I went to Milan… and couldn’t afford a lousy t-shirt!

Nation First looks at Milan and the rising cost of living.

Dear friend,

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• I recently returned from a trip to Milan. While I was captivated by its architectural grandeur, the astonishingly high costs everywhere became inescapably noticeable.

• These skyrocketing prices in Milan got me thinking about the broader picture – the rampant inflation plaguing the Western world, where even the most basic goods and services have become ridiculously expensive.

• I’m baffled by how the so-called ‘elite’ and certain economists seem to gloss over the seriousness of this inflation issue. It’s clear to me that reckless policies, unnecessary public debt, and frivolous money printing are at the heart of this mess.

• As I strolled through the less touristy parts of Milan, I couldn’t help but notice the conspicuous absence of families. It got me pondering about the daunting challenges faced by young families today due to such inflation, not just in Milan, but in many Western locales.

• My observations and reflections led me to a deeper realisation: there seems to be a deliberate move, perhaps driven by a blend of global corporatism and Marxism, to undermine the traditional family unit. I’m genuinely concerned that certain powerful entities might be pulling the strings behind this inflation crisis, all for their ulterior motives.

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I just come back to Australia after spending a week in Milan, Italy for work. 

And I might come across as a whinging tourist here but I have to say that, I will be loathe to venture to Italy again, and will certainly be steering well clear of Milan (although I might return to Rome one day, given I’m one of those men who have the fixation with the ancient empire).

Now I know you don’t read Nation First for travel reviews… but stick with me until I get to the point.

Like many European cities, Milan is somewhat beautiful, with architecture spanning back centuries. 

The cathedrals, basilicas, and churches are a sight to behold. 

When looking at the grandiose Duomo di Milano from the exterior you can’t help but wonder how humans built that masterpiece.

The how may not be apparent but once you’re inside the cathedral the why certainly can be understood: to give glory to God. 

(As an aside, the Duomo features a statue of St Bartholomew who was flayed alive for his faith…. I reckon he must be the patron saint of any politician who puts their head above the parapets and speak up on the issues that matter!)

I also couldn’t complain about the quality of food and beverages; the pastas, the pizzas, the seafood, the Aperol spritz, the birra, and the coffee — it’s all good. 

But what struck me most about Milan was the cost. 

Sure, the locals don’t have to pay for hotels and trips to the airport and back but those prices are a reflection of the expensiveness of the city. 

As a way of setting the scene, the median household income in Italy is just over $55,000 (and that’s Australian dollars… and all figures mentioned from herein are in Australian dollars). 

To travel to and from Malpensa airport to the city via a taxi costs in excess of $180. Hot tip: take the train. 

But even get anywhere locally — just short distances — you are looking at a taxi fare of around $30. 

The rate for any decent hotel broke the bank, and even a backpacker hostel was charging nearly $150 a night for accommodation. 

A simple meal with a drink sets you back nearly $70, and that’s for one person, mind you. 

I passed by a real estate agency to view photos of average homes that were selling for $1.2 million or higher (and, yes, I know you can find the same in Sydney, Australia and elsewhere). 

As I’ve alluded to already, what is no doubt sounding like a whinging tourist blog post, actually is more of an expression of concern about how all of this is even remotely affordable for everyday people, especially families. 

And maybe that is the point. 

We are seeing inflation reach levels of ridiculousness all throughout the Western world. 

The cost of groceries is through the roof. 

The cost of electricity is through the roof. 

The cost of fuel is through the roof. 

The cost of just about everything is through the roof. 

Yet the ‘elite’ class still like to cover this fact up.

Some pinhead economists seriously try to argue that you should take food, power, petrol/gas out of the inflation chart, and — viola! — then those charts show we’ve overcome the inflation problem. They call it “core inflation”.

So basically, apart from the price explosion amongst all the essentials, things are ok, folks. 

The price of Maseratis and caviar is fairly stable — you know, “core” stuff we all buy — so all is good with the world. 

The view of these ‘elites’ is that we just need to suck it up. 

