No Fly Zone

David Cameron has told the MoD to plan for a no fly zone over Libya. When he really means that the Americans and NATO will implement a no fly zone. We could at a stretch possible provide three or four aircraft and one has to presume that they would be based in Cyprus, they certainly won,t be flying from an aircraft carrier. Not a British one anyway. If these problems in the North Africa and the Middle  East perhaps escalate to other areas of the globe in the very near future does he think for one minute that British military power could assist our American friends? We would just get under their feet. As he  diminishes our military powers and the sun sets on our global asperations the sun is rising on the Soviets who are again increasing their military power as are India, and  China. Where does this leave poor old Britain? Waving a tattered Union Flag or a white one.

Rail Nimby.

The high speed rail line that is planned between London and Birmingham then to the north is being opposed by the selfish rich in the area where the line will go. Ministers say that the £34 billion project will create 40,000 jobs and will encourage 9 million drivers and 6 million airline passengers to take the train. Opponents say these numbers are exaggerated. Whether they are or not Britain needs a high speed train system. We lag behind the Germans the French, Italians and the Spanish. Its about time that these NIMBY put the country first not their own selfish interests. These opponents claim amongst other things that it will destroy the country side. They don't complain when other areas of the country have been disturbed to build motorways and extend airports. So long as their little part of rural England remain untouched. These little Englanders should think of the betterment of the country. Its only because the line is going through several conservative constituencies, if it was going through Labour or working class areas they wouldn't be bothered. The government has to do what is best for the country even if it means upsetting a few thousand Tory voters. The biggest problem is that if we take notice of them and have another enquiry it just adds a few more billions on to the cost then the opponents complain that it is costing to much. This government has to say that is where the line is going and that's the end of the discussion.

Short Sighted Policy of David Cameron.

This government has been slow off the mark to go to the aid of British Nationals in Libya. They have sent HMS Cumberland a ship that is going to the scrap yard. They have had to charter a Boeing 757 that is now reported broken down at Gatwick Airport. Other countries have  their military aircraft to get their nationals out. And David Cameron still thinks that we are one of the  worlds leading powers. With his devastating, criminal action, some might even say treasonable,action  he has taken towards the armed forces of this country. What will happen if there is a major incident that will affect the sovereignty of the realm in the future? where will he get the ships and aircraft and soldiers  from, that may be required. Perhaps he can conjure up his lead soldiers under his bed.

Hypocracy with our buisness and political elite.

Can you still see the smirking face of Tony Blair when he sucked up to Gaddafi, like wise with  Lord  Mandelson, and Nat  Rothschild who invited Gaddafi's son to visit his family home in Britain. The parties that they attended together in New York. The so called the great and the good, deal with these regimes with their autocratic leadership, when it is to their financial benefit ignoring the plight of these countries  citizens Yet once the populous start to demand their freedoms and start to overthrow these leaders, where are their fair weather friends then? They dump them like the proverbial brick, and wash their hands of them, but some times the blood doesn't wash off quite as easily. Money talks and absolute power corrupts absolutely  these  two proverbs apply more and more to the leaders of our world. You only have to look at Tony Blair to see this, or the Italy prime minister, the state of corrupt politicians in todays world. Cameron talks about democracy in these and other Arab nations, but he  treads sofly when talking about Saudi Arabia, and why because they are the worlds leaders in oil. If Arabia didn't have any oil would the worlds leaders bother about democracy, or the people in these countries? Would they as hell as like. Downing Street believes that money should be used to to force -note the word force- political reforms and constitutional changes, open up markets and and bring institutions into line with EU values.Perhaps some of these Arab countries are already there? How many leaders within the European apparatus  are there due to being elected or are there  because the corrupt structure within the EU  put them there. The EU commissioners are not elected by the 400+ million people with in the EU. Just to mention one, Lady Ashton the EU's Foreign Secretary has never ever been elected to any position by the people of Britain or Europe. She is a paid crony of a corrupt sytem, that keeps telling people of Europe that we all in Europe live in a democratic society. The trouble with our leaders is that they believe it. Perhaps its about time they came down from their Ivory Towers and lived in the real world for a time   

  

Marshall Plan?

