Syria, Bale & Bitcoins

It appears the the Democratic process is alive and kicking and the Great British Parliament has decided that another War isn't good for our constitution and France have decided they would like a go now and join the great war mongering nation that is the US of A (who clearly haven't learnt from recent incursions, but as Obama says this is not Iraq or Afghanistan. And on that count he is right. It is not Iraq or Afghanistan, it is Syria)

Putin seems to be playing politics now. On the one hand stating categorically that Russia do not support intervention yet on the other cutting off Assads Missile supplies and stating that the use of Chemical Weapons is very bad)

And 2 million Syrians leave and Turkey becomes full of immigrants and the far right are raising their ugly head as the Syrians are getting housing, benefits and work which are the privilege of the Turks and not immigrants.

And so it goes (as Kurt Vonnegut once said)

Still, here's to Gareth Bale for negotiating a £1,500 / hour salary in a country that is nearly Bankrupt and of the people his age 56% are unemployed. Its not even that Bale is a socialist so could trickle down his money to help Spain. It will be paid to his holding company who are based offshore. He will be getting tips from Ronaldo's accountant on that one.

I was out with my Hedge Fund friend last night who along with avoiding Skyscrapers trying to burn his Aston Martin is busy mining Bitcoins as he is predicting the collapse of currencies and the bank system as we know it.

I wonder if Bale knows how to mine...

A War against Syria?

Dear Dave, please for once listen to the 89% of the population, The Labour Party, The backbenchers, The Russians, The Chinese and even the Syrians and stop all talk of war, military intervention, strategic attacks and intervention on humanitarian grounds.

We do not have the appetite for killing people in response to dictators killing people. The UK government did not listen to the people when they marched against Iraq. The UK people had no choice over Afghanistan as Blair agreed to that one in secret phone calls with the lunatic Bush.

Barack may well want to test a few cruise missiles but what good will that do? Why does the USA always feel the need to intervene? Look at Central America, South America, Indochina, Timor and Polynesia, when will they ever learn?

We in the UK do not want to be the poodles to American foreign policy, we are no longer the world empire / police and the population are so disillusioned with the democratic process they feel utterly hopeless and drink to forget, or pray to the opium of consumerism.

Dave, do not be a hero, for once stand up to the USA and say "No".

We are bankrupt as a country and have the moral compass of a dinosaur.

Something needs to happen in Syria, but please don't take the Saddam Hussein route. And if humanitarian grounds is your justification why not look at Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, Chechnya or Mexico's drug wars.

You cant pick and chose the enemy.

On a brighter note I applaud Bradley Manning's desire to be a Woman, just as he gets to spend 60 years in Guantanamo or wherever he is going to.

And I have yet to receive any proof that Edward Snowden actually exists and is not just a construct to boost America's tough guy approach to "National Security"

An appetite for War

Here we go, its deja vu all over again.

When will we ever learn?

As Obama & Cameron do what Bush & Blair did before them the world sits back and along with Russia and China rubs its head and says "What the F...."

Up until now 10's of thousands of civilians have been killed in Syria. Chemical weapons are used and the US and the UK look up and say, lets bomb them, strategically of course. Chemical Weapons are now the 45 minute WMD's that started the Iraq fiasco. And I cant actually remember what the Afghanistan fiasco started over, it certainly wasn't 9/11, but all that has done is stabilise opium price and increase opium production.

Don't get me wrong, Syria is a complete mess and Assad has lost complete control.

Will a million people march on London again? I hope so. The people have no more appetite for regime changes or War. And why justify attacking Syria when Egypt is imploding?

It is a sad day.

The media has a field day...

Hello, I'm back. Apologies to readers new and old but I had some work to do for the old school and was predisposed.

And what a time to be away...

Only recently two maniacs unleash bloodshed on the streets of London in a very Spookesque way and the Media has its cake and eats it and wants seconds.

And now the Internet is the root of all evil, not only pornography (and child pornography) but Jihadist extremism. The two maniacs were described by one onlooker as looking like Muslims. Twenty years ago they would have been described as "Black" and forty years ago as "Communists".

Bradley Manning (who sounds like he should be on a British soap opera) is just about to find out why people don't publicly publish state secrets and especially after signing secrets acts. Lets be clear here, he is no freedom fighter or civil rights activist, he is a moron. He will face the full wrath of Obama and spend the next 100 years in Guantanamo trying to email Julian Deranged for help.

And help wont arrive.

On the bright side the collective known as "Anonymous" have been teaching the "EDL" a few lessons on web security and also been quoted as saying "Your constant belligerence, like a pack of raving ignoramuses, furthers only bigotry and segregation. You have angered us considerably and summoned our wrath irrevocably."

This i find highly amusing. Only last night Baxter and I were discussing the rise of the far right and how recent events have been hijacked not only by the media (with their 24hr parade of banality and "comment") but by the morons that rally behind the EDL / BNP / BM / NF or whatever stupid an-acronym they have come up with.

I am more irritated than usual. Syria is turning in on itself and using chemical weapons on its population and the west looks on in bemusement and mild indignation.

25% of the UK population is now officially fat and TV is now full of the New Terrorism documentaries.

And the spud face nipper scores in Brazil.

And Michael becomes the least popular name in Britain.

Chechnya & Boston, when 2+2 = 5

Oh dear.

What to say when the two responsible for the Boston Bombings turn out to be Muslims.

And Chechnyan Muslims at that.

The internet is awash with conspiracy and opinions and hate and revenge.

And by the time I have published this the two responsible will be dead and the USA will be left with more questions than answers and introspection.

9/11 was always an eye opener for the American's and since then they have chased "terror" around the globe; Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, North Africa and now Chechnya.

