Keep the Judicial Power independent

I couldn't agree more with Paula Teixeira da Cruz, in her latest intervention at the Conselho Superior da Magistratura latest conference - we need to keep the Judicial power independent from external influences, including political ones.

Taxes and Freedom

Every time we pay a tax, that money is spent not in something that we directly choose, but in something that is chosen for us. From that point of view, a tax is a restrictor of Freedom. And, without questioning its need, this is one of the reasons why taxation should be as lower as possible and its money as well spent as possible, as well. This is at the root of good Governance. Never forget it. 

This is it. Period.

"Religion doesn't require others to adhere to rules. It only requires its believers to adhere to them." - Ian Bremmer

Portugal @ Olympics

It is rather captivating to watch Portugal's evolution in the Olympics over time. In the beginning, our medal hopes were placed in elite sports (horse-riding, sailing), then it evolved to the long-distance athletics (Marathon, the 5000 and 10000m running - that required guts and suffering from people's athletes) and in the last 20 years and nowadays, they lay at technical sports. Does this hint anything about my country?

Trump's inheritance

Wrote David Frum, at The Atlantic:

American exceptionalism

"This is something Americans often get wrong. We think because we are America, everything will work itself out. This is exactly what the Founding Fathers refused to believe. They thought human nature is such that you have to constrain it by institutions. They preferred Rule of Law and checks and balances. They were the opposite of American exceptionalists." - Timothy Snyder

The future is, sometimes, just across the door

If you are at a technology conference and you don't go and watch some startup pitches, you are losing 70% of what is going to happen - most corporate speakers will talk about past achievements, if you want a glimpse of the possibilitis of the future, that's on the startups decks and word. 

Paris Agreement? Outdated!

 The below post has a very simple meaning - the +1.5ºC of the Paris Agreement are now out of reach...

After 11 consecutive months of record monthly-average temperatures, the 12-month moving-average of Berkeley Earth's global mean temperature now stands at 1.65 ± 0.07 °C (2.97 ± 0.13 °F) above the 1850-1900 average.https://t.co/6I6nRm7JIO pic.twitter.com/Xogb1ujrpk

— Dr. Robert Rohde (@RARohde) May 15, 2024

"Keep on rocking in the free world"!

 

JUST IN: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken performing 'Rocking to the Free World' at a venue in Kyiv, Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/MkpyvHHRIA

— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) May 14, 2024

Santa Casa

What is happening in Portugal's Santa Casa is a show of bad governance and a stark reminder of the importance of meritocracy and why public (and semi-public) top executives should be appointed through clear and transparent processes.

Proud

Looking at images from the 25th April Walk in Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon. I am really proud at the turnout and the atmosphere. And I feel a bit jealous for not being there.

On civility

By Bill Clinton.

Democracy only works if we treat each other with respect and decency. On the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, President Clinton reflects on the importance of civility in our politics. pic.twitter.com/tYshAtjj5J

— attn (@attn) April 19, 2024

Round tables

Some round tables are rounder than others. Some might even be a bit squarer. And others seem to have been designed with obstacles, to guide the conversations.

Look at a typical American panel or round table. There are conversations flowing, opinions, everybody talks to everyone, polite disagreement.

Look at a Portuguese panel in a conference. Everyone sits on their chairs, well-behaved. There are questions from the anchor. There are answers from the panelists. Sequencially, from the left panelist to the right one. No panelist talks directly to another one, God forbids! And, of course, everyone is in agreement.

Dislike

A sentence I truly dislike - "The EU gives funds". The European Union doesn't "give", it lends, and only with enough assurances that the money will be paid back. So each and every cent should be carefully invested.

Today is a special day

It is the day to vote and choose a Government.

Why reading matters so much to freedom

Read this text from José Pacheco Pereira (in Portuguese). Is worth your time, believe me.

https://www.publico.pt/2024/03/09/opiniao/opiniao/ler-conta-liberdade-2083066

To abandon facts

"To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacule" - Timothy Snyder

On Tyranny - first paragraph

"Aristotles warned that inequality brought instability. Plato told us that demagogues exploit Free Speech to set themselves up as tyrants". In the first paragraph of "On Tyranny", by Timothy Snyder.

Short-term

Europe has one year to prepare itself for whatever happens in the US. This is very short, considering all that has not been done in the last 30 years and what is happening in Russia.

Two opposing ideas

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function" - F Scott Fitzgerald

The more I look into the news the more I think this is lacking to the majority of nowadays politicians in the whole world.