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Thursday 12 May 2011

Sarah McDermott | 16:24 UK time, Thursday, 12 May 2011

Tonight on Newsnight we will be joined live in the studio by UK Chancellor George Osborne and French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde as we focus on the problems at the heart of the Eurozone.

Our Economics editor Paul Mason will present his thesis on why EU governments and bureaucracy have mishandled the sovereign debt crisis, imposing unrealistic penalties on the population to save the banks in their own heartlands.

And Paul will be giving us his thoughts on what Mr Osborne and Ms Lagarde tell us.

We also have an interview with Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter disappeared while on a family holiday in Portugal four years ago, about the book Mrs McCann has written on their ordeal and ongoing efforts to locate Madeleine.

Then our Science editor Susan Watts has the story of the secret US embassy cables released by Wikileaks which show nations are racing to "carve up" Arctic resources - oil, gas and even rubies - as the ice retreats ().

And Iain Watson has the latest on the news that the Lib Dem MP David Laws is to be suspended from the Commons for seven days over his expenses claims, which he used to pay rent to his partner and for building work and telephone bills.

Do join Kirsty Wark at 2230 on 大象传媒 Two.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    'Tonight our Economics editor Paul Mason presents his thesis on why EU governments and bureaucracy have mishandled...

    Just a thought, but might it not be easier and quicker to run a 30' slot on what they have actually managed to handle well, at all?

    Being there seems precious little the non-eU can do about the cock-ups or their authors, save chip in for their secured early pensions and bonusses by working in the private sector until they can't manage another drop, one might as well have the illusion spun properly.

  • Comment number 2.

    COUNTER INTUITIVE

    I am baffled by the 'Laws Defence'. It seems as opaque as the 'AV EXPLAINED' leaflet. Did he advise on that - at all?

    Noting ever makes sense in this age of perversity: 9/11, Kelly, Diana, Bin-L and now Laws.

    In passing: Nothing counter intuitive about Campbell's Chilcot assertion!

  • Comment number 3.

    Why isn't David Laws going to jail?
    He wrongly claimed over 拢40,000 in expenses since 2006 and didn't repay it until he either came out or was forced out when his homosexual relationship was about to appear in the Daily Telegrapph in 2010.听
    There were also some interestingly creative property house deals with and for his male friend.
    Others got jail for less money. Why not hi?听
    Oh yes, I forgot - he's a friend of Clegg and Cameron, as well as public school and Cambridge. That's alright then.

  • Comment number 4.

    'secret US embassy cables released by Wikileaks'

    Give me a break I mean this is #2 laughable nonsense after Osama . The 大象传媒 gives Assange who has 1000's of secrets an international press conference FTW oh please prey tell why didn't they have him arrested ? but no, no; he was found to have had some form of alleged sexual misconduct and in view of what he is about, this was worthy of the subject of his beeb interview ? Webster Tarpley is correct in my view - Wiki is US foreign policy via the CIA .

  • Comment number 5.

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

  • Comment number 6.

    'destroyed their home market' oh yes
    'scheme if you wanna call it' oh no

  • Comment number 7.

    "Tonight our Economics editor Paul Mason presents his thesis on why the UK government and bureaucracy has mishandled the sovereign debt crisis, imposing unrealistic penalties on the population to save the banks in their own heartlands."


    would be interesting as well - but unlikely. Patton would bust a gut, heads would roll, and jobs lost, no doubt. The 大象传媒 is not 'independent', even if it IS far higher quality of reporting than the KKKorporate media.

    still, lessons can be drawn from this report, no doubt.

    its getting less-than-darkly-ironically-amusing the way we keep hearing how the cuts of Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal are *destroying* their economies, and putting them *permanently* in debt to the Banks, straight after hearing our own 'political saviours' how their cuts will "save" the UK economy.

    if these policies hadn't been tried around the World for the last 40 years already, across the 3rd world, Argentina, Chile are prime examples, and failed EVERYWHERE they have been forced onto populations, then i might give the condemn(ed) coalition the 'benefit of the doubt'. Unfortunately, they HAVE been tried, and failed dramatically. - Unless you own shares in the kkkorps, who make a great deal of profits whilst destroying the local economies for the benefit of their global kkkorporatism.

    from tues show:

    the tories are listening; "consulting", they are calling it.