And to what end and to what achievement? If I were them I would withdraw from everywhere, close the borders and develop self sufficiency.

The backlash to this will not be proportionate. And there will be a backlash because that's what the USA does, it fights back and doesn't see the consequence.

And Kim Jong Odd is losing his enemy #1 status.

On another note the mass outbreak of measles in Wales is as a direct result of the hysteria over MMR many years ago, I wont say I told you so because that's beneath me.

I need to stop watching the news so this weekend I will be heading to the seaside for a bit of sea air to loosen the joints.

USA under attack

Its a grim week. Yesterday two bombs took the lives of 3 innocent bystanders in Boston who were out watching a running race and yesterday In Iraq a car bomb took the lives of over 30 people who were out shopping.

The Media has slanted towards Boston. Or rather the western media has. It is an atrocity but what dictates the level of news and what dictates whether one atrocity is worse than another.

In the UK we are used to home grown bombings courtesy of the IRA and the odd right wing lunatic, in the USA they aren't, or so we are led to believe. What about Timothy McVeigh or the Una-bomber or the countless senseless high school shootings?

The interweb was quick to link the Boston bombs to terrorism and hence to forces outside of America's shore, but the signs are pointing to the quiet loner scenario.

It also didn't take long for 9/11 to be mentioned. It also didn't take long for Obama to condemn the killing of civilians. (He obviously hasn't read the tally of civilians killed by drone attacks) And with the same ineffectualness of attacking the gun lobby he will hunt for the perpetrators.

Britain will celebrate / mourn Thatcher tomorrow at great expense to the taxpayer and Kim Jong Odd will be wondering when he can launch bombs at the US without reprisal.

On another note Football hooliganism is returning to the UK (although we will never match the Egyptians for sheer violence, or body count)and Iran is hit by a massive earthquake.

Also interesting to note that it is a bumper year for Opium in Afghanistan.

Korea tries to start World War 3

So the worlds most petulant child, Kim Jong Odd has thrown his toys out of the pram once again and threatened everyone with Nuclear War. Or more specifically a war against South Korea and the United States.

Why?

Well, once a year the USA and China play war games in the South China Sea and amass lots of ships within striking distance of the impoverished peninsula and start rattling sabres and threatening sanctions.

It is against this background the North Korea have their annual rant about ending the world. It is new this time round because the Odd one is behind the ranting and no one can quite work out if he is serious or just coming out with the same rhetoric that his daddy did.

We should not make this news, we should just ignore them. Which would be easier said than done if they didn't have one of the biggest armies and nuclear stockpiles on the planet.

Someone should just get the Odd one a decent barber, a gym membership and perhaps a girlfriend that puts out.

In other news Thatcher's state funeral is organised at tax payers expense and the guest list is an obsequious collection of ex politicians and right wing celebrities.

I was watching the much dumbed down News 24 this morning and an odd comment struck me. A talking Finanacial Expert said that it was grave that WH Smith's profits were up yet sales were down. An interesting dilemma. Good job Our Steph was on the sofa to explain such difficulties to us mere viewers.

And for overseas readers, News 24 is a children's version of the world service.

Margaret Thatcher

So the nation mourns / celebrates the death of Margaret Thatcher and BBC / SKY wheel out the videos, interviews and articles that were written years ago for this very occasion and everyone is interviewed from Arthur Scargill to The Pope.

And everyone has an opinion of her.

I met her on a number of occasions and was always left in awe of her conviction and argumentativeness. For many The Falklands was her triumph, for people like me who fought there it was her darkest day, a war that should never have been fought with so many needless deaths.

Remembered also for destroying the Miners, Steelworkers, Unions & New Age Travellers, imposing the Poll Tax, prostituting Capitalism, Selling off British assets, killing Communities, encouraging rabid greed and consumerism, befriending Pinochet & Hussein, denouncing Mandela and the ANC as terrorist's and for the erosion of civil liberties.

And for spawning New Labour. And Blair. And look at his deeds of shame. At least Mrs T only took us into one war. (Although she did have a dab hand in the first Iraq incursion)

It is never good to celebrate anyone's death no matter what, or is it? Should one not be criticised in death? What about the death of Hitler or Poll Pot or Mao....

Anyway, Kim Jong Odd has been told that he's not allowed to start a nuclear war like some petulant child who is having a tantrum in a supermarket and the Internet is full of Thatcher

I was in Nice at the Weekend, pondering the world and its fortunes, an interesting place, a bit like Brighton but warmer, and less homeless

Tonight I am out in Farringdon with some OE's who shall remain nameless.

And so the world carries on...

Cutting Welfare

If your going to do something really unpopular do it over a bank holiday or on April Fools Day.

Honest Dave has taken a swipe at Welfare. With sweeping changes that nobody really quite understands, including the notorious bedroom tax, which again nobody really understands.

The outcome is that the poor get poorer, the safety net established to help the needy now entraps them.

The UK is expecting to pay £115 Billion this year on Welfare and these sweeping changes will go nowhere to touch this.

What needs to be done is to increase the minimum wage to a living wage and actually make people want to work, not that there any jobs available.

Its good to know that IDS can live off £53 / week, which no one else can, unless you are a factory worker in China.

Hat tip to Dave Millipede by the way for resigning at his football club on the arrival of Mr DiCanio, better known for his salutes. And 10/10 for Mr Ba's excellent goal. Bet he doesn't live on £53 a week.

Pollution and the Easter Bunny

So as the proletariat celebrate the nailing to a tree of a pacifist with the pagan symbol of the March hare and chocolate eggs I am left wondering at the state of things.

