Bolivia's Evo Morales was re-elected in 2009 with a majority of over 60%. His policy of directing increased oil and gas industry taxes to the poor has gained him great popularity. But populism can only work for a while and some of the screws are now coming loose. A few months back he removed subsidies on local fuel products causing prices to rise by over 70%. This didn't go down very well and he backed off. But price rises in food and bus fares have also caused discontent. The country is now running into a budget deficit and inflation is picking up. Price controls and curbs on farm imports have backfired and state control of the energy industry has deterred investment by local and foreign companies. Morales is a man of the people and to this day remains general secretary of a union of coca farmers. His stance on coca farming has brought him into conflict with the US which has tried to eliminate the crop in Bolivia. He has a point - you can't blame Bolivian farmers for the US's drug problems. But as president, Morales, having emerged as a populist, is also at the mercy of the people and has a tricky path to walk, with his popularity ratings in the cities down to just 32%. The QSL is my first from Bolivia - Radio Nueva America in La Paz. At the time (1987) my mother was visiting La Paz on holiday and I asked her to deliver my reception report by hand. It worked!
Sunday 27 March 2011
Morales no longer mas populares
Bolivia's Evo Morales was re-elected in 2009 with a majority of over 60%. His policy of directing increased oil and gas industry taxes to the poor has gained him great popularity. But populism can only work for a while and some of the screws are now coming loose. A few months back he removed subsidies on local fuel products causing prices to rise by over 70%. This didn't go down very well and he backed off. But price rises in food and bus fares have also caused discontent. The country is now running into a budget deficit and inflation is picking up. Price controls and curbs on farm imports have backfired and state control of the energy industry has deterred investment by local and foreign companies. Morales is a man of the people and to this day remains general secretary of a union of coca farmers. His stance on coca farming has brought him into conflict with the US which has tried to eliminate the crop in Bolivia. He has a point - you can't blame Bolivian farmers for the US's drug problems. But as president, Morales, having emerged as a populist, is also at the mercy of the people and has a tricky path to walk, with his popularity ratings in the cities down to just 32%. The QSL is my first from Bolivia - Radio Nueva America in La Paz. At the time (1987) my mother was visiting La Paz on holiday and I asked her to deliver my reception report by hand. It worked!
Monday 21 March 2011
Blog takes a break, earth gets broken
You go away for a few weeks and look what happens. Libya explodes and Japan is devastated. All I did was travel around a few quiet places in Europe, seeing clients while in the meantime hell breaks loose. Try coming up with an investment strategy when the oil price goes ballistic and a tidal wave sets off a potential nuclear meltdown. It was good to get back to sunny Cape Town: late summer, with a return of the north-westerly wind. I went out early yesterday morning into perfect conditions. The full 'perigee' moon had tracked across the southern sky closer and bigger than for 18 years and not to be so close again for another 18. The tide was huge. Out back a number of paddle boarders had grouped in my favourite spot. On one wave one of these guys was up before me and tracked left instead of right (which was the way the wave was set to break). I stayed up and let him roll under my nose, checking slightly. Then with a quick pull on the paddle I picked up momentum again and turned out to the right, keeping the swell alive. I was so chuffed! The picture is of Ono-no Komachi, a famous Japanese poet of the 9th century. She is a symbol of feminine beauty in Japan. It came with a QSL from JOUB Akita heard on 774 kHz when I was on a trip to Seoul. Akita is situated on the north-west side of Honshu Island, 200km from Sendai. It experienced aftershocks of more than 6 on the Richter scale.
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