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Archive for October, 2008

As is often the case, it is something someone else says or writes, which can help us change focus and gain perspective. I am a great fan of Boris Johnson the Mayor of London in part because he is humorous and lacks pretensions but mainly because he is highly intelligent.

He wrote an article the other day in which looking at the current economic crisis and how it impacts ordinary people gave the following advice: Those who are not in debt should spend money on those things they actually want because “closing the hatches” and spending nothing can only hurt people by destroying their jobs and in that, destroy our economy.

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A quick recap of my previous blog which was for a “British Federal System” where property taxes are set and collected locally and all National Taxes are collected pretty much as today but split between say, 40% being retained centrally and 60% returned to the “local government unit” where they were collected.

This “government unit” would be based upon The Welsh Assembly, Stormont in NI, The Scottish Parliament in Scotland and the County/Metropolitan Councils in England. I am not proposing definitive solutions as in “I am Right”, I am putting forward debating positions or a hypothesis so let’s move on to other implications…

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If you look at the Constitution of the United States of America, you will see a total separation of power between the President (the Executive) and Capitol Hill (the Legislature) but it goes beyond that to the Supreme Court which is designed to protect the Constitution and also the Federal structure verses the States.

In concept, the American Constitution is based upon the simple principle of not trusting anybody with absolute power and this came about because the people who wrote it were starting from scratch and never wanted to be ruled by a hereditary monarch, in the UK, we don’t have this, our Constitution has evolved over time and sometimes…

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News Management:- There is no surprise that Nick Robinson and Robert Peston are once again to be seen in being the Labour Party’s mouth piece over the “Russian Billionaire- Tory Donations” story. To be fair neither are journalists and without being hand fed news stories by the Labour Spin Machine and complying with their wishes, wouldn’t have a job anyway.

Now remind me just who Brown told in an “exclusive interview” that the Election that Never Was, wouldn’t happen ?

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We are potentially living in very interesting times which may make it possible to start thinking new thoughts and trying out totally new ideas. Let’s be honest, if the global economy tanks, we will have to ditch all past assumptions anyway, no choice.

In a sense if we look at all the political froth that surrounds us with our own “Gormless Gordon” strutting around, what we are looking at is people trying to protect the “status quo” but how likely are they to succeed in achieving that and, do we want them to anyway ?

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I guess that the Daily Telegraph must be hosting “Work Experience” sessions for people aspiring to enter the newspaper business. If so, they are allowing them quite a lot of scope, even it would appear to writing Editorials.

We are used to the biased and selective reporting of the BBC with their Andrew Marr, Nick Robinson, the Today programme plus all the other lefty trolls but the Telegraph is getting quite amusing. Today’s effort was to suggest that Brown might get elected on the “Cling to Nurse…” basis at the next General Election…

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I sometimes wonder what possesses politicians and publishers to blindly combine in the ways that they do. Today the Daily Telegraph decided to publish an article supposedly written by Gordon Brown which would have been fine if he had anything new to say or, if he were prepared to speak differently as in treating us like real grown-ups.

No, Mr Dalek wrote in his usual totally robotic terms, clearly he sees nothing, hears nothing and understands even less. I don’t know how long this link will last, I hope forever because not only do you need to read his drivel but the readers comments are staggering !

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/10/18/do1801.xml

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One of the most extraordinary things that one sees far too often are ‘attacks’ on David Cameron and George Osborne by supposed Conservative supporting people like Simon Heffer and Jeff Randall, in both cases, I would trust a Rattlesnake sooner than either.

As to why these people write and behave as they do, I haven’t a clue except there must be a shortage of suitable medication where they live. Today’s outing by Randall was an attack on Osborne for him not attacking Labour on its deplorable economic record.

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Perhaps the most irritating aspect of some of the media coverage of the current financial crisis is the “lionisation” of Gordon Brown who seems, foolishly I suspect, to be enjoying it all. The reality is that he is through his lack of diligence whilst in Office plus one suspects to a large degree, the intellectual inability to discharge his duties, he is personally responsible for the mess and lack of preparedness in the UK Economy.

I can claim no ‘glory’ for the following culled from Hansard and put under a ‘non du plume’ on the internet by someone else, but it does rather damningly make the point that this all happened on the “One Eyed One’s Watch”.

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With all the turmoil in the Financial Markets, I noticed someone suggesting that with the nationalisation of two major Banks, Capitalism was dying, it is not a view that I agree with because of basic human nature. People do actually need the incentive that by their own effort, skill or intelligence, they can be “better or different” to those around them. This does not just apply to wealth creation, it is also what inspires truly heroic deeds in both the military and civil sphere.

But if we were to say that the way that things have been done in the recent past have to change, I would say that was obvious and I believe that change will be beneficial too…

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