大象传媒

(920 words)

TO 'PUT BRITAIN'S SECURITY FIRST' WILL REQUIRE EXPEDITEDLY REVERSING AND FIXING MANY OF LABOUR鈥橲 EGREGIOUS ERRORS

What is needed??

1) A Royal Navy with 'legitimate' Aircraft Carriers and modern Destroyers- instead of the dangerously economized grievously under-equipped, devoid-of-industry-standard-weapons-and-ship-self-defence systems鈥� ones that the previous Labour govt directed the construction of (IE: the Type-45 Destroyers and planned 'big deck' aircraft carriers);

2) Upgrading the Royal Navy's presently hugely degraded (during the previous 12-years) capabilities to a functionally responsible level* by actioning a vigorously compressed build programme for operationally-sufficient numbers of new 'FULLY EQUIPPED' AND FUNCTIONAL- NOT DEFECTIVE, surface and SUBSURFACE combatants*** as well as technologically-up-to-date support vessels for the RN and RFA鈥�

* IE: the objective- a Royal Navy that is capable of projecting productive & constructively deterrent British presence world-wide AND with capacities to deal with known and to-be-expected threats from both state and non-state actors into the coming decades...
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"Argentina gets first Russian defense deal", 26_04-2010:
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"Argentina abandoned a nuclear weapons programme in the 1990's... The deal also comes amid designs by Russia and Argentina to bolster relations in nuclear power development and share use of the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS**)...

(** in case the US ever cuts off Argentina access to the GPS system??? Can the UK's politicians say with certainty that Argentina's nuclear weapons programme will NEVER be re-started??)

鈥淢edvedev's visit to Argentina: more than 10 agreements signed", 15_04-2020:


"Argentina and Russia Sign Nuclear Power Generation and GLONASS Agreements and Sale of Two Mi-171E Helicopters", 15_04-2010:


Russian company Novator's Anti-ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) products are being marketed at international arms expos as store-able, transportable and launch-able from converted standard-sized shipping-containers, aircraft, submarines and small coastal patrol boats:


"Falklands' war tested modernized Super Etendard in Argentine Navy's agenda", 21_02-2010:


"... The possible transfer to Argentina of a refurbished model of the French manufactured fighter-bomber Super Etendard, which had an outstanding performance during the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict, is under consideration by the French Ministry of Defence.."

"Soviet/Russian Cruise Missiles":



"The Cruise Missile Challenge: Designing a Defense Against Asymmetric Threats", May-2007:

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*** ROYAL NAVY's NEWEST SUBMARINES RIFE WITH PROBLEMS:

The RN's Astute SSN programme has been rife with design-phase and manufacturing problems almost since day one- caused by the previous Labour govt's inconsistent and grievously inadequate funding for the programme...

Astute class submarine programme:
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"The Astute programme has unfortunately become one of the most troubled UK defence projects since the 1980's, matched only by the Nimrod 2000 programme鈥�"

"Monster of the deep wreaks havoc at BAE", 23_11-2003:
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"... (cause of Astute programme's problems are because) there had been 'a significant gap' between the last Trident construction contract and the award of the Astute deal", leading to substantial skilled-labour and technology-base shortages in the UK naval shipbuilding industry- esp in the area of subsurface combatant programmes...

Many of the Astute programme's most serious problems are being attributed to inordinate delays in the programme generally and to inconsistent and insufficient funding for the programme leading to substandard training of and credentials of design and build personnel...

The latest Astute problems were reported in the Daily Mirror several days ago:

1)

2) Two months earlier, similar- VERY SERIOUS SOUNDING- problems were reported in the Daily Record:

-

3) -

3a) "BAE to cut 230 submarine jobs", 11_02-2010:


4) "BAE Systems Barrow submarine fire probe continues", 26_01-2010:

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One of the Royal Navy's oldest (32-years in-service) 'Swiftsure' class SSNs was to be decommissioned imminently, and 'replaced' by HMS Astute. Is this possible, considering the apparently very serious, extensive flaws and problems??:

5) "South Atlantic Royal Navy nuclear powered sub en route to be decommissioned", 14_04-2010:
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6) "BAE hands new nuclear submarine to the Royal Navy 鈥� four years late", 15_11-2009:
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"... What caused this four-year delay (in the Asute SSN programme)? The end of the Cold War and the gap between designing the Trafalgar class submarines meant a lot of nuclear submarine-building experience had disappeared, and contractor BAE Systems struggled with Astute's computer-aided design... "

7) "MoD won't commit to Astute schedule", 09_06-2009:
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"... The programme suffered major delays at the start of the decade as BAE encountered major staff shortages in its submarine programme...."

8) "Fire crews called to blaze on Astute sub", 04_05-2009:


8a) "Astute's problems continue", 05_05-2009:
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9) "Probe begins into submarine fire", 20_04-2009:


9a) "Astute on fire in Barrow", 18_04-2009:
/cumbria/content/image_galleries/sub_fire_200904_gallery.shtml?1

9b) "Probe into blaze on Barrow nuclear submarine", 20_04-2009:


9c) "Astute delays after fire onboard", 21_04-2009:


10) "Commissioning problems hit Astute delivery", 08_09-2008:
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"... a range of emergent first-of-class issues have conspired to delay the programme. Astute has encountered a number of setbacks in its commissioning and test phase, including damage to turbo generator bearings during testing in August 2007...."

11) "Workmen cause 拢2million of damage to Faslane nuclear submarine base", 12_07-2010-


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Add the Russia trade agreements with Argentina of the last 3-weeks to requests by Argentina to France from late February-2010 for the sale of advanced-capabilities fighter aircraft (currently being considered by France) and what does this demand from the new UK govt (& from Her Majesty's loyal opposition): total ignorance and the continued gutting and weakening of the RN- or does it call for prudent upgrading of RN capabilities AND THE FIXING OF PROBLEMMED SURFACE & SUB-SURFACE COMBATANT BUILD PROGRAMMES???

