Wider political effects of the economic downturn

[afleitch]

I'm intersted to hear about your opinion of the wider effects of the downturn - not just on the US race. What will the effect be in Europe? What parties will voters turn to? Will people peddle God? What about the developing world?

The 1929 crash and the stagflation of the 70's had interesting and in cases disasterous political after effects. While we don't know how bad things will get what is your gut feeling, or at most your 'worst case scenario'?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Too soon to tell what the wider effects of the financial "instability" (euphemisms are fun, aren't they) even are, let alone what the side-effects will be. That seems a little trite, but it's the best answer, probably. For all we know, everything could change. Or... nothing outside the scope of regulation over the financial industry. Though either extreme there seems a little unlikely.

EDIT: well, that's not strictly speaking true... internal politics being easier to predict than the rest. A leftward shift within the main socialdemocratic parties is now presumably pretty likely, though there's no way of telling whether that'll come about due to existing party establishments moving with the base, or whether it'll involve lefty groups growing strong enough to challenge party establishments. The former is always more likely in theory, of course.