Mick Wallace MEP
Yesterday.
Via The Global Times:
‘As the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is approaching, Mick Wallace shared his views on issues including the CPC’s role in China’s development, differences between Western political parties and the CPC, and what Europe can learn from China, in an interview with Global Times (GT) reporter Yu Jincui.’
Global Times: “China’s rise and development have upset many Western countries. But you have said that the EU should learn something from China’s development. Why do you think so? What aspects do you think the West can learn from China?”
Wallace: “The reason that we can learn something from China is because Europe is not doing a great job serving the interest of its people. I think facing great challenges, the Chinese have done remarkably well, given the size of the population. The system of the government is serving the people better whereas the system of governments in Europe is serving its business first.
“The biggest challenge for the European Union in the future is that it has to have a better relationship with the citizens of Europe. Right now, because the EU is a neoliberal club, it puts the interest of big business before those of the ordinary people. That’s a huge challenge for the EU because Europe has to change. It has to prioritize the interests of the ordinary citizens of Europe, instead of advertising the interest of big business. Because if it doesn’t, then it is going to lose the support of the people of Europe. So that’s the big challenge for Europe. I think we can learn lessons from China who are doing a better job in looking after the concerns of the ordinary citizens than the Europeans are doing at the moment.
“When the people need help, the government of any country should be there for the people. They should prioritize the interest of the people. And that’s the approach that we should have. For me, you don’t measure the quality of a government by the size of GDP, you measure it by how well it looks after those who most need help.
GT: “How do you evaluate the role that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has played in China’s development over the past few decades? Why can the CPC lead China to move forward and achieve rapid development?”
Wallace: “I believe in a system of government where the government works for everybody and not just for the few. And the CPC has obviously played a strong role in helping so many hundreds of millions in China to move out of poverty. That’s been a remarkable achievement. It couldn’t have been done under the capitalist system. China could not have made the same progress with a capitalist system. So the CPC deserves a lot of credits for the progress that China has made.”
GT: “In your opinion, what are the major differences between the CPC and Western political parties?”
Wallace: “The majority of parties in Europe favor the capitalist system and the capitalist system doesn’t look after the interests of all the people. It’s exactly the interest of some people, but not all of them. Whereas a proper communist system looks after the concerns of all, I’m sure the Communist Party system in China is not perfect either. And I know that you have a lot of people with crazy amounts of money as well. But at the same time, I do think the fact that you have moved so many people out of poverty over the last number of years just shows that you’re doing something right.”
GT: “Some pundits predict the collapse of the CPC, while others hype up purported threats the CPC poses to the West. How do you view these voices? Where do those misunderstandings come from?”
Wallace: “Communist parties have failed to survive in most countries of the world. Would that be pressure on the change? The people who have the most money in China might like things to be done different. That is a challenge to any communist system if people with a lot of money in any country become very powerful, they would challenge that communist way of thinking. So that’s a danger that China has to be careful of. I think it’s important that China doesn’t embrace neoliberalism.”
GT: “The US and some other Western countries attacked the CPC and have even sanctioned some Party members. But such acts have increased Chinese society’s support for the CPC. Why have the Western attacks failed to alienate Chinese people from the CPC?”
Wallace: “You shouldn’t worry so much about the criticism from the [Western] people. They criticized China because they don’t want China to be doing so successful. They will criticize you anywhere if you do something well. You shouldn’t worry about them.”
GT: “How does China’s development over the past few decades contribute to the world?”
Wallace: “China is investing in a lot of countries at the moment, like in Africa and Latin America, and it’s not using guns. They don’t use guns and bombs like the Americans do. But still, I think it’s important that if China is going to invest in countries, it should always be in the interest of the citizens of that country and not just in the interest of China. The world powers will always go to other countries to make investment, to access minerals and whatever. It’s important that China doesn’t copy the ways of the West who have exploited many countries for several hundred years. And it’s important that China doesn’t become like them and exploit these countries as well. You can operate in these countries, you can do business with these countries. It’s important that China does it in a fair manner.”
Good times.
Western parties should learn from CPC in care for people: EU MP (Global Times)
Ireland South MEP Mick Wallace says reports one million #Uighur people are being detained by the Chinese Government are “grossly exaggerated.”@WallaceMick on @NTBreakfast #BKNT https://t.co/YbS76Hqk0C
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) July 1, 2021
This morning.