_____________________
Roderick V. Louis,
Vancouver, BC, Canada

TRIDENT/VANGUARD SUCCESSOR CLASS SUBMARINE PROGRAMME WARRANT OBJECTIVE, BALANCED RE-EVALUATION

Another objective for the United Kingdom's new govt & for Parliament's new & re-elected MP's could be dispassionately evaluating the controversies- AND OPTIONS- regarding the Trident-nuclear-missile armed Vanguard submarine successor programme AND related issues:

1) "In defence of Trident", May 07, 2010:


Members of the US Congress have indicated in a late 2009 report that they want the design of the Common Missile Compartment (CMC)- intended for use in both the UK's Vanguard SSBN successors and the US Navy's Ohio class SSBN/SSGN successors- to be such so as to enable CMC's to cheaply, efficiently and relatively easily switch between the SSBN and SSGN mission profiles:

2) "(U.S.) Navy Attack Submarine Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress", October 21-2009:

Interested persons can find this document by going to: and typing or pasting "Navy Attack Submarine Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress" into the search box...

3)

"Sea-based strategic deterrent

"The (U.S.) committee believes that it is in the national interest to maintain the submarine design industrial capacity to begin development efforts for a new class of submarines which could either continue the mission of the current Ohio-class strategic submarines (SSBN) or serve as the next generation of tactical guided missile submarines (SSGN).

"The committee is also aware that the United States has agreements with the United Kingdom to jointly design and develop a common missile compartment (CMC) module which would be used by both countries for construction of next generation submarines.

"The committee supports both the development of the CMC and the cooperative manner in which research and design costs are being shared by the United States and the United Kingdom.

"However, the committee is aware of the combatant commanders' desire for increased presence of the recently converted SSBN to SSGN submarines due to the significant tactical strike and special operations capability those platforms can deliver. Therefore, the committee strongly encourages the design of the CMC module account for a non-strategic use with minimal back-fitting..."

4) "(U.S.) Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations: Background and Issues for Congress", October 08-2009:

Interested persons can find this document by going to and typing or pasting "Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations: Background and Issues for Congress" into the search box...
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5) "China's New Missile May Create a 'No-Go Zone' for U.S. (& U.K.) (surface) Fleet(s)", 17_11-2009:


What are UK policies if this missile or a variant of it was sold to- or obtained by- other countries, such as those adjacent to the Falklands???

Argentina had an active and progressing nuclear weapons programme up until the mid-1990's... Reportedly only stopped due to economic issues...

What are UK policies to prepare for a situation when this programme was re-started??
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If the UK military has been supplied with sufficient funding 2002-2010, then:

1) Why were integral-to-national-security projects such as the Type-45 Destroyer and 'big deck' aircraft carrier programmes so starved of funding during 1999-2010 that the resulting warships are completing construction as/designed to be commissioned as little more than floating shells- bereft of basic, industry-standard offensive and ship self-defence weapons, damage control and communications systems??

2) Why have Labour committed funding for the construction of only 6 Type-45's (albeit dangerously deficiently equipped...) when more than 14- fully fitted out- are needed to replace the Royal Navy's obsolescent/egregiously-vulnerable-to-modern-airborne-weapons Type-42, Type-22 and Type-23 Destroyers/Frigates??

3a) Why have Labour committed funding for only 5 Astute class nuclear submarines when at least 10 of these are needed? &

3b) Why did the Labour govt continually force the Astute submarine builders to find unrealistic levels of cost-savings every year 2002-2010??... resulting in brand new undersea combatants that are rife with flaws:

4) Why, during 1998-2010, has Labour overseen the reduction of Royal Navy surface combatants to a level that for the first occasion since the 1600's has left the UK with less of these types of warships than France's Navy???
======================

.... 12 years of Labour govt gross negligence, deliberate lack of long term military force level and capabilities' planning and putting party-political histrionics ahead of national duty have left the RN an emaciated, neutered, excessively-vulnerable-to-modern-airborne-anti-ship-weapons force!!!

...resulting in the UK and its assets- particularly overseas ones- at high risk- if not inviting aggression- from both state and non-state actors world-wide...

... and jeopardizing the UK's hugely valuable, leading positions on the world's most powerful international political, financial, military and legal bodies such as Nato, the UN's 'permanent 5' group of its Security Council, the IMF, G8, G20 and the like...
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With Australia planning to acquire 12 attack subs that are Astute-sized and with similar capabilities over the next 15 years, and considering that Australia is actively looking for international partners to assist in their new subs' design, construction and fitting out- the UK's Astute class could reasonably be marketed aggressively as a template...

But only if the UK-govt-inflicted problems that the Astute programme has experienced almost since day one- cease...

6 of Australia's new subs could be constructed and at least partially fitted out in the UK, with the remaining 6 subs constructed/fitted in Australia under a multinational partnership...

Profits could at least partially make up for the gaping holes in the UK's projected defence budget requirements 2010-2024... and such a UK/Australia project would hugely assist the UK in retaining and enhancing its submarine design/build industrial-base capabilities for at least the next 2 decades...

_____________________
Roderick V. Louis,
Vancouver, BC, Canada

The oil blowout preventer is getting coverage in the HuffPost Marcus Baram:

"At today's hearing before a House subcommittee, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., revealed that the blowout preventer had a leak in a crucial hydraulic system and had failed a negative pressure test just hours before the April 20 explosion. And at a hearing in Louisiana on Tuesday, the government engineer who gave oil giant BP the final approval to drill admitted that he never asked for proof that the preventer worked. "

So Obama might well have good reason to change the oil drilling regulation organisation as he is doing. Who cares whether their equipment works and the oil may now reach Mexico.

Meanwhile a Venezuelan gas rig sinks.

It never rains but it pours.

I hope Bennett-Jones will cover the role of opium in the economy and whether it insanely meshes in a Catch-22 situation the Afghan officials being involved in the production that helps funds the Talibs who are officially trying to kill them.

It would also be interesting to know whether the opium flow is just going North these days or whether it is a factor in the Iranian border where Afghan refugees and local separatists are getting executed by Iran with alarming frequency.

Also are al Qaeda involved directly in the drugs as that would seem to be the most likely way of their getting quick funds - I assume though that they go through the Talibs and that some money finds its way over the border and into the al Qaeda caves.