Its not the commercialisation of everything from Halloween (another Pagan Festival) to Guy Fawkes Night, which incidentally is the only date on the calendar that I actually look forward to its just the rubbish that comes with it.

Easter in the UK is the coldest since records began 100 or so years ago, which as the climate change deniers will state with absolute confidence is prooof that we are not warming.

If only they read more. Climate change will bring more rain, more heat and cold weather. There.

I do despair at times when reading about poverty, urbanisation, slums, exploitation, disparity of wealth and pollution.

It is a held belief of mine that our biggest mistake was leaving the tribe. But then life expectancy was around 35 and death was usually long and painful. So its an ideal. But then isn't everything. Isn't the celebration of a religious figure with chocolate eggs just that?

I am off to the Alps for a bit of R&R soon. It cannot be colder than here. Of course none of this is comparable to my three month tour of Siberia.

But i digress..

So when does it all stop?

Things appeared a lot simpler when we didn't know everything about everything and when we didn't have instant access to machines that know everything about everything.

When an event happened it took a long time to filter and work out what it meant. Now something will happen and it will be everywhere instantly and everyone will have considered it from every angle and have an opinion on it.

And sometimes everyone having an opinion on something will mean that something will get challenged all the time.

And nothing gets done and people get frustrated.

Don't get me wrong, challenging things is healthy, but we don't have to challenge everything, not all the time. Its tiring. Cant we just say "oh yeah, whatever...", or perhaps we do, which is why so many people are obese and no one is rioting in the streets when they should be because the UK is screwed and desperate and failing.

Apathy for the UK is the new song of rebellion.

The Internet stops

In 2010 it was reported that a computer virus had surreptitiously attacked Iran's nuclear facilities and it was of USA & Israel making.

In the 1990's when the Internet was a mere child and wasn't owned by Google / Facebook / Twitter & Youtube this would have been the headline in a Sci-Fi novel.

Today the biggest cyber attack in history was launched against a group called Spamhaus.. and this is where everyone turns off and searches for pictures of funny cats or triangle shaped flapjacks.

Its is interesting to note the inherent flaw with the Internet, everyone has an address, everything is traceable, even hackers, even the darknet has a digital footprint.

Its all well and good as long as these geeks wage war against each other but it becomes scary when the very same geeks are employed by the US, Russia, China, North Korea or Israel.

Where to then, in this safe cyber world of information?

If email systems can be stopped (and lets hope Hotmail & GMail have good fire walls) then all hell will break lose.

An old friend of mine who unfortunately will have to remain nameless and went 'under cover' permanently always told me to never leave a trace of who you are. A warning I didn't heed when I set up this blog.

Also today Dave (not Ed) Millipede leaves politics, Abu Qatada stays in North London much to the irritant of everyone and Cyprus floats ever nearer to the abyss

I need a holiday, Baxter and I will be hitting the Austrian Alps next week. Long may it snow.

A nation of opinionated hole pickers

Today I entered the cultural bear pit that is the BBC's Have Your Say and I haven't seen so much bile and drivel punctuated by occasional sense since the debate about whether the mad man in the desert had WMD's.

The subject was climate change, an emotive subject for a Monday morning, and as with such issues such as this and Migration it is those that have the worst uneducated opinions that shout them the loudest

And the problem now with the Internet is that not only do people have opinions they think they have a platform for them without retribution as an example I cite these words of wisdom;

"So-called Man Made Climate Change gives the government the perfect excuse for putting up fuel taxes. To paraphrase Al Gore it's a Convenient Lie."

Or how about;

I suppose that man was responsible for the end of the last iceage.

I did enter the banter and was told I was stupid from somebody with a PhD in physics to which I congratulated them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21357520

Stupidity doesn't amaze me anymore what concerns me is that arguments are created in boxes containing 300 letters. No evidence, no data, no facts just playground opinions, I'm right, your wrong.

It amazes me a simple thing like "increased carbon in the atmosphere creates warming of the atmosphere which leads to climate change" can be so difficult to grasp

And all these words will be kept for prosperity. Scary.

Beware the Ides of March

Its not been a good March as the UK experiences weather that is more at home in Siberia and comes to its fourth standstill in as many months

Cyprus, long been compared to the EU's Casino is deciding whether to cash in all their chips and call it a day or decide to tax its bank accounts which, lets face it, are mostly owned by Russians and Germans.

After Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal Cyprus sits in the unenviable position of being the first to leave the EU (or get kicked out)

On another note I received a letter at the weekend from Nigel Falange, UKIP's comedy politician who is getting more votes from Daily Mail readers telling me that the UK is just about to be invaded by 500 million Bulgarians with the resultant collapse of the NHS and welfare state.

And Boy George, who had his day on TV, unleashed his Domesday budget which gives more tax breaks to the rich from second homes to reductions in corporation tax and raising the tax threshold and chastising the poor even more.

And today I learn about the untimely death of Beresovsky, and when Oligarchs bemoan life and all its ills we know we are in trouble.

Maybe its me, maybe I seek out the gloom but since Mrs FT left I have a sharper eye on the negative.

The War in Iraq

So it was 10 years ago that Bush/Blair decided to wage war on a relatively peaceful Iraq.

And where are they now? Blair is in his self delusional paradise telling everyone that it was the right thing to do (shame the rest of the UK thought different) and Dubya has gone into hiding in Texas painting nude pictures of himself and his dogs.

I have fought in many a war and they are dirty, nasty and frightening affairs and should be avoided at any costs.Its a shame politicians don't because then they wouldn't start any more.

Ten years ago I was harangued as a leftist sympathiser and a beatnik pacifist (and they are just the names I can print) for being against this war. I posted on HYS and was berated by those that were convinced that it was right and that we were all in danger of imminent death. I was published in the press and berated for being a loony Marxist.

