2017 is coming to an end.
Gone is a year full of emotions in which our community has grown and grown as we would've
never expected.
So here, once again, and on behalf of the entire team:
Thank you so much for joining us every week!
Having said that, with this video we wanted to end this year with what we hope will be
the start of a tradition…
So, without further ado, here are the 2017 VISUALPOLITIK awards.
First of all, a note.
We decided to give out 4 awards, because it’s 4 of us who make the VisualPolitik team.
So lets get into them.
Due to his growing leadership and strong defense of civil rights, one of the VisualPolitik
awards is for Justin Trudeau.
It can’t be denied that the Canadian Prime Minister has been one of the great protagonists
of 2017...
Yes, we can say that this has been a particularly busy year for Trudeau, a year in which this
young politician has become, in the eyes of the world, something like the anti-Trump:
In the last 12 months, only in 2017, his actions in the field of human rights has been quite
extensive.
How about some examples?
Well, the prime minister kicked off the year with the "Welcome to Canada" campaign, which
aimed to welcome refugees... and we could say that he’s really done it… making the
European Union look pretty bad due to their lack of commitment on this issue;
In 2017 he also gave honorary citizenship of Canada to the Nobel Peace Prize winner,
Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist who fights for women's rights, and who has been
brutally persecuted and attacked by the Taliban;
He has also worked hard (as we saw in a video on this channel) on his integration and recognition
of the indigenous people agenda;
And last but not least, in a historic speech he made before Parliament last November, Trudeau
officially apologized, on behalf of the federal government, for the repression that the government
exercised against members of the LGBT community until the 90s.
But, that’s not all...
Throughout this year, Trudeau’s government also reaffirmed its intention to legalize
the recreational use of marijuana.
He has even announced that the government will increase its number of residency permits
so that new immigrants can enter the country in search of a better future.
Not much else you could ask for in a single year…
But...
some of you may be thinking...
okay, okay, lots of civil rights stuff… but Simon, couldn’t this just be a distraction
from their economy because it isn’t really working?
Well no because, in economic matters, things aren’t going badly:
The Canadian economy expects to close 2017 with 3% growth with its lowest unemployment
rate in 10 years.
Along these same lines, in 2017 Trudeau ratified his free trade agreement with the European
Union; and has remained firm with Donald Trump regarding gas.
He also now has his sights on Asia, especially China.
It’s true though that things are going slower than expected, but even so there’s a very
good chance that Canada will end up becoming a great bridge between the American and Chinese
economies.
Yes, that's right, folks, while we may not completely agree with Justin Trudeau's agenda,
we do think that he is contributing to the construction of a better and freer world for
all.
So from us, Congratulations, Justin!
The next VisualPolitik award is for [drumroll] Tsai Ing-Wen, the President of Taiwan!
And, this prize is a bit special, and somewhat different... because with it we won’t recognize
political successes but the will and ability to resist.
Allow me to explain...
We decided to give this award to Tsai Ing-Wen for two main reasons:
First, for being the first female president of Taiwan and for being a symbol to other
East Asian societies.
Second, for her firm will to defend Taiwan's democracy and freedom in the face of Beijing's
desire for reunification.
Because... let's not forget that this country has one of the most flourishing and alive
democracies in the region and China, as you may know… is a dictatorship.
The fact is that 2017 has been a difficult year for the island and for its president.
China has unleashed a political and economic war against Taiwan, the likes of which has
not been seen for years.
This all resulted in President Tsai's refusal to commit to the so-called "1992 Consensus"
- an agreement under which China is recognized as a single entity.
And of course, if something’s clear, it is that all this economic and political pressure
poses a huge problem for this country - 40% of its exports depend on mainland China.
However, dear friends, far from surrendering, Tsai Ing-Wen’s government has reinforced
its political strategy to seek and consolidate alternatives to China, mainly opening up to
the Southeast Asian, Australian and New Zealand markets.
This is known as the ‘New Southbound Policy’
And so far, results have been quite good:
Trade with these countries is growing strong, at rates of 7%; the Taiwanese economy has
regained some vigor and investors have regained confidence in this country.
This has resulted in quite a bit of pressure on China.
So, well, even though we don’t like some things about this government, such as their
slowness when facing reforms, we really believe that their spirit of resistance to China’s
pressure justifies this choice.
Yes, friction with Beijing may not be most convenient for the island’s interests, but
I think we need to make two things clear:
First, when we talk about resistance, we’re talking about protecting one of the most democratic
and liberal regimes in Asia; and second, according to polls, this policy is clearly backed by
the Taiwanese society.
Due to all of this, Tsai-Ing Wen, gets one of this years VisualPolitik awards
Let’s continue.
The next award doesn’t go just for one politician but to an entire political party.
