News of James Neilson

James Neilson

Former editor of the Buenos Aires Herald (1979-1986).

Cristina Kirchner, VP and Alberto Fernandez.

Alberto on the psychiatrist’s couch

06-03-2021 08:28 Is Alberto his own man or just a dutiful servant who is willing to go to any extreme to ingratiate himself with an employer who has plenty of good reasons to despise him?

by James Neilson

Some Kirchnerites have also taken to playing the race card, a common practice in the US and, to a growing extent, the UK, but not that frequent in this part of the world.

AS I SEE IT

Kirchnerites find the race card tempting

27-02-2021 08:36 For the Kirchnerites, “identity politics” has many attractions.

by James Neilson

Menem was roundly denounced as a “neoliberal,” whose alleged addiction to monetarism made him determined to impoverish honest working folk and reward speculators.

AS I SEE IT

A most unlikely reformer

20-02-2021 07:31 Carlos Menem may have been the king of kitsch, but he was also something else.

by James Neilson

Is hyperinflation looming? Most economists say the chances of the country suffering yet another bout of monetary chaos remain slight, but then they were saying much the same in the early 1980s.

AS I SEE IT

Here we go again

13-02-2021 08:47 Meaningful reform will remain on the backburner until the votes have been counted.

by James Neilson

Will Argentina be able to prosper in the brave new world that is coming our way?

AS I SEE IT

Weighed down by an entitlement culture

06-02-2021 09:50 Will Argentina be able to prosper in the brave new world that is coming our way? Not unless she manages to change lanes in the near future. As things stand, this is most unlikely to happen.

by James Neilson

From left to right: Mario Negri, Alfredo Cornejo, Martín Lousteau, Patricia Bullrich, Mauricio Macri.

AS I SEE IT

Take me to your leader

30-01-2021 09:26 Argentines tend to be more prone than others to put their faith in individuals rather than in ideologies or “doctrines,” as Radicals like to call them.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

Life without Trump will not be easy

23-01-2021 09:50 Trump was elected because he understood that many millions of North Americans were being left to rot by the credentialed technocratic “elites” who openly despise anyone who disagrees with them. These “deplorables” are not about to go away.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

Censorship is on the march

16-01-2021 09:05 Once upon a time, progressives, or “liberals” as North Americans call them, agreed that censorship was bad. They would have been appalled by the notion that the richest men on Earth were entitled to prevent the sitting US president, however obnoxious many thought him, from communicating with his followers.

by James Neilson

Millions of people who are neither that well-off nor desperately poor think the current economic arrangements are not working for them.

AS I SEE IT

Too many very angry people

09-01-2021 09:21 Millions of people who are neither that well-off nor desperately poor think the current economic arrangements are not working for them.

by James Neilson

Capitalism of one kind or another has been with us for millennia. It was there in ancient Greece and China. All attempts to stamp it out have had disastrous consequences.

AS I SEE IT

Sorry, capitalism is not about to die

02-01-2021 09:07 Capitalism of one kind or another has been with us for millennia. It was there in ancient Greece and China. All attempts to stamp it out have had disastrous consequences.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

The great coronavirus war

26-12-2020 09:38 What made the coronavirus pandemic so special was not the mortality rate but the almost universal decision to tell people to stop “non-essential” work and hunker down until a vaccine relief force finally put an end to the siege.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

From Vladimir with love

19-12-2020 08:52 Health experts employed by international organisations complain that the rich countries have gone nationalistic and are hogging all the most promising vaccines which are being developed.

by James Neilson

Alberto Fernandez and Cristina Kirchner.

AS I SEE IT

Cristina, Alberto and the never-ending crisis

12-12-2020 09:51 Faced with a choice between much of the country and Cristina, Alberto let the moment pass and concentrated on trying to convince her he was as loyal a vassal as any mortal could conceivably be.

by James Neilson

Cristina and her friends hope that by defunding the City government they will force the mayor to cut spending to the bone, which they assume should be enough to turn people against him.

AS I SEE IT

Buenos Aires under fire

05-12-2020 10:28 Cristina and her friends hope that by defunding the City government they will force the mayor to cut spending to the bone, which they assume should be enough to turn people against him.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

A hero of our time

28-11-2020 08:00 Maradona the footballer became an international “legend,” but this made him a magnet for many unsavoury individuals who wanted to profit from his immense reputation and the great deal of money he generated.

by James Neilson

Buenos Aires City government’s top education official, Soledad Acuña.