    HOW COME THEY ONLY START "CONSULTING" ONCE THEIR POLICIES ARE OBJECTED TO BY MASS PROTEST??? So much for "openness". Lying gits.

    open Govt, democratic Govt, spends the necessary time to allow objections to be brought up and answered, they do NOT force things through, call the protesters "anarchist terrorists", use the mass media to control debate, and - frankly - lie through their teeth to the Public and Parliament.

    in fact, using the logic of Micheal Howard, it is the very mass protests that the Tories so despise (damn that Great Unwashed!) that MUST BE an integral part of a Tory Govt, because it is the Mass Protest that has led them to "consult" and "listen" to our concerns. It is astonishing that two radicals, Willets and Lansley, can railroad through such policies, that will dramatically destroy entire sections of the post-war consensus (free healthcare and education), without apparently ANY discussion with the wider Public!

    The Tories "detoxified"? I don't think so!!


    ...pensions are now "linked to earnings"- ...but earnings are now falling???! :/

    (unless you are a banker, with friends in Cabinet. Then you might "leave the Country" if you have to pay ANY tax, it seems).

  • Comment number 8.

    '7. At 19:01pm 12th May 2011, Mindys_Housemate '

    Enjoy it while it lasts, but a quick gander at most off the BBlogosphere reveals such posts' lives are numbered (to 400 chars, as it happens.

    Let's try an experiment...

    /blogs/theeditors/2011/05/our_next_step_in_news_blogging.html?postId=108745286

    Not sure that will be possible soon, either.

    It's the cuts, Jonny... the cuts.... like a dark shadow of black bile covering the sky!!!!

  • Comment number 9.

    MY MP IS A 9/11 BELIEVER AN AGW BELIEVER AND A JUNIOR MINISTER (#7)

    With experience of farming and soldiering behind him, he is offensively contemptuous of my scientific credentials and opinions.

    No only are we NOT 'all in this together', I myself, am ACTUALLY EXCLUDED. I gather it is all down to representation v delegation - or some such. I presume this is why MPs never sound out constituency opinion, on any matter, once installed.

    DEMOCRACY ISN'T WORKING - LET'S BOMB JOHNNIE FOREIGNER AS A DIVERSION.

  • Comment number 10.

  • Comment number 11.

    news@10 clegg: "tories always cutting"??? BS History. In fact, even *Thatcher* INCREASED public spending. And this is NORMAL economics, as the effect of Inflation demands that increase. To cut spending is indicative not of a economic training, but Political Hackistry.

    oh, hello "Chancellor" Osborne, didn't see you standing there.


    'Washington Consensus" - the destruction of national economies for the benefit of the wealthy, kkkorporates, and the imposition of 'permanent debt' that has kept the 3rd world in poverty. Only dangerous political radicals and fanatics support such policies.




    the first great western contract scam - so they sign a deal where the UK Govt hands them tons of cash for investments - they take the money, and then drop the contract when its time for them to start PAYING for the new investments. Somehow this is legal!

    sounds like a classic Labour/Tory PFI-style corporate subsidy to me. Would be nice to actually have a Govt that works for *us*, and NOT the kkkorporate thieves!


    Vestas' windturbine investment: - can we buy the technology off them, and create the turbine company as a British cooperative? How much would Vestas charge, we could join in with the cost of future research with them? This could be an opportunity for the Govt to easily and quickly start-up a domestic industry, in alliance with the first Danish company to build turbines. As it happens, Vestas started life itself as a danish cooperative! I wonder if our Govt can think further than selling off our hospitals and schools, to investing in new areas of domestic manufacturing? We keep hearing a lot of hot air about "re-balancing the UK economy", it would be nice to actually see some EVIDENCE of that - as well as an indication the Tories are NOT just interested in KKKorporate profits. Such an investment would pay itself back well before the end of this decade, and would ensure a stable producer of wind-turbines for the UK - with the profits staying HERE, with the workers who make them - and a company that actually pays some tax!



    3 letters to say about Syria/ME:

    ICC.


    since when did "slut" mean women can be abused?!? :o

    promiscuity *can be* a harmful behaviour. It doesn't have to be, and abstention is also not the healthiest option in all circumstances either.

