What makes a leader, or a good politician?

Dan Hannan writes today about leadership, political nous and whether the two might exist in the same person and whether or not good leaders are 'balanced'.


What exactly is a "balanced" person? Is it a person whose opinions don't stray far from the perceived 'norm'? And if so, whose perception?

Life is a constant battle - crisis and renewal. Arguably, those who don't see a crisis ("Crisis? What crisis?", Callahan) perhaps have such a 'balanced' view. Perhaps they are out of touch with the reality of the wider public. Perhaps their reality differs too widely from that of the wider public. Perhaps they are too cosseted. Perhaps they don't care.

Whatever the case, "cometh the hour, cometh the man" pertains to the wisdom of the visionary, passionate man who is driven to act and thus, lead.

Cameron cannot be said to be such a man, which is why he failed to garner support from the electorate, when they were clamouring for a leader to reverse the destruction brought about by the catastrophic Labour years in office.

Cameron failed to lead because people would not follow.  I guess the pickers of winners in elite circles (not you or I, dear chap) consider him to be 'balanced'. I can think of a number of adjectives which more aptly describe him.

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Quotes of the day: Presidential last words

America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, acutely aware that the banking empires were "more dangerous than standing armies"*, issued America with its own currency.

Observed the Times of London, in 1862, after the issuance of this debt-free currency:

"If that mischievous financial policy, which had its origin in the North American Republic, should become indurate down to a fixture, then that government will furnish its own money without cost. It will pay off debts and be without a debt. It will have all the money necessary to carry on its commerce. It will become prosperous beyond precedent in the history of civilized governments of the world. The brains and the wealth of all countries will go to North America. That government must be destroyed or it will destroy every monarchy on the globe."

In 1864, a year before his assassination, Lincoln wrote:

"The money power preys upon the nation in times of peace, and conspires against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces, as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me, and the financial institutions in the rear. Of the two, the one in my rear is my greatest foe."

... and then a year later:

“The government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and credit needed to satisfy the spending power of the government and the buying power of consumers. The privilege of creating and issuing money is not only the supreme prerogative of government, but it is the government’s greatest creative opportunity. The financing of all public enterprise and the conduct of the treasury will become matters of practical administration. Money will cease to be master and will then become servant of humanity.”

Then shortly before his assassination:

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my Country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the Country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the People, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed."

Isn't that pretty much where we are now?

Otto von Bismarck, 1st Chancellor of the German Empire, 1876, wrote:

"The division of the United States into two federations of equal force was decided long before the civil war by the high financial power of Europe. These bankers were afraid that the United States, if they remained in one block and as one nation, would attain economical and financial independence, which would upset their financial domination over the world. The voice of the Rothschilds predominated. They foresaw the tremendous booty if they could substitute two feeble democracies, indebted to the financiers, to the vigorous Republic, confident and self-providing. Therefore they started their emissaries in order to exploit the question of slavery and thus dig an abyss between the two parts of the Republic."

Andrew Jackson, 7th US President:

"I am one of those who do not believe that a national debt is a national blessing, but rather a curse to a republic; insasmuch as it is calculated to raise around the administration a moneyed aristocracy dangerous to the liberties of the country.

"The bold effort the present (central) bank had made to control the government ... are but premonitions of the fate that await the American people should they be deluded into a perpetuation of this institution or the establishment of another like it.

"Gentlemen, I have had men watching you for a long time and I am convinced that you have used the funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of the country. When you won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when you lost, you charged it to the bank. You tell me that if I take the deposits from the bank and annul its charter, I shall ruin ten thousand families. That may be true, gentlement, but that is your sin! Should I let you go on, you will ruin fifty thousand families, and that would by my sin!

"You are a den of vipers and thieves. I intend to rout you out, and by the grace of the Eternal God, will rout you out.

"If Congress has the right under the Constitution to issue paper money, it was given to be used by themselves, not to be delegated to individuals or corporations."

Sadly, those who oppose the money powers tend to come to a sticky end, as did the 20th US President, James A Garfield. Two weeks before his assassination, he wrote:

“Whoever controls the volume of money in our country is absolute master of all industry and commerce, and when you realize that the entire system is very easily controlled, one way or another, by a few powerful men at the top, you will not have to be told how periods of inflation and depression originate.”