There are calls within the western powers to provide vast sums of money to help the Arab countries that are in the throws of demanding democratic elections after years of dictatorship. These people who want to provide financial aid on a scale to the Marshall Plan after the second world war. Have I believe got it wrong. The Americans provided aid between 1949 t0 1952 to the tune of £700 billion in today's real terms. This money was to help Europe get back on its feet, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and the other  countries that were devastated by the war were given this aid to rebuild their infrastructures, and industries. The aid was offered to the Easter Block countries but rejected by Stalin. This is a completely different scenario with what is happening in the middle east. There infrastructures have not been devastated to anywhere near as what happened in Europe. The Middle Eastern countries are not manufacturing based, they have oil. Do our leaders who propose such financial handouts at a time after many western families are now struggling to make ends meet expect to see more of their moneys given to oil rich countries. Who could increase the cost of a barrel of oil that will push up costs in the rest of the world. Do we provide monies so that these countries can start an industrial programme that they are not at present involved in. If this were to happen would this not mean that European manufacturing jobs would be allowed to go to the Middle East? Its OK for these people in power here to suggest such programmes but it will not be their jobs that are lost. The Americans are talking about providing $4 billion in aid to Egypt in a subsidy programme to keep the price of food and especially bread during Egypt's transition  to ddemocracy. All well and good, but what about the poverty and hardships that millions of American citizens are feeling. How much aid is been given by the oil rich countries that now spend billions on building palaces, and hotels for the mega rich Europeans whist their own people in many cases are on the bread line by western standards. We all want to see democracy and freedom for these countries but not I'm quite sure to the detriment of western jobs or falling living standards.  

What Democracy?

It seems that the prime minister has now got a team of unelected advisers in number 10, This so call A team will cost the tax payers an estimated £1 million with the average pay packet around £100,000, not bad work if you can get it, again its jobs for the boys from a corrupt politician who is always talking about meritocracy, but that obvious that that is not for him.  It is obvious that cronyism is at the fore front of his agendas. Its reported that this initiative has been criticised by senior figures within the coalition, but its obvious that these spineless people will not openly oppose Cameron. Now we read about EU farming subsidies for the Royal Family and other well off farmers that is costing the tax payers an estimated £1 Billion a year. Ministers have ordered an information blackout on these massive farming subsidies to the Queen in the region of £500,000 and £100,000 to the Prince of Wales. They are amongst the alleged 80,000 wealthy farmers who have benefited from these subsides.The Department for the Environment said it was administratively not feasible to separate company and private details so it was banning the publication of both. That remark to me sounds as though it is feasible to differentiate between both? The more that the rich and well off get into these kind of deals the more that the average person will be kept in the dark with feeble excuses from those holding the purse strings, purses  that contains our money. The whole edifice is corrupt from to to bottom. If this kind of thing goes on now can it only get worse if we have AV voting. The people who want this say that it will make the elected more accountable to the electarate. If these people who want AV really believe that why are they not whistle blowing on the corruption that exists now within Westminster and the corridors of power and telling the electarate, or do they in some small way have their greasy fingers in the pie?  

Bahrain.

Britain has both economic and military ties with Bahrain as has the United States, both countries have a vital military presence in the state. It does now seem quite a double edged sword when the government is looking into the licences that have been granted to some British companies that deal in the arms industry with Bahrain. Also when Britain and America and other western countries are calling for more democracy in these Arab states. We have for years supported a minority Sunni monarchy who rules sway over the Shia majority of its population. The monarch is friendly with both the government of Britain and our monarchy. Could this change dramatically over the coming months as with other Arab states in the middle east who are now asking for democracy and freedom for their peoples?

What happened to British fair play?

A care worker who has worked in this country for over five years was going to be deported because he did not earn enough according to the immigration and the boarder agency, although he had three children who were born in this country. After people lodged an appeal and the owner of the care home gave him extra work as a maintenance man so that he could obtain the correct amount of moneys to satisfy the authorities has now been allowed to stay. Yet we allow criminals and people who have contributed absolutely nothing to the country, and in all honesty are a drain on this countries resources, and complain that if they are sent back to the country of their birth they may be imprisoned or tortured and their human rights may be abused, (again this complaint). But no body seems to bother about the human rights of this  care worker. This is just double standards that is now being allowed to pervade the good honest workers of this country, by a weak government that doesn't know morally right from wrong.

European Court of Human Rights

Europe is interfering to much in the rights of the British citizens. I think most fair minded people would agree that the convention of both the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights was a brilliant concept when they were both set up, but over the years it has been abused by not only the criminal element within the country's of the world , but here in Britain. Who are the winners who has the most to gain from these convention, besides the criminal element, the lawyers and barristers.Is it any wonder that they are opposed to Britain withdrawing from it hopefully in the near future. Perhaps its about time that we had a Convention On Common Sense, that could over rule some of these idiotic decisions from these courts. We are being told that the Supreme Court is saying that sex offenders can apply to have their names removed from the sex offenders register after a period of time, because it was a breach of the offenders human rights.(victims don't have any human rights) If this goes through will criminals who have not committed a crime for a number of years have their criminal records and finger prints removed from the Criminal Records Office?