    'Fear of Flying' - Erika Jong.


    women in Liberalism must be allowed their own sexuality. How bizarre a world otherwise!


    Why! So "slut" is historically a key-word to denigrate female empowerment, it therefore will remain a word to frighten women into conformity with patriarchal values - unless it is "rescued" from this association. In essence, the Tory woman (who i don't think is a bad person, just slightly wrong on this. ;) ) was arguing that female empowerment in sexual terms will ALWAYS be looked down on, and using "slut" is simply adding to the fire. She is wrong on this, there have been many societies in the past where female empowerment and sexual liberation have been completely accepted as the norm, patriarchy is NOT "in the genes", it is "in the culture", and there is nothing intrinsic to the word "slut" whatsoever. Any problems come from cultural baggage about the role of Women in our society, *not* a specific word.

    I was called a "male slut" on some occasions in my 20s, by female friends - and they meant it semi-complimentary (and likewise in reverse, this is not a position i developed into, it has always seemed rather obvious to me!!), and slut/hussy/tart etc are all indicators of a rejection by the individual woman of historical patriarchy and control of female sensuality and sexuality. To continue to allow the words to control behaviour through fear of 'social rejection' is to allow the past to control us, and one of the worst aspects of the past as well. I am not arguing for promiscuity, but i *am* arguing it is the individuals right to choose that if they *freely* wish.

    promiscuity MAY happen because of low self-esteem - but the problem is LOW SELF ESTEEM, not sexual behaviour!! Why DO people keep mixing things up? I blame academics stuck in book learning, myself. Low self esteem can also cause abstention, i fail to notice all the right-wing ideologues ranting about that, funnily enough.

    on Equality: promiscuity IS equality if men have the right to be promiscuous.

    i think most sensible people would realise that men do. So why should women get insulted for the same behaviour? Hypocrisy, pure and simple.

    good for these women (and men) to stand up and march for rights the 60s thought had already been won. Amazing that we are having the same debates decades later! Bloody Romans!!! X(

  • Comment number 12.

  • Comment number 13.

    LATERAL THINKING...OR PERHAPS VERTICAL THINKING!

    Passer-by pushes suicide man off bridge

  • Comment number 14.








    Should a convicted paedophile be allowed to work with children? Should a convicted bank robber be encouraged to apply for a post as a bank teller? Should a convicted thug be trained as a night club bouncer? Would an individual found as plotting a terrorist attack be allowed to work 鈥榓ir-side鈥?

    One can be enthusiastic about rehabilitation for ex-offenders, rightly everyone deserves a second chance but some roles are - morally? - exempt from being available to some candidates based upon the nature of their crime. Sure, one can cite the 鈥榗ase鈥 of 鈥 Poacher turned Gamekeeper鈥 but .....

    How 鈥榟onourable鈥 should one be to remain as an 鈥淗onourable MP鈥?

    Some 鈥榗olleagues鈥 sic (How 鈥榟onourable鈥 can they be viewed?) have complained that the 鈥榩unishment鈥 is too harsh! .... Doh!

    And - so we are told - King Con and sidekick Mute-Lowalimb want Mr Provenasflawed back 鈥榮erving鈥 the public !!!!!

    Failure to understand and correctly apply rules doesn鈥檛 breed confidence in the thought of somebody holding a senior 鈥榦ffice of state鈥. Nor does it encourage the belief that said person would be seen as 鈥榠deal鈥 to represent thousands of constituents in the 鈥淢other of all Parliaments鈥.

    And if one is so clever as to be deemed quasi-indispensable to a Government that insists in vigourously cutting costs and controlling expenditure then why would same individual pay over the 鈥榤arket rate鈥 for something he shouldn鈥檛 be paying for with taxpayers monies anyway?

    And if our 鈥榟onourable鈥 leaders are really so keen to employ ( re-deploy?) this individual - whom apparently puts consequences to his private life before his responsibility to his 鈥榗ountry鈥 ( and makes supposedly simple 鈥榤istakes鈥 and 鈥榚rrors of judgement!!!) - does it not bring seriously into doubt the judgement of King Con and sidekick Mute-Lowalimb ?



  • Comment number 15.

    Ben says time is almost up!

    Ben Bernanke warns against US debt limit brinkmanship
    /news/business-13380471

  • Comment number 16.