AS I SEE IT

We don't need no education

21-11-2020 09:38 Instead of campaigning to get their members back to work, Argentina’s teachers’ unions are determined to prolong the longest school holiday ever until everyone has been properly vaccinated.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

The coronavirus remains far from beaten

14-11-2020 08:56 Will life ever return to “normal”? After a fashion, it probably will, but the after-effects of the great pandemic which took the world by surprise and has yet to be mastered will be felt for many years to come.

by James Neilson

As I see it

A far from convincing victory

06-11-2020 00:13 Biden had just about everything going for him. He could blame Trump for mishandling a pandemic and enjoyed the enthusiastic support of much of the media. Despite it all, he will only manage to stagger over the finishing line.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

Macron takes on the Muslim world

31-10-2020 10:08 To the indignation, sincere or not, of a wide assortment of Muslim leaders, France’s President Emmanuel Macron is defending with unexpected fervour the right to draw unflattering pictures of Mohammed.

by James Neilson

The egalitarian ethos that is rapidly consolidating itself in many parts of the world has shaped the response to the challenge posed by Covid-19.

AS I SEE IT

The times have certainly changed

24-10-2020 09:40 The egalitarian ethos that is rapidly consolidating itself in many parts of the world has shaped the response to the challenge posed by Covid-19.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

On the lookout for dangerous thoughts

17-10-2020 09:23 Though militant Kirchnerites and their leftist allies may be every bit as strident as members of the woke brigades who enjoy ruining the careers of those who do not share all their views, here in Argentina their foes, veterans of decades of on intellectual conflict, are proving to be less easy to cow.

by James Neilson

While it may seem unlikely, a global pandemic can sometimes be an opportunity. This seems to be the case for Juan Guaidó.

AS I SEE IT

In thrall to an abject failure

10-10-2020 10:21 Like many others, the Kirchnerites put their own ideological hang-ups first and human rights a long way second.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

The Trump-Biden bar-room brawl

03-10-2020 08:48 If, as seems to be the case, the “debate” between Trump and Biden faithfully reflected the mood of many in the United States today, the world’s most powerful country is undergoing a mental breakdown.

by James Neilson

It is hard to know what is going on in Alberto’s mind because, like Humpty Dumpty, when he speaks the meaning of the words he utters depends on the circumstances.

AS I SEE IT

The incredible shrinking peso

26-09-2020 08:58 The desperate attempts that are being made to keep the dollar out of arm’s reach are bound to prove counterproductive; it is the government’s way of inadvertently warning people that, yet again, the economy is going under.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

Making the most of failure

19-09-2020 10:01 Argentina has long been in the hands of individuals who reach power by attributing the country’s woes to the stupidity of their political rivals, but who once in office do not have the slightest idea of how to improve matters.

by James Neilson

People the world over are getting more irascible by the day, and the unease so many feel is making governments everywhere nervous.

AS I SEE IT

The cracks keep widening

12-09-2020 10:30 People the world over are getting more irascible by the day, and the unease so many feel is making governments everywhere nervous.

by James Neilson

Alberto takes from the rich, weakening Argentine innovation.

AS I SEE IT

Down with development

05-09-2020 09:39 Alberto and the people surrounding him are determined to solve the country’s socioeconomic problems by levelling down, taking as much as they can from the more productive parts of society and giving it to the millions who rely on handouts.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

Dreaming of a military alternative

29-08-2020 10:04 Military rule may no longer be an alternative, but chaos most certainly is.

by James Neilson

Patricia Bullrich, former Security Minister.

AS I SEE IT

The opposition takes to the streets

22-08-2020 09:58 These days demonstrators are well-behaved men and women who wear facemasks not for fear of getting recognised by the cops, but because they have no desire to get infected by the coronavirus.

by James Neilson

It is no longer enough for governments to concentrate solely on trying to block the spread of the virus.

AS I SEE IT

Light from the city of dreaming spires

15-08-2020 10:08 It is no longer enough for governments to concentrate solely on trying to block the spread of the virus. They are also expected to keep the economy moving and to worry about the long-term effects the prolonged lockdowns are certain to have on people’s lives.

by James Neilson

The importance of real education, not just kids having (or being given) a computer.

AS I SEE IT

Culture matters more than computers

08-08-2020 09:51 The technology that provides people with the equivalent of dozens of huge libraries is certainly marvellous, but only those who have already been fairly well educated are able to benefit from having the accumulated wisdom of humankind there at their fingertips.

by James Neilson

When most people assumed that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner would not be coming back, investigations into her behaviour in office gathered speed, only to slow down again sharply when the economy seized up and the mood changed.

AS I SEE IT

Making a monkey of the law

01-08-2020 10:10 In Argentina, where many think all politicians are crooks, millions are more than happy to vote for individuals they know have always been on the take and who, if elected, will continue to put their personal business interests before anything to do with the welfare of their compatriots.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

Alberto, Cristina and a sinking economy

25-07-2020 09:45 Macri’s experience suggests that Alberto’s chances of convincing the moneymen that it would be in their interest to lend Argentina a hand right now are close to zero.

by James Neilson

One must take into account the attachment some have to the languages, literatures and the like they think of as intimately theirs and which, they believe, help give meaning to their lives.

AS I SEE IT

Strolling towards the exit

18-07-2020 09:55 Extinction is staring many communities in the face, yet few find the thought that all they presumably value could be about to die at all disturbing.

by James Neilson

Alberto owes his job to his willingness to make out that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the former president who gave it to him, is completely innocent of the many highly plausible charges that have been levelled against her.