Meanwhile…
Full page ad in today’s Irish Times extolling the Chinese Communist Party and explaining why it has such ‘solid support’ from the Chinese people
This morning.
Um.
They have moved people out of poverty but has he seen the hours they do ?! or how often they actually get to see family ?
This is like the “sure didn’t Hitler build the autobahn and achieve near full employment” argument
Utter nonsense from someone just mouthing off what the CPC politburo brainwash their people and of the more gullible in the west with. Life on the ground for these people pushed into cities in China is nothing like a working class life in Western Europe and there’s no safety net that you would think would be central to a communist ethos (rarely do what they say they’ll do like every unelected regime)
Wallace is not even a tool.
A tool can have a valid use.
Maybe democracy isn’t all its made out to be.
Look at the eejits we vote for.
As someone said here before, this man was one of the leaders of the opposition in the last decade of Irish politics
Pitiful
Ah the Socialists blindspot to the horrors of modern China. Yes they have lifted millions out of poverty, but they have also subjected millions to tortuous social credit systems, spying, bugging, kidnapping, murder for critics of Gov’t and to top it off a big old concentration camp for ethnic cleansing of Muslims. They do not accept ANY criticism of any kind, that will land you and your family in jail. So sound!
They can never admit to any mistakes either :
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/25/chinese-rail-crash-cover-up-claims
Yikes. Of course, we believe them when they say that Covid-19 came from a bat at a wet market.
China now a more unequal society than America. And their creeping take over in Africa is an example of imperialism by any other name.
Surprised to hear Mick Wallace coming out with such guff.
Are you?
The EU was established with business and economics in mind… The social protections have always been secondary, truth be told.
so under mick’s government we can expect to:
1. annex the north under our ‘one ireland’ policy
2. set up ‘rehabilitation’ camps for muslims, scrotes, anti-vaxers and other undesirables
3. cripple the world with our ‘paddy vaccine’
4. let our space crap land wherever it likes
5. ban any criticism of the state and kill off democracy
chinese are lovely, chinese government is the pits – he really should learn to tell the difference
6. Organ Harvesting.
ah no one wants fatty livers
Can’t agree with Mick here really.
The Chinese government – not an example to follow – corporatism on a massive scale. In my opinion.
I see China won’t be bullied, elsewhere online, they certainly are not at risk of being bullied in Tibet.
I resolved not to be bullied again, before I knew what was going, on I was the bully, I was good at it, even enjoyed the benefits of bullyhood. On to the next annex..
President Xi just issued a threat to the rest of the world for criticizing China’s poor human rights record. He said, and I quote : “Foreign forces trying to bully China will get their heads bashed.”
He even talks like a gangster now. He has an army of devout young disciples who memorize every word he says like he’s a God or something. They have put him on a pedestal similar to chairman Mao.
Pretty soon the rest of the world will have to make a decision. Take dirty money or improve humanity and human rights for all.
Many countries have already taken the dirty money via the Belt and Road initiative. There’s a reason why Pakistan does not say boo about their Uighur Muslim brothers being murdered, and brainwashed on their border with China! But if someone in Denmark or France makes a cartoon insulting Islam, its War!!
“Whereas a proper communist system looks after the concerns of all, I’m sure the Communist Party system in China is not perfect either.”
Historically communist systems in practice have looked after the upper echelons of the hierarchical parties. And no, the CP system in China is not perfect. The party has a finger in every pie and will not allow an independent civil society to emerge. Even birdwatching societies are infiltrated and monitored by party members.
The ‘concerns of all’ have not been looked after by the CCP. Millions of workers toil long boring hours for low wages in foreign, including American, companies. Many oppressed workers have committed suicide by throwing themselves from upper floors in blocks of apartments where they are accommodated in hostel-style bunk beds.
“I’m sure the Communist Party in China is not perfect either” is just rewording the Leftist line of “that wasn’t real Communism” LOL!
… My usual response is something like… thank God, or there’d be multiples more dead than were killed in the many attempts to achieve it.
The poverty threshold in rural China is 2,300CNY, €300, per person per YEAR.
That’s not enough for a weekend away in Wexford…