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Tag: Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe the 58 year old and youngest post-World War II Prime Minister of Japan and also the President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been the subject of article by Joseph Stiglitz on the Project Syndicate titled ‘The Promise of Abenomics’. Stiglitz states “…Abe’s program for his country’s economic recovery has led to a surge in domestic confidence. But to what extent can “Abenomics” claim credit? Interestingly, a closer look at Japan’s performance over the past decade suggests little reason for persistent bearish sentiment. Indeed, in terms of growth of output per employed worker, Japan has done quite well since the turn of the century. …as many Japanese rightly sense, Abenomics can only help the country’s recovery. Abe is doing what many economists (including me) have been calling for in the US and Europe: a comprehensive program entailing monetary, fiscal, and structural policies. Abe likens this approach to holding three arrows – taken alone, each can be bent; taken together, none can. …Government efforts to increase productivity in the service sector probably will be particularly important. For example, Japan is in a good position to exploit synergies between an improved health-care sector and its world-class manufacturing capabilities, in the development of medical instrumentation. …There is every reason to believe that Japan’s strategy for rejuvenating its economy will succeed:  the country benefits from strong institutions, has a well-educated labor force with superb technical skills and design sensibilities, and is located in the world’s most (only?) dynamic region. It suffers from less inequality than many advanced industrial countries (though more than Canada and the northern European countries), and it has had a longer-standing commitment to environment preservation. If the comprehensive agenda that Abe has laid out is executed well, today’s growing confidence will be vindicated. Indeed, Japan could become one of the few rays of light in an otherwise gloomy advanced-country landscape.”  Inspired by Joseph Stiglitz, Project Syndicate ow.ly/kuCAs Image source TTTNIS ow.ly/kuCDc The Promise of Abenomics (May 16 2013)

Shinzo Abe the 58 year old and youngest post-World War II Prime Minister of Japan and also the President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been the subject of article by Joseph Stiglitz on the Project Syndicate titled ‘The Promise of Abenomics’. Stiglitz states “…Abe’s program for his country’s economic recovery has led to a surge in domestic confidence. But to what extent can “Abenomics” claim credit? Interestingly, a closer look at Japan’s performance over the past decade suggests little reason for persistent bearish sentiment. Indeed, in terms of growth of output per employed worker, Japan has done quite well since the turn of the century. …as many Japanese rightly sense, Abenomics can only help the country’s recovery. Abe is doing what many economists (including me) have been calling for in the US and Europe: a comprehensive program entailing monetary, fiscal, and structural policies. Abe likens this approach to holding three arrows – taken alone, each can be bent; taken together, none can. …Government efforts to increase productivity in the service sector probably will be particularly important. For example, Japan is in a good position to exploit synergies between an improved health-care sector and its world-class manufacturing capabilities, in the development of medical instrumentation. …There is every reason to believe that Japan’s strategy for rejuvenating its economy will succeed:  the country benefits from strong institutions, has a well-educated labor force with superb technical skills and design sensibilities, and is located in the world’s most (only?) dynamic region. It suffers from less inequality than many advanced industrial countries (though more than Canada and the northern European countries), and it has had a longer-standing commitment to environment preservation. If the comprehensive agenda that Abe has laid out is executed well, today’s growing confidence will be vindicated. Indeed, Japan could become one of the few rays of light in an otherwise gloomy advanced-country landscape.”

 

Inspired by Joseph Stiglitz, Project Syndicate ow.ly/kuCAs Image source TTTNIS ow.ly/kuCDc

Laurent Fabius the 66 year old French Socialist politician who served as Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister has been forced to deny rumors of tax evasion. In an article published on France24 by Joseph Bamat, titled ‘French foreign minister denies tax-evasion ‘rumour’’, Bamat states “Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius denied … a rumour that he may have a secret bank account in Switzerland. The allegation comes less than a week after former budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac admitted he lied about holding a secret Swiss bank account, in a tax-evasion scandal that has rocked the Socialist government of President François Hollande. There is no “substance or foundation” to the news report, Fabius said in a statement to the press, adding he would take legal action to “stop the diffusion of this false and slanderous information”.  …left-leaning daily Libération reported that the investigative news website Médiapart – which broke the Cahuzac affair – was looking into whether Fabius was also stashing away euros in “one or several” bank accounts across the border. It stated that Hollande’s cabinet is in a state of panic ahead of potentially devastating new revelations. “More than an affair, it’s a potential political bomb. Everyone thinks the same thing: if Fabius really does have a Swiss bank account, the entire government would fall. Immediately,” the newspaper wrote in its Monday edition that headlined, “The nightmare continues”. However, Libération did not publish any information or document proving that one of France’s top government minister’s had an illegal bank account. Left reeling from the Cahuzac affair, France's government attempted to take back the initiative by stating that it was looking into tightening Europe-wide measures against tax evasion. Médiapart chastised the newspaper Libération for publishing the allegations. Contacted by Libération, Médiapart staff journalist Fabrice Arfi said the only news it stood by was “what is published on our site”.”  Inspired by Joseph Bamat, France24 ow.ly/k8WiS Image source Olivier Ezratty ow.ly/k8Wgl Diffusion of false and slanderous information (May 13 2013)