    This

    "Our Economics editor Paul Mason will present his thesis on why EU governments and bureaucracy have mishandled the sovereign debt crisis, imposing unrealistic penalties on the population to save the banks in their own heartlands"

    is relevant to this (and I hope Dr Tobras gains from in his criminal case endevours against speculation ) :-




    btw there is no way Paul can speak the truth on MSM especially 大象传媒's flagship news show on all this.

  • Comment number 17.

    flicks #16: luckily, you have done it for him. ;D

  • Comment number 18.

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

  • Comment number 19.

    Team and Barrie@2

    It seems not to have occurred to Mr Laws that "protecting privacy" and a political career aren't particularly compatible goals. It says something about the outlook of this particular ex-banker that he/they chose to protect their privacy at the public's expense: not only breaking the rules, but making a nice profit out of it too.



    Mr Laws claimed, disingenuously, that "he had not benefitted financially from this misdirection". However, his partner did. If they truly considered themselves a partnership, surely they were joint beneficiaries? Otherwise he was just being generous to a lover at the taxpayer's expense - whilst planning to cut benefits and services for those people for whom the sums concerned would be anything but trivial.

    Ordinary people involved in dishonest claims of this sort would at best be sacked and at worst be prosecuted. But apart from a very few scapegoats, most "honourable" members (and bankers) seem to live on a charmed planet.

  • Comment number 20.

  • Comment number 21.

    I am really appalled at the interview that Kirsty Walsh tried to conduct. She refused to allow either the French Minister or George Osbourne to finish their comments, she continually spoke over them trying to score points - for what ? I was unable to hear what they were saying and so was unable to make a judgement on their views. Perhaps she had a valid argument - who would know? Her hectoring must have seemed amazingly rude to a foreign visitor and showed a lack of professionalism. Goodness knows, I am no fan of Mr Osbourne but I would like to be allowed to disagree with him after I麓ve listened to what he had to say.
    I also would like to comment on her personal presentation. The French Minister looked smart and professional, the Chancellor too was presentable, but Ms Walsh needs to up her personal grooming regime -sorry but she looked a mess. What an ambassador.

    Christine Worley

  • Comment number 22.

    Such is the ingrained habit of slithering verbal deception Mr osbourne could not even bring himself to say directly that he would prefer (even hypotehtically) mdm Legard to Gordon brown as the next IMF chief !!!

    If that is the standard of 'honest and open' interaction he keeps with the people he serves why bother even asking his opinion on anything.. whats the point !!


    Nice try Paul Mason, your tenacity is to be applauded but with such low standards kept by politician as the placating controlling class for an ever emboldened kleptocracy it will take more than intellectual debate to sort this out.

  • Comment number 23.

    Did I see the soon-to-be infamous ice cube in a glass trick?

    Osborne was good.

    Paddy was Paddy...i.e sanctimonious (was he though? maybe I'm being unfair there, I wasn't listening)

    And Kirsty was the Warkster...very good!

  • Comment number 24.

    #19

    Good post!

  • Comment number 25.

    LET'S ASK 'MR MUSCLE' TO EFFECT THE REMOVAL OF 'HONOURABLE' FROM ALL MPs

    I have raised this before - echoed above in this thread. Calling one's self 'honourable' has to be the first refuge of a scoundrel. I could even make the case that false honour leads directly to dishonourable conduct.

    The unseemly rush of MPs to declare Laws a paragon of virtue, has a 'methinks they do approve too much' feel about it. But more to the point: such solidarity in iniquity, points up my constant cry:

    SPOILPARTYGAMES - DISMANTLE WESTMINSTER

  • Comment number 26.

    sometimes knowing the root cure doesn't help. But it can throw 'other' solutions into light...

    better to have Journalists responsible, because they own the shares in the holding company responsible for paying any court settlements. Better to have the Public reject to buy newspapers who carry salacious (and later untrue) gossip. Better to have Truth taken as the standard of Journalism, rather than profit.

