Spain's perverse spiral: catastrophe ahead

As usual, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard provides a cogent and rather scary analysis of the death spiral into which Spain is locked - and by extension, the Euro, the EU and all creditors thereof, including Britain.

While we are in a marginally better place than the PIIGs, with more room to manoeuvre, their economic demise will have a catastrophic effect on our finances.

The question is, does the Treasury understand the nature of the problem and does it offer the correct solutions?

David Goldsby, a frequent DT Finance commenter who is seldom wrong, responds to AEP's assertions:

They do not have time to amend the EU treaties. What they need to do is the FED, BoE, and ECB sweep up all government, mortgage and corporate bonds to prevent the insolvency of major financial institutions when they announce that the inflation target is being changed to 5%.

Governments then need to start borrowing from the central banks on overdraft at 0% interest and use the cash to dramatically slash income and consumption taxes to boost demand and get people back to work, instead of pouring wealth down the drain as miilions of people are idled.

Whatever it takes, de facto or not, the system is reaching melting point with all this farcical talk of austerity, which as Fitch says, is a certain downward spiral that will just make fiscal positions worse.

Cameron suggesting the BoE might have to raise interest rates to counter imported inflation. What a farce.

Talk of the need to rebalance with Germany and China become the borrowers and consumers. That can only be done very slowly over a decade or two in Germany's case and a century or so in China's case, or are we going to somehow transport all their factories over to the big spenders and importers.

For God sake, get real. Nothing I hear them saying is real. 'We are irrevocably committed to price stability' they chant. Dream on, from here prices either go up steadily and keep going up steadily or go down fast and keep going down fast until we are all reduced to the poverty line and there is geopolitical hell.

Some people say AEP is endlessly alarmist, but in fact he just sees the dangers clearly and spells them out in the least alarmist way that will make people sit up and take notice before it is too late. This is now becoming deadly serious.

Related:

• German bankers suspect French plot

Totalitarians: What they said

Excerpt from The New Totalitarians, by by Roland Huntford, in which he quotes Julian Huxley:

"As political and economic freedom diminishes," says Huxley, "sexual freedom tends compensatingly to increase. And the dictator (unless he needs cannon fodder and families with which to colonize empty or conquered territories) will do well to encourage that freedom. In conjunction with the freedom to daydream under the influence of dope, the movies and the radio, it will help to reconcile his subjects to the servitude which is their fate."

In The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic, Sir Alex Fraser Tytler* wrote:

"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from great courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependency back again to bondage."

Isn't that where we are now?

Will Dave change that?

* Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (18th Century) Scottish jurist and historian

BP Gulf oil gusher: 'sustainable development' opportunity

Dr Tom Deweese of the American Policy Centre talks to Dr Stan Monteith about the UN's possible role in this oil disaster - the opportunities open to them to push their sustainable development agenda (which is a spin-off from Agenda 21).

Why did it take Obama 6 weeks to take action on this? Why has he been so ineffective, and what does he have to gain from inaction? Doesn't this remind you of Dubya Bush's Hurricane Katrina fiasco?



Related:

• Depopulation
• Public-Private Partnerships - corporatism or fascism

Could this be the last weekend of the Euro?

A London-based consultancy, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has advised Greek ministers that Greece's only hope of survival is to leave the Euro and default on its debt. Let's face it - the money loaned to Greece was created out of thin air, and now the global bankers are collecting interest on it. Why should the Greeks not default on a loan of something that never belonged to the bankers in the first place?

It's counterfeit 'money'. Funny money.

Doug McWilliams, CEO said: “Leaving the euro would mean the new currency will fall by a minimum of 15%. But as the national debt is valued in euros, this would raise the debt from its current level of 120% of GDP to 140% overnight.

According to Robert Watts:

Greece’s departure from the euro would prove disastrous for German and French banks, to which it owes billions of euros.

McWilliams called the move “virtually inevitable” and said other members may follow.

“The only question is the timing,” he said. “The other issue is the extent of contagion. Spain would probably be forced to follow suit, and probably Portugal and Italy, though the Italian debt position is less serious.

“Could this be the last weekend of the single currency? Quite possibly, yes.”

There is much speculation that the Germans printed a wadge of Deutsche Marks - photo here - in May 2010.

Many politicians, commentators and bloggers warned of the folly of the Euro over a decade ago and now that it's in crisis, van Rompuy has the gall to utter:

"We are clearly confronted with a tension within the system," Van Rompuy opined. "The dilemma of being a monetary union and not a fully-fledged economic and political union. The tension has been there since the single currency was created. However, the general public was not really made aware of it."

No, oh Bland Bigot. You were not listening to us.

Related:

• The Euro Zone has failed - Václav Klaus

Adobe Reader Phishing scam - beware!

Should you receive an email like the one below, be aware that it is a phishing expedition. When you click on the link in the email, the destination site can download and activate malicious code - particularly if your computer is not adequately protected by up-to-date anti-virus software, supported by daily (at least) virus definition downloads.

Adobe says:

"It has come to Adobe's attention that e-mail messages purporting to offer a download of the Adobe Reader have been sent by entities claiming to be Adobe," the company said in a statement warning about it. "Many of these e-mails are signed as 'Adobe PDF' (or similar), and in some instances require recipients to register and/or provide personal information. Please be aware that these e-mails are phishing scams and have not been sent by Adobe or on Adobe's behalf."

The bona fide Adobe Reader download page is on the Adobe Web site at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

The email I received was as follows:

Sender: Adobe PDF Reader [support@adobe-pdf-solutions.org]
Subject: Download New Adobe PDF Reader 2010 Version For Windows

Dear valued customers,

We are pleased to announce new release of Adobe PDF Reader 2010 which will give you more options to view, create, edit, print and share PDF documents. You will not have to look around for help anymore !