 

Laurent Fabius the 66 year old French Socialist politician who served as Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister has been forced to deny rumors of tax evasion. In an article published on France24 by Joseph Bamat, titled ‘French foreign minister denies tax-evasion ‘rumour’’, Bamat states “Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius denied … a rumour that he may have a secret bank account in Switzerland. The allegation comes less than a week after former budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac admitted he lied about holding a secret Swiss bank account, in a tax-evasion scandal that has rocked the Socialist government of President François Hollande. There is no “substance or foundation” to the news report, Fabius said in a statement to the press, adding he would take legal action to “stop the diffusion of this false and slanderous information”.  …left-leaning daily Libération reported that the investigative news website Médiapart – which broke the Cahuzac affair – was looking into whether Fabius was also stashing away euros in “one or several” bank accounts across the border. It stated that Hollande’s cabinet is in a state of panic ahead of potentially devastating new revelations. “More than an affair, it’s a potential political bomb. Everyone thinks the same thing: if Fabius really does have a Swiss bank account, the entire government would fall. Immediately,” the newspaper wrote in its Monday edition that headlined, “The nightmare continues”. However, Libération did not publish any information or document proving that one of France’s top government minister’s had an illegal bank account. Left reeling from the Cahuzac affair, France’s government attempted to take back the initiative by stating that it was looking into tightening Europe-wide measures against tax evasion. Médiapart chastised the newspaper Libération for publishing the allegations. Contacted by Libération, Médiapart staff journalist Fabrice Arfi said the only news it stood by was “what is published on our site”.”

 

Inspired by Joseph Bamat, France24 ow.ly/k8WiS Image source Olivier Ezratty ow.ly/k8Wgl

John Malcolm Fraser the 82 year old Australian former Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia now alienated from his party has published an article in The Age Newspaper titled ‘All the way with the USA?’. Fraser states “There is increasingly aggressive posturing between China and American-backed Japan. If war breaks out Australia must not slavishly follow its superpower friend. The ownership of islands in the East China Sea now represents a highly sensitive and dangerous issue. There has been a significant escalation that could easily lead to conflict between China and Japan. A senior American intelligence officer has strongly sided with Japan and called China a bully on the high seas with ambitions to sink American warships and seize control of waters from its neighbours. He described China as a principal threat. We have the US and Japan lined up in concert against China. …If anyone thinks containment against China and containment against the Soviet Union had any similarities, they should be disabused. The Soviet Union had minimal trade links, no financial and capital market links worth mentioning with the West. China, on the contrary, is heavily entwined in the economies of nearly every Western country, certainly of Australia. It is the largest buyer of US Treasury bills. A war between America and China would have catastrophic results, first for America's economy, then for the economies of the world. If we had a government with a sense of history and of the future, we would seek to use our influence for peace and moderation. We should make it plain to America that we will not be going to war on that issue. We should oppose provocative action by any party. … When is Australia going to have sufficient courage to act as an independent nation?”  Inspired by John Malcolm Fraser, The Age ow.ly/i137R Image source Twitter ow.ly/i133G Courage to act as an independent nation (March 14 2013)

 

John Malcolm Fraser the 82 year old Australian former Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia now alienated from his party has published an article in The Age Newspaper titled ‘All the way with the USA?’. Fraser states “There is increasingly aggressive posturing between China and American-backed Japan. If war breaks out Australia must not slavishly follow its superpower friend. The ownership of islands in the East China Sea now represents a highly sensitive and dangerous issue. There has been a significant escalation that could easily lead to conflict between China and Japan. A senior American intelligence officer has strongly sided with Japan and called China a bully on the high seas with ambitions to sink American warships and seize control of waters from its neighbours. He described China as a principal threat. We have the US and Japan lined up in concert against China. …If anyone thinks containment against China and containment against the Soviet Union had any similarities, they should be disabused. The Soviet Union had minimal trade links, no financial and capital market links worth mentioning with the West. China, on the contrary, is heavily entwined in the economies of nearly every Western country, certainly of Australia. It is the largest buyer of US Treasury bills. A war between America and China would have catastrophic results, first for America’s economy, then for the economies of the world. If we had a government with a sense of history and of the future, we would seek to use our influence for peace and moderation. We should make it plain to America that we will not be going to war on that issue. We should oppose provocative action by any party. … When is Australia going to have sufficient courage to act as an independent nation?”

