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Politics : Dutch Central Bank Sale Announcement Imminent? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sea_urchin who wrote (13994)	5/16/2002 9:49:39 AM
From: Alan Whirlwind	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81394

Looks like pog mounting an assault back over $310. I can see the confederate flag waving over a captured goldshort battery placement as I type.

To: sea_urchin who wrote (13994)	5/16/2002 11:41:47 AM
From: sea_urchin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81394

russett, the chicken made a squawk! It says the charts look VERY strong. The second chart (longer term)is particularly interesting. It shows that there has been a break upwards in high volume after a one year period of consolidation. sharenet.co.za www2.sharenet.co.za So, there's no doubt that something very nice is cooking. Of course, since the company has no earnings, there's no point in consulting a balance sheet but, anyway, a balance sheet only predicts the past (if one is lucky), not the future.

To: sea_urchin who wrote (13994)	5/16/2002 2:06:46 PM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81394

Election of those from the right in the US have helped gold...Might the same be expected? Reuters Dutch Voters Shift Right in Dramatic Election May 15, 2002 03:25 PM ET Email this article Printer friendly version By Paul Gallagher AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The anti-immigration party of murdered Dutch populist Pim Fortuyn shared second place in Wednesday's election as it and the opposition Christian Democrats routed the ruling center-left, an exit poll showed. The poll showed voters had ditched the three-party coalition of Prime Minister Wim Kok in a swing to the right. The conservative Christian Democrats (CDA) were clear winners, capturing 41 seats in the 150-seat parliament in The Hague. The Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), a party formed just three months ago by the shaven-headed former academic, will win 24 seats, giving it a claim to a place in the new government, according to the first opinion poll published on television. The LFP tied for second place with outgoing government parties, the (PvdA) Labor party and the VVD liberals. The third coalition party, the centrist D66 also suffered hefty losses. "It's a tremendous beating. It's a disastrous result," said Labor campaign manager Jacques Monasch. "It's beyond a landslide." The Dutch flocked to the polls in their most dramatic election for decades, with the conservative opposition -- out of power for eight years -- and Pim Fortuyn's party of political novices. Voting was brisk. Pundits had predicted Fortuyn's murder in a parking lot nine days ago by a suspected animal rights activist would prompt a far higher turnout than the 73.3 percent recorded in the 1998 election. "This is the most exciting election in decades," said Andre Krouwel, a lecturer at Amsterdam's Free University. "We haven't had a political murder for the last 350 years. If that doesn't get people interested in politics, I don't know what can." The Dutch election extended a trend that has seen left-leaning governments tumble in the past 12 months in elections in Italy, Denmark, Portugal and France, with support increasing for populist far-right parties that have exploited concerns about crime, immigration and loss of national identity. In April, National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen stunned Europe by beating Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin to take second place in France's presidential election. The openly gay Fortuyn, a non-conformist who had flirted with Marxism and passionately advocated free speech, rejected comparisons with Le Pen or Austria's Joerg Haider, saying the establishment had "demonized" him as a far-right extremist. But he shocked the government of a country with a big immigrant community by calling Islam backward and demanding Dutch borders be shut to new migrants. SYMPATHY VOTE? Fortuyn's outspoken attacks on the cozy Dutch political elite and its consensus style captured the imagination of growing numbers of voters. Recent polls have suggested his death could further strengthen support for his fledgling party. After Fortuyn's murder, thousands scattered flowers on his hearse in an outpouring of emotion reminiscent of the 1997 death of Britain's Princess Diana. Improvised shrines sprang up across the country and politicians suspended election campaigning. Despite healthy economic growth and low unemployment that many fellow European leaders can only dream of, voters punished Kok's center-left coalition over growing hospital waiting lists, train delays, crime and cash-strapped schools. Kok's government quit last month after accepting belated blame for a botched 1995 Dutch U.N. peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, though it has stayed on in a caretaker capacity and will continue to do so until a new coalition is formed. The front runner for new prime minister, CDA leader Jan Peter Balkenende, was buoyed by the exit poll which indicated he would be able to form a center-right government with partners including Fortuyn's party, which will chose a new leader on Thursday. A linchpin in Dutch governments until 1994, the CDA boasts it was in power longer than the Soviet Communist Party. Until Fortuyn's death last week, many Dutch politicians had cycled to cast their votes without a thought for their personal safety. All that has changed now, with extra security drafted in to protect key figures during the election. Prosecutors said judges had agreed Wednesday to extend by 30 days the detention of Volkert van der Graaf, the 32-year-old vegan animal rights activist charged with Fortuyn's murder. A prosecution spokesman said police had searched the offices of the animal rights group he worked for and seized several items as evidence. An investigation into the gun and ammunition used in the attack should be complete later this week, he said. INSTABILITY Experts predict an alliance involving Fortuyn's party could collapse within six months in a country long renowned for its political stability and its liberal stance on prostitution, soft drugs, euthanasia and gay marriage. "The Christian Democrats are very eager to go back into government but I'm sure they would have preferred a more stable environment. It's a horror scenario," said lecturer Krouwel. The 10,000 polling stations opened at 7:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) and closed at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT). Some 12.5 million were eligible to vote for 150 members of parliament under a proportional representation system which spawns coalitions. The final result was due around 6 p.m. EDT. reuters.com