大象传媒

THE LONG LONG LIST OF FAILED GOVERMENT PROJECTS

Has anyone compiled them all?

Westminster is a 'failed state' propped up by a guaranteed income from the tax-payer.
Why continue with THIS FORM of 'governance' when it results in a net loss to the country?

DISMANTLE WESTMINSTER - INSTALL COMPETENCE

If UK politicians were genuine about their claims to want to boost economic growth they could cut ROAD FUEL DUTY, or at least in the case of the Tories abandon the proposed 7p rise in Jan 2012. You have to question why Labour remain silent on this one, but then its their 2008 Climate Change Act which is certain to do the most damage to our sustainable economy over the next few years. Britain can never move forward until all mainstream politicians renounce the Corporate Nazi CO2 Climate Scam quasi-religion !

BUSY DOING NOTHING (#2)

NewsyNighty too busy doing unedifying time-reversal funnies, with their SCIENCE reporter, to have time to address anything so complex Bro. AND it was old news. I wrote this in '03:

UNCERTAINTY
PRINCIPLE

Einstein鈥檚 wrong
He鈥檚 science fiction
Fixed speed light
A false depiction
God plays dice
A blind addiction
Nothing鈥檚 sure
That鈥檚 my conviction.

21.01 03

Recently on these blogs, I suggested this Eurozone crisis would turn into a game of 'my pile of money' (ECB/EFSF) is bigger than 'your pile of money' (international investors (sic).

Very broadly, that seems to be what is actually happening.

There is the minor problem of how to turn 400 billion euros into something five times bigger - but that should be easily solved via the somewhat notorious Fractional Reserve Banking method.

After all, five times is a relatively low leverage compared the the Old Lady, who apparently allows banks in England to leverage themselves up by x27?

Sound money - you're having a yo-yo - as the Irish are wont to say.

NB. Savage austerity measures appear to be working in Ireland - what has the 'fatally-tied-to-Gordon-Brown' Ed Balls got to say about that?

Geithner Plan for Europe is last chance to avoid global catastrophe



Once again, the US has had to take charge. The multi-trillion package now taking shape for Euroland was largely concocted in Washington, in cahoots with the European Commission, and is being imposed on Germany by the full force of American diplomacy.

Sounds like EU heads were cracked together last week.

Eurozone crisis - is nothing more than revolving debt - as everyone lies about their financial position - the banks lie about their accounting position or lack of one - the mathematicians lie & pretend that the effects of their algorithms are understood - the IMF & ECB lie about the chances of three or more PIIGS being in financial crisis at the same time - all vested interests lie about the potential overall cost of this and who will meet that cost

i.e. 'US' - the 'sovereign taxpayers' after the 'money men' have dodged their taxes and returned to monaco & cayman islands & IoM and Jersey etc

If we have a truly global economy then the ECB cannot solve this Eurozone crisis themselves as will need global support.

I can't believe that taxpayers in China & USA are willing to pay off debts in German & French & Irish & Greek banks.

Eventually, this will all mean massive devaluations of certain currencies + massive interest rate rises for others and hyper-inflation and deflation for others.

If we have a truly global economy the EQUILIBRIUM of all of this will be very ugly indeed.

The good news is that a global equilibrium will reflect global resources & over-consumption & some are in for a big shock - as they adjust to much more modest living standards & lower consumption.

Mother Earth is fighting back - trouble is I don't think that she sees the UK as 'one of hers'.

The pigeons are coming home to roost about globalisation - & it is set to destroy what is left of the UK's domestic economy.

Until the UK politicians learn how to manage & insulate the UK domestic economy - Uk is going down economically in decline

museV @ 5

From your Telegraph article, this was interesting "The root of the euro crisis is a 30pc intra-EMU currency misalignment between North and South."

Presumably there must be a similar discount between the 'Alaskan' dollar and the 'Texas' dollar, that is, in effect, one State is being cross-subsidised by the other(s).

The 'EU can' will no longer be kicked down the road when nobody in Europe is bothered by these cross-subsidies any more.

Hasten the day.

TWILIGHT OF THE GODS (#5 link)

Well Tony looks decidedly 'twilight' to me. McCavity, the ancient Cat Deity, looks more like his litter tray - when glimpsed. Incredibility Dave has got lost in The Garden of Self Belief, and Old Nick still can't believe that he used to be an Angel!

