A lot has been written about what Mario Draghi's arrival in Italy means for Italy. But little has been said about what he could mean for Europe. I think Draghi could be a game changer for EU; he could even turn its toxic North-South dynamic on its head. Thread 1/

Why? The @EU_Commission is currently reviewing (quietly) member states reform plans. These are basis upon which EU capitals hope to begin receiving their allocation, in transfers & loans, from the €750 billion Recovery Fund, starting later this year 2/
Remember the numbers are unprecedented. Italy is eligible for ~€188bn (roughly €65.5bn in grants; €123bn in loans). Spain a €144bn, roughly €59bn in grants & €85bn in loans etc etc. The amounts for all member states are unprecedented 3/
Yet despite this, & fact Fr & Ger pushed hard for this deal, officials in Bxl are scathing about proposals advanced by.. Paris & Berlin. I oversimplify: but basically, Macron is distracted by Covid; Merkel, elections in Sept. Sweeping reforms are the last thing on their minds 4/
This puts Commission in its usual bind. If Bxl doesn’t raise the reform bar with Chancellery & @Elysee, it will have no credibility to push southern Europe to do same. But it also can’t impose reforms on countries that aren’t willing to do them, especially not the big 2 5/
Queue Draghi, who is likely to prove the exemplar: slashing red tape, addressing structural admin & judicial bottlenecks that have prevented Italy properly absorbing EU funds; tax & labour market reform, & a focus on levels & efficacy of investment 6/
Of course, none of this will be easy. The politics in parliament are treacherous, there's lingering divisions within his new Govt, big concerns over how long it will last & reforms will be pol charged & take on powerful interest groups 7/
But Draghi commands huge public support (60% & rising; Italy’s most popular pol figure by far) & a huge parliamentary majority. He also has a deep level of knowledge & expertise, & likely wouldn't have taken the job unless he had some assurances he could get his agenda through 8/
Perhaps most importantly: the example Draghi sets will create space & precedent for the Commission to go back to Berlin & Paris & demand they do more. It will reduce risk Bxl is scapegoated for not properly enforcing Dec deal (€ for reform); it may encourage Macron to do more 9/
The Recovery Fund needs to succeed in a few test countries, esp Italy but also France, to increase legitimacy of fiscal transfers within EU - either as a permanent feature or in event of future crisis. Even if Draghi makes this slightly more likely, this would be a big win 10/
But this isn't all. Draghi could also positively impact discussion on reform of EU’s outdated fiscal rules. Immediately re-applying the old rules after Covid - 3/60% deficit/debt limits & movement to those thresholds obvs makes no sense in light of unprecedented borrowing.. 11/
the pandemic has necessitated. The result would be (again) unprecedented austerity that even northern Europe recognizes would be counterproductive.  So rules will probs remain suspended this/next year as EU capitals negotiate what to do about them 12/
However, as we all know, the 3/60% & idea of debt reduction are hardwired into EU’s treaties & won’t change. But the secondary legislation that implements the treaty could be up for grabs. This is where the “Draghi effect” could have an impact 13/
Seeing reforms in Italy cd encourage more hawkish Northern states to back a set of rules that are slightly less obsessed with austerity & more focussed on growth (a “golden rule“) that carves out fiscal space for high quality public spending on green & digital transitions 14/
Bottom line: Draghi is unlikely to be the subordinate previous Italian PM's have been to their masters in Berlin, Paris, the Hague, Brussels & even DC. Draghi is a different beast 15/
If he delivers Recovery Fund reforms & spending in Italy that are seen as a success, Draghi could fundamentally change the econ conversation in Europe, & even its architecture/institutions & prospects over medium term

My latest in @POLITICOEurope

https://t.co/o60uA48OwB

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Niger state shares borders with Zamfara, kebbi, Kaduna & Benin Republic. Terrorists from Niger republic and Burkina faso easily move money and arms across the borders of Kebbi, Zamfara and Benin R into Niger state. According to UN over 900,000 people have been displaced in B'Faso https://t.co/65YEMJhqDp


Niger, Mali and Burkina faso are weak countries populated by Shell terrorists who have now found a safe haven in the forests in Kaduna and Niger state. Birin Gwari, Mokwa forest, Nanati forests, Kanji lake areas.

No decent human resides permanently in forests.

We are facing both external and internal threats from these weak and failed countries we are surrounded with. As a senator you know that a FG police system with less than 300k officers can't actively police the landmass and borders in the North.
Form your state police now!

You and other senators should scrap the FG police system and devote the unaudited security votes and constituency allowance to policing your corridors and forests. Let the airforce bomb them and put your rangers in the forests. Issue an ultimatum for those in the forests to leave

You are all living in a dream if you think the current police structure will become efficient overnight.
Budget, Personnel, Technology, Equipment, Surveillance..It's impossible.
Form your state and community police and flush out the terrorists.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time! https://t.co/xPMGL36VGy


So today, I am going to quickly talk about 4 or 5 countries where you can get residence visas.

Why residence visas?

For starters, they are cheaper, FAR CHEAPER than passports, and offer almost all the benefits, not not, but a large swathe of them.

Second, residencies can be...

a pathway to citizenship.

In one or two of the countries I will talk about tonight, if you renew your residencies long enough, and fulfill all requirements, according to their law, which differs from country to country, you become eligible to apply for full citizenship.

So...

you can see why they are good enough?

Cool. Alright, let's begin.

The first country is

1. Barbados

Yes, @Rihanna's country.

The first thing I love about it is it's fully black, majority descendants of ex-slaves of Igbo extraction.

That's why they refer to their country...

Barbados last year officially launched its 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp, a new visa that allows remote workers to live and work from the Caribbean country for up to a year.

Applicants must electronically submit documents, such as a copy of their international passport and...

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Great article from @AsheSchow. I lived thru the 'Satanic Panic' of the 1980's/early 1990's asking myself "Has eveyrbody lost their GODDAMN MINDS?!"


The 3 big things that made the 1980's/early 1990's surreal for me.

1) Satanic Panic - satanism in the day cares ahhhh!

2) "Repressed memory" syndrome

3) Facilitated Communication [FC]

All 3 led to massive abuse.

"Therapists" -and I use the term to describe these quacks loosely - would hypnotize people & convince they they were 'reliving' past memories of Mom & Dad killing babies in Satanic rituals in the basement while they were growing up.

Other 'therapists' would badger kids until they invented stories about watching alligators eat babies dropped into a lake from a hot air balloon. Kids would deny anything happened for hours until the therapist 'broke through' and 'found' the 'truth'.

FC was a movement that started with the claim severely handicapped individuals were able to 'type' legible sentences & communicate if a 'helper' guided their hands over a keyboard.