But the thing is, I knew it was a lie, there were no WMD's, the war was illegal and the dossiers were 'sexed up'. Even now the press are blaming it on rogue Iraqi spies who fed us wrong information.

Did we not learn anything from the Cold War about propaganda.

And as I type this people in Iraq are still getting blown to bits. We have achieved zero.

I watched Argo at the weekend, a brilliant film if not a little pro CIA, even in 1979 we were dabbling with things we have no idea over. (and wearing very big ties and strange hair)

And so on this 10th Anniversary what is there to learn...

RIP

Google + Facebook = Internet

The Internet was a brilliant idea. To enable computers to talk to each other in the event of a nuclear holocaust (as with most things the best inventions come out of war)

The tech geeks got hold of it once the military let go and invented HTML, Java, C++ and ways that computers could talk as one. Websites began to appear.

Web 2.0 happened and websites became personalised and individual and people could share music and films and news and pornography without paying for any of it.

Then governments became concerned that ideas that could spark revolution and could be shared worldwide at an instant. Then corporations clicked that Data would be the next currency and what better way to harvest it than to let people give it away free.

And then Facebook became a database of people of Orwellian proportions, Google became a database of peoples desires and Twitter became a database of peoples thoughts and words

And now it starts to scare people, what has been given away so free is now in the hands of the very people that don't deserve to have it in the first place.

Suddenly people start deleting accounts, internet footprints, email accounts, photos, purchase records and learn Linux and Ubuntu and how to remove software from smart phones

And then realise its all too late...

Crossrail & HS2 revisited

And so the Judges have decided that the Government acted correctly in deciding to waste £33 billion on a train link that will be redundant before it is opened and overcrowded from day one by those who still think train commuting is a good idea

HS2 is a complete white elephant that wont begin construction until 2018 by then it will be nearer the £100 billion mark and will be so contested by NIMBY's and the great unwashed who haven't had a decent protest since Twyford Down and the Newbury by pass that the Government will want to cancel it quicker than anyone can say "my wife was driving"

But Crossrail trundles on unearthing plague pits and all manner of archaeological wonders at a cost of £16 billion to which no one has batted an eyelid. Bits of London disappear (like The Astoria) and bits are revamped so that East can be linked with West

And it will be complete just in time to start building Boris Airport in the Thames Estuary. As anyone who has flown into Heathrow knows London is in severe need of a new airport and there is nothing like boosting the economy and getting Lord Foster excited as a new airport.

And on a day where Dave Millipede and Nice Nick agree on something that Honest Dave doesn't regarding legislating the Media I have to say that I agree with Dave, legislation isn't the way forward

As Winston Churchill once said "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm"

From Tesco to the Pope

Once upon a time we bought food from shops. Now we buy into an homogenized conglomerate lifestyle where everything is owned by "The Company" in some Kafkaesque nightmare and we are branded, categorised and studied like battery hens and indoctrinated into "Club Card" culture and believing them when they say "Every Little Helps."

When the supply chain is bullied into coercion and competitive prices and all our fruit starts to look like wax models and supermarkets sell everything from petrol to CD's we know its all gone too far.

Still, not as bad as Walmart on the other side of the pond who censor CD's and sell guns.

But as Tesco buy one of our favourite independent food chains to ensure that we eat our way into their lifestyle choice I cant help but be distracted by the goings on at the Vatican.

So we have our first Latin American Pope and a positive youngster at 76 he sure will be setting the place on fire with radical new ideas and drag the Catholic Church screaming back into the 19th Century.

And as Mr & ex Mrs Hune spend their second night in Jail and try to mingle with the inmates Honest Dave does yet another U Turn on the issue of cheap booze. And lets face it, if booze becomes too expensive the needy will only start turning to cheaper ways of getting high, like anti freeze and heroin.

The masses need their Opium to misquote a genius

China, the dragon awakens...

I was waiting for Baxter in town today and picked up a book about China's massive economic development over the last 30 years. Well, since the early 1980's when it was decided that rabid capitalism could live along side communism.

And so I learnt the following facts;

China is home to 1 in 5 of the worlds population

The economy has grown, on average, 10% every year since the 1980's

16 of China's cities feature in the World Banks global list of the 20 most polluted cities in the world

Two thirds of China's cities have insufficient water

Between 1980 and 2000, over 250 million people migrated from the countryside to the cities, this is the biggest migration of people, ever

in 2006 there were 6000 registered Environmental Groups

According to the world bank between 1981 and 2007 1/4 billion people were lifted out of poverty

And if you type Tiananmen Square into Google in China the secret police come round to your house in the night and take you away. (Actually I made that bit up)

So what price progress?

Time at HM's pleasure

So Mr & ex Mrs Hune are off to prison for a while to contemplate such things as why it is illegal to palm off speeding points to your wife and why it isn't a good idea to sell the story to the newspapers for revenge.

Nothing better than lying politicians to irk the public and now everyone's tax money gets to pay for their keep. And lets face it they wont be in Bellmarsh or Holloway, they will be at some 'open' prison like that irksome Archer fellow was.

And in the same week the catholic church are having their celebrity pope-a-thon and cursing any mention of abuse claims, Britain becomes Siberia like and we are told antibiotics are useless.

Which is a bonus to the pharma companies as they can develop and patent more drugs and increase their coffers. Why everyone picks on bankers when the real wealth lies in the drug and mining industries I'll never know...

But I digress...

Killing hostages

Today some lunatics have murdered some hostages. This is nothing but cowardice and cold blooded killing and has nothing to do with Islam, extremism, terrorism, fundamentalism or revenge.