Gotta light?

DYING WITHIN THE LIE (#6)

The most devastating lie in UK is Westminster. While it performs UNCHALLENGED party politics will continue their charade, elections will come and go to no DEMOCRATIC effect, and in the fullness of time, an awful lot of hard working families 'SHANT GET HOME TONIGHT'.

LET'S GO AFTER MEGRAHI'S LOCKERBIE ACCOMPLICE . . .

Then we can go after bin LADEN'S 9/11 ACCOMPLICE.

We know, of course, neither Megrahi nor bin Laden dun it, but in the latter atrocity the 'accomplice' is well known. A pity Obama has granted immunity.

Nuff sed

Wonder if there is any chance of Ed Balls being asked some serious probing questions about the credit bubble, the lax regulation of the City during the Blair/Brown years, of which he was a member of the Govt, and the ensuing enormous housing bubble that has now priced tens of thousands of young people out of ever buying a home?

In fact, you can easily argue that the Labour years benefitted buy-to-let landlords enormously, allowing them to make huge capital appreciation on property whilst receiving vast sums of public money from housing benefit. Two things that have oppressed millions of working class people in this country.

Yes, Ed Balls is right that banks going bust in New York were not the fault of Policemen and Nurses in the UK, but one of the reasons why the UK is bust is all the hundreds of thousands of Mickey Mouse public sector jobs that Labour created - and which the country could never afford.

Ed Balls should be asked tonight if he agrees that:

a) when Labour took over in 1997, the National Debt was 拢320Bn
b) when they left office, NL had added another 拢400Bn to that debt

These should be closed questions that require a yes/no answer but politicians seem to be able to nearly always avoid that type of binary answer.

Anyway, continuing the questions, Balls should then be asked if he thinks that a 25%-30% return year-on-year for up to 30 years on Nl's hundreds of PFI projects represents fair value for the taxpayer?

That should be enough to hang Ed Balls for all eternity in any other profession, except politics, of course.

You, dear reader, might think that I'm being a bit harsh on these politicians, who have squandered hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money.

We cannot be sentimental about this because in many peoples work, if they make so much as a single mistake, which could result in colossal financial losses for their client(s), then they are finished.

So, I cannot see why there are different rules for politicians that allow them (and senior Civil Servants) to spend huge amounts of money with no personal sanctions if it all goes wrong.

It would seem that we are well on course for just such another financial disaster for the biggest-mug-of-all-time, the English taxpayer, as the Government predicates Ian Duncan Smiths Universal Credit system on a feed from HMRC's new 'near-real-time' information system for PAYE tax system.

We can safely predict another thrashing for the taxpayers of England.

Simpson and Mayo took a fine blue-chip English company with a 拢1.2 Bn cash pile and ran it into the ground in just a few years.

Do Simpson and Mayo stuff their stuff at the Institute of Directors annual bash?

No, they generally keep a very low profile as befits their role in disaster that they inflicted upon GEC.

By way of contrast, Ed Balls fully played his part in running more than doubling the National Debt in this country and here he is - brassing it out at the Labour Party Conference.

Some of these politicians are simply unbelievable people.

'12. At 17:37 26th Sep 2011, JohnConstable wrote:
Ed Balls should be asked tonight if he agrees that:'

'11. At 17:14 26th Sep 2011, tawse57 wrote:
Wonder if there is any chance of Ed Balls being asked some serious probing questions '

Arf.

Mind you, on SKY at lunch, when busily helping Adam Boulton dig him bigger holes than those he was excavating himself, he did rather unsportingly grab a tainted lifeline offered regarding what was referred to as 'an inaccurate 大象传媒 report'.

As that didn't narrow things down much these days, I have tried to locate which one.

Turns out it was a Nick Robinson 'sources say' that was... surprise, less than accurate.

May explain why the comments were closed PDQ that day.

However, honour amongst th..ose who normally share visions would suggest this may see a bit of payback weighs in over tribal loyalty.

If we are lucky.

Well, Ed Balls has just told C4's Krishna that he would not answer questions in a simplistic black and White way.

Unless questions are very carefully framed then this will be the response, despite the general public wanting simplistic answers to questions of fact.

No ball then.

