大象传媒

I was kind of thinking Osborne and Clarke and Cable would be being pulled back from the edge of a tall building having looked at the financial books but perhaps they are brave or they had disclosure beforehand.

The big thing I would have thought would be the back end loading as planned by the Lib Dems that would have hit those who could have afforded it better more than those who couldn't.

It did seem a better idea to me rather than simply hack down services that would then need to be rebuilt - though there is nothing wrong with efficiency.

Its pretty clear the Labour were always looking at this situation and hoping for a meltdown that would see Lib Dem internal support cause a flood to Labour.

But then the whole ethos of Lib Dem politics is to get PR and to try and get majority governments for them - but to respect the vote and try to satisfy the majority of the voters aspirations by working with others where needed.

So those Lib Dems that are allegedly leaving probably ever understood the philosophy anyway - and I am not convinced there will be mass defections except in specific seats and possibly some areas of Scotland. People are not stupid and they can see what the National Interest is.

The fact that the triple lock approval mechanism did not show any dissent shows that it was a necessary and genuine and consistent move and it will hopefully yield dividends to all concerned.

As for the Labour attacks on impending Tory cuts its pretty obvious why they need to be taken given the lax Labour attitude to regulation and gung ho attitude to credit.

The cynic in me wonders whether there was last minute shredding of papers that might have surfaced at Chilcott and whether the attitude to papers on external renditions and torture may now become more available - or less.

I suppose I should try and say nice things about Michael mates but I would hope there would be a more sustainable attitude to those who have proven to be innocent who were tortured in Guantanamo.

Robert Reich in the HuffPost:

"The five biggest Wall Street banks have had the derivatives market (derivatives are bets on whether the price of certain assets will rise or fall, bets thereby "derived" from asset prices) almost entirely to themselves. Last year their revenues from derivatives trading totaled a whopping $22.6 billion. Their advantage comes from their large size, plus government insurance of their commercial deposits that allows them to raise money more cheaply than other financial institutions.

Derivatives lie at the point where the basic saving-and-lending function of commercial banking meets the private casino of Wall Street investment banking. You and I subsidize the biggest players in the casino who, precisely because we subsidize them, have grown too big to fail."

So on this side of the pond will OCC (Osborne-Clarke-Cable) harness the power of derivatives in such a way that the economy is not playing Russian Roulette with the Fabulous Freds and so on? Are there any noises on bank size and so on?

The new alliance does not have to be coy as they were not complicit in creating that shabby economic ethos.

'BRUTAL GAME' (Phil Woolas)

Those words sum up Westminster politics - and that they were said in a throw-away manner, indicates their total acceptance in that feudal palace.

BUT WHAT PLACE HAVE BRUTALITY AND GAME-PLAYING IN CIVILISATION AND DEMOCRACY?

We are still 'living within the lie'.

#5 barrisesingleton

The important thing is that we keep those of the evil far right who would replace democracy with National Socialist tyranny.

Fortunately they are intellectually incompetent, as well as morally, and as evidence the BNP have the odious champagne National Socialist Nick Griffin as their leader.

The BNP website got "more hits than all of the other political parties combined" and therefore of course they got hammered at the election.

That's because they can lie and lie and lie about not being Nazis but they can't live within the lie and sustain the lie for long.

For instance the fact that Collett the then BNP Publicity Officer was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Griffin and he had declared himself a passionate admirer of Hitler does tell you a lot!

why was Vince Cable withdrawn from the negotiating team with Labour and replaced by the hardline Tory friendly David Laws...I detect hankey pankey..

President Cle-on has already made his sic first serious mistake ....

For eons we have heard that the only man - other than the recently resigned - to fully understand the economy is the venerable Mr Cobble.

So whom do the 鈥淧residents鈥� appoint?

(Q: How do we address the(m) President(s) now? Is it 鈥榟e鈥� or 鈥榯hey鈥�? Is it 鈥榟im鈥� or 鈥榯hose鈥�?Presumably there is some form of constitutional diktat sic to help us to correctly genuflect?)




A perfect example of how we are manipulated - before, during and (still) after the election period - ....

Press Release: 鈥楾hey鈥� .... will be shaking hands in three minutes. ....... !!!!!

History will want to know - such was the (future) perceived level of of state control - if it was embargoed! (!)



With the forthcoming local constituency election - postponed as a result of the death of one of the candidates (Will it actually still take place?) - it will be interesting to see what the proportion of votes will be for the three ( Is it now two?) main parties?