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To learn more about new features and install Adobe PDF Reader 2010, please:

+ Go to: http://www.adobe-reader-2010.com/ [fake link, added by me]
+ Choose your options, download and start to improve your works.

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If you no longer wish to receive similar emails, please send a REPLY with UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject line.

David Laws has resigned his post

Well, Laws did the decent thing and resigned. It looks like he didn't wait to be pushed.

More here.

Update: His parting speech must've been the most honourable and humble I've heard. He puts Alistair Darling to absolute shame - rightly so.

Cameron's effusive praise of Laws's means of going and reference to his good character was startling.

Good to have honour back in politics.

David Laws: Hissing noises from the Left

While it’s true that Laws broke the rules and that one should expect the country’s accountant to be above reproach, it is notable that the loudest hissing noises are coming from the Labour Party. This is rich, considering that Alistair Darling kept his job after his fraudulent "flipping" and tax avoidance, and even after the previous government lost the election. Laws has real talent, whereas Darling just managed to look competent. Many of Darling's decisions have been disastrous.

The hypocrisy is galling.

Some are calling for Laws to be recalled – even though recall legislation hasn’t been enacted yet. Once it is, and should Labourites still screech for his recall, let’s clamour for Darling’s head, too. If they want to kick up a fuss, we can do the same and whip up a storm for Darling's recall.

Some speculate that the intelligence services will have checked out Laws immediately upon his acquiring ministerial status - i.e., well before Question Time on Thursday. Did he back out of QT because he had advance warning that the information had leaked?

Or were the knives out to get him after his stellar performance in the HoC this week?  Labour's hysterical "urgent" tabling of a question to the Treasury, had Laws shredding Darling's arguments with ease, making Darling look the fool that he is and leaving the Labour Party in a terrified, stupefied silence.

Laws deserves a chance. If you turn on Laws, then turn on Darling, too - the latter of whom was guilty of fraud, to most people's minds, and should have been charged as such.

Awesome Answer Machine message from Queensland

This recording was allegedly voted for unanimously by staff at Maroochydore Hight School in Queensland. It might be fake, but it has a rings true on the issue personal responsibility!



Hat tip: Paul Martin Remfry

Beating the global power 'elite' at their own game

Adrian Salbuchi:



Adrian Salbuchi - Second Republic:




Meanwhile, former mad-as-hell CIA officer Robert Steel, offers some ideas on how to break the New World Order:

Good reads

IBM Patent Application Describes "Intelligent" Stop Lights That Turn Off Cars - Daily Tech

The CIA admits faking an Osama Bin Laden video: CIA unit's wacky idea: Depict Saddam Hussein as gay - The Washington Post

For what is believed to be the first time ever in England, an audience of university undergraduates has decisively rejected the notion that “global warming” is or could become a global crisis: Oxford Union Debate on Climate Catastrophe - SPPI Blog

While 39% of parents have become educated about vaccinations and have refused or delayed vaccinations for their children,  Bill Gates' foundation has been financing Nano Vaccines which can be sprayed on people without their knowledge

"Privatization" (Public-Private Partnerships) is reaching epidemic proportions in the Western world because the public is fooled by the words, thinking that these partnerships will operate under the rules of the free market:  Govermant's Business Isn't Business - Campaign for Liberty (Public-Private Partnerships was Labour's baby, and now it's Cameron's - witness his speech yesterday)

Agenda 21 Alert: Science and Sewage - MORPHcity

Quote of the Day

Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters.

Victor Hugo

Tax: How long do you work for the tax man?

Not surprising, and unacceptable. Adam, in the video, is your average taxpayer, and he gets clobbered by the taxman - but not as much as those preparing for retirement and those in retirement, whose pensions have been decimated, and who are about to have the rug pulled from under them again, via the Lib Dems' CGT proposals.

The coalition should take careful heed of John Redwood's and David Davis's CGT arguments.

Update: The Daily Telegraph is running a campaign against the proposed CGT tax increases.



Hat tip: Taxpayers' Alliance

Update:

• Senior Government sources say that Chancellor George Osborne is looking favourably on plans proposed by former cabinet ministers John Redwood and Lord Forsyth to introduce 'tapers' so people who hold assets such as second homes or shares for more than five or ten years would not be penalised at all.
• Laws finds Redwood's CGT solution "ingenious". The knives are out for Laws.

Senator McCain and the Vietnam POW cover-up

Sydney Schanberg* has written a stunning article on Senator McCain and the cover-up Vietnam POWs which the government of the day knowingly and willingly left behind in Vietnam, because it would not pay reparation monies to Vietnam, to pay for all the damage America did to that country.

An excerpt:

John McCain, who has risen to political prominence on his image as a Vietnam POW war hero, has, inexplicably, worked very hard to hide from the public stunning information about American prisoners in Vietnam who, unlike him, didn't return home. Throughout his Senate career, McCain has quietly sponsored and pushed into federal law a set of prohibitions that keep the most revealing information about these men buried as classified documents. Thus the war hero who people would logically imagine as a determined crusader for the interests of POWs and their families became instead the strange champion of hiding the evidence and closing the books.

Almost as striking is the manner in which the mainstream press has shied from reporting the POW story and McCain's role in it, even as the Republican Party has made McCain's military service the focus of his presidential campaign. Reporters who had covered the Vietnam War turned their heads and walked in other directions. McCain doesn't talk about the missing men, and the press never asks him about them.

The sum of the secrets McCain has sought to hide is not small. There exists a telling mass of official documents, radio intercepts, witness depositions, satellite photos of rescue symbols that pilots were trained to use, electronic messages from the ground containing the individual code numbers given to airmen, a rescue mission by a special forces unit that was aborted twice by Washington—and even sworn testimony by two Defense secretaries that "men were left behind." This imposing body of evidence suggests that a large number—the documents indicate probably hundreds—of the US prisoners held by Vietnam were not returned when the peace treaty was signed in January 1973 and Hanoi released 591 men, among them Navy combat pilot John S. McCain.

