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:: Monday 22 September 2003 ::
Never give a wog an even break
The Guardian reckons this:
Iraq was effectively put up for sale yesterday, when the US-backed administration unveiled a sweeping overhaul of the economy, giving foreign companies unprecedented access to Iraqi firms which are to be sold off in a privatisation windfall.
Under the new rules, announced by the finance minister, Kamil Mubdir al-Gailani, in Dubai, foreign firms will have the right to wholly own Iraqi companies, except those in the oil, gas and mineral industries. There will be no restrictions on the amount of profits that can be repatriated or on using local products. Corporate tax will be set at 15%.
Iraq has a Finance Minister? It has a more attractive corporate tax rate than Oz? Oil gas and minerals, the biggest earners for Iraq's government are not being privatised so the State of Iraq can get international funds into itself through retaining control of its oil gas and mineral reserves? Iraqi 'firms' (a.k.a 'public sector companies' a.k.a staterun Ba'athist monopolies, 192 of 'em, are being privatised and bidding compeition is fierce, leading to an influx of funds into Iraq and loads o' jobs for local Iraqis? And even Oz companies can get involved?
This is a bad thing?
Jees. What can you do with lefties? A rundown socialist shithole governing structure is getting the heavy duty exfoliation to reveal the supple tightened pores of an active freer market beneath, and the Guardian thinks that's bad.
Read the article. Obligatory sneer at Haliburton and Cheney. Obligatory Doug-an'-Wendy-Whiiiiiinerrr voice natch recorded by the BBC (as if they could even find a Mahboob in Baghdad who actually is interested in making a living. Oh no. Nope. Those guys sure don't exist anywheres about).
Any superintense tendering process like what is going on now cannot possibly go alright all the time. There have to be guys doing the sleepless nights getting bids ready, pitches perfect, proposal printed, powerpoint presentations primed and CD's burned all in readiness for their chance at winning an engineering bid here or an IT services contract there or whatever. Iraqi guys included.
I reckon it is a top thing to see how damned fast all this is happening. And with bombs daily still the country gets better and better.
Any jackass wants to craft this as 'rape' the way the Gaurdian does in this tinking article, well, have at it.
Losers.
:: WB 4:09 am [link+] ::
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