How about a piece on bees sometime?

If they were in decline before and 30% did not survive this last winter the implications of the major pollinator continuing into decline are pretty serious.

I hope this last election will have led to the refinement of cross democratic party cooperation on how to deal with far right BNP lies and hate tactics.

I am unclear as to whether the EHRC injunction on their recruiting members due to their failure to implement the law on racial membership rules still stands.

Presumably the BNP are quite likely to split into those who want to declare their love that must never speak its name (for Hitler) and to wear natty little uniforms from those that are presumably naive enough to think they are not in bed with National Socialists.

I am also looking out for a condemnation by Griffin of the KKK following the murder of a KKK recruit who "wanted out". He spoke well of them before.

Also what will become of Collett the then BNP publicity officer who got publicity via his arrest for allegedly threatening to kill Griffin his BNP leader.

Such nice people.

Its probably a fair assumption that Labour will try to pursue the collapse of internal Lib Dem support to boost their core vote.

But that could be very complex as the old tensions surrounding New and Old Labour and socialism and social democracy get masked under the new guise of "progressive".

I hate to mention the odious BNP again but even they have claimed they are "not a Nazi party" and that they are "modern and progressive".

I am NOT saying Labour are like that hideous mob but that the phrase "progressive" is a tad vague.

So it will be very interesting to see how they play out their open leadership contest with the inevitable philosophical debate and how that will practically affect their roots and their future.

Its also going to be interesting to see whether they maintain their praise of Brown and Blair as their attacks on cuts by "Tories" really will seem childish and hollow as everybody knows whose watch it was on that they racked up the credit boom and who allowed the bankers to be lightly regulated - and that it will be the Lib Dems who help to fix the problem.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

7

progress would be dropping the fairness model and adopting the Good as the highest idea of the mind. More 'fairness' is regressive as it requires smothering out the Good.

there is nothing progressive about 'fairness' or equality. words that come from a Marxist interpretation of everything through class. So last night Kirsty was hung up about where the Cabinet came from not if they were any good or even qualified. That is Marxism. Its why bright kids in state schools must be sacrificed to the lowest common denominator of the dumbest. Otherwise there wouldn't be 'equality' or 'fairness' if some were better than others. the examples are nendless.

Fairness, progressive and equality are jedi mind trick words used to hide a creeping marxism or class interpretation and model of society. It is a pig philosophy [no positive discrimination for the good] that leads to a pig society. So don't be surprised if the coalition requires people to eat slops.

OK, that's just about it!

I've had it up to here with meeja hypocrisy about the Coalition; rabbiting on about poshness, when Kirsty, Jazza et al are not exactly products of Essex sink estates; it is the same as Diane Abbott and Harman Harriet preaching to us about comprehensive education, sneering at educational privilege then at the first opportunity, i.e. at the public expense from their wages as public servants, despatch their offspring to private schools; to paraphrase Don Michele Corleone, "you are all part of the same hypocrisy."

The guy on breakfast TV nailed it when he said they were all fretting about when a deal would be concluded, then, the deed done, immediately afterwards said , "It'll never last."

What I DON'T get is why folks like Cameron and Clegg are so averse to grammar schools? Maybe that'll change now Michael Gove's in the teacher's chair.

Taking a businesslike approach to cutting costs will be a breath of fresh air; every business, public or private, has inefficiencies, duplications of effort, non-value adding activity, you name it. Efficiency does not immediately mean that people lose their jobs, however it can mean just that when outsiders like consultants or top down diktat apparatchiks hold sway. I don't think this coalition will swing that way.

I saw two items today that give a glimpse of what can be achieved; a group of Derbyshire food producers cutting out a string of middlemen, mainly foreign, to provide food to two Nottingham hospitals at 拢2.40 per meal cheaper than the previous outsourced offshore alternative; saving for both hospitals 拢6million p.a.
The forty police constabularies in England each have their own HR dept. ,their own IT dept. and negotiate separately for uniforms etc.

Another one that's just popped up are the educational quangos which currently cost 拢600 million p.a. Given the huge amounts of money that have flooded into the public services over the past decade, there must be a myriad examples such as these; we just need to have the will to look for them, and act.

And finally; I'm fed up with all this talk of compromise; don't you mean concessions?

Sorry for the rant, but with the country facing such trouble and the Coalition looking so positive, the pettiness of the media response is staggering; yet most of them went to Oxbridge; well, there you are, I'm off for a scoop of raki and won't be watching NN again for a long time.

Kirsty, why not have a nationwide raffle and the winners, female of course, get seats in the Coalition cabinet to reflect more accurately the demographics of Britain?

Byzeebye!

GO1 wrote:
"I hate to mention the odious BNP again"

No, you Love giving the BNP a mention. Your day would not be complete without you giving the Nazis-in-suits an airing on here. After the election I genuinely thought you might just give yourself a holiday on the matter of far-righters; considering that they won 0 seats. But on closer inspection of the results, the BNP did triple its vote, so, you may as well carry on as before.

I notice you mention the Huff a lot. Don't rely on this 'publication' for objective news reporting. I suggest you take a look at the owner/s first before you treat it as Gospel. And I think you once mentioned Jon Stewart as a good source of info. Remember Stewart has his lines written for him. If it was not for the backroom boys with type writers all he would be able to do would pull funny face's at the camera, still, its an entertaining show non-the-less.

Afghanistan: The US army are helping the opium farmers. But you wont be reading that in the Huff post. Well the US administration are very familiar with drugs and the supply and distribution. Bush senior when he was Regan's Vice Pressy was busying himself selling arms for drugs, that wasn't that long ago..funny how people forget. FDR's family made their fortune getting the Chinese addicted to opium. Jack Kennedy the bootlegger. Yep, the pedigree of drug dealing and gangsterism within the American presidency goes way back. Not to mention death and distruction and the coalition with the Devil: Wall St.

#5-7 Gangofonefixation:
" I hate to mention the odious BNP again but even they have claimed they are "not a Nazi party" and that they are "modern and progressive".