Jeremy Paxman might as well ask Prescott what is the point of a Unionist
Party in a devolved environment which is blatantly unfair to England.

Of course, this question also applies to the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

;o) It's worth watching Prescott for comic value with Jeremy, if not anything else.....

and now there is a "new" William Hague for Labour....

Drop Ed Balls and get this guy on who 大象传媒 News interviewed at 11.15 this morning.

Rationally, John Prescott may be seen as one of the most successful people ever.

Who else has got so far with so little?

Plus he acquired a wife who as a young woman was absolutely stunning.

Pity about the politics, which overall seems to amount to a huge betrayal of working people.

If you want to know the true character of a person, then give them power.

Peter Oborne is fronting a corker of a Dispatches programme on Blair on Ch 4 tonight.



Blogdog won't let me describe how I now feel about TB.

He's JPM's star salesman.

So glad we're falling in with the muslim view of life, well the 大象传媒 is anyway

/news/uk-15032947

I most humbly take back the last line of my post about Oborne a couple of days ago...

/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2011/09/friday_23_september_2011.html?postId=110365060

Perhaps Paxo should quiz John Prescott about this, it was his department's baby !

/news/uk-11084406

WAR BREAKS OUT!

Germany at war over eurozone bail-out


Confirmation of the talks, however, sparked outrage in Germany, where opposition politicians threatened to derail the plans by voting against a key amendment to the bail-out fund this Thursday.

@20 Very illuminating and honest. It shows why the City Of London and Wall Street should be bulldozed, and those who "work" there be made to do five years' community service cleaning toilets!

@20 again. I remember, years ago, in the film of James Clavell's 'Noble House', the character Quillan Gornt said "There's a lot of money to be made on a falling market." Reading the book was my first introduction to the practice of short selling:

Goldman Sach's Jim O'Neil has got a bigger nose than Cyrano De Bergerac!

I thought that was impossible!

:p Knew John Prescott would be good comical value! Poor Jeremy almost expected him to draw out a gun....the best is that Labour didn't make a mistake, apart from the Iraq war......(parallel universe anyone?). Prescott refused to disclose who did not pull their weight - almost accusing the entire lot of doing nothing.
"Why did you lose the election?" - answer, waffle.

Typical Goldman Sachs position, just want to keep all their puppet politicians playing " there was an old woman who swallowed a fly " and cream off the commission right down to the now inevitable defaults on the national debt including here in the UK. The only logical thing to do is let the stock market crash to the bottom and then nationalise all the banks, then make an almost seamless transition to social banking in the interest of the people and our nation. That is not to say that the value of the pound will buy the same on world markets but at least we still theoretically have our own oil. Time to forget the Corporate Nazi Welfare state for the Stock Market Parasites model and let anyone who wants to go back be turned into a metaphorical pillar of salt !

#28 Sasha Clarkson wrote:

"@20 Very illuminating and honest. It shows why the City Of London and Wall Street should be bulldozed, and those who "work" there be made to do five years' community service cleaning toilets!"


I seem to remember something like that being written before...

"Arbeit Macht Frei"

Addendum to #33

Exactly what economic circumstances led the the NSDAP's 25 point programme in the aftermath of Weimar Germany?



I am by no means advocating them now, but do you understand and appreciate the history that brought rise to them?

This is a serious question.

Typical of Prescott to remind everyone of his ( Labour's ) biggest mistake falling for the Corporate Nazi CO2 Climate Scam and the resultant major betrayal of the UK poor and others on low incomes. Quite ironic that he was stupid enough to bring it up as one of New Labour's achievements given that the the UEA computer climate models its all based on are now proven beyond reasonable doubt to be pure fantasy science. Paxo appeared to almost pick him up on it but perhaps its far more than his fat cat 大象传媒 contract and pension is worth to open Pandora's Box during conference season.

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

Is it not very telling that it took US Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, to bash a few EU heads together, to see the sense of the benefits of saving the free-market, capitalist system.

The only Western political shmuck in the West to have previously been an investment banker btw. He ran rings around them.

In fact, it was very telling.

Back around the turn of the millenium, Chancellor Gordon Brown was boasting about how he had paid down the National Debt from some 拢320Bn to 拢298Bn, and that this meant that we, the taxpayers, would not be wasting money on interest payments.

