Archive for September, 2008
Change And Opportunity in Difficult Times
September 20th, 2008 | 
Author: 
I must admit that right now is a situation when I would like to be 15 to 20 years younger than my current 62 because through all the turmoil on the financial markets and the knock on effect for all kinds of businesses, brand new opportunities will arise and therefore a chance to ride a new wave and be part of something fresh.
Although none of us would necessarily volunteer for ‘change’, the trick when it becomes inevitable is to grasp it with both hands and make it work to our personal advantage. However it is also important to keep our minds open and not allow ourselves to be controlled in our thinking from what went before and this is particularly true when looking at the current banking crisis.
A Personal ‘Take’ on the Global and UK Financial Crisis
I can make no claims to any great financial expertise in the area of Global Transactions but a simple question arises for me: “So what exactly is all the fuss about and from what is currently happening, what is the surprise ?”
Now I’m not deliberately trying to be flippant and ignoring what must be a very painful and chastening experience for many but my point is that there is absolutely nothing that is “New” about what is taking place, there are no “New Surprise Elements” that make this “Crash” historically unique and therefore “unexpected”. Capitalism, Socialism, it is all about the redistribution or transfer of wealth by various means and a Market Crash is just one of them.
The Internet And A Gold Standard
Sir Tim Berners Lee at the recent launch a a new Web Foundation called for the establishment of some kind of rating system based upon whether a particular web site is truthful and trustworthy. Now to be fair, he is not envisaging a “Sir Tim Stamp of Approval” rather that various organisations could rate sites by different criteria and over time, what someone described as a “Kite Mark”.
He apparently has in mind how evil cults and rumour mongers can use the web to spread false even damaging information. Now clearly he is right in the sense that there is a lot of inappropriate material out there from porn to terrorism and every stop in-between but I personally don’t see how that can be policed or indeed, whether it is even desirable to do so. I think there is a far better and cheaper way of skinning this particular cat.
Should He Stay or Should He Go ?
As we approach the Labour Party Conference at the end of this week, there is a fluttering in the Dovecote and murmurs of mutiny in the ranks concerning Brown’s Leadership. People lose their minor Government jobs for speaking out, the usual suspects like Harmon talk in a manner that demonstrates their total disconnection from the general public who just want to be shot of the lot of them.
That Labour will lose the next General Election whenever it is called, is a certainty but what to do about Gordon ?
Fear of Religion
One of the biggest problems that I face when I scan the British Press and ‘comment boards’ is a total fear of ‘Extreme Islam’ and people who will strap on a ‘suicide vest’. The very idea that ‘anyone can care that much…” is far too much for most British readers.
The consequence is therefore that it is ‘religion’ that is to “BLAME” and yet clearly, this is a flawed concept to any believer in ‘Almighty God’ by whatever ‘religious variation’ they travel this path.
What to do About Iran ?
I was reading yesterday an article about the possibilities of air strikes on the Iranian nuclear facilities and how for the moment, these would have to go on hold because of the current stage of events in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The assumption seems to be that it is the Israelis supplied and supported by the Americans would actually carry out the raids in “due course”.
Now whilst I agree that the Iranians are annoying little mindless shits and there would be very few tears shed here or in the Middle East if they got a severe kicking. However if you stand back for a moment and think about it, does any of this make much sense ? The more I think about it, the less it seems to and what is almost certain is that this is not a simple black and white issue.
9/11 – My Grand Daughter’s Birthday
Great events, dastardly events even, live with us all but only in personal ways. People may ask “Do you remember what you were doing when you heard that JFK was assassinated ?” My answer would be no, I don’t because this teenager that sat up until 03:00 in the morning to hear the “Cuban Missiles Speech” was busy leading his own life at the time when JFK was gunned down in Dallas.
The fact is that 9/11 was a truly significant ‘event’ but perhaps sometimes, big stories can also be told via small personal ones. I can only recall it all through my own eyes and personal experiences and for what little it is worth, on this 7th Anniversary, this is my story.
Even in Conflict, Morality Must Prevail
Today was an interesting day that made me stop and think about a number of issues and ‘express myself’ as they say. It started from an article in the Telegraph concerning the US drawing down combat troops from Iraq and redeploying them to Afghanistan. As usual on the feedback there were some vigorous comments including the need to be “Ruthless” over hot pursuit across the Pakistan/Afghan border areas.
Fair enough one might say and as I have already written, Pakistan itself is the biggest single threat to the internal security of the UK above any other country on the planet. However this also led to various parallel discussions which I hope can be deduced from my replies to them below, I hope this is interesting it was thought provoking for me. The majority are my words rather than other people’s but I hope they describe the ‘whole’ as it were.
The Village Idiot
That I would personally like a General Election immediately so that we can get rid of Brown and this appalling Labour Government is because I want to see the Country moving forward again with a bit of “Hope” in our hearts instead of living with a totally “Hopeless” and long past it’s Sell By date Government.
Yesterday I was gob smacked to hear that an article published under Gordon Brown’s name appeared to endorse the Democrats and Barak Obama. It is well known that you do not ever be seen to favour one side or the other in any foreign election campaign, that is a matter for the voters of that country not the British Prime Minister ! I would call him a part of the female anatomy that rhymes with hunt but, they are very, very useful, Gordon Brown will never be, not even as a bookend.
Posted in Politics | 
Tags: Anglosphere, British Interests, Politicians, The European Union, USA | 
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New Priorities, Strategic Thinking
There was a short Editorial in the Telegraph today commenting on the fact that the British Government is sitting on its hands and leaving it to the French President Sarkozy to deal with the Russians over Georgia on behalf of the whole EU. Now given the low state of Anglo/Russian relationships currently which came about through inept Brown/Miliband handling of the Alexander Litvinenko affair, one might think this better but, it is not.
Neither France nor the EU represents British interests and the gutless indolence of Brown and Miliband is a disgrace but hardly a surprise as neither seems capable of doing the job they have got. It has nothing to do with Britain “punching above its weight” which was ever, a stupid notion held by stupid people, we need to be aware that it is about protecting our vital national interests which the EU won’t.