China.

Was it not Napoleon  who said let China sleep because when she awakens the world will fear her  roar. Well China has awakened., and the world is now begining to feel it roar and  see ite power. It is now gobbling up the worlds resources on a grater scale than by any other country and  at any other time in history. It is taking 80% of the half a billion tons of iron ore that Brazuil produces each year. It now produces 50% of the worlds steel output. Factories in Britain America and Europe, are or have closed down putting thousands of people out of work. It is gobbling up some of the worlds food supplies to feed its vast population, creating shortages in the rest of the world and pushing up food prices. It wants more gas and oil, again driving up the price of thes commodoties. It says that it has no global asperations to dominate, but armed forces and its  navy are now gaining strength in the Pacific around Korea, and Japan, and it is travelling further afield. Should the world not now fear China? There can be no doubt that in the twenty first centry China will be the worlds leading power both militarily  and financially.

Are the insurence companies to blame

With the cost of motor insurances increasing year on  year for drivers who have never made a claim, are the insurance companies to blame? Its reported that every motorist is paying a minimum increase of £40 on their  insurance policies to cover the cost of drivers who are making fraudulent claims, which are on the increase year after year. Could some of these increase be due to honest motorists who feel aggrieved that they can't keep paying these increases and so revert to breaking the law? Something we can't condone, but we can see how they feel especially if they are low income earners. In many cases the insurance companies know these are fraudulent claims  but are to lazy or incompetent to pursue these false claims, and its much easier to increase every bodies insurance. Is this not aiding and abetting a crime, and as such they are helping to commit offences. Should the law not prosecute insurance companies who knowingly pay out to false claims. Especially when there are many drivers who have had minor accidents and inform their insurance companies of this  only to find out later that they have paid out on damaged vehicles that were not as damaged as the occupants claim, and claim for whiplash victims who were never in the car. Insurance companies are helping to make crime pay, at the expense of the honest citizens. 

Are these some of the reasons Britain is becoming a two tier state?

Ian Duncan Smith has asked the bosses of the state funded Remploy, not to take £1.5 million in bonuses and benefits. Tim Matthews, 59 chief executive who once listed drinking champagne amongst his interests, this just goes to show his arrogance received a record package of £180,000 he also claimed thousands in expenses for hotels and meals. Finance director Nigel Hopkins received £140,000 package including £15,000 bonus, another 288 directors received bonuses before starting a redundancy programme that will target half of its 2,800 disabled workforce. One has to ask why these people are paid so much? I'm quite sure that there are people within the country who are  quite capable of do these jobs for a third of the pay these people are now receiving., and without bonuses. Why are these payouts  being subsidised by the tax payer, at a time when we are constantly being told to tighten our belts. due to the austerity we now face. But again how can we believe anything that Cameron says when once again the great and the goods children are being allowed to gain work experience at the top city banks and hedge funds with  900 of their parents attending a Black and White party paying  minimum £400 a head towards Tory party funds then bidding around £3,000 for lots to get their off springs into these work experience posts. Is this  Cameron's idea of a Big Society? Now we have the debacle about Charles Kingsland a gynaecologist the clinical director of Britain's largest NHS fertility unit referring people to a clinic in Northern Cyprus to be implanted with a selected embryo. Mr Kingsland uses NHS premises and staff to organise for a profit a medical procedure that is illegal in Britain. The treatment costs up to £14,000 and he tells patients he must cover up his involvement by claiming to be ignorant of their reasons for travelling to Cyprus.Again is this not greed and corruption by certain high up medical people within the NHS. Should he and others like him not be struck off. It seems that no matter where we look today people with large salaries within the police force who are selling confidential information to other organisations. Its going on within the defence industry with jobs for the boys once they have left the MoD. It reported that they can't enter these jobs till they have been out of the so called loop for two years, but with high severance pay outs and guaranteed employment, within 24 months they won't be out of pocket. It now seems that greed pervades every aspect of Britain today. From parliament to high society and the people in power have the audacity to talk about the morals in Banana Republics. Kettle, pot, black seem to spring to mind. I just thank God that we have a press that look into these goings on and inform the general public. We need a free press but there are certain elements within the establishments who would like to curtail the fourth estate. If they ever got their then we would really  be a nation of mushrooms.  

Should Prisoners be allowed to vote?