For political reasons, Brown and his chums ditched all that prudence and over the next several years, borrowed money and won two more elections, adding another 拢400Bn to the National Debt.

But no, listening to Douglas Alexander talking to Kirstie, its all the fault of those irresponsible bankers that there is this, now, one trillion pounds plus debt.

I suppose that is what riles so much about these politicians, they think that we, the English public, are totally stupid.

That we don't remember what they said and did when in power.

It'll probably be the same with the current shower too, I expect.

Why are stuck with these politicians?

Why is it so hard for new entrants such as the Greens and the English Democrats to gain any traction in this political market, when the mainstream Parties are so awful?

@33 etc "Arbeit Macht Frei"? Considering the anti-Semitic nature of many of your posts, you are skating on VERY thin ice! Look into the mirror!

#39

I have not posted anything anti-semitic.

Ad hominems will not strengthen your arguments.

AN EVENING WITH DOUGLAS ALEXANDER AND JOHN PRESCOTT

The Westminster Creature neatly bracketed. Bluster and arrogance.

Douglas Alexander used a couple of "LET'S BE HONEST" and three "LISTEN". But his lowest point was in repeating the one about "UK nurses and doctors not bringing down America".

Then Prezza! Oh good grief NewsyNighty! Do you want to make me call you NewsumsNightums? WHAT A 'CARBON-BASED LIFE-FORM'! His grasp of science is lower even than his grasp of breathing. Those poor Chinese.

WE GOT OURSELVES ANOTHER TWO

@40 JJfivenames - No antisemitic remarks? What about this one?

/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2011/09/friday_16_september_2011.html?postid=110296519

"Jewish Politics"? There are many Jews who are not bankers, Israelis or supporters of such - that was the kind of racism helped get your previous incarnations banned.

I rest my case, for now.

SIMPLES (#38)

Westminster is the home of political parties.
Westminster takes in new blood through elections.
Parties PRE-SELECT candidates; they choose potential 'Westminster Creatures'.
Whatever the issues and outcome at election, those returned are ALL OF A KIND.
Westminster reveres and rewards ALL THE ATTRIBUTES THAT DECENT PEOPLE ABHOR.
The most abhorrent, are called 'party leader; one leader is PRIME MINISTER.

No person of integrity and HONOUR could possibly survive in the perverse culture of Westminster. Ergo, those who do are WESTMINSTER CREATURES as above.

Nuff sed.

Party Conference season again (yawn).

Yet another opportunity for politicians to pump up their promises to eagerly awaiting teams of journalists wanting to fill airtime with 'incisive' questioning about what all the hot air means.

Meanwhile the world carries on, babes are born in the overspill and most of the electorate couldn't give a (rude word) about either politicians pledging to make everything perfect or the journalists earnestly asking them - with the waggish aim of tripping them up - how they will make everything perfect. Isn't it all jolly japes.

There really is a disconnect.

Over time, if you study the political game, you gradually pick up on more of the tricks in the politicians toolbox.

Today, a couple, I think from Ed Balls, "I am not going to speculate about a hypothetical situation at some point in the future", which I'm sure we must have heard many times before as a get out of jail card.

On this occasion, it allowed him to escape from expressing a view about supporting the possible public sector union strike in the autumn.

Another trick from Balls, which was quite clever, was to take the generic question and gave a specific answer.

He had been asked if a doubling of funding for the NHS had resulted in a health service that was twice as good.

Balls then simply stated that the waiting time for hip replacements in his constituency had gone down from 18 months to nine weeks, thus neatly bypassing the true question as to whether the vast amount of money that had gone into the NHS from his Government had really provided good value for money.

We listen and learn bad habits.

MONARCHY - NOBILITY - MILITARY - MEDIA - WESTMINSTER

Feudal England's spineless backbone.

Turkeys all.

NOTE: I am exercising 'free speech'. Do we REALLY think it would be allowed IF IT MADE ANY DIFFERENCE to the status quo?

COMPLICIT MEDIA RARELY CHALLENGE THE BLATANT PLOY (#45)

I too am a ploy-spotter JC. It gives me no joy. I confronted my MP with documentary proof of falsehoods in the Conservative Liar Flyer; falsehoods that no one has yet declared true - let alone explained 'how to read them AS true'. When I challenged his Ballsian response, he replied that as I am illogical; using this judgement as an excuse to permanently disengage. Westminster has 600+ just like him.

