a decent government in a century. Its political system is a disaster. Its economy is a disaster. The right fails, the left fails, and Peronism - which stands for nothing, believes in nothing, but just drapes itself in emotion and the flag - rules.
It is the only economy I can think of which travelled from the Third World to the First World, then all the way back to the Third World again. There are four different kinds of economies:

- Developed
- Underdeveloped
- Japan
- Argentina
But this isn't a thread about Argentina. It's a thread about Britain: a country with which Argentina has this fascinating love/hate relationship. Conflict over the Falklands/Malvinas and football; but British culture is hugely influential among young, well-educated Argentinians.
And you see: I think the two countries have more and more in common. And not in a good way either.

I left the UK in 2012. When a Uruguayan here asked me why, I answered: "Because we're turning into Argentina".

What did I mean by that?
1. Economic illiteracy. Austerity isn't just immoral; IT DOESN'T WORK.

2. Corporatism everywhere.

3. Nationalism. I left 4 years before Brexit won - but the referendum outcome (and especially how it was conducted) did not surprise me at all.

4. Failing institutions
5. Shocking, miserably incompetent and malignant governance.

When did Britain last have a good government? I view Blair's as a decent one overall (not many do though!) Before that, heaven only knows. Wilson's? It included a devaluation, lest we forget. Macmillan's?
But the difference now is that Britain has gone from generally bad governance to utterly wicked governance. The Tories gaslight the public - and just as Cristina cynically distracted her people by pointing to the Malvinas, Boris does the exact same with the EU.
Both Peronism and Brexit play on the same thing: emotion. There's no reason involved at all. It's just tub-thumping jingoistic nonsense combined with blaming everyone under the sun.

Argentina has a disastrous modern history of protectionism. Will Britain do the same?
Argentina has an equally disastrous recent history of turning itself into an international pariah by failing to uphold its obligations.

Will Britain, seeking to break international law, do the same?
Argentina's modern history is of lies, more lies and constant corruption. Well - anyone who's paid any attention to Britain over the last decade should appreciate that their corruption has nothing on ours. And our so-called leaders lie about everything every bloody day.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was, of course, famous for writing about magic realism. MAGIC REALISM IS EXACTLY WHAT BREXIT IS BASED ON.

Pie in the sky. Unicorns. Bread and circuses. Half the country pitted against the other half. And we think we're still a First World nation? Really?
Both nations also have quite horrific tabloid media obsessed with celebrity and personalising everything - which refuses point blank to consider any detail, context or nuance about anything. So their publics just end up ever more ill-informed, ever more ignorant.
And in Britain's case, when Scotland becomes independent (which it inevitably will) and Ireland is united (which it inevitanbly will be), what becomes of England and Wales? An angry, reactionary rump full of xenophobes and gammon on the edge of Europe?

On the edge of the world.
Nothing that's happened in Britain over the last decade has surprised me. That's why I left in the first place. Britain is mired in a post-imperial nervous breakdown - but what many don't realise is that, like Argentina, it may never recover at all.
Every time people say "it can't get any worse than this", it does. It keeps doing so. Down, down, deeper and down.

On the other side of the Atlantic, its media and people woke up just in time. Ours are still fast asleep. Lemmings merrily toppling over the cliff to their doom.
cc @garvanwalshe
PS. The media parallel I mentioned above? Good luck to any Argentinian who wants to find out the reality in their country.

The leftist TV stations act like the President is Jesus Christ reincarnated. The rightist TV stations say they're living under a communist dictatorship.
"This is like North Korea! Quick everyone, leave while you still can!"

Anyone in the middle has nowhere to go, nowhere they can actually be informed.

Now flip it around because the right's in power (sic) in the UK. It's pretty close to the same thing there too.

More from History

Rush Catalog
Emotion Detector (1985, Power Windows)
https://t.co/3U3Ol6tMHU
#RushFamily
@RushFamTourneys
What's your grade of this song?

https://t.co/3U3Ol6Lo6u

Lyrics:

When we lift the covers from our feelings
We expose our insecure spots
Trust is just as rare as devotion —
Forgive us our cynical thoughts
If we need too much attention —
Not content with being cool
We must throw ourselves wide open
And start acting like a fool

If we need too much approval
Then the cuts can seem too cruel

Right to the heart of the matter
Right to the beautiful part
Illusions are painfully shattered
Right where discovery starts
In the secret wells of emotion
Buried deep in our hearts

It’s true that love can change us
But never quite enough
Sometimes we are too tender
Sometimes we’re too tough
If we get too much attention
It gets hard to overrule
So often fragile power turns
To scorn and ridicule
Sometimes our big splashes
Are just ripples in the pool

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शमशान में जब महर्षि दधीचि के मांसपिंड का दाह संस्कार हो रहा था तो उनकी पत्नी अपने पति का वियोग सहन नहीं कर पायी और पास में ही स्थित विशाल पीपल वृक्ष के कोटर में अपने तीन वर्ष के बालक को रख के स्वयं चिता पे बैठ कर सती हो गयी ।इस प्रकार ऋषी दधीचि और उनकी पत्नी की मुक्ति हो गयी।


परन्तु पीपल के कोटर में रखा बालक भूख प्यास से तड़पने लगा। जब कुछ नहीं मिला तो वो कोटर में पड़े पीपल के गोदों (फल) को खाकर बड़ा होने लगा। कालान्तर में पीपल के फलों और पत्तों को खाकर बालक का जीवन किसी प्रकार सुरक्षित रहा।

एक दिन देवर्षि नारद वहां से गुजर रहे थे ।नारद ने पीपल के कोटर में बालक को देख कर उसका परिचय मांगा -
नारद बोले - बालक तुम कौन हो?
बालक - यही तो मैं भी जानना चहता हूँ ।
नारद - तुम्हारे जनक कौन हैं?
बालक - यही तो मैं भी जानना चाहता हूँ ।

तब नारद ने आँखें बन्द कर ध्यान लगाया ।


तत्पश्चात आश्चर्यचकित हो कर बालक को बताया कि 'हे बालक! तुम महान दानी महर्षि दधीचि के पुत्र हो । तुम्हारे पिता की अस्थियों का वज्रास्त्र बनाकर ही देवताओं ने असुरों पर विजय पायी थी।तुम्हारे पिता की मृत्यु मात्र 31 वर्ष की वय में ही हो गयी थी'।

बालक - मेरे पिता की अकाल मृत्यु का क्या कारण था?
नारद - तुम्हारे पिता पर शनिदेव की महादशा थी।
बालक - मेरे उपर आयी विपत्ति का कारण क्या था?
नारद - शनिदेव की महादशा।
इतना बताकर देवर्षि नारद ने पीपल के पत्तों और गोदों को खाकर बड़े हुए उस बालक का नाम पिप्पलाद रखा और उसे दीक्षित किया।