The people killed were workers and not involved in any political, tribal or civil war, were not spies, mercenaries, freedom fighters or soldiers. They were simply some people doing a job and nobody deserves to die in this way.

And what next? We send special forces to take out the kidnappers? And then some new radical faction will avenge this by more kidnapping.

As M said in the latest Bond film, "we don't even know who the enemy is any more"

And we don't, these people are lunatics or psychopaths or brainwashed or perhaps all three. And it scares me for it presumes anyone is game.

I know Nigeria well and money goes along way to solve problems. But how can anything be resolved if people are murdered in this way?

This year is proving worse than last year.

When there's no news

It is a real problem when there is no news. The 24hr news channels have to pad the gaps with something. Anything.

I was looking forward to the Coulson & Wade court case but that appears to have been adjourned. If ever a pair deserve some R&R at her Majesty's pleasure its those two.

Even the freezing of relationships between North & South Korea doesn't appear to be newsworthy. Apart from some very strange footage of Kim Jong Odd in a boat being pursued by his followers in some religious rapture.

The disagreement between Honest Dave and the OFT doesn't appear to take up much space.

The prospect of two pandas mating in a zoo in Scotland in their annual 2 day window seems to have been overlooked too. And face it pandas are pretty pathetic, if they weren't so odd looking they would have been left to die out years ago. Why the WWF chose to adopt it as their logo i have no idea.

But then again what do the WWF actually do?

I am out with my property developer friend this eve, he is investing largely in areas of South London that have been 'up and coming' for a while. We are eating Michelin then drinking in one of my favourite private clubs. And that's news.

Addio Berlusconi

And so Mr Berlusconi is to spend a year at the pleasure of Italy's penal system for illegal wire tapping.

And then he has to face the tax / fraud conviction and sex with an underage prostitute thing.

Quite a fitting end for such a charismatic and colourful leader, who thought himself so above the law that he re wrote the law to cover his time in office and thus placing himself in impunity.

In a week where we have decided to send guns, sorry, vehicles to the rebel alliance and their war with Darth Vader and when Manchester United show the world how to lose in style and what a childish tantrum really looks like.

The UK Is heading for is 4th recession in and a row and Blair remains a free man for taking a country to war who didn't want to go.

I have a frightful head today, mid week drinking in town with my old Hedgie Friend, watching the Bankers cry over their reduced bonuses and the proles throw themselves in front of Buses in desperation.

Farewell Senor Chavez

Adios Mr Chavez, beloved of the people, working class hero and perennial thorn in the side of the USA. It is sad to see someone go who was so charismatic and so young.

Another colourful character in turbulent history of Latin America. Part of the 'Pink Tide' of presidents along with Correo in Ecuador, Morales in Bolivia and Ortega in Nicaragua.

And erstwhile friend of the other perennial thorn, Castro (although the Colombians never saw eye to eye with him)

He will never be forgotten for comparing George Bush to a donkey and for that alone I salute him.

He will now doubt be sharing a Cohiba in heaven with El Che and comparing notes on western imperialism.

The world is a dimmer place without him.

Binge drinking and the USA

AS the UK is declared one of the unhealthiest countries in Europe it is time to take a reflective side stand and ponder the question why?

Ever since we discovered the USofA we have tried to emulate them, we wanted bigger cars and now have 8Litre four by fours clogging up the streets of Chelsea and killing cyclists.

We wanted fast food, now our malls and high streets (well those that are still open) are full of low nutrition / high fat food feeding pens and now over 50% of our population is obese.

We wanted celebrity, and lots of TV channels, now our TV channels are awash with drivel and shows about oneupmanship and vacuous life styles.

We wanted guns. Actually we didn't, we hate guns, it goes against our beliefs.

So can we blame the Americans for our unhealthy lifestyle? Partly but not entirely, we are unhealthy because we are bored, we live sedentary pen like lifestyles, aspiring to own gadgets we have no need for. We cant smoke so we eat, we have lots of debt so we drink, and we drink to forget.

If we want to study to better our chances we will expect to be in £40k debt at the end of it. We cant drive because insurance and fuel costs are too much. We don't join the Gym because people at them smell and membership isn't free.

We are told every day how pathetic we are and how puny our salaries are and how everything could be so much better if we were rich and wealthy.

And people drink to forget and boy do we know how to drink...

Why so lonely Mr Mugabe?

Talking of dictatorships, civil wars, civilian deaths, general oppression and bad mustaches, it was Robert Mugabe's 89th birthday recently and he has admitted to the British Press that he is feeling a little lonely.

Probably as lonely as all those relatives who's family members were killed in years of pointless in fighting.

On another note is Assad and Mugabe who Kim Jong Odd aspires to be like? And with Nuclear Weapons should we all pack our bags now?

I was stationed in Africa for a number of years, great place although they don't do Governments very well.

Bob like Nelson was a political prisoner and freedom fighter (or terrorist, the labels interchangeable) and he also has a stupid number of Degrees. Somewhere along the line his ideology went a bit skew whiff and his views slightly more racist, homophobic and generally more insane.

The west has largely left Bob to his own secret state and corruption and death squads probably due to the absence of oil, or Lithium.

Talking of Lithium, Bolivia has half the worlds Lithium supply. Lithium is the new wonder battery that everything uses and soon to be used to fuel cars. Which means the USA should be installing an American Friendly dictator in Bolivia right about now...

What to do with Assad

So Britain has been accused of bullying and being naive in dealing with the 'issues' in Syria.

An uprising which was buoyed up by the Arab Spring that failed to oust its benign dictator and has now turned into a civil war killing in excess of 70,000 of its own people.