Kirk MacKenzie's documentary provides a great deal more detail and offers some solutions.



We are in this pickle today for the same reason that America was, centuries ago.  John Adams, 2nd President of the US tells us:

"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation." (my emphasis)

And lest we imagine that we are immune, Nathan Rothschild, who by June 1815 controlled the Bank of England, stated:

"I care not what puppet is placed on the throne of England to rule the Empire ... The man that controls Britain's money supply controls the British Empire. And I control the money supply."

* US President Thomas Jefferson

What are MPs for?

Robert Leitch asks what is the primary duty of an MP and he puts his finger on a number of issues which hacks libertarians off, big time.

It seems to me that the House of Commons is supposed to be representative of commoners, not of the political elites.

As such, MPs should be representatives of their constituency members. It's obvious, isn't it?

Whipping, career politicians and those selected by the party so often fall short of what people want. It is difficult for the electorate to pin these politicians down on what they actually stand for because they have to toe the party line and therefore dodge direct questions and seldom give straight answers.

All of the above gives rise to spin, evasion and downright betrayal of the electorate.

Post-election, inevitably, the electorate finds that it is not going to get what it thought it was voting for.

The answer, surely, is to go with the Hannan/Carswell Plan. Two particular mechanisms come immediately to mind to make MPs more representative:

• Open Primaries - for selection of candidates;
• Recall - the power of the people to rid themselves of unsatisfactory MPs.

The Conservative Party seems to have resiled from its pledge to offer truly open primaries, opting instead for its own shortlists.

Worse, its recall mechanism still leaves recall in the hands of the executive. Fat lot of use that is!

The executive of both parties and government is far too powerful, maintaining for itself "discretion" on decisions like these. In other words, it always has the final say.

We need a written constitution, along the lines of the US Bill of Rights - not to grant 'rights'to the populace, but to limit the power of government.

We also need to make more use of referenda, as does Switzerland.

Has anyone noticed any news of riots or protests in Switzerland?

Edmund Burke, in a speech* to the electors of Bristol, 3rd November 1774, opined thus:

Certainly, Gentlemen, it ought to be the happiness and glory of a representative to live in the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents. Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinions high respect; their business unremitted attention. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasure, his satisfactions, to theirs,and above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But his unbiased opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. These he does not derive from your pleasure,no, nor from the law and the Constitution. They are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable. Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.

* The Works of the Right Honorable Edmund Burke, vol. 2, p. 95

Rally Against Debt video

Rally Against Debt speeches of Paul Staines (Guido Fawkes), Nigel Farage. Pity there aren't more!

Eric Pickles allows flags to be flown without permission

Excellent, Mr Pickles. About time common sense prevailed!

A richly deserved poke in the eye of the Portuguese Pygmy who refers to national flags as "flags of xenophobia".

EU to ban wireless networks and mobiles in schools

I suppose the day had to arrive, eventually, when some of the garbage spewing forth from the EU turned up a gem.

Today is such a day.

The EU have woken up to the dangers of ubiquitous RF / electromagnetic emissions.

Several months ago, I wrote to the government about this matter and typically, it responded that there was "no evidence" that RF / electromagnetic energy was unsafe.

There is plenty of evidence* that excessive RF bombardment is unhealthy. It's time people woke up to the damage this technology does, when used inappropriately or to excess.

And there is plenty of evidence that the RF emitted by many of our masts and devices is way above what is considered to be 'safe'.

Those who are "electrically sensitive" suffer quite badly - it all but destroys their lives. Consider them to be the canaries in the coalmine. I'm sure sufferers of Thalidomide would agree with that one.

For a primer on RF (and let's not forget the Smart Meters that the warmist alarmists insist we must all have by 2020) watch the video below:



Then do some research.

You'll be horrified.

* Scientific papers

Gaddafi wanted to introduce a gold-based currency

Few accept the West's insistence that its motives behind the Libyan invasion are 'humanitarian' in nature.

Some say it's all about oil. Some say it's about Libya's resources. Some say it's to gain a strategic foothold in Africa, to prevent China from doing so.

Perhaps it's all of the above.