 

Inspired by John Malcolm Fraser, The Age ow.ly/i137R Image source Twitter ow.ly/i133G

Luis Barcenas Gutierrez the 55 year old Spanish politician and Treasurer in the People's Party (PP) who has been embroiled in political corruption scandals, has shaken the ruling conservative party as the damaging corruption scandal spreads. The Economist magazine has published an article titled ‘Another Blow’ stating “…The pivotal character in the scandal is Luis Bárcenas, a party administrator for two decades, whom the party made a senator in 2004 and Mr Rajoy [Spanish Prime Minister] himself promoted to treasurer in 2008. Courts began investigating Mr Bárcenas four years ago amid allegations that he was among the beneficiaries of a backhander scheme run by local party members in Madrid and Valencia. Mr Rajoy stood by his man and the PP paid for his defence. But Mr Bárcenas eventually stood down, as both treasurer and senator. Rumours spread that he had taken away incriminating documents. The bombshell came last month when court investigators discovered that Mr Bárcenas had a €22m Swiss bank account. He also admitted to using a tax amnesty last year to declare €10m of hidden money. The 14-page ledger, published by El País, is said by some handwriting experts to be in Mr Bárcenas’s hand. It appears to show that much of the PP’s secret fund came from construction magnates who received public contracts and helped inflate Spain’s disastrous real-estate bubble. Regular cash-in-hand payments to the PP’s leaders supposedly carried on even while they held public office, continuing until 2009, five years after Mr Rajoy became leader. Some recipients of loans and other payments acknowledged having received money, but said that they were entirely legal. They include Pío García-Escudero, the senate president. …Certainly, Mr Rajoy and the rest of his party deny it all. The prime minister’s denial of self-enrichment deserves credence, as this is the first suggestion that he is anything less than squeaky clean.”  Inspired by The Economist ow.ly/hMvun Image source periodistadigital ow.ly/hMvr3 Among the beneficiaries of a backhander scheme (February 25 2013)

Luis Barcenas Gutierrez the 55 year old Spanish politician and Treasurer in the People’s Party (PP) who has been embroiled in political corruption scandals, has shaken the ruling conservative party as the damaging corruption scandal spreads. The Economist magazine has published an article titled ‘Another Blow’ stating “…The pivotal character in the scandal is Luis Bárcenas, a party administrator for two decades, whom the party made a senator in 2004 and Mr Rajoy [Spanish Prime Minister] himself promoted to treasurer in 2008. Courts began investigating Mr Bárcenas four years ago amid allegations that he was among the beneficiaries of a backhander scheme run by local party members in Madrid and Valencia. Mr Rajoy stood by his man and the PP paid for his defence. But Mr Bárcenas eventually stood down, as both treasurer and senator. Rumours spread that he had taken away incriminating documents. The bombshell came last month when court investigators discovered that Mr Bárcenas had a €22m Swiss bank account. He also admitted to using a tax amnesty last year to declare €10m of hidden money. The 14-page ledger, published by El País, is said by some handwriting experts to be in Mr Bárcenas’s hand. It appears to show that much of the PP’s secret fund came from construction magnates who received public contracts and helped inflate Spain’s disastrous real-estate bubble. Regular cash-in-hand payments to the PP’s leaders supposedly carried on even while they held public office, continuing until 2009, five years after Mr Rajoy became leader. Some recipients of loans and other payments acknowledged having received money, but said that they were entirely legal. They include Pío García-Escudero, the senate president. …Certainly, Mr Rajoy and the rest of his party deny it all. The prime minister’s denial of self-enrichment deserves credence, as this is the first suggestion that he is anything less than squeaky clean.”