Why should prisoners be allowed to vote? John Hirst 60 the man who's victory in the European Court of Human Rights has brought about the debate in the House of Commons complained that his Human Rights had been violated by not been able to vote although he was in prison for killing his landlady with an axe after she asked him to get some coal for the fire. I won't say that this was the act of an unstable person because it would only help people who say that he was wrongfully given a heavy sentence. What does annoy me with the ECHR and with the UNCHR, is that it is always the wrong doer who is regarded as the victim. It always seems that the victims have no rights.There are people now complaining that a woman who stole a £10 pair of jeans was given a custodial prison sentence, although it was her first offence. Whats wrong with that? A few months ago we had a burglar who was given his first custodial sentence for his 98 offence. In both these and similar cases these people have infringed on innocent peoples lives. Have their human rights not been infringed? Perhaps not in the true sense of the word, but their space has been violated. If that burglar had been given a custodial sentence after his first offence it may have made him think twice before going to commit further offences. 

Multiculturalism debate.

People are upset about multiculturalism in British society today. There are others who say that Britain is one of the most tolerant societies in the world. Not only do we except people from other countries, but we except their cultures some times to the detriment of our own. Over the past twenty five years we have come to except the Nottinghill Carnival, it has now become one of the attractions of Britain society and outside of Brazil is probably the largest carnival of its kind in the world. The British have accepted it, but we have people who see British culture being run down. The Morris Dancers who have their faces blacked  have been condemned as racist, the Black and White Minstrels was also another complaint by people who said it was an affront to coloured people, many of these coloured people who didn't take any offence. Again its the bleeding hearts and the PC brigade who are doing the damage to the fabric of British Society, not the people from religious or ethnic backgrounds, who have come to this island for a better life, and who have not only brought their own cultures here but more importantly they have accepted ours.   

Who protects the consumer?

The average price of the British consumers gas bills has risen 28% between 2008-11 and for electric 43% over the same period. A senior minister said that an enquiry into the top six energy companies may damage these companies and drive them from Britain. Charles Hendry said that suppliers might be to important to future energy security to be exposed to the full rigours of a competition investigation, so big business does rule the country not the government.  If this is true and especially in the light that Ofgem said that profit margins were to large and that the average duel fuel bill of £1,200 created £100 of pure profit.and could be rising in the coming years.City analysts predict that Centrica the countries biggest householder supplier could see profits next year increase by as much as 25%. The big six are made up of British Gas, The Southern Electric Group E.ON and Npower, both German owned EDF of France and ScottishPower now Spanish owned. These companies have to find an estimated £200 billion to invest in the energy market that this country needs. If that is true its the consumers who will pay it through higher prices, not the investors. As this country now relies more and more on energy from outside of Britain with these higher gas and electric prices is it not time that these commodities were brought back into state ownership. Profits would then be used to invest in new infrastructures and not to the shareholders as is the present method. If as the experts predict over the next decade oil,gas and electric will become scarcer and dearer to produce. Isn't it about time that we went nuclear, its cheaper, and cleaner with no CO2 omissions. and unlike wind and solar energy it works 24 hours a day. If we had a summer like that of 1976 with three months of virtual sunshine and no wind what would the wind turbines be doing but standing still, solar energy would be great then but how often do we have weather like that every fifty years? If this country wants to be self sufficient over the next fifty years and not be held to ransom by these companies or other countries who own them we have to act now. It may be OK to say that these countries are our neighbours, and friends but in today's world money talks louder than allegiances, or friendship, especially if you hold the whip hand. 

Who will end this blatant corruption?

The Chancellor George Osborne is to announce at the budget next month  a new levy on the so called "non-domes"so that he can rake in millions more in taxes. That sounds wonderful to the average hard pressed citizens, but its rubbish when we consider that some of our most senior cabinet ministers are setting up "Blind Trusts," preventing scrutiny of their investments. Amongst the so called great and the good are Francis Maude the Cabinet Office Minister,Chris Huhne, the Climate Change Secretary. Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Minister, Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, Cheryl Gillan the Welsh Secretary, and Owen Paterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary. There are at least another eight ministers who have set up blind trusts.  Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has also set one up. Minsters argue  that these blind trusts allow them to keep their shareholdings at arms length preventing them from seeing what they have invested in. However it also keeps details of their financial interests secret. The truth is its a cynical way to avoid paying tax on their wealth, and stops the public from knowing what they are avoiding paying,whilst the rest of the population struggles to make ends meet. But its not just these ministers with their sticky fingers in the pie. We have a private health care firm with connections to Andrew Lansley the Health Minister that has won a £53 million prison hospital contract, even though the NHS beat "Care UK", on quality,delivery and risk, the only thing they lost on was the cost. Care UK is believed to have been charging £4 million less than the NHS. All well and good you may say except, that John Nash and his wife who own Care UK, made donations totalling £203,500 before the general election to the party and would be MP's including £21,000 to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's office. They have gone for cut price services. Tory ministers breaking up the NHS are in the pockets of private health care. With less money spent and with huge profits and salaries and bonuses to be paid out of the contract, it is inevitable that standards will have to fall, treatment will be worse, and large numbers of nurses will loose their jobs. But the fat cats get fatter and so will ministers who will find jobs in these organisations when their time is up in Westminster.Corruption is it would seem rife at the top. Al Capone would be proud of them.