Don't keep upsetting yourself Gango; try to stop having these nightmares about BNP - they've gone away now dear. Try meditating: BNP,BNP,BNP..
'Bees Not Pollinating....Bees Not Pollinating...Bees Not Pollinating'.. and you might be able to switch your fixation for another concern; one that we can all share with you.

FISCAL UNEASING?

The 大象传媒 article (below) explains that the 500Euro note is being withdrawn from sale at UK banks, because most of these high-denomination notes are used for money laundering by criminals - drug barons, terrorist organisations, etc.:-



鈥漈he reality is that from now on people are not going to be able to go into wholesale bank suppliers, the money bureaus and ask for a supply of 500 euro notes鈥�

If most of these notes are in the hands of criminals why not forbid their exchange, so that application has to be made and investigated in each case? Isn鈥檛 this something in the common interest that Europe can agree on? Or is big business, crooked or otherwise, in control again?

Having withdrwn them from circulation, without purchasing those that are found in the possession of criminals, wouldn't that represent a financial savings? The bailed-out banks could then use them for their obscene bonus payouts without offending us taxpayers and part-owners.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

WHILE A 'LIGHT TOUCH REGULATION AND LOW TAX ENVIRONMENT' OUGHT TO BE STRIVEN FOR IN THE UK: THE NEW UK GOVT, WORKING WITH LEADING UK BUSINESS INTERESTS COULD GREATLY AMPLIFY THE BENEFITS OF SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT BY ESTABLISHING AND EMPOWERING AN 'INDUSTRY DIRECTION SETTING COMMISSION' OR SIMILAR BODY...

Besides strengthening existing UK businesses and enhancing their respective areas of expertise, an objective of such an 'industry direction setting' body could be developing new products and services for eventual export...

A good example could be products and services related to public and business-related transport...

Improving the movement of goods & people both within the UK & to/from other EU countries could only benefit UK trade as well as strengthening the binding of Scotland (& Wales) into the Union...

As part of the new govt's long-term economic plans & dealing with the current economic difficulties, competent UK companies with rail-transport equipment related technological expertise ought to be enabled to innovate & diversify & if practical- to set up joint ventures with &/or acquire complementary overseas firms...

Rolls-Royce is a good example...

Rolls could be a leader in many fields other than jet engines & turbines...

Japan's Hitachi, Toshiba & other companies that produce leading-edge technology high-speed train systems->> that could be made compatible with those in EU countries; nuclear reactors & the like & that want a greater presence in western markets could be brought into alliances with- or might allow (parts of) themselves to be bought by Rolls- but not without considerable UK govt funding & negotiating efforts applied to these objectives.

A highly capable UK company such as a Rolls-Royce, GKN or Babcock paired with an industry-peer like 1 of Japan's high-speed train manufacturers, could use their joint & complementary expertise to co-develop & market designs that would be legitimate world beaters: competitors to France & Germany's established part-state-owned/tax-payer-subsidized companies...

A little state aligning of corporate relationships is needed...

Rolls-Royce partnered with a high-speed train manufacturer such as Hitachi could- using Rolls' internationally esteemed & invaluable 'brand' along with its extensive high technology & power generation expertise- become a legitimate world-class high-speed as well as other types of rail transport competitor...

... entering markets that can only expand substantially & reliably for the long-term... both in EU member nations & developing countries like Brazil, India, China,& in East Asia.

In a similar transport-industry-related theme, Rolls partnering with companies that specialize in bus & or mass-transit technologies to produce reliable, high-quality Rolls-Royce buses &/or other types of people-movers could only become an internationally competitive player...

Canada's Westport Innovations:



produces kit that converts diesel fueled engines into (natural) gas driven types...

Westport partnered with a prestigious, highly capable company like Rolls-Royce in the production of 'clean' gas-powered (diesel-design) engines could only make inroads to bus & similar types of vehicles... which are a 'coming market'... in both the EU & developing world countries...

While state intervention into industry is usually undesirable, the state setting or assisting in establishing a general corporate or specific industry direction can have positive outcomes...

If one takes a look at France or Germany & their very well known nuclear-power companies & other successful banking, energy, software, automobiles & high-speed-train manufacturing 'state-assisted' firms... it is undeniable that state-involvement- at least in the areas of indigenous-industry direction-setting and facilitating the mergers/amalgamation of comparatively small firms into big/mega-firms capable of competing globally- has had substantial positive outcomes...

With sufficient funding & a little creative govt negotiation assistance, UK companies such as Roll-Royce, GKN and others could be producing world-beating high-speed and other types of people and business-moving trains and supporting infrastructure; nuclear power plants & environmentally friendly public transport systems, such as gas-powered buses...

The massive borrowing previously by Labour- and continuing over the next decade to a lesser degree under the new govt- ought to be put to more than just financing UK residents to 'shop till they drop', and subsidizing social programmes while govt relies on lazez fare economics to fix UK plc....

A long-term UK industrial & economic development strategy needs to be clearly laid out before any increases in borrowing occur...

Thinking big!! by politicians & bureaucrats is needed!!

High speed and high technology urban and inter-urban rail for the United Kingdom ought to be accompanied by the establishment of a liberally funded multi-national-membership 'world centre for rail-transport and public-transportation research and development facility'... with the primary objective: developing exportable rail transportation products...

While a low tax, light regulation industry environment should be an optimal objective for whatever party is in govt- there is no reason why- working with industry sector leaders- govt/state 'direction setting' could not compliment this...


Roderick V. Louis,
Vancouver, BC,
Canada

16...Thinking big!! by politicians & bureaucrats is needed!! ..

there is no such thing as a nation building science. there are no textbooks, no courses, no professors writing books.

we had no plan for iraq and afgfhanistan even though the boast was we are 'good at these things'. MPs need no qualifications to control budgets of billions. uk democracy institutionalises incompetence. further we have a crypto marxism that people call 'liberalism' whose sole aim is to deny there is anything called the good. because the good in their mind is a 'discrimination' and thus an oppression. How we are oppressed by their oppression obsession.

so do not be surprised that there is very little good about what they do when the good is exactly that which they wish to avoid.

A VERY BRITISH VICTORY - A TRIUMPH FOR DECEIT.

