The Ukraine is rising
Three years on from the start of Russia’s aggression, The Ukraine has restored macroeconomic stability and made rapid progress in implementing a comprehensive reform strategy with the support of international partners. Inflation has fallen from 60pc at its peak to 12pc and will be in single figures next year.
A fiscal deficit that threatened to spiral out of control has been tamed. Growth has returned and is projected to reach 2pc this year and 3.2pc in 2018. Living standards are recovering and the financial reserves are being restored. This year it expects to be able to return to the international financial markets for the first time in four years.
Painful reforms
This has only been possible because Ukraine has been willing to embrace radical and often painful reforms. Energy subsidies that drained resources and fuelled corruption have been eliminated, whilst they still maintain protection for the poorest households.
The resulting price rises have been difficult to absorb, but the benefits are already being felt through greater efficiency and stronger public finances. Taxes have been simplified and restructured to reduce business costs and boost employment. The introduction of electronic systems means tax administration is becoming more transparent than ever and they have started to modernise one of the most corrupt agencies, the State Fiscal Service.
Ukraine’s historically corrupt judiciary is in the process of being extensively overhauled to create strong and independent courts. The next reform priorities will be to make the national pension system sustainable and liberalise the sale of land to open the agricultural sector to more competition and investment.
The Ukraine has emerged from the worst of its crises and is firmly on the road to recovery. Yet there can be no slackening in the pace of reform. Hesitation will only benefit those who want to see the country slide back into post-Soviet stagnation. All the sacrifices of the last three years will have been for nothing unless they use this opportunity to make a decisive break with the past.
Britain needs to look somewhere; anywhere other than a nostalgically idealised past would be a good start. An honest look at how corrupt and out of date Westminster is would be also be prudent.
Janice, I'm going to be honest here and say Norway instead! https://steemit.com/politics/@mindhunter/could-tweaking-norway-s-business-friendly-model-prove-to-be-the-solution-to-brexit
The only reasonable arguments I could get from people I know who were pro-Brexit before the vote were along these lines (I searched high and low for something beyond the ‘sticking it to the man’, racism, “take back control” slogans and blatant lies about NHS funding to figure out why sensible people might actually want this). Those people have become very quiet since cheering their victory and finding we are headed for a hard Brexit, which was not what they were voting for.
As someone who works in and has interest in both conservation and renewable energy, for me personally anything that means I don’t have to watch both sectors destroyed would be nice. Also not having my friends threatened with being deported; and if it actually comes to that I will be leaving with them. Interesting times.
Interesting times indeed Janice ... stay tuned for more Brexit themed political posts :)
Hi Janice - from what I understand, many Classical Liberals voted for Brexit. Of course, there are populists who did as well, but I think hearing their view may be worthwhile. Check out this video of Dave Ruben interviewing Steve Davies, a Classical Liberal from the UK. Starting at 14:30.
Thanks for updates
I will write detail COMMENT in 45 minutes
Sounds interesting.
@mindhunter I believe that England should not take example from Ukraine. This country is unstable and corrupt. On the international stage nobody count with Ukraine, and people emigrate too Poland especially After opening the borders England must take its own path. Faith that brexit was a good solution. The European Union led by Germany seek to doom.
Poland's economy is booming at 4% at the moment, and this year they are taking in 250,000 immigrants to cope with their shortage of labour.
Well that's the thing though... We are taking hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. Do you think that if their country was recovering and booming they'd leave it just to slave away in Poland? I don't really agree with saying that UK should look to Ukraine as an example. Definitely not.
Especially considering that a lot of em work around my town and so I talk with em sometimes. Believe me, they wouldn't agree with anyone saying that Ukraine is booming'. When an architect that formerly had his own company in big city is coming to my small town just to slave away with a shovel is showing something.
Also mind the fact that it's not 'shortage of labour' per se, it's just that our unemployment rate got quite low, so now the employers have two choices - rise the wages and fight for the employee, or bring in immigrants from Ukraine that will work for the old wage or even lower. While profesions that require some skills and knowledge may not choose the second option, low entry jobs use it all the time.
Interesting insights & views @grski - Perhaps the UK should look to the Norway model instead:
https://steemit.com/politics/@mindhunter/could-tweaking-norway-s-business-friendly-model-prove-to-be-the-solution-to-brexit
Free trade is the way to go.
God bless Norway! And Poland too ... might be back to Krakow and Zakopane for a month in September?? The best month of the year in Polska! Are you going to the next Poland Steemit meetup in Warsawa??
Yes I am going. September is definitely one of the best months of the year ;)
Ummm....your first sentence says it all. The news I read is different to yours.
Nothing like the #politics tag to get the party started eh hunter!
Morning Asher! Yeah, a nice ole' Ukrainian politics article to warm the cockles and get the brain moving and grooving!! :)
(blink)
Is Trump running the Ukraine?
It sure sounds like it.
that's pretty much what he wants to do to the US.
In essence, yes! Ukraine is really a CIA theme park - didn't you know?? ;)
nope didn't know that....i didn't get the memo.