Schanberg goes on to describe McCain's role in the cover-up and to list key pieces of evidence, backed up by declassified documentation. A must-read!

Watch an interview of Schanberg interviewed by Democracy Now's Amy Goodman, or listen to the interview below. (The interview starts 27 minutes in).



* Sydney H. Schanberg, a journalist for nearly 50 years, has written extensively on foreign affairs--particularly Asia--and on domestic issues such as ethics, racial problems, government secrecy, corporate excesses and the weaknesses of the national media. 

Most of his journalism career has been spent on newspapers but his award-winning work has also appeared widely in other publications and media. The 1984 movie, The Killing Fields, which won several Academy Awards, was based on his book The Death and Life of Dith Pran - a memoir of his experiences covering the war in Cambodia for the New York Times and of his relationship with his Cambodian colleague, Dith Pran.

For his accounts of the fall of Cambodia to the Khmer Rouge in 1975, Schanberg was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting "at great risk." He is also the recipient of many other awards - including two George Polk awards, two Overseas Press Club awards and the Sigma Delta Chi prize for distinguished journalism.

Tory backbench rationality: EU treaty and CGT

Two striking articles today from Tory backbenchers:

• John Redwood tackles the highly contentious issue of Britain's support of the Euro via a treaty, arguing that entering into an additional treaty with the EU would enable us to repatriate powers from the EU, in exchange for our support. He likens this support to our relationship with the poorer parts of Britain, past and present. Very well argued.
• David Davis tackles the CGT issue, making the case for responsible, hard-working people, who would be penalised should CGT be raised to income tax levels. He points out that the rich would avoid the tax, anyway, so it would be the middle classes who get clobbered - again.

Update: On the CGT issue, Alice Thompson adds to the debate about the immorality of heaping hefty CGT on savers who, while others binged and splurged, went without, in order to provide for their retirements, so that taxpayers wouldn't have to.

Ex-BBC and ITN correspondent: 9/11 was controlled demolition

Alan Hart, an ex-BBC (News at Ten) and ITN (Panorama) correspondent says 9/11 was a controlled demolition - deemed to be so by one of the largest constructions companies in the world, which studied 9/11. It concluded that the Twin Towers could not possibly have been brought down by a 'plane. (This bit can be found towards the end of the clip, below).

Hart also makes some astonishing assertions about Zionism. Due to events that he witnessed when he was covering Israel's 20th century wars in the Middle East (which date back to 1948), he discovered that these wars were bare-faced land-grabs. American politicians are controlled by Israel, he says - the 'history', as imparted by politicians and as taught by educational institutions, is a work of fiction.

Alan Hart talks about the global consequences and terrifying implications of these events – the possibility of a Clash of Civilisations, Judeo-Christian -v- Islamic, and, along the way, another great turning against the Jews, for the second time in nearly 40 years.

Hey, and look what's happening now! (War with Iran?)

Kevin Barrett interviews Hart:



Update for sceptics: Why did the BBC report that the Salomon Brothers building had come down, when it was clearly visible, intact, behind the reporter's head?



Related:

• War with Korea?

Secret clauses in Greek bailout rattling markets

Are the Germans trying to precipitate a Euro crisis, or are they quite mad?

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard says there are two secret clauses in the bailout agreement, which is spooking the market, pushing up LIBOR rates and could lead to sovereign debt defaults in multiple Eurozone countries:

Markets have been rattled by reports in the German media that the Greek rescue deal contains two secret clauses. The package will be "immediately and irrevocably cancelled" if it is found to breach the EU Treaty's "no bail-out" clause, either in a ruling by the European court or the constitutional courts of any eurozone state. While such an event is unlikely, it is not impossible. There are two cases already pending at Germany's top court in Karlsruhe, perhaps Europe's most "eurosceptic" tribunal.

The second clause said that if any country finds it cannot raise funding for the rescue at interest rates below the 5pc charge agreed for Greece, it may opt out of the bail-out. BNP Paribas said this would escalate quickly into a systemic crisis if Spain were in such a position, because the other countries cannot carry an ever-rising burden. The bank warned the euro project itself may start to disintegrate rapidly if these rescue provisions are ever seriously put to the test.

Wakefield vows to publicise documents exposing UK government

Dr Wakefield, the doctor who was struck off this week, for condemning the MMR vaccine, vows make public all the documentation he has uncovered during his legal battle with the British government.

He  tells Alex Jones that now that he is not constrained by legal processes, he can expose the government's shenanigans and its criminal links with British Big Pharma.

Dr Wakefield makes his entry at about 2.5 minutes in.

EAW: Judge, Jury and Executitioner

Join UKIP for free, here

Hat tip: UKIP TV

Don't forget, we have election in Thirsk and Malton this Thursday:

The delayed poll in Thirsk & Malton (following the sad death of previous UKIP candidate John Boakes) is scheduled to be held this Thursday. UKIP activists have been campaigning in the last seat to be decided at this year's General Election.

The party are hopeful of a good result, with a strong campaign from UKIP's Toby Horton. Toby Horton is an exceptionally experienced candidate, having stood for UKIP at the European elections and a previous Parliamentary by-election. Before joining UKIP he was William Hague's constituency chairman.

With both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats being traditionally strong in Thirsk & Malton, we are hoping that Toby is the right candidate to persuade them that the coalition does not represent residents' views.

If you can spare any time to help the campaign then please email janeukip@btconnect.com.

Take the government out of the energy game

Libertarian John Stossel, effortlessly argues the case for taking government out of the energy 'game'. Markets, he argues, do the job much more effectively.

Government should be an enabler to the population and entrepreneurs - it should not be in the business of picking winners.

