Leadership - what it is, and isn't!

The main parties in the Spanish parliament have agreed to make a first change to their post Franco constitution. What new rights and goals have been discovered by Spain's political leaders since the Fascist wretch Franco went to meet his maker in 1975? The proposed constitutional change will be to abide by European Union limits on government debt - currently 60% of gross domestic product for accumulated debt and 3% of GDP for any annual deficit. Spain's leaders want to extend the rights and secure the goals of international financiers! They think that their constitution should be used for the purpose. (They have also agreed to extend Apprenticeship 'contracts' - you know, very low pay, all types of work - to all workers under 30!)

Have you been following things in Japan? You should do. It is supposed, by many economic commentators, to show the future of the West. Japan's parliament has just voted in its sixth Prime Minister in as many years. Yoshihiko Noda, ex Finance minister, the one who burst into tears when he was questioned by an opposition MP, has just been passed the poisoned chalice.

Japan's debt has been down-graded last week by Moodys (like the US, and for the same reason.) Getting your money back from Japan is now officially less certain. Again, it was the lack of political leadership in the country that was used to justify the drop in confidence. If only Japanese politicians would do something like the Spanish - and put their debt repayment to international financiers into their constitution!

Spain maybe showing a consensus across its ruling parties for the moment (a de-facto National Government - which nobody voted for) and Japan's leadership may be faction ridden but in fact there is a serious crisis of leadership in both countries. As there is across most of the western world.

In the US politicians and commentators shriek that Obama needs a plan for 2 million jobs. In Britain the Coalition 'needs a plan for growth'. (Funny, the cuts aren't working.) Across Europe the Germans need to 'grasp the nettle' and plan to bail out everybody else in the EU.

More cuts - enshrined in our constitutions? More growth - when governments themselves look shaky if they spend? (Which is what Japan has been doing without success for the last ten years.) No wonder politics, and parties look so fragile. No wonder millions are repelled from a political system that is trapped in this hellish and apparently unbreakable logic, seemingly regardless of what voters vote for.

Maybe leadership has to be seen differently.

In Greece leaders should have had faith in the giant mobilisations of the people. Leaders could have started from what it was the people said that they wanted and then proposed how that might be achieved. The Greek people said they wanted to maintain their living standards and their social rights. How could that be secured? Greece would need to devalue its currency. At a stroke that action would cut Greek debt massively. To do that it would need to leave the EU. That was/is popular in Greece because the EU is now the shoe-horn for the IMF's 'sell it all off' policy.

Greek assets, particularly their docks and shipping industry, would need an ownership structure controlled by the government which allowed arrangements with foreign capital (the Chinese were aching for such an opening in the Med.) Then real deals with capital could be struck. You get a guaranteed 5% profit over the next 5 years. We get x billion for our pensions or our hospital programme.

Leaders need to start their economics (and their politics) from the needs and requirements of the people. Millions are on the move defending themselves across many countries. And the world is no longer only in the hands of western billionaires.