I have since established that Westminster will defend him (again by non-engagement) rather than defending 'democracy under the rule of law'. In a word: CORRUPTION.

In truth, we are a feudal dictatorship that uses Mugabean logic to keep a stranglehold on power. Westminster Creatures are driven by ambition and need. Altruism and integrity to not feature.

Anyone doubting me, should watch the Oborne 'Dispatches' on Blair, he was the archetype. While Westminster endures WE WILL ALWAYS GET OURSELVES ANOTHER ONE.

'20. At 20:06 26th Sep 2011, tawse57 wrote:
Drop Ed Balls and get this guy on who 大象传媒 News interviewed at 11.15 this morning.



There can also, rarely, be a refreshing (if in the enema sense) eyeopener from another money man, Terry Smith

And at least borne too via the 大象传媒.

However, we still mostly get served the likes of... John Prescott, or platitudes & opportunism from doe-eyed lightweight weasels of every hue.

I am minded of a sequence from 'The Fugitive':

Too often... much too often... we are served platitudes and pap when what's needed is unpalatable realities.

Not my cup of tea at all, but this trader seems to be a rather uncomfortable mirror to the nature of 'the system'. Denying it seems daft, ignoring it suicidal, trying to change it laudable but a Gordian (as in knot, not self-elected world saver) task. So I'd tend to err on understanding and working with/around.

But I suspect we'll mostly get 拢150kpa 'union bosses', MPs and 'teleprompter totty' swapping 'insights', governed by the PPE tribalists in the studio.

Today for instance, I note a rather odd gathering of folk who have suddenly discovered a deep affection for our 'defence' (things that go bang) industry as it suits.

I think that trader guy has more value by at least being honest, and leaving one in no doubt where he is really coming from.

Speaking of the Indy... this seems to have 'sparked interest'...



... if not in the way some social engineering devotees may imagine.

AQA, I might add, are the wonderful folk who brought my family this...

Wake up and smell the coffee

Recently we were instructed to rejoice because Tata Motors of India had announced 750 extra jobs at their Jaguar Landrover plant.

Now we are to mourn because BAe are shedding about 3000 jobs; jobs which entailed making warplanes for sale mainly to Arab or Middle Eastern countries.

In addition, even in these so called times of austerity, the Guardian newspaper carries reams of job vacancies in the public sector whose real purpose is inversely proportional to the length of the job title.

Our economy is a hollow husk; most can see this; solutions, however, are not contained in a mere doubling of tuition fees or a temporary reduction in VAT.

We walk a fine line, balancing deficit reduction and economic reshaping; it will be five years before we see signs of any improvement, at least.

It's not about recovery, it's about re-shaping; and that new shape may well be a lower standard of living; but a better quality of life.

Labour will languish until the stable is cleansed of the Balls and others who rode on the coat tails of Brown; most of the Blairites have gone to make money; this cleansing will take at least five years.

New kids on the block? Perhaps some people who have held down real jobs?

'51. At 10:42 27th Sep 2011, kashibeyaz'

[sniff] Whatever is emanating from Westminster and the overpaid, complicit MSM remoras that serve it... it doesn't smell like coffee.

MULITCULTURALISM IS A FAIR WEATHER ACQUAINTANCE (#51)

"it will be five years before we see signs of any improvement, at least."

But five years of what? Brotherly love in the soup queue?

MPs are not chosen for human empathy and competence, their skills are in manipulation and deviousness - little use when society (particularly mixed society) comes under extreme stress.

Bring the troops home? YOU BET THEY WILL!

These policymakers, when they get it wrong, they do do an enormous amount of damage.

In this case of England, policymakers more-or-less bet the farm on the City of London over the past couple of decades and thus dangerously unbalanced the economy.

We can see this is true because belatedly, some of them are now saying we should have an economy that is more like Germany's e.g. with a bigger manufacturing sector.

However, these desirable things cannot be accomplished within any short timeframe, as the education system needs to generate, almost from scratch, a third 'technical' stream, which the Germans have had for decades.

Policymakers in England should be humble because they have a lot to be humble about.

@TimHarford - RT @rob_hyde: Seen that Goldman Sachs 'trader' from Newsnight somewhere before? Seems to be part of the Yes Men group. t.co/LmA3S3JH -

The thick plotten?