The worms are coming out of the woodwork to condemn the conduct of the New Con鈥檚 election campaign ....

And whom was 鈥榣eading鈥� that? Mr Onlyjustborn perhaps?

Just how far will Top Con鈥檚 loyalty stretch?


It just gets worse!


Is it not interesting that already we are being told that 鈥榠t鈥� is what we 鈥榲oted for鈥� (Doh!), what we wanted, and what will be good for us! (Double 鈥楧oh!鈥�)

Is the 鈥渨e鈥� them or us?

And finally ....

Assuming that hacks get overtime (?) ....

How many are now tax exiles?

Or even Oligarchs?

#8

is your name by any chance david the 'joker'?

#8

is your name by any chance david?

#10 addendum

stalin, hitler, Prince Albert, all moustachio men in fact, rich and poor; Churchill, David Cameron, David Laws, David Miliband, all davids in fact, you name them

nuff said?

#9; I think you mean Sultans and Lords of the Horizons Camerleggs.

Why not just give them both some time? It's a big challenge, one the Labour party are happy to duck.

And why so much smart alecky comment? Once again, we show our insular mindset, with mouths agape at a process that's commonplace in mainland Europe.

Do our media understand what "the big picture" means; very doubtful, given they seem more interested in the colour of the curtains Mrs PM will choose.

Things are gonna get very tough; folks need to hang together, or....

Just as I correctly predicted the outcome of the Election, so I now predict that TED Tweedleband will find the crown of Labour lying in the gutter, will pick it up and place it on his own head - quicker than anyone expects.

if the coaltion is a cross bred dog does this make it mongrel politics?

Response to .....

At 8:58pm on 12 May 2010, kashibeyaz wrote:


Power begets power begets power begets power...... ad nauseum!

Alternatively ....

Corrupt power is second only to control addiction.

i.e.

You want it, you get it, you abuse it.


(Please note the specific lack of exclamation mark for that last statement as the assertion is just so, so so ' every day. Ya know whata mean man? Like cool!). Like routeeeen even!)



Q: How many of the GBP voted for the Faust twins? (However much it might be "in the nations interest"!!


Answers on the back of a microdot please to ....

Think I鈥檒l take a rest from tonight鈥檚 NN having watched enough discussion on the new political scene with various pundits鈥� views of its merits and chances of survival.

大象传媒 website neatly sets out the main policy agreements from the alliance so far:


and with thumbnail CVs of the new cabinet appointments:


Disregarding 鈥榯he common good鈥� - amongst the 鈥榞ood news for me鈥� are:

New ministerial committee to look at "structural" banking reform. Hope it will have urgency 鈥� and sharp teeth.
Enhanced compensation for Equitable Life policy holders. A classic outcome of hierarchical courts reversing lower court decisions, with no pragmatic consideration of 鈥榝or the good of the greatest number鈥�.
Referendum on the Alternative Vote system for general elections. Which I hope may result in a modified system as Tories will canvass against a 鈥榶es鈥� vote.
Cut in number of MPs and equal size constituencies. A hefty cost saving?
Statutory register for lobbyists; Reform of political donations and party funding; Ban on "non-doms" sitting in Parliament. Should help control the USA style of corruption.
Scottish Parliament to get more powers; Referendum on devolution of further powers to Welsh assembly; Review of Scottish MPs voting on England-only legislation. All steps toward recognition of England as an entity.

No further powers ceded to EU without referendum; UK not to join euro in lifetime of Parliament; Work to limit application of EU Working Time Directive in UK; Great Repeal Bill including abolition of ID cards. A halt to creeping EU powers?
Commission to review long term affordability of public sector pensions; Benefits to be conditional on willingness to work. Thinking the unthinkable, again?
Cap on immigration from outside the European Union. And no mention of LibDem plan for a Citizens Pension, based on residence not contribution history.

Also most welcome: the return of mainly 鈥楨nglish types鈥� in the cabinet!!

#15 (and others)

Where does this obsession that the GBP EVER votes for the PM/leader come from.

Maybe if the GBP engaged half a brain cell and actually waited to see what happened we wouldn't swing wildly fro one outswing of the pendulum to another.


#13

Yep Kashi. For sure, we are in for a rough ride. Fasten seat belts - airbag may be deployed

MOST of us will survive if we sit it out. We really have 'had it too good' in recent years. To paraphrase what was said a few years back in a tv show

"You want change! But change is gonna cost. And here is where you pay. In blood, sweat, tears and............. compromise."