Dave may have his feet well under the table, but I have just sent a Conservative flyer to the Electoral Commission that reads:

"THE CONSERVATIVES MUST WIN HERE TO STOP ANOTHER FIVE YEARS OF GORDON BROWN."

If you can find any way to read that, that makes it other than a lie, let me know.

Meanwhile the commission have sent an interim reply saying (in part)
"on the general point, it is worth noting that the Electoral Commission does not regulate the content of campaign literature."

My reply - predictably: "Thanks - who does?"

Oh - it's all going awfully well!

MIGHT I ADD A LINE JAUNTY? (#17)

And the feudal lord (Prime Minister) hands out portfolios to his acolytes as a hierarchy of sweeties; commensurate reward for sucking up or back-protection. To be TAKEN AWAY IN A FLASH IF THEY TRANSGRESS.

Not GOATS but FAWNS. (sic)

lets put this election into perspective.

it was known a few years ago that the NuLabour Tory party was sinking politically. The Public wanted real change, and were willing to vote 'outside the box'.

our Overlords, the Banksters and Imperial America, wanted a Tory Govt to give legitimacy in their ongoing wars on Islam, and also to ensure the economic pain was felt by the normal people, not the rich.


so clegg was drafted into the LibDems, and was highly suspiciously incredibly rapidly then elected Leader - without any clear policy objectives, just those strange "feel-good" factors that gave us B'Liar, and the US Bush. His first major change was to remove the LibDem pledge to put a penny on income tax, and spend the money on education. He also attempted to make all policy decisions his alone - which brought him a rebuke from his party. (Remember that, LibDems? Its going to seem quite a regular occurrence from now on, i hope none of you are holding any lingering fantasies that the LibDem Party is actually going to have any policy input into this Govt).

Brown continues to plunge, due to the inevitable economic crash caused by the policies of nuLabour and the Tories since 1979, where deregulation and privatisation has been the name of the game. Not enough wage incomes to keep the economy going, so a credit boom based upon a housing bubble was used to plug the dam. People are aware that this is a Tory/nuLabour scam, and QT shows our Rulers that we are completely sceptical of the whole bunch.

election time comes, the 3 fuhrers decide to crowd all the other parties out by holding a 'leadership debate' - it was obvious that Clegg was intended to draw those disaffected with current politics into the arms of the LibDems, and was deliberately given an easy ride... "we agree with nick".

the second week was supposed to draw the Labour voters back to their roots, failed somewhat there, but again - "we agree with nick".

the 3rd week was obviously intended to be camoron's debate, because that would be the intended 'uplift' effect before the election - remember that Tory polls had been dropping substantially and constantly for months, as the Public became disillusioned with the lot of them.

it was all scripted, the positions rehearsed, the clich茅s rolled out, the lies set in concrete. To be repeated ad infinitum.

so the smaller parties were marginalised, especially in the current FPTP system. Add on top of that the enormous ballot rigging, Party machines in swing districts, all funded and controlled by Lord Nasty Ashcroft, were apparently registering proxy votes in incredible numbers.

and on election night, we got scenes where THOUSANDS of voters were turned away, because polling stations were ill-manned, under-equipped, and didn't even have enough ballot papers.

anybody seeing a rerun of Bush and Florida yet?

so come this election, we basically have 3 Tory parties, one outgoing, one pukingly smug, and the '3rd' basically lifting every comment out of the Green Party Manifesto - the Greens of course not actually allowed to take part in the media discussions. Stitch-up?

after the election, surprise surprise, this plant suddenly pops up his head from the LibDems where he has been hiding, and declares himself a Tory, ready to join a Tory Cabinet. Shocked about that still?


in essence it was a 'Mach 3' election - the big two, with almost identical policies on more wars and Nation-destroying amounts of Public cuts, with the third 'blade' to shave away support for any actual progressive Parties almost to the bone. "Vote for the LibDems to keep out the Tories". Remember that? Or is it already just a bad dream? Because Clegg now stands revealed as a "savage" cutter, who is also happy to be sending our armed forces to be cannon fodder for more US Imperial ventures.

lots of change there.

--and the first thing they want to do, is not only to feather-bed their nest, but also to heavily armour it, to prevent ANY change through public pressure - or indeed, prevent the NECESSARY counter-balancing arms of the UK constitution from hampering this incredibly unpopular and reactionary Govt in its intended goals.

even Thatcher didn't go anywhere NEAR this far - we are seeing the UK political life transformed into nothing more than a mouth-piece for US aims, and unless we can stop them, the UK will be sucked dry into a 3rd World country, with the poor to attack each other for a mouthful of bread, whilst the wealthy cruise past in 4x4s and limousines.

and all through it, the People themselves are brought to argue for the changes, through the absolute control of all mainstream media to pump out the same, if occasionally apparently disagreeing, messages. And the Tories to 'privatise' even the 大象传媒 to the right-wing Media Empire that has so strongly distorted the political debate in their favour, to prevent even the mild criticisms shown by NN and QT.

think this couldn't be true, it is just 'paranoia'?

Iraq. War on Terror. UK Banksters receiving 拢1,500,000,000,000 of taxpayer monies. Printing huge amounts of money ('Quantitative Easing'). Social payments to be slashed. Poverty to be massively increased. Wealth inequality to go through the roof.


look at Greece now. That is our most likely future under a Conservative Govt.

now look at Zimbabwe. That is our most likely future under a Conservative Govt in 5 years time. Including the hated Dictator that the People simply can't get rid of.


George W Cameron. "Mission Accomplished".

DAVE'S CONTRACT - I'M STILL WAITING.

Does anyone know if Dave's promise of FULL ACCOUNTABILITY (if he broke the terms of his contract with voters) still stands? Or was that one of those POLITICAL promises like the POLITICAL truth at #18 above?

Yesterday .....

At 00:11am on 13 May 2010, gnuneo wrote:


Interesting and incisive post ......

An observation to add .... with due apologies to jadedjean et al ....

Will the deceit offered to the GBP extended to the right wing press extolling 鈥榮tate鈥� propaganda and overt failure sic of the hacks to report HMG's failures, liaisons and tom foolery?