There is no world police or international law to deal with such countries and so the politicians dabble. UK / USA for intervention and Russia / China against. And so nothing is done and people die.

And nobody understands the situation, atrocities are committed by both sides so taking sides is fraught with problems. So we send in a peace keeping force (because that worked in Yugoslavia) or the worst option we do nothing. Like Rwanda. Like Cambodia. Like Zimbabwe.

So Assad, once the regions golden boy and educated in blighty sits overlooking a civil war wondering where it all went wrong and hoping that there isn't a Gaddafi type ending for him.

Or perhaps we will do what the west usually does. We will arm them. In untraceable deals for Agricultural equipment. We will sell them the means to their own resolution or destruction.

And some people will make alot of money and alot of people will needlessly be murdered.

A bunch of Bankers

Last time the UK's economy went in the wrong direction was in the 1990's. I was lucky enough to be living in a more prosperous part of the world at the time but I was reliably informed that it was grim.

It was as bad as the 1970's but a bit more colourful and without Punk Rock to look forward to. Only Blair. And look what happened then. To coin a famous singer "its all a bit of history repeating"

In those days interest rates were in excess of 15%, great for savers but a little unlucky for those with debts. Homes were repossessed as if it was going out of fashion.

We no longer remember what an interest rate is as they have been so low for so long everyone has forgotten about them. Apart from savers who have taken up on line gambling as a better source of income.

Now the Bank of England is talking about introducing negative interest rates. The concept of which the proles will never understand and will encourage those that do have money to invest off shore where the rates are a little more preferable.

Its a funny game, we have made over 300billion pounds of new money and that has made no difference.

Time for Plan B.

Sleaze, corruption & morality

Something is going wrong.

The Catholic church are being investigated once again for alleged abuse claims. The LIberal Democrats are being investigated for alleged sexual harassment claims.

Any one who is anyone in the 1970's is being watched with a wary eye.

The banks have been bashed. The press has been bashed. The police have been bashed and the Politicians have been bashed.

Football is rife with corruption.

Our heroes are falling and the meat supply chain is full of horses.

Everyone is finger pointing and all those skeletons are being released from their respective closets.

This is what happens when the economy is failing and we no longer have our AAA rating.

It is the long Monday morning after the weekend of credit based hedonism.

On a brighter note Hat tip to Daniel for his splendid win at the Oscars. Not sure about that Adele woman but you can't have everything.

The Blade Runner

So someone is in court awaiting their bale for something they did but may not have done intentionally.

Shooting someone a number of times until they are dead is murder what ever way you look at it. Whether they are your super model girlfriend or a burglar that is taking a bath in your bathroom.

Pre-meditation is the key and you can be assured that the lawyers will be racking up large fees to discuss such an issue with the Judge and Jury looking on in bemusement and at a time where the Judicial system is under scrutiny in the UK, or rather the Jurors are, who in the Pryce "speeding tickets" trial were asking such mind numbingly stupid questions like "why are we here" and "who is the man in the hat".

If i were the Blade chappy I would be on the phone to OJ Simpsons lawyer who was pretty good at this sort of stuff.

Meanwhile the UK is asleep waiting for more snow and wondering how long they will be eating horses for and when the price of petrol will ever go down.

Sponsored London

It wont be long before everything in London is sponsored. The Dome is, The London Eye is, The Tate Modern's exhibitions and all the Football stadiums are and of course The Cable car is too.

Boris is missing a chance here, perhaps along with his Bikes he could arrange for sponsorship of the Tube, or a Tube line to begin with; The Central line could be simply the HSBC line and the Circle line could be the 02 line.

He may struggle with sponsorship for the Northern Line though.

Crossrail will be sponsored by Germany as most of their equipment is building it.

The cable care unlike the Eye is a pathetic waste of money and is utterly pointless other than getting from the Dome to somewhere where you really don't want to be when its dark.

I walked through the old Wharfs today, places where Sherlock Homes would hide amongst the criminal fraternity and it's Opium Dens, exotic names like St Katherine's, Butlers, Customhouse, Fresh and Canary.

Now they are over run with hamster size show flats for the rich, wealthy and those of questionable taste.

At least the South Bank is still retaining its charm. But one day the Festival Hall needs to be knocked down as it is the Ugly duckling of the London Skyline.

When London was White?

..now there's a headline that grabs attention (and probably a large section of Daily Mail readers too)

The last census shows that over 600,000 White Londoners have left London.

This may be true but doesn't account for the White Others that have moved in, bought expensive and vastly inflated property and speak Russian.

A helpful graphic was used on the BBC website to illustrate this although with any statistics this can lead to massive misinterpretation and assumption. Which inevitably leads to knee jerk reacting such as the likes our Tabloid Media love to stir up.

Most of the populace here wont fully understand what this graphic means and what the census really is telling us.

Or, perhaps London is now overrun by immigrants (legal and otherwise)and we have all left.

And lets face it, I remember when London was predominantly White and what a scarey place it was then. At least now we have the best selection of restaurants in the world.

I am out with Baxter this evening to discuss such issues over some vintage malt and I shall be eagerly awaiting the results of the Pryce 'Points for Prizes' trial too. That and that Blade chappy.

When Britain was Great

For a small island we don't half make a lot of noise.

We once had the biggest Empire on the planet (even though it was mostly propped up on abuse, slavery and drug trafficking), we invented practically everything from Electricity to the Internet, had the best Financial sector and along the way have created some of the best music, art, films and plays.

We had some of the best industries from Steel and Coal to Cars and for a time everyone wanted to be us.

We have our problems; class, wealth, racism, abuse, neglect and poverty but we wear it with stoicism and a stiff upper lip.