 

Inspired by The Economist ow.ly/hMvun Image source periodistadigital ow.ly/hMvr3

 

 

Yousuf Raza Gilani the 59 year old current Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is under increasing pressure from the country’s courts and military elites over the “Memogate” petition currently before the Supreme Court. In an article published by Asad Hashim, Hashim states “Everything is coming to a head for the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). It is faced with a judiciary that has seemingly lost patience with its government, a vocal opposition clamoring for early parliamentary elections, a growing civilian-military divide, and a relationship with Washington that blows more cold than hot… a case before the [Supreme] court… alleged that a secret memorandum was written by Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, in which the US was asked for its aid in averting a possible military coup in the aftermath of the US raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden… the Pakistani government allegedly agreed to re-tool its national security establishment in line with US policy, in exchange for US support.”

 

Inspired by Asad Hashim http://ow.ly/8BNDM image source Syed Gillani http://ow.ly/8BNNx

Giampaolo Tarantini an Italian businessman along with his wife Angela Devenuto, have been arrested by the Italian police on charges of extorting money from the Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Tarantini admitted having paid for prostitutes to attend Berlusconi’s infamous parties in order to curry favour with Berlusconi, intending to profit from unrelated business arrangements. Although Tarantin insists that Berlusconi did not pay nor was aware the women were prostitutes, he had received $722,000 and regular monthly payments from Berlusconi. Berlusconi renowned for his generosity, claims the payments were to help out Tarantini and his family who were in serious financial difficulty. “I didn’t do anything illegal, I limited myself to helping a desperate man without asking for anything in exchange. That’s how I’m made and nothing will change that.”

 

Inspired by Aljazeera http://ow.ly/6luLK image source Blitzquotidiano http://ow.ly/6luW1

Georgios A. Papandreou the 59 year old Prime Minister of Greece from a long standing political dynasty having offered to step down to enable a coalition approach to the debt crisis confronting the nation, has vowed to proceed in his role after a poll indicating 77% of the Greek people have no faith in his handling of the economic crisis. Greece has experienced violent protests near the parliament at Syntagma square in Athens, where tens of thousands of activists and unionists have been gathering to protest the austerity measures introduced by the Greek government to combat the worsening crisis that threatens the economy with its debt of 12.7% GDP and an unemployment rate of 10%. Papandreou had faced a revolt in his socialist Pasok party over the package of austerity measures. Inspired by Rachel Cooper ow.ly/5lDn9 image source ΠΑΣΟΚ ow.ly/5lDum I will continue seeking wider consensus (June 22 2011)

Georgios A. Papandreou the 59 year old Prime Minister of Greece from a long standing political dynasty having offered to step down to enable a coalition approach to the debt crisis confronting the nation, has vowed to proceed in his role after a poll indicating 77% of the Greek people have no faith in his handling of the economic crisis. Greece has experienced violent protests near the parliament at Syntagma square in Athens, where tens of thousands of activists and unionists have been gathering to protest the austerity measures introduced by the Greek government to combat the worsening crisis that threatens the economy with its debt of 12.7% GDP and an unemployment rate of 10%. Papandreou had faced a revolt in his socialist Pasok party over the package of austerity measures.

 

Inspired by Rachel Cooper ow.ly/5lDn9 image source ΠΑΣΟΚ ow.ly/5lDum

Lobsang Sangay the 42 year old Tibetan refugee and legal scholar has been elected the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in Exile, although born in India and having never visited Tibet. Though Sangay will lead the exile government, the Dalai Lama having retired from active participation in Tibetan political affairs remains the ceremonial head of state. Sangay is currently a Senior Fellow at the Harvard University Law School, having received a doctorate for his dissertation ‘Democracy in Distress: Is Exile Polity a remedy?’ The Dalai Lama’s age at 75, despite being in good health, has become a significant concern for the continued struggle by the Tibetan people, with a need for a younger generation of leadership to take up the struggle and negotiation of the Tibetan communities’ status with China. Inspired by Ashwani Sharma ow.ly/4KAf0 image source Wikipedia ow.ly/4KAeR Significant change from monk to a lay person (May 3 2011)

Lobsang Sangay the 42 year old Tibetan refugee and legal scholar has been elected the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in Exile, although born in India and having never visited Tibet. Though Sangay will lead the exile government, the Dalai Lama having retired from active participation in Tibetan political affairs remains the ceremonial head of state. Sangay is currently a Senior Fellow at the Harvard University Law School, having received a doctorate for his dissertation ‘Democracy in Distress: Is Exile Polity a remedy?’ The Dalai Lama’s age at 75, despite being in good health, has become a significant concern for the continued struggle by the Tibetan people, with a need for a younger generation of leadership to take up the struggle and negotiation of the Tibetan communities’ status with China.