    - all that better than giving more protection to the wealthy to defend THEIR privacy whilst the rest of us have ever less and less. On QT, Mosley went so far as to argue that there should be a better system of Legal Aid - yet he must be aware that this Tory Govt has SLASHED access to Legal Aid, and cut its budget dramatically. In those circumstances, his legislation would simply enshrine the right of the Wealthy to privacy, whilst ensuring the rest of us simply have more warning of what is to come from the press/media, without any way to prevent it because we could not afford any "injunctions". His solution would make things worse for the vast majority, whilst giving the wealthy a free ride. That might not happen with a better and clearer legal system with full access for the majority who are not millionaires, but we are currently moving in the opposite direction, unfortunately. The Tories have just slashed the Legal Aid budget by almost 25%:





    so this is not an easy question - the newspapers should not be acting in a way that requires a law to defend against their behaviour, because the law might be even worse than the problem it 'solves'! However, forcing the media to inform its victims before publication, will allow *only* the rich to actually prevent the publications anyway! :(

    regarding the effect of Twitter/Web-Pages/Newsprint - obviously anyone who regards Twitter as anything more than unsupported Gossip is probably a teenager, either chronologically or intellectually. Plus, especially since the 'Arab Spring', the various laughably-named 'intelligence agencies' have been using it for deliberate disinformation, and the creation and spreading of sectarian conflict. But to legislate against it is literally like baning neighbours from gossiping over the garden fence. Web-Pages are slightly more respectable, taken slightly more serious, but even so the Courts should not be infringing upon free speech, certainly not by attacking the ISPs, and constraining the freedom of the Internet through threats on them. Newsprint, though, should NOT be protected by the Corporate structure, and journalists, who are *getting paid for their stories*, and the Public RELY upon a certain veracity, are the ones getting off too lightly from responsibility. However, as i said above, sometimes solutions can create worse problems than they set out to solve.. such measures could far too easily be used against journalists who are exposing the powerful, such as when NewsNight reported against Trafigura.



    freedoms demand responsibilities from people.

    but perhaps the lack of responsibilities from some journalists are creating exactly the response that the super-rich owners of the media actually desire? 'Problem-Reaction-Solution', anybody?

    or is that TOO cynical? lol. :/

  • Comment number 27.

    intend to watch the whole of the Legard & Osborne interview, from the bit i saw, the impression i got was that she and osborne were defending in concert, supporting each other with regards - to both "cuts", and also "bailouts".

    just how long do the bankers and their allies in politics think they can keep this gravy-train running for? If they keep it up much longer, even a "northern Euro" will be politically impossible. The "hair-cuts" are inevitable. As is, probably, regional, local and new national currencies to help regeneration in those areas, free of the problems of over-printing (QE), and also debt packages.



    why should lenders (banks), not face any penalty for their loans they KNEW were in bad faith??

    btw, in the same area, the loans between the 'North' and 'South' of the Eurozone, with Govts like the previous Conservative Govt of Greece deliberately hiding the scale of the problem on their 'books', who are the OTHER groups involved who could do the maths from the actual figures of borrowing/income of Greece?

    well, the main banks who lent to them, obviously. The (mainly French and German) banks who did the lending to Greece, knowing full well the truth of the REAL scale of borrowing, debt and ability to repay, kept schtum. Indeed, they kept *increasing* the amount of debt, knowing the Euro structure itself would eventually make Greece fail in its repayments. So the question to ask is, if the Greek *people* were not aware of these shenanigans, but the International Bankers *were* - AND KEPT LENDING - then why is it the *Greek citizenry* who have to take the hit??

    how many more "bailouts" will the 'banks' need before we admit the charade is over and let them collapse?

    on another related note, from something Legard said; WW2 or WW1 did not come about because of "protectionism", they came about largely because of external/internal political factors that WANTED a war. Protectionism has many flaws, and some occasional benefits, but by itself it does NOT induce wars. That takes politicians - and less well-known historically, it also requires conscienceless Banking sector/Families.

    but i intend to watch the show in full later, perhaps i misunderstood them!!



    perhaps indeed the Bankers are the most essential part of our economies, far more important than manufacturing, farming, health, education, for instance. In other news, NASA will henceforth be using pigs to launch its shuttles, due to their amazing flying abilities. And i never knew (did you??) B'Liar had an illegitimate son called George Osborne....!

  • Comment number 28.