London is now a separate principality of the UK, property is now owned by Russia, China and The Middle East and has become a stomping ground for those who have arrived here illegally or not.

We now have obesity on a scale that dwarfs most countries drug problems and we have become docile, apathetic and a little bit lost.

The European States of Germany ignore us and see us as a mild irritant. The USA see us as a place to come on Holiday or to base Nuclear Weapons.

Our media is now worthless and regulated, our best talents have gone overseas, even reigniting the old Sovereignty Claims with Las Malvina's meets with boredom and indifference

We have had our day and are now more concerned with how many Apps our phones have or what our Celebrities are wearing.

It was never like this in my day.

At war with Africa

The USA has now declared the whole of North Africa a hot bed of Jihadist Al Qaeda Fundamentalist Islamic Extremists. A little bit harsh I think.

When the USA was criticised for being Western Imperialist Warmongers people around the White House got a little hot around the collar and looked at the finger pointers and then started a war with them.

So, after arming all these "extremists" over countless decades by supporting dictators like Hussein, Gaddafi, The Taliban, and the odd looking one that is in charge (sic) in Syria they are again surprised that the children they spawned are fighting back.

The USA doesn't learn well from History, one only has to look at their interventions in Indochina, Central&South America, Afghanistan, Iran/Q and Indonesia and all the trouble that caused.

China and Russia on the other hand just watch with amusement and buy up all our resources and football teams.

Honest Dave is in India with a delegation of capitalists and arms dealers. It still scares me to think of India as a Nuclear Power. How did that happen??

And Kim Jong Odd has gone back to bed with a sore head wondering why USA wont pick a fight with him.

I have a cold today, too much time wandering around the city at the weekend.

10p tax and horses

So, Ed, "Don't call Me David" Millipede has re-announced the 10p tax rate and the Mansion Tax.

This appeals to the poor voters and not the wealthy ones. And lets face it a tax on property over £2 Million is only going to be paid by a few CEO's, Russians and Middle Eastern Shiekh's.

It is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Still, its a shrewd vote winner but the next election is a long way off and its doubtful that anyone will care by then.

Mervin King (remember him?) announced that the green shoots of recovery can be seen. He who didn't see the biggest crash since the 1930's coming? Why should we believe him?

On the day when national heroes are shooting models and horse meat is everywhere, I have but one course of action.

To meet Baxter in Fulham.

The NRA, Gun Control and Horses..

I have been watching a series of reports on Channel 4 news about guns in America.

(I am losing faith with the BBC's reporting acumen and well, I'm never going to watch Sky, and Jon Snow is such an entertaining character.)

So it goes that since the last massacre of children in the US the purchase of assault rifles has rocketed and school children instead of having slumber parties now have "shooting days at the range". There is something inherently disturbing watching an 8 year old girl shoot a pistol with her mom onlooking saying "we need to be prepared".

The NRA have entered the arena by saying more people need to be armed including teachers and poor old Obama looks bewildered and saddened as his PR company issue a photo of him with a hunting rifle.

Lets face it USA doesn't understand why their guns should be taken away. Its in the constitution. Well so was Slavery and we got rid of that.

And if we are facing facts its a lot harder to kill someone if you don't have a gun. And a lot more disturbing.

But the press is more concerned about the whole meat industry being plagued by horses to even start a reasonable debate about gun control.

And the NRA are just too big and too mad.

If I had a time machine I would go back and change the 2nd amendment to "we are obliged to treat the world and its contents as one"

But that's just me.

Nukes are not cool....

Kim Jong Odd has finally entered the world stage by not offering peace and reconciliation but by testing a nuclear bomb.

Not a good career move.

The Americans are now likening North Korea to Iran (How they have come to this assumption is anyone's guess) and have added them to their list of mad dictators that they potentially have the excuse for entering into war with.

Testing a nuclear bomb is akin to testing a firework. Once its tested and proven to work, there is nothing to say that the next one will. A bit like testing one beefburger for beef and not another.

Nuclear bombs scare the bejesus out of me. I have witnessed them being tested and I dont like them. They are an abomination.

I think Kim Jong Odd should concentrate on having a decent hair cut, getting laid and teaching his troops to march properly and not by annoying the rest of the world

And i am sure China will have a view on this...

Working is tough

So working for the big guy is tough.

The Pope has thrown in the towel because he is old and its hard work.

Well, if everyone thought like that then the world would be in trouble; no more royalty, no more CEO's, no more people working on minimum wage, no more politicians (actually, that's probably a good thing)

Some people still see organised religion as a necessary part of a civilized society.

My thoughts on this will remain my thoughts for fear of retribution. One has only to publish a cartoon nowadays and get death threats.

Needless to say this is obscuring the news on the corrupt meat industry, not only is everyone eating horses but the rumours are that this could have been drugged horses. So unfit horse meat has entered the food chain and is attributable to 'organised criminals'. Journalists and politicians really should stop putting spin on everything and see it for what it is. Greed.

I am in an unusual mood today. I was given the attentions of wondrous young filly at the weekend (no pun intended) easily 20 years my junior but has given me a joy to be alive.

And retired.

Hungry for horses?

It will come as no surprise to any one that follows this blog and knows me from elsewhere that I am allergic to meat. I am therefore vegetarian (though i despise the term and its leftist pseudo hippy connotations)

Ever since my days at Eton i have been unable to hold down anything that was once killed.

Lately I have been reading up on the global effects of our massive need for meat. Methane production (leading to global warming), pollution, deforestation, drugs and abuse.

So for those of you that are appalled at eating Horse, why differentiate between one animal and another.

Einstein once said that in the future everyone would be vegetarian. Perhaps we are at the turning point.