  

Multiculturalism

So Cameron has now agreed that multiculturalism has failed in Britain as he vows to confront Islamic extremists living here who reject Western values. He has now come to realise as have the hundreds of thousands of do-gooders who have for decades campaigned saying that it works, when 80% of the population knew that it didn't. Perhaps these same people should have listened 30 years ago to Ray Honeyford the headmaster from Bradford who said that Asian pupils might benefit if they learnt to speak English, hearing a bit about English history and being told what Britain was all about. For his opinion (in a so called free and Democratic country) he lost his job was hounded by the media and even investigated by the government of the day. His crime was to challenge the dominant philosophy behind all race relations of the time - multiculturalism. That meant that no single culture or set of values should be promoted above any other, that all were equal, should be respected and encouraged. Now many who would have been the first to condemn him at the time now agree with him including Trever Phillips head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. and Tony Blair. Cameron is the latest convert, or is he just being cynical and jumping on anything that might help his failing Big Society theory.

Expenses and morals of some of the members of this parliament.

Today we see the papers adorned with the speaker of the house of commons slapper of a wife. Is it any wonder where the British government standing  in the world today is. Her husband was going to clean up the mess of the previous government when he was chosen to be the speaker, but ends up wasting tax payers money in his grace and favour residence. Now we see Sir George Young leader of the commons complaining that the Independent Parliamentary Standard Authority (IPSA)is being to hard on our poor MP's He along with No 10 have complained that the system is costing to much at £6 million yet as IPSA has pointed out its cost might have been that amount in the first year, but that included setting it up. Again only a half truth from No 10. Now we all want to see MP's getting their proper expenses for housing and running their offices etc. IPSA has rightly so turned down claims by Maria Miller the Families Minister for an £8 congestion charge fee, and £5.20 for a commons dinner. Ed Vaizey a culture minister had submitted a £4.75 receipt for an interns lunch. What do these people spend their £65,000+ salaries on if they are claiming for such trivia. Can the general public claim for lunches at work or for parking tickets? The MP for Portsmouth North said she was left with £22 to see her through Christmas because of huge office costs. She said that some colleagues were consistently £10/15,000 out of pocket. That just goes to show that they are poorly organised, but they will get that amount refunded if their claims are genuine. She should be lucky to have £22 to see her through Christmas. Millions of others would have been grateful to have had so much. It just goes to show how out of touch these people are with the people in the real world. If they don't like what they are getting they can always stand down, being an MP isn't compulsory. Its the same story for MP's who came from the city or the law saying that the salary is well down on what they earned in the city previously. Again its no good complaining they knew what the salary was when they became an MP. Like wise any MP coming from an average salary will have seen their income increased by at least 100% Swings and round abouts come to mind.

Democracy for who?

If we live in a true democracy why is it that the conservative candidate chosen by the local branch where I live was turned down by the Conservative Central Office and a person of their choice was parachuted in. She was beaten by the labour candidate who was a local person. We now have our politicians saying that the Egyptian President should stand down and allow free and democratic elections. This kind of speak from politicians who can't truly agree with what they are advocating. We are now being inundated with more rules and regulations from Brussels, yet we are only allowed to elect MEP's from our country we have no say whatever in who runs Brussels. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Baroness Ashton of Upholland was not elected to the position by the people of Europe, she never has been or has ever been elected to any position of authority by the people of Britain or Europe, nor where any of the EU Commission. They were picked by wheelers and dealers within Europe, who's own credentials may have a lot to be desired. Yet members of  of our elected government have the audacity to say that President Mubarak was not elected to that position. Well he was, albeit in a somewhat bias election. Perhaps our leaders should look closer to home before they start to criticise how other countries elect their heads of state? Ours are not all that democratic, or squeaky clean as has been brought to light with the MP's expenses scandal.