"The burning question is - what will be the new logo of this government - a yellow bird in a green tree? "

for goodness sakes.

"Our Diplomatic editor Mark Urban will be rifling through new Foreign Secretary William Hague's in-tray to consider what the big foreign policy issues facing the new government might be."

pretty straightforward -

the great offices of state are called that for a reason - they dominate any government and to a large extent and other ministers room for manoeuvre is massively constrained by them.

what is revealing about the new government is that the key positions are now held by pro war hawks and far right of the tory party (also pro israel regardless of legitimate palestinian rights as was expressed by hague during the gaza war - he exclusively blamed hamas despite the facts as now detailed by goldstone) , individuals who will follow obama (as obama has initmated already) into afghanistan, pakistan and iran et al are in top place - cameron, osborne, hague, fox and may ... clegg politically is not so distant either.

add this to the agreement (which also carries a lot of aspirations rather than definites):

it appears that a majority of 55% will be required to oust a fixed parliament under the new legislation. it says that if the relationship breaks down, a vote of no confidence can be passed - but it would need 55% of the house to succeed, which is pretty much impossible unless some tory politicians vote for it.

and cannily there are 20 lib dems in govt posts.those 20 plus the tories 306 gives a current majority in the house.

quite calculating, eh. appears the war party is not beyond 'gerrymandering' .

welcome back to the nasty party and say goodbye the lib dems are effectively no more.

CL-AMERON for attention !

I wonder how many people would not have voted Liberal or Tory if they knew this was going to be the outcome. I know i wouldnt have, how about doing a YouGov Poll ?

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

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

"The cynic in me wonders whether there was last minute shredding of papers that might have surfaced at Chilcott and whether the attitude to papers on external renditions and torture may now become more available - or less."

why would the tories want to declare the wars as being illegal and expose wrongdoing when they signed upto them, only 15 voted against (100 labour did along with libdems)and as obama has already intimated are fully engaged in the new wars which appear to be in the direction of pakistan and iran .. along with lebanon, syria and of course gaza (excluding the new african adventure).

"Robert Reich in the HuffPost:"

whats even better is that the banking bigwigs are wanting reserveless banking .. in the usa .. what more could you ask for.

why are not banking execs, banks and financial institutions being held responsible for the massive fraudulent ponzi schemes .. which are still being sanctioned and backed by governments.

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

Response to ....

17. At 10:38pm on 12 May 2010, brightyangthing wrote:


For 鈥淔aust twins鈥� read 鈥淔austian Pact鈥� .... It鈥檚 the same outcome.


There are already mutterings - in Nn, as elsewhere - of VAT being raised to 20 plus per cent.

25 per cent anyone?


Q: What was it Nu Con number two repeatedly chanted?

A: 鈥淲e have no plans to raise VAT.鈥�


Q: Is the woman in the white jacket ....

1. Real?

2. An MP?




Fact ....

The airport where Chamberlain waved his historic 鈥榙ocument鈥� is now a ....

Supermarket Car Park.

I can (regrettably) understand the cynicism of both the media and party members that this new alliance will ever work. How we have been twisted by our press and TV! However, we are tired of the continuing attempts of the media to find 'holes' in the new government before it has had time to get organised and of the sneering at 'Dave and Nick' and their relationship. I can't see a stable alternative to what has happened so well done them for sorting it out in only 5 days. And at least we have broken the previous way of majority bullying government which only takes account of 40% of the country. Lay off and give them a break, please!!.

What a brilliant ending to Newsnight tonight. Inspired genius. Whoever thought of that needs immediate promotion. I belly-laughed so loud. And Kirsty's mischievous sign-off / intro to the outtro was absolutely classic. Perfect. Ha ha ha! Thank you so much for cheering me up!

#15

JAperson

Is your name david 'the joker'?

#17

Brightyangthing

Is one of your names now david 'the joker'? Taken over, have you?

Remark heard sometime today on Radio 4 by a German politician. He said he was amazed how quickly and efficiently the Cons and Libs had formed a pact. He said in Germany it would have taken at least 40 days not 5, he was quietly very surprised.

Also a remark from a friend who lives in a banana republic, it won't last, ours never do, several of the last governments have been coalition, no one makes a decision, and nothing gets done.

#22

wendymann

is your name david 'the joker'?

- INTERNATIONALLY-HIGH-PROFILE, CONSTRUCTIVE NATIONAL OBJECTIVES NEEDED -

A higher priority than balancing the country's budget and eliminating its debt- for the new UK govt- ought to be setting several internationally high-profile, mega-project-type national-objectives or programmes...