    As soon as I saw Osborne and Lagarde in studio I switched off and so should everyone else because its just propaganda . They would not be there if they knew they were going to get asked some really serious questions; questions which are just screaming to be asked that many savvy financial experts have explained outside of MSM . You see you can not understand the 'austerity' narrative outside the context of the massive financial fraud of the banks. And that in MSM is not going to be addressed because they are part of it - they are captured and there to be used. It also ties in with the 'Osama' narrative - war is the way out of the financial hole at home, but its all coming undone isn't it, you see we have the WWW and we see the war on terror is within the context of finincial terror - its genius is not physical explosions - blood and guts but delusion, deception and make believe .

    People like to bang on about right/left politics in this country - wast of time but good for kleptocratic bankers (as cover) who really rule the UK and US, they are into the delusion and destruction game big time - both have become very sophisticated but will continue to be exposed.

  • Comment number 29.

    Hhhhmmm a british government just waking up to the fact that immigration is bad for british people, well I am surprised

  • Comment number 30.

    #11 Geramaines view on the sladden



    So nothing to do with sex, more about the dirt..

  • Comment number 31.

    its an obscenity that vast criminality of the bankers should go un-reported in MSM and those involved not be properly investigated and not be tried in court with substantive evidence and yet the public suffer the consequence of such vast criminality moreover the financial instruments and methods are all still in place and knowingly being used against countries like Greece . We are living in thoroughly sick times.

  • Comment number 32.

    COMPARISONS ARE COMMODIOUS (#26)

    Way to go Mort: "Better to have Truth taken as the standard of Journalism, rather than profit."

    In life, generally: Better to measure 'elegance of being' than GPD: 'Gross Personal Doing'.

    But such success is inimical to Westminster continuance.

    Nuff sed.

  • Comment number 33.

    WOMEN ARE CONFUSED APES TOO

    'The Ape Confused by Language' is nowhere more confused than in the area of sexual coupling (aka getting its TACL out).

    In the case of seduction, the ape hijacks cerebral cunning. Where gross coupling takes place, it is just ape-to-ape with the cerebrum inactivated by, hormones, alcohol or worse. For the avoidance of doubt:



    END GAME

    There once was a land full of two-ended folk
    their construction both basic and charming;
    the artist, philosopher, poet and don,
    juxtaposed lusty apes, good at farming.

    Now you might think that this crazy scheme could not work
    but if you haven't tried it don't knock it
    for half way along, evolution had placed
    a wonderfully formed plug and socket.

    Each end had such organs and limbs as required
    to attend to the stuff they would do;
    at night they enjoyed a Platonic embrace
    but when morning arrived - came in two.

    I know not how long that their bliss was complete
    but at last they ran clean out of luck
    God's will or black magic or just heavy dew:
    all the plugs and the sockets got stuck.

    The high-minded end, thus far free from all taint
    found out about sex and soil tilth;
    before very long it was down in the dirt
    quite diverted by cerebral filth.

    The two ends conspired to invent GM crops
    pornography, gambling and debt.
    The join healed up, extra limbs disappeared
    but I'm told they are holding on yet.

    With narcotics and genocide, WMD
    underhand psychological vending
    gender roles all confused, procreation awry
    hell-bent on inglorious ending.

  • Comment number 34.

    I wanna try and explain again why bailouts are being used . And its certainly NOT a bailout in a help you out sense.

    You need to understand there is NO regulation on the financial derivative - the CREDIT DEFAULT SWAP (bet on a default) and no LIMIT. So we have a situation that no matter how much the bailout the CDS can better it. The more the bailout the more the CDS the more the pay out on default - sick isnt it. AND just to explain the absolute relevance - naked CDS's were what brought down Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers .



    THE pin point most penetrating question for the likes of Largarde and Osborne is why are naked Credit Default Swaps still allowed which is destroying countries seeking to take over the whole assets of the country . This the criminality of the city of London - three words to the take down - naked short selling .

  • Comment number 35.

    SHOCK REVELATION: BOARDING-SCHOOL ISN'T MUMMY AND DADDY

    More parents are having their kids SUPER-INSTITUTIONALISED.

    Mammon is winning.

    This is where political leaders come from.

    Nuff sed.

  • Comment number 36.

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

  • Comment number 37.

    I did like Kirsty's interview with Osbourne & Lagarde though :o)

  • Comment number 38.

    I switched off at the McCann interview. Pure hypocrisy.