The State = legalised violence

Jason Osborne, at a rally in Ohio, dropped a few truths, which we would do well to remember. He says: "When the jackboot of the state is crushing your throat, it matters not whether that boot is from the left or the right foot." How true. The politicos divide us to conquer us. The real enemy, is the state.

We might have a more benign government now, than we had a few weeks ago, but eternal vigilance is a necessity, if we are to remain free.

The government IS the problem, and should be cut down to size.

Lottery: A tax on those who can't do maths

Wisdom of the crowds

Apparently, the 'experts' get is right 66% of the time, while the crowds get is right 91% of the time.

The Great Repeal Bill

Douglas Carswell has been touting this Great Repeal Bill for at least a year and instigated a wikified Great Repeal Bill for the populace to contribute to.

Now's your chance. Want to repeal the smoking ban? Well, you have your chance. All you have to do is to wait until the coalition introduces its promised petition legislation. Then, if you collect 100,000 signatures, a parliamentary debate will be triggered automatically.

From the coalition agreement:

We will ensure that any petition that secures 100,000 signatures will be eligible for formal debate in Parliament. The petition with the most signatures will enable members of the public to table a bill eligible to be voted on in Parliament.

White pride

We have a lot to be proud of. Let's take back our pride.



That is not to say that other races shouldn't be proud - just that we should not hide our heritage under a bushel in the name of political correctness.

Time to balance the equation.

Hat tip: Tony Groves

Smoking ban: the damage done to business

Hat tip: Lawson Narse

Will Cameron ban fluoride from drinking water?

Fluoride is a poison, and causes bone loss, premature births, brain degradation, cancer and hormone disruption. It was used by the Nazis as mass-medication, because it makes the population more docile.

Fluoride, a by-product of industrial processes - such as fertiliser and aluminium manufacturing - was once considered by governments to be so hazardous that businesses had to dispose of it safely - which cost those businesses money, of course.

Big Business then came up with an ingenious idea - sell fluoride to the government as a 'medicine' and make money from its sale.

Now, in various parts of the country (e.g., Southampton), fluoride is added to the water. Even if you don't drink tap water, you absorb fluoride through your skin when you shower.

Cameron has it within his power to ban fluoride from our water sources. Has he the will to do it?



Fluoride detox

Want a tax holiday?

We have watched as fraudulent banking systems collapsed Iceland's economy, taking it from the world's third wealthiest nation into a state of poverty. Greece is now collapsing before our eyes...again, victims of fraudulent banking practice.

Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland are next in line to follow Greece, and as the Eurozone collapses, the UK will get sucked into this financial black hole.

Every area of our lives is being manipulated by a financial system that is run by, and for the benefit of a small handful of private banking families.

THE POSITIVE NEWS IS THAT WE CAN TURN THIS AROUND

There are some simple actions that YOU can take to start turning our country around. Don't wait until it is too late and we have riots and violence on our streets. INFORM YOURSELF AND ACT NOW.

JOIN US FOR A FINANCIAL HOLIDAY 
ON THE 15th OF EVERY MONTH

Read our action plan (HERE) and discover the easy and simple steps you can take to protect your children's future...and the future of your country.


Shamelessly lifted from TaxFree15 UK

Elites fear the public's political awakening - in their own words

Zbigniew Brzezinski giving the CFR branch in Montreal a presentation discussing world government and his fears of the mass global awakening that has taken place.



Hat tip: Incoming (from the comments section, hereabouts)

Cameron's second shot at proving his euroscepticism

Apparently, iDave has another opportunity to ditch the Lisbon Treaty. Will he take it, though? His history says not.

Germany today stepped up its rhetoric against financial markets, throwing its weight behind a global tax on bank transactions and proposing a radical shift in the rules governing the single currency by insisting struggling eurozone countries be allowed to restructure their debt.

Following Greece's debt emergency and with the euro in the throes of its worst crisis of confidence, Berlin also tabled a nine-point plan rewriting the euro regime to include legally enshrined budget deficit ceilings in all 16 member countries.

The German demands, in a finance ministry paper obtained by the Guardian, could require the EU's Lisbon Treaty to be renegotiated, presenting David Cameron with a dilemma over whether this would trigger an EU referendum in Britain.

He will wriggle and squirm and spin, in an effort to convince us that no, this does not mean the Lisbon Treaty has to be re-ratified, but that it merely requires a codicil or similar.

Watch this space.

Only in Africa

Amazing footage, captured by chance, by a group of tourists at Kruger National Park.

Lions audaciously net a baby buffalo (audacious because not many animals will tangle with a buffalo), a crocodile tries to muscle in on the kill, the lions win, only to be seen off by very angry buffalo! The baby buffalo survived and hobbled off to the safety of its herd.

A must-see!

Political Reform

The Coalition has published its full agreement, in which political reform has been specified in greater detail.

Largely, this represents a good step forward, apart from the 55% rule, which will almost certainly be modified when put to debate in Parliament.

The power of recall of MPs is welcome, but I'd like to know the definition of "serious wrongdoing" and who will be the arbiter(s) of any judgement thereon. Without clear definition, this 'power' is meaningless.

As to the part/whole election of the Upper House, who will get to vote for candidates and, more to the point, who will select potential candidates?

Here's the Political Reform text, in full:

The Government believes that our political system is broken. We urgently need fundamental political reform, including a referendum on electoral reform, much greater co-operation across party lines, and changes to our political system to make it far more transparent and accountable.

• We will establish five-year fixed-term Parliaments. We will put a binding motion before the House of Commons stating that the next general election will be held on the first Thursday of May 2015. Following this motion, we will legislate to make provision for fixed-term Parliaments of five years. This legislation will also provide for dissolution if 55% or more of the House votes in favour.