And this is the Czech Pirate Party.
And so now you might be wondering… well...
why?
What did the Czech Pirates do to be named one of the politicians of the year?
Well, they came third in the Czech Parliamentary elections this year becoming the second most
voted for pirate party on the planet...
only surpassed by the Icelandic Pirate Party.
The first question to be answer here is…
What do the PIRATE PARTY stand for?
Well, the pirate ideology, or, as they like to call it, the pirate movement, was born
in Sweden in the year 2005.
They wanted to protect online privacy and to reform copyright laws.
This is why they are called the pirate party.
According to them, copyright laws are needless barriers for entrepreneurs and only help for
big corporations stay on top.
OK, OK!
And hold on just a second because I know what you are thinking now…
Does this mean we, at VisualPolitik, are against copyright and intellectual property law?
Far from it!
But the truth is… this pirate movement has changed a lot since 2005.
Now their manifesto covers far more than what it started with, from economy to foreign policy.
In fact, there is a big difference between the pirate parties of different countries.
Just like a Swedish socialdemocrat has nothing to do with a Spanish socialdemocrat, an Icelandic
pirate is seldom similar to a Czech pirate.
So what do the Czech Pirates stand for?
First of all, tech lovers as they are, they want to implement eGovernment solutions in
the way Estonia did.
It makes absolutely no sense that today, in the 21st century, you need to wait in line
for more than 4 hours in an administrative office in order to report that you changed
your residence.
This happens today in the Czech Republic.
And I live here, and I’ve done it, and it’s a huge pain in the arse.
And this kind of bureaucracy madness is not only time consuming but also, a big share
of the government budget.
Estonia has saved millions thanks to this reforms, and they should be a model for other
countries.
Plus, the Czech pirates stand for freedom of movement, freedom of speech and fiscal
responsibility.
During their campaign, they avoided the temptation of promising more spending or giving grants
to anyone.
Which was especially alluring in an election full of populist candidates.
And, on the top of all that…
they want to legalize weed!
With this program, the Czech pirates came in third in one of the Czech Repuplcs most
notable elections in history.
Usually, in most of the countries there are 2 or 3 main political force, but not anymore
in the Czech Republic.
First place went to the ANO BUDE LIP party and their leader, ANDREJ BABIŠ… but he
only obtained less than 30% of the vote.
Right after him is the center-right ODS party who made little more than 10%.
And below those, with almost the same percentage, there were the PIRATES.
This pirates surpassed other charismatic and radical politicians like the communist party
and Mr. Tomio Okamura, an anti-immigration candidate.
Just as a funny note here, My Okamura, is actually originally from Japan.
So when you walk down the streets of Prague during the elections times, you see big billboards
with the picture of a Japanese dude, saying “Say NO to immigration”.
It was quite a laugh.
So, in other words, the Czech Pirates have obtained surprising results with a solid and
rational manifesto.
Some of their proposals are better than others.
But in general, they deserve our applause,,, So “Gratulujeme našim přátelům z Pirátské
strany!
“
Last but not least, the fourth awarded is…because he couldn’t be out of the list…
Emmanuel Macron.
What can we say about Mr. Macron?
He is one of the biggest surprises of the year.
First of all, he had to create his own political party from 0.
Yep, you heard that right.
He started his political career as the Finance Minister inside of the Socialdemocrat Government
of MANUEL VALLS.
But he was not affiliated with that party.
He was an independent, hired because of his achievements working in the finance industry.
And make no mistake!
He had not an easy job.
France has been in crisis for years.
As we said in this other video, this country used to be one of the World’s biggest economies
but, now, its companies find it hard to compete in the international market.
Part of this is due to their economic policies.
The truth is… for decades, France followed the ideology of Charles de Gaulle.
A man who led the country’s economy as if it was an army.
De Gaulle was obsessed with protecting French companies from the outside world...
But the World is rather different today.
And…
Macron wants a 180 degree shift on this French economic theory.
His manifesto was solid and rational.
He didn’t promise any of those things which are impossible to achieve once you are in
office.
And… despite all of this…
He won by a landslide victory!
And that’s not only the presidential elections the parliamentary ones too!
And if this wasn’t impressive enough he also did it against Marine Le Pen, the champion
of European populism.
Prior to the foundation of Mr. Macron’s party, EN MARCHE!, pollsters said Le Pen had
the victory guaranteed.
But…
Macron proved them wrong.
Now we just ask him not to disappoint us during 2018.
In the meantime…
Congratulations, Emmanuel!
Well, these were the 2017 VISUALPOLITIK awards.
But before we say goodbye, we want to wish a happy 2018 to all the people who follow
us week after week, people who are already part of this community and who have made it
possible for this channel to exist.
Thanks to all of you, and have a great 2018.