Meanwhile, in other news...

/news/uk-politics-15073080

404 - Page Not Found

This might be because you typed the web address incorrectly. Please check the address and spelling ensuring that it does not contain capital letters or spaces.

It is possible that the page you were looking for may have been moved, updated or deleted.

Please click the back button to try another link.

Or... given it is Mr. Robinson's latest... there is more a problem of an internal nature?

Being it was a post whereby Mili. E's lastest notions were given not over critical coverage, maybe there's a bit of a time out to purge an critiques of our hero and his PR dept?

#45 JohnConstable wrote:

"Over time, if you study the political game, you gradually pick up on more of the tricks in the politicians toolbox."

There are two books that are standard reading on any respectable PPE university degree course that all aspiring politicians must master before entering Westminster.

They are...

Arthur Schopenhauer's 'The Art of Being Right: 38 Ways to Win an Argument' edited by AC Grayling





and Jay Heinrichs's 'Thank You For Arguing'




Zeno: 'Rhetoric is an open palm, dialectic a closed fist.'

I had to smile this morning when Lord Digby Jones (the ex director of the CBI), who was on Radio 4's Today programme this morning, said "I dont judge politicians by their rhetoric, I judge them by what they do".

WHAT THE ENGLISH 'EDUCATION SYSTEM' GENERATES (#54)

I see the Germans still start in-ducating at 6, while we are down to 2.

I have pointed out before that those who 'succeed' (survive, conform, perform) in the English SCHOOLING regime, exit as unwittingly INSTITUTIONALISED, yet approved individuals. Those with a controlling bent, fill Westminster. Small wonder Westminster thinks school is the Elixir of Life.

R D Laing wrote in 1974, that he suspected "it is the way we are educating them that is driving them mad". The proof is all around, and Westminster is turning the screw.
All shall be screwed.

Nuff sed

museV @ 57

Thank you for those links - much appreciated!

My own guide has been Jamie Whyte's Bad Thoughts - A Guide to Clear Thinking (

Jamie occasionally writes articles in The Times, where he usually shreds politicians by exposing the fallacies they churn out.

In this vein, Jamie managed a whole book on Tony Blair - somewhat predictably entitled A Load of Blair {hot air}.

As ex-independent MP and journalist Martin Bell is wont to say - politics is far too important to be left to politicians.

?

Is PPC anything like PPE, as I think a nematode worm might get a 1st in it at Oxford... if from the right 'background' (different... a lot different.. to school).

MARTIN BELL DID NOT REPLY - PROBABLY HELD UP AT THE CLEANERS (59)

How droll that Bell's glib comment, with a moment's scrutiny, turns out to be the reverse of reality!

POLITICS IS THE ONLY THING POLTICIANS ARE ANY GOOD AT. They should be allowed to do as much of it as they like - in a SEALED ENCLOSURE. Politics, ESPECIALLY PARTY POLITICS, is inimical to competent stewardship of lives and state.

DISMANTLE WESTMINSTER POLITICS - INSTALL COMPETENT STEWARDSHIP

missing the point

i doubt that those who manage billions are being 'panicked' by anyone?

didn't goldman have something to do with hiding greek debt?

the deficit

any plan b must be based on growth. how you gonna compete when 10 yuan =拢1 which destroys factories jobs and wealth as effectively as waves of bombers.

'56. At 11:41 27th Sep 2011,

Or... given it is Mr. Robinson's latest... there is more a problem of an internal nature?

A NEW TWIST.

The blog in question has (been) changed... to broadcast only.

/news/uk-politics-15072393

All comments under the previous one gone.

Sort of a 大象传媒 blog version of 'the disappeared'.

Spooky.

Very interesting debate.Wish I had found you before.
Straight and Crooked Thinking is a good start on the path to realising what is going on behind the rhetoric,but let`s face the equally important issues of subconscious preferences and indoctrination.
We are not rationalist Mr Spocks,but pretty irrational emotional creatures and "men will believe what they wish to believe"!

Prescott was a bar steward on cruise ships and always harboured a deep hatred towards the upper class and when he got the chance.....he joined them.....!

just heard Milliband going to penalise the workshy and the feckless following the Tory line on the great unwashed, throw them out of their houses....and then what? Homeless...put them up in expensive hotels....good thinking guys.....

