Boris met up with Argentine President and libertarian hero Javier Milei last night. Quite the way to keep up the book tour…
Great conversation with @JMilei in Buenos Aires. Truly uplifting to hear his defence of freedom, capitalism, open markets and democracy worldwide. pic.twitter.com/xwTmcsVjwo
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 15, 2024
Milei is locked in a battle with Congress and the unions to unleash the Argentine economy. Lots to chat about…
UPDATE: MercoPress writes up the visit:
“During Monday’s encounter, Johnson gave Milei a copy of his latest book, in which he confesses to having evaluated ‘a water raid’ in the Netherlands to steal doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccines. Johnson’s book went on sale in Great Britain last Thursday and will be available in the rest of the world in the coming weeks.
After a meeting lasting more than an hour, Johnson appeared on the Casa Rosada balcony to greet bypassers.
During their encounter, Milei recalled his teenage years’ band in which he sang cover versions of Rolling Stones songs, impersonating Jagger both in voice and dancing. At the same time, the Malvinas issue was never addressed, according to Casa Rosada sources.”
Javier Milei tells the World Economic Forum they are the problem..
Impoverishment created by collectivism is no fantasy; it is an inescapable fate… We have lived through this, we have been through this – ever since we decided to live through this model … poorer and poorer day by day. I’m here to tell you that the western world is in danger, and it is endangered because those who are supposed to have to defend the values of the West are co-opted by a vision of the world that inextricably leads to socialism, and thereby to poverty… The western world is in danger… collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world… Socialism is always and everywhere an impoverishing phenomenon.
I would like to leave a message for all business people here and for those who are not here in person but are following from around the world. Do not be intimidated either by the political class or by parasites who live off the state, do not surrender to political class that only wants to stay in power and retain its privileges, you are social benefactors, you’re heroes, you’re the creators of the most extraordinary period of prosperity we’ve ever seen. Let no one tell you that your ambition is immoral. If you make money, it’s because you offer a better product at a better price, thereby contributing general well-being. Do not surrender to the advance of the state. The state is not the solution, the state is the problem itself. You are the true protagonists of this story, and rest assured that from today Argentina is your staunch, unconditional ally. Thank you very much and long live freedom, dammit!
Javier Milei in his victory speech told his jubilant supporters gathered at the Hotel Libertador in central Buenos Aires…
“Today we turn the page on our history and return to the path that we should never have lost. Today brings an end to the model of the omni-present state, that only benefits some while the majority of Argentines suffer, today brings an end to this idea that the state is shared among politicians and their friends, today brings an end to this vision that the perpetrators are the victims and the victims are the perpetrators, today we retake the path that made this country great, today we embrace the ideas of libertarianism, the ideas of Alberdi.
This model of decadence has come to an end, there is no turning back, the results of this model are plain for all to see, from being the richest country in the world today we are ranked 130th, half of Argentines are poor and 10% are destitute. Stop this impoverishing model of the caste, today we embrace the libertarian model so as to return to being a global power.
Today begins the reconstruction of Argentina. We will embrace a model of liberty to become once again a world power.”
Argentines yesterday voted in libertarian economist Javier Milei, who regards Mrs Thatcher as one of “the great leaders in the history of humanity“, as their new president. Milei was close to winning in the first round but was forced into a run-off against Peronist Sergio Massa. It wasn’t close in the end at 56% to 44%…
Milei’s outsider message – “Out with all of them” – has resonated with a country forced to deal with governments constantly printing money to cover their permanent fiscal deficit and running inflation up to 15% a month. Argentina has one of the world’s worst wealth taxes, tight exchange controls, and a 35% corporation tax which put the economy in a dire state. Some of Milei’s thoughts on tax include:
“It seems to me an attack on our intellect when politicians refer to taxpayers as contributors. It’s like the rapist referring to his victim as his girlfriend”.
This is the largest majority in a presidential election since 1983. Milei says his mission is to “kick Keynesians and collectivists in the ass” and has promised: “If I raise a tax, I’ll cut off my own arm“. Naturally The Guardian is in shock that a “volatile, far-right libertarian” has won. Guido is ecstatic…
Yesterday Argentina voted a rock-singing libertarian outsider candidate into first place in the race towards the presidential election in October. Libertarian economist Javier Milei won 30.5% of the vote, far higher than pollsters predicted. The conservative opposition trailed with 28% and the ruling Peronists were in third place on 27%. His rock-style rallies appeal to voters angry with 116% inflation and rising poverty.
According to the Economist, Javier Milei is
A self-styled professor of tantric sex and one-time frontman of an obscure rock band, he claims not to have brushed his hair since he was 13, preferring to let “the invisible hand” do the work. His five mastiffs are named after economists, including Murray Rothbard, an anarcho-capitalist, and Milton Friedman, a more conventional one. To “make Argentina a great power again”, he wants to reduce regulations, lower taxes and eliminate the central bank. He dislikes abortion, believing liberty to be unattainable if one cannot first be born. But same-sex marriage should be legal, as should most narcotics.
Milei rails against the “political caste” of the other parties – he says his mission is to “kick Keynesians and collectivists in the ass.” The self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist wants to abolish the central bank and dollarise the Argentinian economy. His party, La Libertad Avanza, appeals to younger voters tired of the failed politics of the Peronists. “We are coming to defend against the looters of this system, which only benefits the political thieves,” he shouted at the joyful crowd last night as they chanted “freedom, freedom”. Argentina voting Javier Milei for president would be as big a shock for the global technocracy as Brexit.
