The world’s leaders, knowingly or accidentally, greased the wheels of various handcarts to hell during 2023, but at least some new blood arrived at the top table.
It’s not political or provocative, but rather a relief to say that both of New Zealand’s main political party leaders rate as considerably less interesting than the other novices. Neither Chris Hipkins nor Christopher Luxon has ever, like Italy’s new leader Giorgia Meloni, dressed as a hobbit, glorified fascism or posed with a pair of melons against their chests.
Neither has a collection of Star Wars light sabres, or a wife so wealthy as to choose non-domicile status so as to keep their husband’s revenue authorities at bay, as does British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
And as far as we know, neither is a tantric sex expert, nor owns a pack of mastiffs named after great economists, all cloned from a specially beloved dog named after Conan the Barbarian, who still tenders political advice from beyond the grave – peculiarities that apply to Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei.
An economics professor, Milei, the most distinctive and unlikely of the new leaders, hectored his way into Argentine consciousness by blaspheming on TV chat shows in the cause of ultra-libertarianism. Now, he has his very own economy on which to demonstrate his expertise.
And what an economy. Once fabulously wealthy, Argentina counts 40% of its people as impoverished. Under-employment is among the worst in the OECD. Inflation is officially 140%, though some experts suspect it’s nearer 250%.
Argentina’s refusal to capitulate to free trade and its money-printing habit are prime contributors to its chronic recession. It even penalty-taxes its own exports. Its last finance minister abolished some income and sales taxes and showered voters with bonuses. This may, subject to taste, make Milei’s trademark chainsaw-brandishing during the election campaign somewhat understandable.
The world will be watching as this self-described anarcho-capitalist tries to stabilise the economy by replacing its peso with the American dollar and imposing austerity measures – and whether, if it works, the late Conan will get some of the credit.
Citizens there are divided over whether to be more scared about Milei honouring his wild declarations or forsaking them, but Italians watch their prime minister unabashedly moderate hers – and sue some who try to remind her about them.
Despite years of talking up the ethos of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and courting far-right figures, including Vladimir Putin, France’s Marine Le Pen, America’s Steve Bannon and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Meloni now distances herself from them, notably over Ukraine’s nation status.
She is now suing those who call her fascist-leaning, including Brian Molko of British rock band Placebo, preferring to reference the Pope and Mother Teresa and mount a charm offensive with the European Union.
On the other hand, her government recently refused to allow an Italian charity rescue ship to uplift a boatload of asylum-seekers off the Libya coast – they died – and is continuing restrictions on the ability of same-sex couples to adopt.
Also significant was her choice of key speaker at the annual politics “festival” she inaugurated in the 1990s. Atreyu – named after a character in The NeverEnding Story – has famously welcomed the musings of Bannon, Orbán and the like. This year’s hero was Sunak. In a novelty anti-immigration cruet set, he lauded Meloni’s efforts to redirect Italy’s unwanted asylum-seekers to Albania and she hailed his to bounce Britain’s incomers to Rwanda.
Finally, there’s Poland’s new leader. Donald Tusk was a self-confessed football hooligan in his youth, but now the former top Eurocrat says he just wants to restore liberal democracy to his country.
On today’s world stage, that passes for truly whacky.
