Kafka eat your heart out

Santiago has two huge neon billboards which I have always admired. They have a certain retro-Parisian air which is sadly missing in the rest of the city, even with our Eiffel-designed public buildings.

But they are, after all, only advertising. So it is one thing is to admire them. It is quite another to declare them national monuments, as the Piñera government has just done. That's just wierd.

When Piñera came to power, he changed the government logo, eschewing the modern and simple Chilean flag logo of the Concertación years for the traditional coat of arms (which includes the motto, By Reason or by Force). At the time, some wags suggested he might skip a step altogether and opt for the LAN Chile logo.

Somehow, now that doesn't seem so far fetched.
.

After this morning's speech, a mental health break

Liveblogging the Presidential State of the Union XV

Two observations in conclusion:

It was not a memorable speech, but most of what he said was reasonable and would not have sounded out of place in a State of the Union by Michelle Bachelet or Ricardo Lagos.

But the emphasis on bonuses and subsidies shows that this is, indeed, a new right. It is not the UDI, Pinochetist right. It is much more retrogade than that. It is a right of the 1950s, which believes the state has a role to play, but its role is to throw money around. It does not believe the state can contribute to structural reforms that will change the social makeup of the country (and probably doesn't want to).

Hopefully the Concertación will pick up on that, and not nitpick on the details, which many people will find quite palatable.

Well, that was Liveblogging for today. Thanks for tuning in.
.

The line of the day

So far the line of the day does not belong to President Piñera, but to the journalist Miguel Paz, who has tweeted:

"Si el Pdte Piñera logra 1 quinto de sus medidas, Chile sera como Japon en tech, Harvard en educacion, Finlandia en trabajo, Canada en salud"
.

Liveblogging the Presidential State of the Union XIV

On health he seems to be making promises that are already part of the Plan Auge (offering medical attention at private clinics if the public system cannot deliver)
.

Liveblogging the Presidential State of the Union XIII

Talking about improving public education, the President inserted, almost as an aside, that he would be willing to close schools that do not meet standards of quality education.

It seems to me that this is a loophole that could actually allow the government to close many public schools or privatise them. In other words, the beginning of the end of public education in Chile.

Just saying.
.

Liveblogging the Presidential State of the Union XII

Three good bits:

Facilitating the business-creation process and simplifying bankruptcy is long overdue. Both have been mentioned often by international observers who rate things like competitiveness.

He also says they will widen the space for collective bargaining.

For the most part this really does sound like the Concertación's 5th government.
.