• We will bring forward a Referendum Bill on electoral reform, which includes provision for the introduction of the Alternative Vote in the event of a positive result in the referendum, as well as for the creation of fewer and more equal sized constituencies. We will whip both Parliamentary parties in both Houses to support a simple majority referendum on the Alternative Vote, without prejudice to the positions parties will take during such a referendum.

• We will bring forward early legislation to introduce a power of recall, allowing voters to force a by-election where an MP is found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing and having had a petition calling for a by-election signed by 10% of his or her constituents.

• We will establish a committee to bring forward proposals for a wholly or mainly elected upper chamber on the basis of proportional representation. The committee will come forward with a draft motion by December 2010. It is likely that this will advocate single long terms of office. It is also likely that there will be a grandfathering system for current Peers. In the interim, Lords appointments will be made with the objective of creating a second chamber that is reflective of the share of the vote secured by the political parties in the last general election.

• We will bring forward the proposals of the Wright Committee for reform to the House of Commons in full – starting with the proposed committee for management of backbench business. A House Business Committee, to consider government business, will be established by the third year of the Parliament.

• We will reduce electoral fraud by speeding up the implementation of individual voter registration.

• We will establish a commission to consider the ‘West Lothian question’.

• We will prevent the possible misuse of Parliamentary privilege by MPs accused of serious wrongdoing.

• We will cut the perks and bureaucracy associated with Parliament.

• We will consult with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority on how to move away from the generous final-salary pension system for MPs.

•  We will fund 200 all-postal primaries over this Parliament, targeted at seats which have not changed hands for many years. These funds will be allocated to all political parties with seats in Parliament that they take up, in proportion to their share of the total vote in the last general election.

• We will ensure that any petition that secures 100,000 signatures will be eligible for formal debate in Parliament. The petition with the most signatures will enable members of the public to table a bill eligible to be voted on in Parliament.

• We will introduce a new ‘public reading stage’ for bills to give the public an opportunity to comment on proposed legislation online, and a dedicated ‘public reading day’ within a bill’s committee stage where those comments will be debated by the committee scrutinising the bill.

• We will improve the civil service, and make it easier to reward the best civil servants and remove the least effective.

• We will reform the Civil Service Compensation Scheme to bring it into line with practice in the private sector.

• We will put a limit on the number on Special Advisers.

• We will introduce extra support for people with disabilities who want to become MPs, councillors or other elected officials.

• We will open up Whitehall recruitment by publishing central government job vacancies online.

• We will publish details of every UK project that receives over £25,000 of EU funds.

• We will give residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue.

• We will stop plans to impose supplementary business rates on firms if a majority of the firms affected do not give their consent.

• We will give residents the power to veto excessive council tax increases.

• We will continue to promote peace, stability and economic prosperity in Northern Ireland, standing firmly behind the agreements negotiated and institutions they establish. We will work to bring Northern Ireland back into the mainstream of UK politics, including producing a government paper examining potential mechanisms for changing the corporation tax rate in Northern Ireland.

• We will implement the proposals of the Calman Commission and introduce a referendum on further Welsh devolution.

• We will review the control and use of accumulated and future revenues from the Fossil Fuel Levy in Scotland.

• We recognise the concerns expressed by the Holtham Commission on the system of devolution funding. However, at this time, the priority must be to reduce the deficit and therefore any change to the system must await the stabilisation of the public finances. Depending on the outcome of the forthcoming referendum, we will establish a process similar to the Calman Commission for the Welsh Assembly. We will take forward the Sustainable Homes Legislative Competence Order.

• We will make the running of government more efficient by introducing enhanced Departmental Boards which will form collective operational leadership of government departments.

Remind me not to visit America

I understand the need for inspections at borders, but it seems to me that these border guards throw their weight around way too much.

Sure, the victims could have been a little more civil, but the high-handedness of the border control guards is obnoxious and close to an abuse of power, in my view.

Banks face criminal investigations: J P Morgan, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, UBS

Max Keiser* covers:

• J P Morgan asserts that gold could face "unlimited demand".
• Interpol hunts former Kaupthing chief, Sigurdur Einarsson, for forgery, counterfeiting and fraud. Naked short selling** is defined as counterfeiting by Interpol.
• Treasury kept no record of bailout negotiations between it and the banks.
• J P Morgan, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and UBS face criminal investigation.
• Jim Rogers (Soros's man) reckons that governments who fight the banks will lose. He refers to the bailouts as "socialism for the rich".

* Max Keiser (born January 23, 1960) is a film-maker, broadcaster and former broker and options trader. Keiser is the host of On the Edge, a program of news and analysis hosted by Iran's Press TV. He also hosts Keiser Report, a financial tabloid, that broadcasts on RT (formerly Russia Today). Keiser hosted the New Year's Eve special, The Keiser's Business Guide to 2010 for BBC Radio 5 Live.

Keiser formerly hosted The Oracle with Max Keiser on BBC World News. Previously he produced and appeared regularly in the TV series People & Power on the Al-Jazeera English network. He also presents a weekly show about finance and markets on London's Resonance FM. Max writes for The Huffington Post.

In addition to his broadcasting work, Keiser is known for his invention of "Virtual Specialist Technology" - a software system used by the Hollywood Stock Exchange.

** Naked short selling is the shorting of a stock/bond without, at the same time, having a long-term stake in it, or "hedging".

Stephen Fry: Catholicism - a force for good in the world?

America headed for hyperinflation

Hat tip: Connecting the Dots

We are probably not bound by Brown's Lisbon Treaty signature

Well, that would be the case, were we to satisfy one or more of the articles in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

For example:

Article 49

Fraud

If a State has been induced to conclude a treaty by the fraudulent conduct of another negotiating

State, the State may invoke the fraud as invalidating its consent to be bound by the treaty.

Article 50

Corruption of a representative of a State

If the expression of a State’s consent to be bound by a treaty has been procured through the

corruption of its representative directly or indirectly by another negotiating State, the State may invoke

such corruption as invalidating its consent to be bound by the treaty.