Objectives/projects intended to instill pride and purpose within the electorate & businesses 'in return' for their economizing and 'putting up with' cut-backs in certain areas of govt expenditure and paying higher taxes...

1) 'Made in the UK' high-speed train lines on a mega-scale through the whole of the UK- starting with an expedited line or lines from London to N Ireland and on to Dublin via an undersea tunnel linking N England or Scotland with N Ireland;

2) Development of a world-class high-speed and urban-rail transport research centre in the UK in which successful international companies with expertise in high-speed and urban rail as well as other types of commuter & business-goods transport are participants;

3) World-beating high-speed Internet connections to every home and business in the UK;

4) an Internet router, storage and broadband data-delivery research centre- in which successful international high-technology companies participate and play integral roles;

5) A Royal Navy with 'legitimate' Aircraft Carriers and Destroyers- instead of the grievously under-equipped, devoid of ship self-defence weapons & dangerously economized ones Labour has directed the construction of (IE the Type-45 Destroyers and planned 'big deck' aircraft carriers);

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

* IE: the objective- a Royal Navy that is capable of projecting constructive British presence world-wide and with capacities to deal with known and to-be-expected threats from both state and non-state actors...

"Argentina gets first Russian defense deal", 26_04-2010:



"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?????)

"ARGENTINA ABANDONED A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM DURING THE 1990's.... (my emphasis- rvl)

(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:





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, subs and small coastal patrol boats...



"Russia's Novator Experimental Design Bureau has developed a containerized version of its Club family of anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles.

"...The new variant, the Club-K Container Missile System (CMS), is perhaps the ultimate concealed weapon as the entire system is housed, transported and fired using a standard 40 ft shipping container...

"Soviet/Russian Cruise Missiles":



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



"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..".
=========================

** 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- plainly caused by the previous Labour govt's inconsistent and grievously inadaquate funding for the programme...

Asute class submarine programme:

-

"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.

"Due to serious delays and problems... the first unit, HMS Astute, was not expected to become fully operational (now, untill 2011- six years later than forecast when ordered)

"Monster of the deep wreaks havoc at BAE", 23_11-2003:

-

"... (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 UK's Daily Mirror several days ago:

1) "Royal Navy's (newest) nuclear sub stranded in port after fire", 09_05-2010:



Only a couple of months earlier, similar- VERY SERIOUS SOUNDING- problems were reported in the UK's Daily Record...

2) "Captain defends BAE Systems Barrow sub Astute 'faults' claim", 03_03-2010:

-

3) "New nuclear sub captain defends 拢1bn vessel despite technical problems", 28_02-2010:

-

========================

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


========================

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


-----------------------

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 reported??:

5) "South Atlantic Royal Navy nuclear powered sub en route to be decommissioned", 14_04-2010:

-

note text: "... At present she is currently the oldest commissioned vessel in the Royal Navy still in active service and is to be decommissioned in December.

"... She will be replaced by HMS Astute, the BAE Systems-built lead Astute class submarine."
------------------------

6) "Astute to embark on sea trials", 16_11-2009:



6a) "BAE hands new nuclear submarine to the Royal Navy 鈥� four years late", 15_11-2009:

-

"... 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....

"... Eventually, in 2003, the Ministry of Defence had to promise more money and help was enlisted from US submarine builder Electric Boat, owned by General Dynamics...."

7) "MoD won't commit to Astute schedule", 09_06-2009:

-

"... 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:

-

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:

-

"... 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) Poorly trained personnel & lax quality-controls due to programme funding constraints??:

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



==========================

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

--55% needed to make a Govt fall? To create "stable govt"??? :o Why not just make it "99%" and call it a dictatorship. If "Stability and Strong Govt" is what is 'required', to go so far as to remove one of the basic Principles of the UK's Constitution, just go the whole hog and do a Saddam!

--new Lords? That's to remove the Upper House's ability prevent change, or even to force discussion of any Bill. Add that to the prevention of a simple majority to force a general election to allow the public to decide - the ultimate protection of the Parliamentary System - and you have a very dire picture of an even stronger Elected Dictatorship.