But what about Gadaffi's intention to mint a new currency - solid gold dinars - so that he could share the wealth of the country with its people? Backed by 144 tons of gold, the currency would rival the Dollar and the Euro and quite possibly, become a reserve currency - perhaps the world's new reserve currency.

Who would want to trade in fiat currencies when they could trade using a currency which is guaranteed not to devalue?

Isn't it odd that within days of the Libyan invasion, the bankers immediately set about creating a central bank in the country?

Rally Against Debt

As the profligate spending of politicians in Greece, Ireland, Portugal and others sees both the EU banks and the Germans dictate to free citizens how they must now live their lives, I shall be attending "Rally Against Debt" on Saturday 14th May in London.

I do not expect a massive turnout, I do not expect the world the change but I do intend to use my voice to insist that before any politician commits my children and their children to yet more public debt, we are given an option to say no.

Debt IS slavery. The very reason Governments and banks are so keen on it. It is time for them to stop spending our money enslaving us with their debt.

Join me, 11am at Old Palace Yard, opposite Parliament to remind them where the finance for their grand schemes comes from. Our labour. Our risk. Our sacrifice.

Lawyers want to ban jury trials

During the committee meeting of the Joint Committee on the Draft Defamation Bill*, you will hear that some law firms want to abolish trial by jury. These odious creatures have the ears of our politicians, where we do not. The EU would approve, I'm sure.

The jury trial is the only mechanism which allows we, the people, to decide whether the law itself is just.

We need to keep an eye on this and fight to keep our jury trials!


* Committee Room 8 

Meeting started at 4.10pm
ended at 6.31pm

Draft Defamation Bill
Witnesses

1. Keith Mathieson, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, Mark Stephens, Finers Stephens Innocent, David Price, David Price Solicitors and Advocates, and Marcus Partington, Media Lawyers Association
2. Nigel Tait, Carter-Ruck, Rod Christie-Miller, Schillings Lawyers, Jeremy Clarke-Williams, Russell Jones and Walker Solicitors, and Duncan Lamont, Charles Russell

Visit the Committee's homepage.

Euro-federalists financed by US spy chiefs

In case anyone missed the Telegraph's 2000 exposé on how US spy chiefs funded euro-federalism and just in case the Telegraph decides to vape that particular article, here it is (click to enlarge):

PS: Goodnight Vienna discovered this last year already, providing a handy link to the documentation. Unfortunately, the document appears to have been pulled, so I shall try to obtain a copy elsewhere. Many thanks GV and Mr W.

Related:

• Fool Me Once - Calling England

The Irish and Greeks should default on their 'debts'

It is looking very likely that the Greeks will default on their debt (extortion money, more like) and if the Irish have any sense, they'll be thinking along similar lines.

One would hope that these countries would meet behind closed doors and consider what action they can take to counter the bankster threats (and those of their politico lackeys) so as to prevent their slide into economic oblivion and EU serfdom.

Der Spiegal has been castigated by German politicos for writing an article which spills the beans on Greece's potential Euro exit, but the German government's denials are as plausible as were Ireland's and Portugal's when they insisted that they were not seeking EU bailouts.

In a stunningly well-written piece, Professor Morgan Kelly, of University College Dublin, explains exactly why Ireland should exit the Euro and cut its banks loose.

Related:

• Oh masters, let us bow in celebration of your care - John Drennan

Battling the bureacrats: are you listening, Cameron?

If Cameron wants to help the private sector, why doesn't he tackle red tape now? We need existing businesses to work now. We need new businesses to start now. Waiting a year or three is no freaking use to anyone.

Why the delay?



Hat tip: UKIP TV

Osama Bin Laden buried at sea

How inconsiderate. Now we can't perform an autopsy.

According to assassinated Benazir Bhutto, Bin Laden  was murdered in 2007.



A politcal analyst,  Ahmed Quraishi, Senior Research Fellow at the Pakistani think-tank “Project for Pakistan in 21st Century”, says that the operation lacks transparency:



Related:

• How very convenient - Richard North
• Benazir Bhutto named Osama bin Laden’s killer before her death
• Osama Bin Laden – questions - Autonomous Mind
  

Do you want your country going to the dogs again?

Vote Yes to AV and let UKIP replace the LibTards as election kingmaker.

Hat tip: UKIP TV