Were G Orwell alive and well, and living in Tooting, he鈥檇 win the lottery every week as a result of being such a visionary!





By way of recognition of stated - intended - departure of a poster from here ....

鈥淎n opinion not voiced, or not heard, is a potential opportunity lost.鈥�

And the person whom said that knows what he鈥檚 talking about!

I like the way the '10-o'clock News', sorry "大象传媒's News at Ten", refers to the compromise on 'immigration' policy as a case of the LibDems giving way on 'earned residency' (nice) and not the majority party - Conservatives - implementing a manifesto pledge (to be applauded, surely?), one overwhelmingly supported by the public.

Public opinion is, as ever, irrelevant to the 大象传媒.

By the way, Gordon Brown wasn't 'standing beside his children's pictures, as he prepared to resign' - planted pictures, no doubt. He way standing by a telephone, which was on a desk (I can't imagine he used it much, given its size), which was pushed against a wall; a wall featuring some of his children's pictures. Let's not be too reverential, shall we.

Boy do I hate having to watch 大象传媒 news to check these things.

What a negative, cynical package by David Grossman. Please give this Government a chance before you write it off. It is a bold move and probably the biggest development in British politics since the formation of the Labour Party. I think that you should strike a more conciliatory tone.

Apologies for the typing error in

22. At 10:44pm on 13 May 2010,

"Will the deceit offered to the GBP extended to the right wing press extolling 鈥榮tate鈥� ......"

Should read ....

Will the deceit offered to the GBP extend to the right wing press extolling 鈥榮tate鈥� .... "


I have booked my Taxi to the Tower!

I was waiting how long it would take before the first rant at the unemployed. There are soon going to be five million people feeling a sudden wave of laziness, apparently, and need to be forced into work that has long since disappeared.

Infantile Tory boy bigotry, devoid of any notion of British life. This drive to deprive the victim even of life support has Tory boy talking about toughness. What a big man, standing up for the pig ignorant greedy against the most vulnerable. And he will seriously wonder why crime will explode when benefits are cut to subsidise his over fed friends in the City.

One question - how many months before a hero of Afghanistan becomes a state dependent layabout who needs a boot up the backside?

#22: thank you for the compliment.

as to your question... i think you already know the reply to it.



...but don't worry, because its all "in the National Interest". I'm sure we can *ALL* sleep well knowing that.


#26: indeed.

poor Will Hutton trying to go against the flow and point out that *jobs need creating*, rather than simply "blame the unemployed", but you'd have to be a Tory voter to be so stupid as to not realise that already.

well, if we let 'them' get away with their early program of "change", i guess those Tory voters will have 5 YEARS to grasp this concept. And if many of them change their minds - its STILL 5 years. And probably longer, as the Tories also want to change constituency boundaries so that its no longer the number of voters, but the amount of Land covered.


..what a pity goats, pigs and sheep can't vote. Maybe.


it would be nice to see some graphics on voter-representation under these proposals?


so- forcing people living in areas with 30%+ unemployment off benefits, that is *REALLY* going to cut poverty and crime*. Add on then the multiplier effects of "savage" Public spending cuts upon employment in many areas, let alone the cuts in direct services to the poorest (they ALSO employ people), and the only jobs available McJobs are in Tesco's and Manpower with no employment rights, and its hard to see benefits to ANYONE except the very wealthiest, who will see their wage-bills reduced. My god, its almost like we have a Tory Govt again!!

---oh, wait... :'(

*unfortunately, reducing poverty and crime is rarely a top Tory priority, despite any mouthed platitudes and right-wing press frothings. The reason for this is simple - more crime, more police. More police, more State Power. And now their financial backers are the private companies that build and run - profit from - prisons. The more they send to jail, the higher their campaign contributions, back-handers, and post-MP-speech incomes. On top of which, to be sincere in cutting poverty and crime, you *HAVE TO* believe in Social Justice. And to the consternation of most Tories, that DOES NOT MEAN that it is 'just' that some Briton's are born extremely wealthy, with every advantage, and some born to extreme poverty.

that is not a "Class Statement", it is just simple common sense, let alone common morality.

the Tories have no interest in rebuilding the UK - they wish to turn it back to the Victorian Age, where we all tug our fore-locks, and beg for scraps from their table. These Liberals who have joined their Cabinet, with only the rare exception, are all either completely happy with this agenda, or else placed where they can do no 'harm', and can be effectively gagged through "Collective Responsibility" - individual cabinet members have to agree with the line taken by the Leader, and in Public too, despite whatever worries they actually have.

no wonder they wish to quite literally change our Constitution to prevent their removal (*think about that!!*), and no wonder Heseltine on QT tonight openly said they were going to be deeply unpopular - most Britons, sooner or later, are going to wonder why the poorest have to be hit, and our inner cities smashed, rather than the 'Elite' pay a decent ("fair"? lol) share of the tax burden.

most REAL British people love this Country - what a shame the wealthy would run away from us if they had to pay even the same % of overall tax taken as the poorest do. Would we miss them?

most immigrants pay high levels of tax to be here, and work very hard. 'Our' Elites rip us all off, pay [bleep] all tax, and seem to spend most of their time either doing back-room deals to avoid paying tax, or else handing out huge bonuses to each other - funded by *us*, the tax-payer.

perhaps its not "immigrants" we should be setting quotas on??

23. At 10:55pm on 13 May 2010, Strugglingtostaycalm wrote:

On the reverence stakes...

As an entity evidently tasked with shaping the Brown legacy, in matters spun I was wondering if anyone at the 大象传媒 knows what went into that tacking, soaring shot of the family Brown taking their last 'no cheap uses of props' stroll down Downing St into the sunset.

Seemed a bit more than some bloke with a shoulder mounted high def OB camera could have managed.

And if stage managed over the usual 'turn up and shoot', who set it up?

ps: This one...

ALL THIS PARTY-BASED RHETORIC!

Westminster draws the deluded, deranged and duplicitous (let's call them barmy) into its foul womb - in a Miltonesque horror. The idea that a party label makes much difference to individual barminess (and consequent behaviour) does not register with me.