Article 51

Coercion of a representative of a State

The expression of a State’s consent to be bound by a treaty which has been procured by the

coercion of its representative through acts or threats directed against him shall be without any legal

effect.

Article 52

Coercion of a State by the threat or use of force

A treaty is void if its conclusion has been procured by the threat or use of force in violation of the

principles of international law embodied in the Charter of the United Nations.

I am sure that at least one of these applies. Perhaps someone will drop something interesting in his/her memoirs, and perhaps the brave, in the know, will collect evidence.

Do we have any politicians or civil servants who are brave enough to take this on?

Update: Apparently it can be proven that Heath was corrupted by German Intelligence, as Michael Shrimpton describes:

Another war with Germany?

Michael Shrimpton*, QC, believes that we will go to war with Germany, perhaps as soon as Spring 2012 and makes some truly shocking assertions.



* Michael Shrimpton is a barrister, called to the Bar in London 1983 and is a specialist in National Security and Constitutional Law, Strategic Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism. He has wide ranging connections both in Western Intelligence agencies and amongst ex-Soviet Bloc agencies. Michael has earned respect in the intelligence community for his analysis of previously unacknowledged post WWII covert operations against the West by organisations based in Washington, Munich, Paris and Brussels and which are continuing in post 9-11.
He is Adjunct Professor of intelligence Studies, Department of National Security, Intelligence and Space Studies, American Military University, teaching intelligence subjects at Masters Degree level to inter alia serving intelligence officers. He has represented US and Israeli intelligence officers in law and has briefed staffers on the Senate select Committee on Intelligence and the Joint Congressional inquiry into 9-11, also addressing panels on terrorism in Washington DC and Los Angeles.

Read more about Michael Shrimpton

Related:

• 21st Century British Nationalism (and for anybody who might complain, I don't care if it's BNP, OK?)

German Marks printed again?

(Click to enlarge)

The collapse of the Euro has been predicted by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard for some time, and now, speculation (pardon pun) is gathering pace as people begin to grasp that the massive Greek bailout is but a mere sticking plaster. It merely buys time.

Most pundits (Bob Chapman amongst them) believe that the Euro is toast and that Greece will never be able to repay its debts, even if its loans are restructured.

Germany would be hit harder than any other nation, should Greece default - or any of the PIGS, and for this reason, there is speculation that it has begun printing German Marks.

Related:

• German windfall profits from exiting the Euro
• Forget the wolf pack – the ongoing euro crisis was caused by EMU - Ambrose Evans-Pritchard 
• Forum discussion

Marketing

Bill Hicks on Marketing and Advertising.

Good reads

Cameron, the Whig in Tory clothing - Dominic Lawson 

Tories ditched policies as fast as they listed them: 'Cameron wanted to bury party Right,' say Lib Dems - Simon Walters and Brendan Carlin 

Further Thoughts on the 'Britvic' Clause - Iain Dale 

Labour must admit it - Big Government is dead - Janet Daley 

Meanwhile in the real world - Eurosoc 

What can one say? - Lord Pearson of Rannoch 

German Windfall Profits From Exiting The Euro - Daniel R Amerman  (This article's a month old, but too interesting to miss)

Simple, green method of clearing up BP's oil spill

WHO to extract global taxes for Internet usage and online banking

Can anyone tell me why it might conceivably be within the remit of the WHO to impose global taxes on Internet activity, everyday financial transactions (like paying bills online), etc?

WHO* is an unelected world QUANGO, to which which our governments have signed up via treaties they saw fit not to inform us about. And now they have the right to extract taxes from us?

* Responsible for the swine flu scam

Haiti Red Cross scam?

The Red Cross allegedly gave $106,000,000 in aid to the homeless of Haiti, but what was it spent on?

Quote of the Day

In my view, the EU elites overstepped the line by ignoring the rejection of the European Constitution by French and Dutch voters, then pushing it through under the guise of the Lisbon Treaty without a popular vote, except in Ireland, and when Ireland voted ‘No’, to ignore that too. The enterprise has become illegitimate – it is starting to exhibit the reflexes of tyranny.

The moment of definition is fast arriving from Britain. The measures now being demanded to save monetary union cannot and will not be accepted by this Government, Nick Clegg notwithstanding. The most eurosceptic people I have ever met are those who have actually worked for the European Commission, though it takes a while – and liberation from Brussels – for these views to ferment.

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

The smouldering, gerrymandering 55% rule

Once again, Cameron says one thing, then does the opposite - he promises to "clean up Parliament", then proposes his very own gerrymandering system. And while this is most certainly a constitutional issue, requiring primary legislation, he's not offering us a referendum on it.

I don't recall this being in the Conservative manifesto, so what makes him think that his government has a mandate to push it through?  If he tries to force this into law via a whipped vote, he might just make it - so there's little to no chance of his offering a free vote.

On the smouldering 55% rule (see ConHome and Iain Dale), which many conservatives find unbelievable after 13 years of Labour gerrymandering, Tory MP, Charles Walker has weighed in on the 55% issue, saying that it was:

“not the duty of Parliament to prop up this coalition. That is the duty of the coalition partners and if they can't make it work and if they lose the confidence of Parliament then we must have a general election.

"This is a matter of convenience because clearly the leader of our party, David Cameron, wants a five year Parliament and the Liberal Democrats want fixed terms and they don't want there to be a general election along the way.

"But if Parliament and the nation lose confidence in this coalition government there should be a general election, whether that is in two years or three years or four years. This is about the primacy of Parliament."

Exactly.

Related:

• Ian Martin on the 55% rule
• Gerri Peeve

How happy is Cameron with Lib Dem policies?

In the years preceding the 2010 election, right up to the finish line, I had a nagging suspicion that Cameron didn't want to win the election.

