Neo-Liberal ‘Reformer’ Macri vs Union Boss Hugo Moyano, or the Oligarchs are about to collide with the Porteños, might be a more apt description for this ‘news report’ by Mr. Mander. The 24 hour strike advocated by this ‘Union Boss’ is the purest kind of political theater, or just the blackmail of the lower orders spoiled by the de Kirchner coddling. So might the narrative be, as told by a Financial Times reporter?

First Mr. Mander supplies this, sure to send the regular reader of the august Financial Times into a fit of righteous indignation over this provocation by Federico Suarez:

“We can’t allow this neoliberal government to take away all our rights just for the benefit of the rich,” says Federico Suarez, a builder who supports the strike and describes Mr Macri as “scum”.

Mr. Mander interrupts the flow of his narrative to offer this evaluation of Mr. Moyano as leader and person, framed by this bit of reportorial dishonesty, disguised as speculation by anonymous sources, in sum hearsay : ‘…some believe’ , its truth value?

…some believe that Mr Moyano, the head of a union clan who denies charges that he has embezzled union welfare funds, may be trying to gain lenient treatment in the courts in return for toning down his confrontational stance.

But patience! the next  quotes are from the Oligarchs:

“The rate of inflation today is determined by the unions, not the central bank,” says Nicolás Catena, a leading figure in Argentina’s wine industry and a respected economist.

“It was very ingenuous to think that direct investment would suddenly leap just because of the change of government,” says Eduardo Costantini, a veteran financier and real estate developer.

Although foreign direct investment has increased from about $7bn a year in the latter years of the previous populist government to nearly $11bn last year, it remains low at 1.7 per cent of gross domestic product, compared with an average of about 3 per cent in the region, according to Treasury minister Nicolás Dujovne.

On Mr. Costantini’s investments:

He himself has bought more than $200m worth of land in Buenos Aires over the past year and is investing $400m in a real estate development in the downtown financial district.

The truth about the Neo-Liberalization of the Argentine economy, and the ‘strong medicine’ of Austerity, that is its sine qua non, is left to dotcom entrepreneur Alec Oxenford :

Even so, the resistance to the government’s attempts to liberalise Argentina’s economy means that progress is much slower than investors — and Mr Macri — might like. “I’m sure that Macri’s natural inclination as a businessman is to go full speed ahead. Shock therapy is in his nature,” says Alec Oxenford, a dotcom entrepreneur.

But beware, those ‘coddled  porteños’ exert a power of their own,that strikes fear in the hearts of the ‘Reformers‘ , to continue in the vein of rhetorical melodrama engaged in by Mr. Mander :

In one of the most dramatic examples of the challenges Mr Macri faces, protesters showered police with rocks outside Congress before his coalition managed to push through a watered down pension reform in December, still knocking the president’s approval ratings.  

What can ‘The Reformers’ hope for? There is no possibility of Macri winning over , in sum, bribing this  ‘corrupt Union Boss‘ and his followers. A Show Trail of  Mr. Moyano might offer the perfect opportunity, to help to avoid another ‘watered down’ attempt at Reform?

Political Cynic

https://www.ft.com/content/2b06911a-11fa-11e8-8cb6-b9ccc4c4dbbb