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

@66 One wonders how many feather bedded honourable members would get out of bed on a cold winter`s morning for a job on the minimum wage?

But those journalists at the 大象传媒 are too deferential ever to be so blunt about their questioning.

Perhaps because their own feather beds need stuffing with pound notes in quantities that no job on the minimum wage would provide either?

#38 JohnConstable wrote:

鈥溾�uppose that is what riles so much about these politicians, they think that we, the English public, are totally stupid. Why are stuck with these politicians?
Why is it so hard for new entrants such as the Greens and the English Democrats to gain any traction in this political market, when the mainstream Parties are so awful?鈥�

Could it be that most who post here (and on similar sites) don鈥檛 vote in tune with their blogs?

There are faults with the policies and persona of most of the smaller parties but, in the absence of any others last May, the Greens got my vote (and we got their first MP) as I swore never again to vote for the Big 3, who were all complicit in the financial and cultural destruction of the English as a nation.

As for stupidity, most voters obeyed conniving Camoron and voted NO for our only referendum, thus giving approval to the First Past the Post, Rosette form of dimocracy, and forgoing the opportunity to push for further changes to our elecTORYal system and achieve Proportional Representation.

PR achieved democratically elected representatives into EU for both UKIP and BNP, whereas over a million legitimate votes for these smaller parties failed to get any MPs elected to Westminster. We could sorely do with their challenges now, but may now have lost the chance to ever pull out of this lowest common denominator effect of mass immigration and grateful voters. But I still advocate Vote Radical.

The BIG speech (well, as billed A bunch of stuff on what MilliE. not, then the plug gets pulled (power cut, apparently. Interesting irony for an ex climate minister).

Actually dead air makes more compelling viewing.

indignantindegene @ 69

When we read that General Elections are effectively decided by thirty to forty thousand floating voters in a handful of key constituencies, we know that we are operating in a democracy in our England that is deeply flawed at some level.

Thus, the broadly politically apathetic English continue, at present, to be unrepresented, in any meaningful sense of a democracy.

That is just how it is - until the English wake up, which they must surely do at some point, and I hope I'm around to see an 'English Spring' when it finally blossoms.

@69 After years of voting Labour I had to accept that there was no hope of electing anything that wasn`t to the right of Mrs Thatcher any longer because Labour was a complete betrayal of everything Labour had represented when I first joined the party.

Perhaps we should all vote but spoil our papers by writing something rude on the ballot paper to register our contempt. It would be wonderful if the ######### party get elected!

Belgium get`s on fine without an official government. Probably because all nations are now ruled by non democratic institutions like the IMF and oligarchs and religious movements?

PARTIES ARE PERMITTED BY WESTMINSTER LAW TO BUY MINDS AT ELECTIONS (#69)

The unspeakable Westminster mentality has laid down in law a vast sum that may be expended to buy the minds of voters, USUALLY WITH A NEGATIVE MESSAGE ABOUT THEIR OPPONENTS, at General Elections. No independent candidate can match the psychological force applied.

The greater majority of bright voters no longer vote, knowing that Westminster wins every time. It follows that most of those who do vote can be swayed by expensive advertising techniques, bought with donated money in 'CASH FOR INFLUENCE' deals.

Only in party politics do suitors use dodgy money to present a false front to the intended; only in party politics does the intended NOT SEEM TO NOTICE! It is glaringly obvious that parties should be judged on what they have achieved in the recent term of Parliament - simples! After Parliament is prorogued, ALL advertising, leafletting and prancing round the high street SHOULD BE BANNED. (God knows: the devious minds of Westminster would still find ways round the spirit of any such requirements.)

What we have at the moment simply lends credence to my cry:

THIS IS THE AGEOF PERVERSITY

Meanwhile...

/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/09_september/27/statement.shtml

"We've carried out detailed investigations and can't find any evidence to suggest that the interview with Alessio Rastani was a hoax"

Awesome what 拢4Bpa buys one: 'can't find any evidence to suggest'

Convincing stuff. One is sure Bill Clinton has that one logged.

Next they'll be getting taxi drivers to share their wisdom on any old thing they know nothing about, as strolling into news studios and being interviewed seems to be a pretty chilled deal.