Labour was finished, and despised by the public - killing them off should've been a walk in the park. There were so many sticks with which Cameron could have beat Labour - but he didn't. In too many cases, he voted for Labour's policies - against the will of true conservatives.

The Lisbon Treaty U-turn sealed his fate, helped along by his slavish devotion to climate change bollocks, his refusal to pledge to dismantle Labour's surveillance state, and his espousal of practically every socialist measure that Labour introduced - including 'positive discrimination', diversity, QUANGOs and immigration.

Conservative policies and stances taken haven't been conservative, have they?

It was almost as if Cameron were seeking a hung parliament. Why would he do that?

He must've figured that a hung parliament would require coalition, and that the Lib Dems would jump at the chance of power. It's conceivable that his coalition document was drawn up or drafted well before the election - after all, the Lib Dems' "red lines" were in their manifesto.

Just think: coalition with the Lib Dems has given Cameron an excuse to:

• remain pro-EU;
• remain wedded to 'green' policies and push the Climate Change Treaty through.

... to name but two of many examples.

He can say his hands are tied, and blame it all on the Lib Dems - thus hiding his true goals.

Is Inverness Cameron a Trojan Horse?

Update: (Hat tip to one of my anonymous commenters):

Afterthought: The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that Cameron had every intention of going into coalition with the Lib Dems. He did not want to talk about a potential for coalition in the run-up to the election - he avoided the question at all costs.

Yet, he must have known, at the very least, that it would be possible. The issues around how such a coalition might be configured were not debated or even discussed. Come the general election, we find we are railroaded into this surreal backroom deal-making shotgun marriage, which has all the advantages of legislation being rushed through parliament. I.e., a complicated document, which none of us has seen yet, let alone scrutinised - will be the basis for a governmental configuration that none of us voted for and which we'll be stuck with for 5 years.

Related:

• Ian Martin on the 55% rule
• Tories ditched policies as fast as they listed them: 'Cameron wanted to bury party Right,' say Lib Dems
• Cameron, the Whig in Tory clothing 

Cameron shows his Europhile colours

It didn't take Cameron long to prove that he is not a eurosceptic, did it?

David Cameron risked a confrontation with the Tory Right yesterday by stripping his party’s eurosceptic wing of the symbolic post of Europe Minister. 

Hardliners had expected that Mark Francois, the pugnacious holder of the post in opposition, would be given the job. 

But in an attempt to appease pro-Brussels Liberal Democrats, Mr Cameron passed him over in favour of a moderate, David Lidington.

Bill Cash is rightly appalled:

‘David Lidington is a well-established Europhile,’ he said. ‘It means they’ve overridden Mark Francois, who comes from the euro-realist wing of the party. It’s ridiculous.’ 

Cam didn't need to pick this fight. He could have placed both europhiles and euro-realists in key European posts. So why didn't he? Might this be why he plans to introduce the 55% rule, to prevent euro-realists from bringing the government down?

Update: Sir George Young, MP, has explained the 55% mechanism - convincingly, on the face of it. It needs thorough debate.

Election heaven and hell

While walking down the street one day an MP is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to Heaven", says St Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems we have a problem. We seldom see high officials around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in", says the MP.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven.", says the MP.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St Peter escorts him to the elevator and he descends into Hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly, nice guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They have such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises ... the doors re-opening to Heaven, where St Peter waits for him.

"Now it's time to visit heaven."

24 hours pass, the MP joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The MP reflects briefly, then answers: "I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St Peter escorts him to the elevator and he descends again down to Hell.

When the elevator doors open, he finds himself in a barren land, strewn with waste and garbage.

All his friends are there, dressed in rags, picking up trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.

"I don't understand", stammers the MP. "Yesterday there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.

What happened?"

The Devil smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted!"

Good reads

The honeymoon has barely begun and the knives are out already:

Don't believe everything the happy couple is telling you - Benedict Brogan

Clegg accused of empire building: Tories fear Lib Dem leader will exploit coalition deal to grab more power - Tim Shipman

New politics? Don't you believe it. Old rivalries will soon be back - Steve Richards

... but not from all:

Reasons for real hope amid the misplaced optimism - Fraser Nelson

The political earthquake in the rose garden - Matthew Parris

Nigel Farage talks about his plane crash

Quote of the Day

"Today we saw "I agree with Nick" and "I agree with David"".

Nick Robinson, commenting on Cam & Clegg's press conference

Dumbstruck by change to the political landscape

Like so many, I'm awed by the ambitious nature of the LibDem / Tory coalition arrangement and struck dumb by the shift in the political landscape.

On the face of it, this coalition looks like it could work. I hope it does - the country needs healing.

One thing seems sure: our civil liberties will be restored.

I hope Cameron proves me wrong, and turns out to be the change that Britain needs.

For the moment, my cynicism is on hold, as I would like to give Cam/Clegg the benefit for of the doubt.

PMQs should be interesting ...

Thank heaven's the 13 long, hard years of Labour misrule are over!

The Gorgon has finally gone. Interestingly, he's vacated No. 10, resigned as an MP and resigned as the leader of the Labour Party - with immediate effect.

So which of Labour's sorry band will be chucking questions at Cam, at PMQs?

Update: it will be Harperson.

Max Keiser: Financial terrorism and what's in store

Time to pay down your debt. Max Keiser is an icon in the Austrian Economics world - i.e., the real world.

What can you do? Buy gold or silver.



Max Keiser is the author of stock market software and a stock market guru.

Brown will have to be hosed out of Downing Street

... as we've all said, and as Littlejohn ably articulates. Evidently, our democracy is broken. The politicos have become so entrenched in the system that they have learned how to game it and disguise their gaming.

It's time for another Guy Fawkes.

Some excellent BBC coverage (you'll not hear that from me, often) of the sordid state of politics today, and another good piece by Melanie Phillips.