Blair, Thatcher, Brown, Major, and all their fawning hoards are BEYOND PARTY, and closer to some antechamber of Hell, described in Paradise Lost. Well - I got the last bit right, and no mistake.

PERSONALITY RULES POLICY KO

HHhhmmmm can't see unemployment problems going away fast, with another load of foreign kids in the pipeline for work......



Our population is just not sustainable, we do not have enough work for all in this country. But have imported millions of people, to do the work we will not do, if you believe that mantra, I don't!

What's the latest count 8 million brits could be working, but they're not, nothing to do with mass immigration is it?! ; )

Can't see Friday's slot yet these blogs but can we please have a report tonight from the Newsnight financial market gurus on the EU hedge fund regulation proposals please.

This is indeed a really big story as Gavin Esler remarked at the close of Thursday's edition as he went through Friday front pages.

I especially would like to hear from representatives of each party what their position is.

We could perhaps have the hedge fund manager on the other night with Kirsty who was rather intense on a possible banking crisis consequent of the Eurozone crisis and in particular I would like to know from him how a hedge fund would attempt to profit from markets in turmoil as a result of this crisis, what the ethics of that is and how or otherwise hedge funds will be constrained by the regulations proposed (friendly advice to interviewer: waiting for answers and insisting on them when not forthcoming always appreciated by viewers of course).

Alternatively someone from Barclays Capital (who were heavily implicated in the hysterical trading on the Dow on election day Thursday) would also be interesting.

If I have time and see a Friday slot hope Newsnight shan't mind me if I repeat this post there.

Go1 # 5 - my bees got through the winter in one piece but there are big problems with varroa and foul brood which, coupled with monocultures, pesticides, etc do not make it easy for the average bee in this country today. I couldn't see any policies on bees in the Coalitions agreement. Interestingly, many bees are now imported from Australia as it is about the only place in world were there is no varroa (for the uninitiated, this is parasite which affects bees). More immigrants. I'm however concerned if they will score enough points under the new points system - they cannot speak English for a start. They also breed very quickly, you know - won't be long until we are swarming with them! More seriously, I reckon if we managed to fix all of the problems affecting bees, it would indirectly benefit us all.

@ Ecolizzy #31 - problem is EU immigration to the UK is unlimited, so anyone from the EU can come in......unlike Italy & Ireland etc which have a cap on the amount of immigration within the EU.

#31 ecolizzy

"
What's the latest count 8 million brits could be working, but they're not, nothing to do with mass immigration is it?! ; )"

No actually its probably not. The BNP used to peddle the line that unemployment figures equaled immigration numbers and of course they don't.

But in fact current unemployment is probably more to do with the credit crunch, a lack of investment in areas where manufacturing and engineering have not prospered in general and people who have become unemployable.

Immigrants have created wealth and contributed fully to the country and we are content as a multi-racial country as the last general election showed. The BNP lost council seats and is, happily, in crisis.

That's not to say that many people are unhappy about immigration levels under Labour.

I think we do need to think about sustainable population levels but in my view we need to make it clear that's due to long term environmental and social as well as economic issues.

Nobody should allow the notion of the racial differences the BNP have tried and failed to promote to be peddled.

24. At 11:19pm on 13 May 2010, Trefinboy wrote:

What a negative, cynical package by David Grossman. Please give this Government a chance before you write it off. It is a bold move and probably the biggest development in British politics since the formation of the Labour Party. I think that you should strike a more conciliatory tone.

I Wrote:
It's not a development at all. We've moved slightly rightwards from New Labour. In New Labour we had the new labourites with free market economics, and old labour with democratic socialism. In the Tory-Lib Dem coalition we have the Tories and the orange book liberals the free marketeers, and the Beveridge group of the Lib Dems on the centre left.

It could be the case that the Tories get their majority by stealth. All the Lib Dems in ministerial posts are free market liberals. I can see the Lib Dems splitting with the free market liberals (31MPs) going over to the Tories

#12 indignantindegene

"Don't keep upsetting yourself Gango; try to stop having these nightmares about BNP - they've gone away now dear. Try meditating: BNP,BNP,BNP..
'Bees Not Pollinating....Bees Not Pollinating...Bees Not Pollinating'.. and you might be able to switch your fixation for another concern; one that we can all share with you"

Total tosh and I don't want to share anything whatever with you.

One thing that became clear from the Euro elections was one million people voted BNP. Most as a protest but the issue is that they did not realise how dangerous that flirtation was.

As for this page we have had those such as jaded_jean/statist etc who have cheerfully promoted National Socialism and the idle lie of a "Jewish hegemony" and racial differences in IQ. I seem to recall numbers of people all happily chirping away - probably because they were obviously other far right activists.

So as the lies get exposed they shrink back but its still an idea to keep them on the run.

In the Independent:

'A white supremacist who created deadly ricin will be sentenced along with his racist son today.

Police said former pub DJ Ian Davison, 41, was plotting to use the killer chemical which was found in a jam jar in his kitchen when officers raided.

He ran a group of internet extremists known as the Aryan Strike Force with his 19-year-old son Nicky, who was convicted last month of preparing for acts of terrorism by downloading the guidebooks the Anarchist's Cookbook and The Poor Man's James Bond. '

So that has not made the news on the 大象传媒 at all.

Why not? Even a tiny amount of ricin is deadly and there is no cure.

We are far too soft on these people and there are those who will try to use the internet to promote such vile views by stealth. They are not harmless eccentrics.

I am not Jewish. On this page I have previously seen many views on the alleged "Jewish hegemony" expressed that correspond to the views of the onetime American Friend of the BNP Vonn Bruun who had a conviction for attempting to kidnap a Fed member and is currently charged with the murder of a US security guard at a Holocaust memorial.

Such people are very few in number but lets bear in mind that if you count would be bombers in this country the far right have outnumbered al Qaeda in the last decade and we certainly take them seriously.