 

Inspired by Ashwani Sharma ow.ly/4KAf0 image source Wikipedia ow.ly/4KAeR

Sir Michael Somare the 74 year old prime minister of Papua New Guinea has voluntarily stepped down over allegations relating to personal financial statements with a leadership tribunal set up to evaluate the official misconduct allegations against him. Political turmoil had intensified within the Papua New Guinea government following several key events in recent days, culminating from the country’s supreme court ruling that the governor-general’s election was invalid, and a cabinet reshuffle that ousted Somare’s deputy Don Polye. Polye and his followers are now tipped to join the opposition in a no-confidence motion likely to topple the government at a time when there is no valid governor general.

Inspired by Liam Fox at ABC News http://ow.ly/3rq0s

Political Arts | Ian Bunn Visual Artist

My digital art work is essentially politics and art. It’s about iconic people, places and events of our day.  Recorded visually through daily compilations of manipulated digital images, posted online and disseminated via online media and social networks. The works are diaristic in nature that metaphorically record a spectator’s experience of the contemporary digital age.  The resulting work intentionally has a painterly aesthetic acknowledging my historical painting practice.

Adapting Pop Art’s notion of mass media imagery into a context of the contemporary digital age, the work draws on a myriad points of reference. Utilizing fractured images to provide an allusion to the digital noise pounding away daily into our sub consciousness.  The work is essentially popular culture arts, diverging from the traditional Pop Art notion of a pronounced repetition of a consumer icon, instead this work focuses on the deluge of contemporary digital content. The compilation of the fragmented imagery is vividly distractive, not unlike cable surfing or a jaunt through Times Square.

This digital photo manipulation art work is premised on the basis that Pop art in its beginnings, freeze-framed what consumers of popular culture experienced into iconic visual abstractions. With the advent of the techno age, visual information circulates in such quantities, so rapidly and exponentially, that to comprehend a fraction of it all becomes a kind of production process in itself.  Hence this work considers fragmented elements of Popular Culture through an artistic and conceptual exploration of specific people and events of the day.

www.ianbunn.com

My work is about iconic people, places and events of our day.  Recorded visually through daily compilations of manipulated digital images, posted online and disseminated via online media and social networks. The works are diaristic in nature that metaphorically record a spectator’s experience of the contemporary digital age.  The resulting work intentionally has a painterly aesthetic acknowledging my historical painting practice.

Adapting Pop Art’s notion of mass media imagery into a context of the contemporary digital age, the work draws on a myriad points of reference. Utilizing fractured images to provide an allusion to the digital noise pounding away daily into our sub consciousness.  The work diverges from the traditional Pop Art notion of a pronounced repetition of a consumer icon, instead this work focuses on the deluge of contemporary digital content. The compilation of the fragmented imagery is vividly distractive, not unlike cable surfing or a jaunt through Times Square.

The work is premised on the basis that Pop art in its beginnings, freeze-framed what consumers of popular culture experienced into iconic visual abstractions. With the advent of the techno age, visual information circulates in such quantities, so rapidly and exponentially, that to comprehend a fraction of it all becomes a kind of production process in itself.  Hence this work considers fragmented elements of Pop Culture through an artistic and conceptual exploration of specific people and events of the day.

The works are presented as individual pieces printed with Archival-Inks on 308g Cottonrag-paper, along with A3 sized bound monthly editions, and monthly looped video compilations.
www.ianbunn.com

This work is about iconic people, places and events of our day.  Recorded visually through daily compilations of manipulated digital images, the work is posted online and disseminated via online media and social networks. The works are diaristic in nature, that metaphorically record a spectator’s experience of the contemporary digital age.  The resulting work intentionally has a painterly aesthetic acknowledging the artists historical painting practice. 

Adapting Pop Art’s notion of mass media imagery into a context of the contemporary digital age, the work draws on a myriad points of reference. Utilizing fractured images to provide an allusion to the digital noise pounding away daily into our sub consciousness.  The work diverges from the traditional Pop Art notion of a pronounced repetition of a consumer icon, instead this work focuses on the deluge of contemporary digital content. The compilation of the fragmented imagery is vividly distractive, not unlike cable surfing or a jaunt through Times Square.

The work is premised on the basis that Pop art in its beginnings, freeze-framed what consumers of popular culture experienced into iconic visual abstractions. With the advent of the techno age, visual information circulates in such quantities, so rapidly and exponentially, that to comprehend a fraction of it all becomes a kind of production process in itself.  Hence this work considers fragmented elements of Pop Culture through an artistic and conceptual exploration of specific people and events of the day.

www.ianbunn.com

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