  • Comment number 39.

    #29 Lizzy (ref your link)

    'Iain Duncan Smith said that Labour鈥檚 open door to migration meant tens of thousands more people were chasing unskilled jobs 鈥 and that in turn meant many gave up on work for a life on benefits.'

    Lizzy, don't be fooled by simple rhetoric (as someone else has advised many times before). It's all about behaviour and outcomes. IDS may very well understand the link between immigration and increased competition for unskilled jobs (and even skilled ones for that matter!) and how this is affecting the indigenous population. However, think of the immigrants as increased consumers and all becomes clear. For as long as we have liberal democratic governments in this country then I can guarantee that the population will continue to grow through immigration expansion and increased fertility rates found in most immigrant populations from 3rd world countries (think of population explosions in places like Lagos in Nigeria etc). Even immigrants on benefits will spend their money at Tesco, Centrica, HSBC and the likes.

  • Comment number 40.

    Here's an example of one corporation that is planning for increased business in the UK due to population growth. Here's what Robert Peston wrote about HSBC earlier this week:

    'The British economy is expected by HSBC to grow faster than the US, Japan, and France over the coming 40 years - and a bit slower than Germany (but, of course, massively slower than China, India, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey). Some of that British momentum, compared to the eurozone and Japan for example, is presumably due to an expected faster rate of population growth in the UK - which is not universally popular.'

    HSBC banks on the UK
    /blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2011/05/hsbc_banks_on_uk.html

    It's a libertarian ideology that drives the legislature in this country. Quite literally, the legislative body has been captured by big business - just as it has in the US. It's Trotskyism/libertarianism/anarchism (i.e. without rule for business/businesses).

  • Comment number 41.

    The likes if IDS and his ilk are all venal and incorrigible - prime example this week - David Laws.

  • Comment number 42.

    why do the NNites keep using the word 'austerity'? Why is not spending more than you have 'austerity'? What kind of society model would call it 'austerity' rather than keeping within the realms of the possible?

    the word austerity in this case is a political bias that has a definite model in mind. So much for impartiality.

    More King Kanute Climate Change.

    Given the catastrophic model of planetary climate to think taxes can stop ice ages is pure king canute.
    12000 years ago the uk was under ice. given we are still in an ice age whose to say in 12000 years it won't be again?
    The IPCC only use ice cores and ignores every other evidence that contradicts the ice core evidence.



    The Pink Pounds

    why would someone have to hide they were gay? Use it as an excuse for deception with regard to public money? why is that 'understandable' and 'acceptable'? Any fraud in the private sector would have ended up in the courts and prison?

  • Comment number 43.

    38 i fast forwarded it. its not a NN fare. more a tabloid greasy burger.

  • Comment number 44.

    WHERE IS ALASTAIR?

    I expected him to be spinning across our screens doing a Chilcot damage limitation exercise, to protect his beloved Tony.

    There is a call for him to explain himself - love needs no explaining. . .

  • Comment number 45.

    flicks3 et al

    Indeed you are correct about naked shorting and credit default swaps being used to bring down nation states to crisis defaults and the fact that the MSM are effectively covering up the massive financial fraud that is ongoing - It's all an evil lie and they're all in it together!

    (In fact I think that Germany actually banned naked short selling some time last
    year if I'm not mistaken)

    The 大象传媒 are also perpetuators of The Lie (no less). This blogsite and other 大象传媒 blogsites have now been reduced to 400 character posts as a means to limit meaningful dialogue and debate. In fact Robert Peston's blog is now akin to a Twitter site with a format that has rendered it all but useless to discuss his blog articles.

    I wonder what the Ai Weiwei chap is up to today?...maybe he's counting seeds!

  • Comment number 46.

    DOUBLETHINK AGAIN JAUNTY? (#42)

    Why 'gay pride' but no 'hetero pride'? What EXACTLY are gays proud of? Could it be that no one is really being honest - not the gays, not the PC straights, not the silent majority?

    Nuff sed.

  • Comment number 47.

    46

    i'm sure the uk is only 10 cans of stella from a day of rage :)

  • Comment number 48.

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

  • Comment number 49.

    FINGER LENGTH TRUMPS ALCOHOL (#46)

    I like to keep a clear head to really enjoy my rage. (:o)

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