#30: is it not of some grave concern when 'normal bloggers' have far greater insight into UK Political realities than the talking heads we pay vast sums to do such thinking?

all this blah blah about "parties", when it is clear the 'broad church' of the Tory Party can easily absorb the right-wing, pro-wealthy corrupt marketeers of the Liberals. Already the saner heads are pointing out that on virtually EVERY major policy the Liberals were identical to the Tories during the joke of an 'election' (we should however savour it, Heseltine has made it clear they have NO intention of asking for any of OUR opinions again, now the Tories have got their desired dictatorship) - its just a pity far more of them didn't work that out DURING the election, and warn the electorate about it.

we are now on the threshold of a dictatorship we cannot get rid of, that is happily rewriting our Constitution so they can govern effectively almost forever, with only slightly over 20% of the total electorate voting for them in the last election.

and the supreme irony in all this, is that the Partners in this dictatorship, ran on a campaign to *increase* civil liberties and Democracy in the UK!!

feeling betrayed by the 'Liberals'? Buster, you ain't seen *NUTHIN* yet.



#31: ecolizzy, i don't have the time to go searching links for you, but it has been shown *repeatedly* across the world, in every age and epoch, that a normal healthy economy can and will absorb any surplus labour into productive tasks. This is for the scientific reason that every person is a *consumer*, of goods and services, even if for such things as haircuts, or refuse collection. Problems of unemployment begin when the economy is NOT healthy.

how does an economy become unhealthy? What IS a "healthy economy"? A healthy economy is where the people producing the goods and services are paid commensurately with what they produce - this allows them to spend the most upon goods and services themselves, in turn employing more people. Off of this comes 2 main things - tax, and 'profits' given to owners. Tax is generally a good thing, because it employs teachers for the children, road maintenance crews, street lights, and doctors and nurses for everyone when they are needed. Unfortunately taxes can also be used by unscrupulous politicians to line their own pockets, to buy arms for wars, maybe as poodles for other stronger countries, to hire "consultants" who by sheer coincidence went to the same private schools, or to bankrupt our country by handing 拢1,500,000,000,000 of taxpayer money to their friends in the Bankster Industry. By the by, one of the current 'Etonians Love-In' at Downing St comes from a Banking lineage. We can TOTALLY expect fully transparent, accountable banking reforms then. Want to place a bet on that?

so taxes reduce the amount of money taken home by the workforce, which although can potentially harm the economy, can also be put to great use providing services for the whole community to benefit from, cheaper, and more comprehensive than private services. Think "NHS", for example.

then there is profit taken by the company owners - this can be anything up to 30-50% of the productivity of the worker (how do you think Tesco's and Sainsbury's make 拢Bns every month?). THIS is the part that makes an economy unhealthy - especially when that money flies straight out through accountancy trickery into tax-havens. This is because people can no longer afford to purchase goods and services that employ others, because 30%+ of what they produce is stolen by social parasites called "owners". Compare to Infinity Foods and Waitrose - in those companies, the profit from all their hard work goes back to them (or is reinvested in their companies for their futures, the best 'pension fund' possible!), and those workers receive far higher wages than workers in say Tescos. Infinity Foods therefore is a Healthy part of our economy, because they are spreading the wealth, and employing people at incomes that allow more people to be employed. Tescos is unhealthy, because their workers are so exploited the wages are as minimal as they can get away with. This prevents the circulation of money, which is as vital to a healthy economy as your blood circulation is to a healthy body.

right! As i said, ALL this is fully researched and 'out there', i would recommend amartya sen's "freedom as development", but it is a very difficult book. The logical, and scientific, conclusion form all this, is that it is not the amount of people in an economy that 'causes' unemployment, because every person *adds* more demand and supply to the economy (caveat: short-term resource limitations), it is the very structure of the economy itself.

the greater the wealth gap, the greater the exploitation, the greater the un-healthiness, expressed as unemployment - and ultimately in recession/depression, as we can see.

the greater the spread of Partnerships, or cooperatives, the less the exploitation, the less the wealth gap - and the healthier the economy, the lower the unemployment, and the happier the population.

this has been known for CENTURIES or more. Where would you choose to live if you had the choice - Modern Denmark, or Modern Russia?

who has been blaming the immigrants? The UK's very rich people, who own all the Nation's press and media. As Gangy said earlier, few had problems with immigrants when the economy was on the up.

what is very interesting is that the equation for blaming immigrants goes like this:

"There aren't enough jobs, immigrants have taken all the jobs."

what is interesting is that the problem is LACK OF JOBS, yet the entire media focus is upon IMMIGRANTS. The Greens wanted to invest in new companies to create jobs, the Rich and their political mouthpieces intend to blame poor and helpless immigrants and minorities for their economic catastrophe, caused by their rapacious and insatiable greed.


#36: correct on almost every point. The self proclaimed "free marketeers" in both Lib and Scum-Tory Parties are actually Feudalists, who are seeking to reduce "regulations" to allow private monopolies to form, to maximise Corporate profits. Needless to say, Corporate profits do not translate into higher living standards for the vast majority. Remember how the Bolsheviks called themselves "pro-People"? Very similar level of truth.

and they probably also believe it. Self-deception, especially when self-interest is involved, can make grown men wear stupid robes and call themselves "Pope". Hey, they get to live in mansions and palaces, and be 'better' than those not so fortunate - how COULD that be wrong?!?

They are not free-marketeers, they are out and out parasitical, blood-sucking feudal monopolists. In BOTH parties.

and they are there in Govt now, and we will not be ALLOWED to get rid of them - as Heseltine quite openly informed us on QT. I wonder if ANY of the Tory/LibDems have enough independence, and actual concern for the Democratic values they were arguing for during the Election, to actually vote for the Right of the British Parliament to get rid of a Govt that has lost its majority in the Commons, or whether NOW that they are in power, a Dictatorship seems quite attractive to them?

i wonder if any have morals beyond lining their own nests? Not holding my breath on that.

...but i would love to be wrong - it seems a few Tories ARE speaking out against this change, and my deepest apologies to those individuals for lumping them in with their loathsome, anti-democratic co-Party members. Unfortunately, to someone who grew up in the 80s, its occasionally difficult to remember that there ARE some decent Tories out there. Good for you, and again, my apologies.

the LAST thing we need is another Blair. Who has destroyed our Constitutional balances and checks as well.