FOR SOME ASSAULTS YOU NEED THE SAS - A FEW GOOD MEN DOING SOMETHING (#72)

I dislike military metaphors as much as military 'solutions', BUT WESTMINSTER IS A CITADEL DEFENDED AGAINST US.

I don't think it is possible to get anything like a majority of citizens to waken to the reality of Westminster's bogus "Democracy under the Rule of Law". And, such is the careful selection and GROOMING of MPs, there is not one, currently inside the Citadel, who will open a door or drop a rope to 'our Lads'.

No - it will take all the honed skill of my metaphorical SAS to breach that smug, self-satisfied, arrogant EDIFICE OF FALSEHOOD. I am probing and feinting daily, I invite all other aspiring 'good men' to do the same. Westminster's contempt and complacency are its Achilles Heel. Start with your MP - they have the arrogance of Westminster upon them. I have letters that prove mine to have broken various codes of conduct; let's build a data base of shamed MPs. What better slogan than one borrowed from Tesco: "Every Little Helps".

ASSAIL WESTMINSTER - FIND ITS WEAK POINTS - PUT YOUR MP TO ROUT

Then again...

'@Peston - We spoke to the trader again this morning, & as far as we can tell he is a genuine independent trader, not a member of YesMen'

And now, here is the news... as far as we can tell.

Do the 大象传媒 just yank folk off the street now? I must revise me credulity at 'sources say'... further downwards.

@75 They swap seats and the parties swap government,and just when you find their weak points the MIM rescue them and give them a quango or directorship when they lose their seats.Musical Seats is their party game.

But there is the whole subject of who MP`s and their Lordships truly represent once they get elected or appointed.

Perhaps the Private Eye spirit could be expanded on by the 大象传媒 if the rest of the media are in hock to the sort of influences that bankroll Obama and keep Blair in country mansions and indulgences?

Come to think of it,any thoughts about who or what the 大象传媒 "represents"?

It`s about time the only "interest" an MP should be declaring is a loyalty to his constituents and constituency.That would really spoil a few extra party fun and games jollies and disclose why one`s MP appears to be the MP for New York or Gaza or Tel Aviv or the Vatican, once the election is safely over!

Obourne was a star on Dispatches.

Quite took me back to the days before the 大象传媒 became Voice of America-lite!

What a shame that the political parties have merged into one great amorphous homogeneous characterless apology for a democracy.

But you can`t convince me that many MP`s want it to be like that.It`s probably more a case of needs must when the bills come in!

Now there`s a subject for some investigative journalism.

WITH GENUINE RESPECT (#78)

I think you are forgetting to factor-in the PRESELECTION of all party MPs. What attributes do the selection committee look for? What does a man admire in his son?
I assert ALL MPs Westminster Creatures.

I have a gut feeling your comment: "But you can`t convince me that many MP`s want it to be like that." might not 'compute' in the alien world of Westminster. I have only read Mullin's first book - very revealing, but he seemed to want to run with hare and hounds. We need another retiree from Westminster to blow the gaff, totally, regarding loss of all finer attributes among our 'Honourables'.

As I wrote the above, I could not help visualising Douglas Alexander . . .

THE DELUDED MISJUDGING THE DELUDED (Limited Ed debags himself)

I just caught Ed characterising Blair of Jerusalem and Brown of Staines as GREAT MEN!

My dictionary says nothing about delusion and megalomania under 'great men'. Might Ed have just been saying that, without really believing it? Would an honourable political leader do that?

Nuf sed

@79 Paxman`s "The Political Animal" seemed pretty sound about our honourable members.

Resisting the temptation to capitalise on the humorous side of your alarming "vision" I ought to say that Paxman`s book did leave me feeling sorry for a group of people who might have lived useful lives if they hadn`t been drawn into the Westminster machine.

It`s just an extension of life in a poorly managed boarding school where the older boys rule the roost and survival involves total subservience.

I reserve most of my anger for the feeble Fourth Estate.

THE MORE PERVERSE THE CULTURE THE MADDER THE MAVERICK (#81)

(I had not heard of Paxo's penning.)

I was ruminating on the dearth of individuals prepared to stand up and be hounded, and wondered if that is why Assange HAD TO BE WEIRD. As the 'normal' world gets weirder, as evidenced by our Prime Ministers and a false flag culture, presumably only the VERY nutty feel moved to rebel.

Good grief!