Take Bank of England chief economist Huw Pill who told Brits earlier this year that they needed to “accept that they’re worse off and stop trying to maintain their real spending power…”

That sort of talk makes me bitter, Pill. 

Pardon the pun... but it should make you bitter too. 

The entire reason we are in this inflationary mess is because of politicians who thought that ratcheting up public debt by spending more and more on their boondoggles would never be a problem, and because of central bankers who have continued to print more and more money, spreading it about like it was confetti.   

But the house of cards has collapsed. 

And while it would be easy to think that this is just incompetence and stupidity at play, the reality is that there are no coincidences that occur in politics or economics; someone is always playing the game, and manipulating events for their own gain or their own pet cause. 

But back to Milan. 

While walking the streets in the non-tourist areas, I saw a lot of business people, I saw a lot of older couples who’d probably lived in Milan their entries lives, I saw a lot of university students in the trendy youth areas, but what I didn’t see a whole lot of were families. 

Now I’m sure there are many families in Milan, but I wonder what effect exorbitant prices have had on young families, or young people who may be thinking about getting married, and starting a family. 

Now that’s not just a question for those living in expensive Milan. It’s a question in many places across the West. 

How can they afford a home?

How can they afford to educate their children, which averages to over $87,000 per child (and that’s in a public school)?

How can they afford to raise kids on a single income?

That latter question is where the desires of global corporatism meet the desires of Marxism. 

The corporate powers want more of us at work being economic units, not parents who tend to their children in a full-time capacity. 

They use buzzwords like “economic empowerment”, as if working as a wage slave for decades somehow provides one with a sense of power as compared to the powerlessness of pretty much being in charge of your household and children.

The Left also wants to abolish the family unit as the institution responsible for being the primary caregivers for children. 

Does that claim sound far-fetched?

The George Soros-funded Open Democracy network ran an opinion piece during the pandemic that argued for the abolition of the traditional family.

In that article, they claimed:

… even when the private nuclear household poses no direct physical or mental threat to one’s person – no spouse-battering, no child rape, and no queer-bashing – the private family qua mode of social reproduction still, frankly, sucks. It genders, nationalizes and races us. It norms us for productive work. It makes us believe we are ‘individuals.’ It minimizes costs for capital while maximizing human beings’ life-making labor (across billions of tiny boxes, each kitted out – absurdly – with its own kitchen, micro-crèche and laundry). It blackmails us into mistaking the only sources of love and care we have for the extent of what is possible.

We deserve better than the family.

Similar views have abounded in globalist left-wing circles, and there’s even a book that’s been written about it.

Getting women (as the traditional caregiver) out of the home and into office fulfils both the profit move of the corporations, and the desire for radical societal restructuring from the socialists. 

This combination of corporatism with socialism is what the Great Reset is all about. 

This, my friends, is the end result of runaway inflation; the destruction of the family as we know it.

And that, in turn, leads to depopulation, and good little boys and girls being programmed by the state to become obedient slaves on the global ‘elite’ plantation of high taxes and super profits. 

The inflation crisis is no accident. 

I bet Milan to a brick that the outfits that truly run the world — Vanguard, BlackRock, dynasty families such as the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, and now the Soros clan, and their facilitators in the World Economic Forum — know exactly what they’re doing.

Until next time, God bless you, your family and nation.

Take care,

George Christensen

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George Christensen is a former Australian politician, a Christian, freedom lover, conservative, blogger, podcaster, journalist and theologian. He has been feted by the Epoch Times as a “champion of human rights” and his writings have been praised by Infowars’ Alex Jones as “excellent and informative”.

George believes Nation First will be an essential part of the ongoing fight for freedom:

“The time is now for every proud patriot to step to the fore and fight for our freedom, sovereignty and way of life. Information is a key tool in any battle and the Nation First newsletter will be a valuable tool in the battle for the future of the West.”

— George Christensen.

Find more about George at his www.georgechristensen.com.au website.

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Authorised by G. Christensen, Te Kowai (Mackay)