--afghanistan *and* Iran? New wars then? Oh GOODY!!

vince: as business secretary you should be involved in the selling off of the Beeb.

the first step will be to start transferring some of the money the Beeb gets to other, private and profit-making corporations. This will be presented to you to present as "supporting competition", propping up the private sector so they can "compete on a level playing field".

then parts of the Beeb will be offered for sale - to be purchased by Sky amongst others. This will be both to "cut expenditure"(!), and also to "raise capital to pay our National Debts". This is a fair guess, as its also what the Tories used LAST time they were in office to "sell" Privatisation. (but now its called "spin" instead of "sell").

when put together, this means the Beeb will be paying Sky, lets say around 拢200M or quite possibly more, to buy the Beebs own production/catalogue/internet arms. The 大象传媒 will be forced to actually PAY to have it bought by Murdoch's Sky!!

this is only one thing vince, you will also be *used* to advertise bad products to the electorate, both because the Tories and their Backers think more of the Public will accept it coming from you, but also to nobble you, to prevent you speaking out AGAINST these changes.

will you sacrifice the good will of the People, for a minor cabinet post?

-------------

it is interesting to note that the first act of the new Tory Govt is to try to prevent its removal, by ending part of our Constitution that has stood since the beginning. (the simple Majority vote, that they want to extend to 55%). They also want to IMMEDIATELY hobble the Lords by filling it with new Peers, so the Upper House cannot function to check the Lower. Under Margaret Thatcher, the Upper House did sterling work to prevent some of the worst excesses of her Administration - the same was true of B'Liar's NuLabour.

"undemocratic" it might be - it is still FAR better than nothing, and its loss is a terrible blow to British Democracy.

We also see the Tories almost BEGGING the US to have another war they can be 'favourite poodle' again, dreaming of the Pat-On-The-Head given to "most quivering with pathetic anticipation" by the President of the American Empire.

more wars. Plus trident. And the new aircraft carriers. The Tories stare at pictures of Winston Churchill far too much.

----


a few questions to introduce Mr Cameron to his new duties:

ash:
1. what is the Tory policy on flying jet engines through ash-clouds?
1.a. are the previous Govts figures to be accepted?
1.b. if his Govt feels they are too loose, will they tighten them back up, and ignore the howls from the Airline lobby?
1.c. if they feel they are too tight, will they loosen them again?
1.d. if an airliner crashes (touch wood one doesn't.), WHO will be held responsible? The pilots themselves, under tremendous pressure to fly, the Companies who lobbied so hard for the restrictions to be reduced, or YOUR Govt for keeping them lower than first recommended by the scientists?


brothels:
2. as the Courts have decided that prostitutes have the Right to "Protection at Work", will this Tory Govt then legalise brothels owned by the women working there, so they can then claim police protection, and not be forced onto the streets?
2.a. or will they follow the Dutch version, that allows unscrupulous men to control the industry, and continue the exploitation of women?


mephedrone:
3. Will cameron's Govt continue with the policy of criminalisation of recreational drugs, such as Mephedrone, despite the warnings from the top Scientists in the field, including former Govt advisers, and chair of the UK's Drug Advisory Board?
3.a. will they tighten up on Use Laws, further increasing criminalisation, gang warfare and continuing the descent of UK cities into violent crime and anarchy?
3.b. or will they listen to the voice of reason and start to follow the Dutch system of control, as the Green Party recommends?

new investments:
4. so *where* in all this talk of "political reform" that will only entrench this minority Govt within Parliament no matter how unpopular, is discussion of the necessary investment to create Growth and New Jobs the Tories and Clegg spoke so moving about, Copy/Pasted shamelessly from the Green Party Manifesto??
4.a. or was it all BS simply to win votes from a not-quite-sceptical-enough electorate?


growth:
5. no new industries, no new companies, no new economic model - where exactly is all this supposed GROWTH to come from, that will pay back this Bankster-induced "Public Sector Debt"? The proposed cuts in public spending will produce another recession (something the Tories are good at, unlike "taxing their friends", who will just leave!), one the Tory Pary and Clegg have only the mantra "more cuts" to throw at.

-------------

i look forward with much anticipation to tomo's Question Time, i suspect that an imminent QT was regarded as something of a "clock-ticking" by the Big 3拢.

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

"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:

- (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...



"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..."

- (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...

==========================

"China鈥檚 New Missile May Create a 'No-Go Zone' for U.S. (& U.K.) 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 untill the mid-1990's... Reprtedly only stopped due to economic issues...

What are UK policies to prepare for a situation when this programme was re-started??
==========================

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...