AS I SEE IT

Corruption refuses to go away

11-07-2020 09:23 The Kirchnerites could soon have considerably less power than they have today. Without it, Cristina will find it impossible to break free from her chequered past.

by James Neilson

China vs United States: Will China come back again to ‘help’ Argentina?

AS I SEE IT

China will soon come a-calling

04-07-2020 09:25 The coronavirus plague has harmed China’s international reputation, but it has also weakened many developing countries to such an extent that they will find it all but impossible to turn down offers of financial help.

by James Neilson

No running, one of the last decisions announced on Friday.

AS I SEE IT

Runners go home!

27-06-2020 08:13 Many leftists and populists want to prolong the status quo indefinitely because they are convinced that the state should play a far greater role in their country’s life.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

The year of the scientists

20-06-2020 11:20 Throughout the world, complaints about the tyranny of “Science” are becoming more frequent. We are not laboratory rats, people say, and demand that other factors be taken into account.

by James Neilson

On both sides of the Atlantic, single-minded minorities of latter-day Puritans have risen up against the sinful old order and are doing their vigorous best to tear it down.

AS I SEE IT

The great Anglo-Saxon meltdown

13-06-2020 10:30 It is hardly surprising that the prolonged lockdowns are changing people’s behaviour. Perhaps this is why the US, and to a slightly lesser extent, the UK, are now experiencing bouts of collective madness.

by James Neilson

the United States is a disgracefully racist country in which white policemen enjoy hunting down and killing innocent blacks.

AS I SEE IT

Another long hot summer on the way

06-06-2020 08:45 Whether or not Trump’s attempt to make political capital out of the mayhem works will not be known for some time.

by James Neilson

Cristina´s evergrowing power in government decisions.

AS I SEE IT

Under cover of darkness

30-05-2020 10:43 Alberto has shown no signs of wanting to be his own man, whoever he may be. Far from rebelling against Cristina’s tutelage, he seems afraid to do anything that might displease her.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

Getting down to business

23-05-2020 10:19 Something must be badly wrong with a system which offers voters a choice between Trump and Joe Biden. Surely a country inhabited by over 330 million people can do better than that?

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

An impossible conundrum

16-05-2020 09:50 For a great many years, Argentina’s political elite has worked on the assumption that the rest of the world owes it and the rapidly growing number of people who depend on its generosity a decent living.

by James Neilson

AS I SEE IT

Epidemiologists versus economists

09-05-2020 11:01 There are few places in which the habit of assuming that economic policy should be left to would-be ethicists is more firmly entrenched than it is in Argentina.

by James Neilson

Uneducated and old fucked in future; will people start to leave cities?

AS I SEE IT

O brave new world

02-05-2020 11:45 If social distancing goes on for as long as the more hawkish epidemiologists recommend, it will be just as discriminatory as the virus.

by James Neilson

Sun Tzu as the coronavirus? Or the coronavirus as Sun Tzu?

AS I SEE IT

The virus is winning on all fronts

25-04-2020 12:02 What might be just about tolerable for a couple of months most definitely would not be if, as seems more than probable, the “emergency” that allegedly justifies such stringent measures drags on for many years to come.

by James Neilson

So far, the countries hardest hit by the virus have been the ones most closely connected to the globalised supply chains (traffic between Milan and Wuhan was constant, with routine direct flights and a still advertised roundtrip costing about U$583) but there is no reason to think that remoter regions will be left alone.

AS I SEE IT

The world prostrate before its new overlord

18-04-2020 10:23 Without a working economy, no society – no matter how kind-hearted its members and benevolent its leaders – will be able to care for those who fall sick, whether from the coronavirus or many other ailments.

by James Neilson

If the extreme measures almost all governments have taken are anything to go by, Covid-19 must be regarded as far more dangerous than anything we have yet seen.

AS I SEE IT

Waiting for the end

11-04-2020 11:02 Covid-19 is here to stay and we will have to get used to living with it, just as we have with whatever causes the common flu, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, pneumonia, diabetes and many other deadly ailments.

by James Neilson

Ensuring that the truce lasts until something like normality has been restored should be an official priority; unless it does, what is an already difficult situation would be certain to get a great deal worse.

AS I SEE IT

Making the most of the coronavirus

04-04-2020 09:36 It is generally agreed that, until the emergency is over, it will be better to give President Alberto Fernández and his team the benefit of the doubt, unless they start making decisions that could have ruinous consequences.

by James Neilson

Epidemiologists have yet to agree on the health dangers posed by Covid-19. As many have pointed out, nobody knows how many people have already caught it.

AS I SEE IT

When togetherness is anti-social

28-03-2020 11:37 Life and the economy are intertwined. Without money, people starve. In an unpleasantly short time, desperation can breed violent anarchy.

by James Neilson