World economies in depression

Webster Tarpley throws an independent light on what's going on in the world, and predicts a meltdown within 6 months. He believes that the Euro is toast.

Greece: imminent democratic demise

THE MINISTRY OF TRUTH PETITION

I've signed a petition supporting the Elected Representatives (Prohibition of Deception) Bill. This may be the only chance we get to end dishonest politics. Please join me, by signing the petition and forwarding this to friends and family. I'm not sure about you, but I had enough of Members of Parliament deceiving us.

 
YOU CAN SIGN THE PETITION HERE

The end of the world as we know it

If the West doesn't start making babies, Eurabia will be upon us, possibly within a decade. So says Mark Steyn, interviewed by Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institution.

Quote of the Day

"The country has spoken - but we don't know what they've said"

Paddy Ashdown

Maniac cat attacks babysitter on home CCTV

A break from politics, for a mo.

For some reason the resident cat takes a violent dislike to a babysitter.

Jackboot loses - woohoo!

At last. we are rid of her. Well done Redditch!

Why the Lisbon Treaty must be re-ratified

The EU is imploding before our eyes. Greece is a major headache, shortly to be followed by Spain, Portugal and Italy (probably). And Nigel Farage is a major headache for the EU. (Get well soon, Nigel - we love and need you!)

And now, the Lisbon Treaty needs to be re-ratified. They must hate that. (heh heh).

The silence from the Tories has been deafening. You'd think that Cam would grab this opportunity to display his 'eurosceptic' credentials, wouldn't you? But, no.

So what does that tell us? Hmmmm?

Today, people, you cast your votes. Think of that when you vote. UKIP is the only conservative party.

The Greatness of Britain - trashed by unscrupulous government

Awesome post by Witterings from Witney. He describes the greatness of Britain that we have lost - but which we can recapture, if we try.

Youngsters have no idea of how great Britain was, and how admired it was, because state school propaganda doesn't like that.

It is we, the elders, who need to ensure that we teach our glorious history to our youngsters. Take an hour out of your day, each week and enlighten a youngster in your neighbourhood. Watch his face light up as your story unfolds. Kids love positive stories of glorious times.

Witterings from Witney's piece:

This post may be consider presumptious and egotistical, but it is one that I feel has to be written, so with those caveats - here goes:

I am of an age that some still have to reach and having reached that age I hope that in those years I have acquired a wisdom that those younger than I still have to attain. In my life I have seen many changes, some for the better but, unfortunately, most not - especially when considering our country and the society in which we live.

Let us go back in time to the late 1950s and early 1960s, an era when compared today is so different as to be unrecognisable. This was an era when Britain was respected by the rest of the world, when a Briton visiting abroad was respected, was held to be a 'gentleman' and someone who believed in 'fair play'. World War II does not enter into this aspect of how we as a country was viewed, what does is the fact that Britain, as the 'Mother of Democracy' was respected and regarded with awe and almost jealousy. Britain, then, was a country where manners were held in high regard, where anyone older than you was treated with respect; where men who were strangers to you were addressed as 'Sir' and ladies as 'Madam'; where men gave up their seats on trains and busses to any women, regardless of her appearance; where as a child you were not only educated but taught etiquette; where parents were respected and where 'family' and family life was important. It was an era when, as a lad of 11/12 years of age I could travel from the countryside, alone, to Lords and the Oval to watch cricket; where on home from boarding school I could do a paper round and then armed with a bucket and sponge go washing cars to earn pocket money without having to ask anyone's permission, other than that of my guardians. It was an age when I did not need to be amused, I made my own amusement which caused no harm to anyone or anyone's property. It was an age when we had politicians of learning, politicians of renown and wisdom, and politicians for whom one had respect. It was an age in which Britain was regarded as an example of how a country and its people should behave. It was an age when law & order existed and where the police were active without being intrusive - and also respected. It was an age in which Britain was, relatively, prosperous and had a manufacturing base. Do not misunderstand me when I write the foregoing - I am not saying that all those customs were ideal or are necessary in today's world. It is, however, on matters of behaviour, manners and most of all freedom that a country and society must be based, if they are in turn to be respected.

Fast forward to today and what do we find - regrettably, none of the above. Our politicians are reviled and regarded as venal, unprincipled, without apparent morals and yes, even crooks - compounded by a Prime Minister and Party Leaders who deny any knowledge of the misdemeanours that have been uncovered. Our constitution has been trashed by those same politicians who now regard the electorate's vote as something which can be bought by means of promises which they have no intention of keeping and by hiding the truth. We live in an age where children are no longer educated within the meaning of the word 'educated' and have no sense of manners or respect; where our police are no longer upholders of law and order, but are now a service achieving targets; where the people have been conditioned to forego any sense of responsibilty or thought, and therefore have to rely on the state; where there is not one possession we own that has not been touched by the hand of the state in one form or another; where our politicians have subjugated this country to foreign rule, thus negating the loss of lives expended in thwarting just such an occurence from happening in ages past. We live now in an age where politicians have brought Britain to its knees, financially; that have changed - nay engineered - our society so that we now longer recognise, nor remember, our traditions; where pride in country is frowned upon as xenophobic; where opinions, other than those dictated by the state, are considered incorrect.

A few days ago I posted a comment from a widow who lamented the loss of her social life, due to the smoking ban, who had lost the will to live and begged for the courage to join her dead husband. I think I now have some idea of how she feels, in that all that from which she drew comfort, pride and pleasure has been taken from her. One similarity that we do share is that we both lack the same degree of courage.

It is not my position to tell the electorate how they should vote - suffice it to say that I can but hope they will look around them, see the devestation that has occured in our country, decide that enough is enough and vote for something different.

Apologies to all my readers for having 'wittered' for so long and thanks for reading this post, a post that at first reading may seem stupid to some of you.