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Roderick V. Louis,
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Tonight, Jeremy Hunt replied to Kirsty's question about dumping the Conservative's pledge to raise the inheritance tax band by saying that it would encourage saving. That's not much comfort to elderly savers or their families who have worked hard all their lives and whose hard earned savings will continue to be taxed on death rather than being passed on to help the next generation of their family. Some increase in the inheritance tax threshold needs to be built in to future budgets.

#26

I know exactly what you mean Paul. I've also struggled to find anything to laugh about over the last 13 years.

Oh, Kirsty, Kirsty, please try to overcome the 大象传媒 obligation to impose its tired 'class war' and 'feminist' politics on the viewers - it's become incredibly embarrassing, especially in light of the large number of foreign viewers Newsnight will have had during and after the election. I trust this will be of more importance to the 大象传媒 than the opinions of the British.

No doubt you are aware that our private schools and Oxbridge are just about the only parts of our education system that remain world class - the Left having destroyed the remainder - so you and the rest of the feather-bedded and smug 大象传媒 elite (there's an irony) should look to our state system for the origin of society's myriad problems.

-and WHEN we will hear about investigations of the Ballot rigging, also the lock-outs? Will those seats be recontested? Or are we to put up and shut up, and accept without question political corruption, and the Govt it produced?

--was interesting hearing Clegg had phoned *Brown*, to ask him to delay his resignation, to give Clegg more time to talk to *Cameron!*. How much more stitched up can it be??

-brighty, glad your son is ok. :)

I'm abandoning my involvemen in politics unless politicians get in touch with me directly. The only Parliamentarian to have got back in touch with me has been The Speaker of the House of Commons, Mr John Bercow.

I might watch Newsnight with Jeremy, that's all, just to see him. I don't think the UK or the world need me, they can get on with it without my active participation.

mim

Nor do I care about any man as a man and person apart from Jeremy and him alone.

As a friendly person on the whole, I shall remain friendly with people who I choose to be friendly with.

mim

#39

Having said what I said about Jeremy, I do not remain uncritical of him but will leave any criticisms as a private concern or the vultures would be there using him, preying on him and tearing him apart.

mim

To Alice - the SW
Could you be of assistance ?

#41

What flicks, you need help?

#41

Everybody knows, including Alice, but nobody will come forward to state it as it is. I am hoping that the New Government will be of help practically rather through imitation and games.

I'm also hoping that Obama will be of help.

Eric King and Jim Rickards on the Euro bailout and the joint IMF/SNB High-Level Conference :-



Keep in mind Mr Brown going around telling us all the the financial crisis started in the US when CDS's were invented by an English women via JP Morgan.

"Credit default swaps were invented with collateralised debt obligations in 1995 by Blythe Masters, a 34-year Cambridge graduate who was then the head of JP Morgan鈥檚 Global Credit Derivatives group."

#43, 44

Okey dokey

#46

Are you being guided, flicks, by david the joker, db, an Oxford graduate?

#47 addendum

There Cambridge traitors previously, and now it is an Oxford gang

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

#48

I meant to say 'There were Cambridge traitors, etc, but the Oxford gang has no human scruples at all and are depraved to the bone.

Haig iran tub thumping as the high priority? that'll keep the passport faking friends happy. what about Turkey getting russian nuclear technology?

who becomes the middle east advisers we be more revealing?

Banana man to become new Labour leader? Everyone will be swinging from the trees like apes when he's finished wasting to the world with his democracy wars upon 'dog states' who need to be brought 'to heel'?

Kirsty model of government is not about the best people but of having one of everything just because its not 'equal'? See how brainwashed the nihilist model is in the media.

the good is greater than the idea of equal. Why sacrifice the good for something less good? Do you want your surgeon to be skilled or must they fit some marxist class analysis to qualify as 'good'? is that how they choose staff in the 大象传媒? because they fit the marxist class analysis? If so why do they say they are paying huge wonga for talent?

The Liz McKean piece was slightly flawed in my view in that they are trying to treat the coalition as a merger and its a coalition.

The profile of the Lib Dems is significantly different from the Tories and the latter have the most seats at cabinet as they had the biggest share of the votes and seats.

That said there are not enough women and though its fair to say its not easy to think of snubbed candidates (thinking Teather for a junior role for instance) that does not explain why the candidates aren't there.

As with the Labour women only lists I still think it masks the problem as I imagine that all of the parties activists are dominated by 45+ women. My assumption therefore is that it is the lack of quality candidates that is the issue.

Therefore the best long term plan to ensure society is widely represented in that regard is to think about issues like hours and possibly as in Scandinavia job sharing.

51 JC

Maybe Banana Man is only trying to impress Hillary!