The dirty 4-letter word (and the feminist Finns)

Before I touch upon the massive news out of Helsinki (refer to footnote), I have a message for my fellow earthlings: if you're living in nations considered poor (financially, not socially) that believe the bounty in a rich country equates to financial freedom and less heartache when it comes to ones circumstances, think again...

Top 20 nations by household debt (as a % of GDP), according to the International Monetary Fund.

1.   Switzerland (129.50)

2.   Australia (119.40)

3.   Denmark (115.10)

4.   Netherlands (102.10)

5.   Canada (101.30)

6.   Norway (100.20)

7.   New Zealand (94.40)

8.   South Korea (92.10)

9.   Sweden (88.40)

10. United Kingdom (86.60)

11. United States (75.00)

12. Hong Kong (73.20)

13. Thailand (68.90)

14. Malaysia (68.00)

15. Luxembourg (67.60)

16. Finland (66.80)

17. Portugal (66.20) 

18. Belgium (61.30) 

19. France (60.20)

20. Spain (58.30) 

The irony is that the above list include nations that are among the best places to live, which goes a long way to explaining this conundrum. Residents feel comfortable in having a safety net, so they take risks with their personal finances, however there is a limit, if the debt bubble bursts, not even a first world country can be a barrier to suicide that is many a time a by-product of debt.

If you live in one of the aforementioned nations and are happy, then be sure to drop me a line and tell me why you like being a slave to a financial institution. (You're also welcome to share my blog with your community to start a dialogue on the evil that is debt). We live in a world where you no longer need to be tied down by a car or home, why have a massive mortgage when you can exercise for free without wheels, (transit and ride share for those lazy types). I get that in some countries allowing the bank to have equity in your home is normal and giving rent to landlords is frowned upon or vice versa (we'll leave the debate as to which is the lesser evil for another day), but we have to better as earthlings and rise above simply copying one another by piling on financial stress.

With that in mind, I have a Christmas (no offence to the majority of the world that doesn't adhere to Christianity, Americans dictate what the world follows and that most superficial time of year sadly wins, maybe one day we'll get back to celebrating the true Saint Nicholas meaning, but I won't hold my breath) proposition: instead of hoarding gifts and showing off your debt via big cars and houses in your annual Christmas letter (people still do this, although I get most of you are all about flaunting wealth created by debt via social media) undertake a complete debt detox, that's right, rid yourself of spoiling banks, we all know that they specialize in playing roulette with your livelihood. 

Message to humans living in the developing world still wanting to flee to the First World: rich nations aren't all that, never have been, never will be. Take a look at the above list if you need any indication as to why rich folk have a tendency to commit suicide over finances - sad! Debt is indeed a dirty 4-letter word.

Footnote (or as I like to call it, going off tangent)

It's a great day for female empowerment, in a nation where feminism thrives, Finland. Sanna Marin become the world's youngest serving female Prime Minister (don't worry Austria, your Chancellor is still younger at 33) after Antti Rinne resigned as Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader. Even though it's not an electoral victory, it's till impressive that someone born on November 16, 1985 and raised by two mothers is entrusted with national leadership. To top it off, SDP are in a coalition government with four other parties, three led by woman under 35 (Li Andersson, 32; Katri Kulmuni, 32; Maria Ohisalo, 34; Anna-Maja Henriksson, 55). As readers are aware, I was in Helsinki in March (proudly giving a thumbs up to the greatest nation on earth), where I was present during a climate charge protest on the steps of Parliament. Let's hope Marin brings fresh ideas to the table, Finns love hockey, education and taking care of the underprivileged, let's hope climate change is placed on the same pedestal. https://globaleditorial.blogspot.com/2019/03/heitere-from-lands-of-suomi-and-eesti.html

Around the world in elections (2010-2019 edition)

As the decade draws to a close, it's an opportune time to review decisions at the ballot box that flew under the global radar. My picks for each year that warranted water cooler talk.

February 7, 2010

Laura Chinchilla elected first ever female President of Costa Rica (becoming the eighth woman president of a Latin American country). Her share of the vote (46.91%) was more than the second (25.06%) and third placed (20.92%) male candidates combined. Now, if only the U.S. would copy its fellow North American country and follow suit.

May 28, 2011

Maltese divorce referendum passes with 53% of the vote, in the process making divorce legal in this staunch Catholic nation (signed into law after parliamentary deliberation on October 1, 2011). This vote left the Philippines and Vatican City as the only nations to outlaw divorce. standing true to Malta's proud bilingual tradition, ballot papers were printed in both English and Maltese.

January 22, 2012

Republika Hrvatska (Republic of Croatia) becomes the 28th member state of the European Union (EU) after 66% of the voting public vote in favor of EU accession. To happen only 23 years after the bloody end of the Croatian War of Independence (1991-95) that left 400,000 folk displaced is a minor miracle.

March 12, 2013

The opposition Siumut party led by Aleqa Hammond wins the Greendalic general election, thus becoming the nation's first ever female leader. As Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, this victory causes friction due to Hammond's support for an independent Greenland.

October 26, 2014

Tunisia holds its first free parliamentary elections since its independence in 1956. An impressive feat considering how much of the region was embroiled in the Arab spring due to political cronyism. Not one party achieved a total majority (Nidaa Tounes emerged victorious taking 86 seats out of 217), a fine example of a fledgling Arab democracy. the vote even accounted for the Tunisian diaspora with 18 seats going to six constituencies from France, Italy and Germany.

May 22, 2015

Irish constitutional referendum to permit same-sex marriage was approved 62-38%. The measure was signed into law on November 16, 2015. Not bad for an ardent Catholic nation that only legalized divorce in 1995 and abortion in 2018. It's safe to say Ireland is erasing its stuck in the past mentality and joining the progressive world at a rapid pace.

June 5, 2016

Peru Presidential election (second round) saw Pedro Pablo Kuczynski defeat Keiko Fujimori (daughter of former controversial President, Alberto Fujimori) in a nail-biter, 50.1% - 49.9%. As they say in geopolitical circles: it's not everyday a Peruvian with Polish heritage defeats one with Japanese heritage for the top job.

July 7, 2017

Mongolia doing what it does best, making China look like a backward one party state. The presidential election (second round) was another close one after the first round didn't produce a clear-cut winner. (Take note China: incumbent President, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj was constitutionally barred from running for a third term). Khaltmaagiin Battulga becomes the fifth President (since 1992 constitution) by attracting 50.61% of the vote.

May 9, 2018

Malaysia does the unthinkable, changes regimes for the first time since its independence in 1957.  The Pakatan Harapan coalition becomes the first to break the status quo by securing a simple majority. Who said oldies were being discriminated against? Former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad and spring chicken (if you ignore his date of birth, July 10, 1925) takes the helm once more.

October 27, 2019

Uruguay, a bastion of progressive Latin America took a trip down Conservative lane by handing the keys of power to National party leader, Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou. He heads the National party which is all about christian conservatism, so no surprises he went all anti Jesus by being tough on crime to sneak home in the second round by capturing 50.79% of the vote. José Mujica (40th President of Uruguay) must be ashamed, a man that sacrificed his time and money in power to advocate social justice never once used religion to garner votes and now the country is ruled by a politician that preaches christian values as a power grabbing exercise, we all know where this is headed...

There you have it, another decade of democracy in the books. If you had never heard of the above, or are rapidly googling away to find out, then you really have been brainwashed by the English-speaking world, which, let's face it, is quite boring with its stingy money hungry values. Next time you lose your marbles over the occupant in the White House, just remember that the globe is a kaleidoscope of voting patterns.