Off to the country this afternoon for some golf and brandy at the stately home of a dear friend who I had the pleasure to work along side in the military, but that's another story....

The morning after..

I feel like a triple dip recession today, I was out with Baxter and an old Hedgie friend last night, we drank far too much for people of our constitution but it was vintage and the conversation was flowing like the water falls of the Nile.

We raised a toast to Mr Hune and his wife.

We also raised a toast to RBS for being fined £390m for fixing Libor rates. A mere drop in the ocean to them but at least it shows the proles that the Government is telling off the banks.

We raised a toast to Beardy for selling off Virgin for many billions of pounds to Murdoch 2.

We also raised a toast to Football match fixing.

2013 is already turning into a very turbulent year and we have barely reached spring.

Must be time for a holiday.

Hahahahaahahahhahaaaa...

Adios Mr Hune, perverter of Justice, compulsive speeder and pupil at the Lance Armstrong school of long term lying.

May your prison cell be warm and your cell mate accommodating.

The only down side to all this is that UKIP and Mr Farage may stand for (and win) the Eastleigh by election

I wonder who'll be found out next... answers on a postcard please

Becks, Tax and Posh

Once upon a time David Beckham was a working class hero, a wondrous footballer who could score from the half way line. He became the biggest player at the biggest club in the UK.

He played for England and became the figure of hate after the team were surreptitiously beaten and he was sent off for a childish display of petulance.

He married Posh, part of the brat group The Spice Girls, who couldn't sing but who learnt how to move around like a supermodel.

Not earning enough he moved to Real Madrid, became an under garment model and then a brand in his own right, he now hawks his kids to the same publicity machine that he went through.

He is worth in the region of £130 million pounds, the profit of his brand being close to a million pounds a year.

He is now moving to France and like so many before him is realising that French tax laws are slightly different to everyone elses.1.5% annual wealth tax, that sort of thing.

He has now decided to 'work' for free and donate lots of money to charity to rid himself of such a tax burden.

And when the Becks are bored of France they will move to Notting Hill, where face it, they will be the only people to afford property there.

Its all falling down...

In the heady days of free credit, unregulated banks and a free press, when everyone was helping their mates out and lunches were free, who would have predicted the fall out when the populace realised that all the salacious gossip that they loved to read was obtained by listening into peoples phones via free ware obtainable on the internet.

After Lord Leveson produced his expensive, and frankly quite useless bookends, we now see top Det Ch Insp April Casburn jailed for attempting to sell stories to the press.

This is one in a long line of people awaiting jail for misdemeanors associated with the press / police / MP cosy triangle.

Honest Dave & Blair at one time schmoozed all these people and their lawyers are now working on their denials. Memos and photos are trawled through like an episode of The Killing (except without the noir and fluffy jumpers)

Murdoch shut the News Of The World down in a futile attempt to remove himself from any links with this debacle and heir James struggled with the English Legal System and what culpable deniability actually means.

Now the UK is in its 3rd dip of recession its navel gazing continues and it doesn't like what it sees, from child loving Disc Jockeys to corrupt Police Officers (and not one mention of "pleb-gate" on this blog on advise of my lawyer) and the press running amok and the banks gambling all our money away its easy to get a little down.

Champagne night in Mayfair to look forward to, an event where some BBC journalists will be present and in which I will be discussing much of this with them, plus trying to get a date with Susannah...

DC goes to Algeria

So, Honest Dave Cameron becomes the first British Prime Minister to visit Algeria since its independence from France in 1962.

And lets face it Algeria doesn't have a lot going for it unless you like sand and Oil.

Bored of chasing Islamic Fundamentalists and Jihadist Terrorists (the media's words not mine) in the Far East and the Middle East we have turned our attention to North Africa, which has always been a bit volatile to say the least, except maybe Morocco, probably something to do with it's indigenous herb.

Algeria has a similar approach to hostage takers as the Russians do (and here one only has to look at that night at the theater with the Chechnyans) and Dave is going to find out what really went on and to see if we can sell some more weapons, I mean send some more troops.

Meanwhile as we enter the umpteenth war chasing the latest boogeyman the UK populace is becoming increasingly concerned about the cost of fuel rising and why marathon runners are taking amphetamines.

I was once stationed in Algeria, awful place, due to HM's OS act I cant talk about it. Needless to say the sand got everywhere.

Im out with Baxter tonight, Michelin restaurant in the West End then off to a private club in Soho. I am awaiting my Chauffeur as i type...

FatTax and Mali

A week or so ago it was announced that the UK would not be sending troops to Mali.

Today it is announced that the UK is sending troops to Mali.

This isn't the first time our government has lied to us. Remember that issue of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?

On the same day as this quite frankly appalling news of the UK getting dragged into yet another war to rid the world of 'terrorists', and on the same day more people are needlessly murdered in Syria and Egypt the news in the UK is about whether sugary drinks should be taxed as there is an obesity epidemic.

What happened? Doesn't anyone care anymore? We have been lied to so often that we chose to ignore this Orwellian present that we live in.

I was back at the gym today, one of these 'Virgin' ones in town that is regretting buying the Lance Armstrong training bikes. When I was working as a bodyguard I would be in the gym for at least three hours a day. And that is partly why people are obese nowadays; they are just plain lazy. Make gyms free, instead of the government taxing, why don't they give something instead.

Or encourage smoking.

Dreamliners & Stealth taxes

It wasn't so long ago that the mighty Airbus A380 was grounded with teething problems. Now Boeing's flagship Dreamliner has gone the same way.

Unfortunately it is the Japanese who have bought the first fleet and who have suffered the first problems, with batteries of all things.

As an avid aviation fan I am hoping that this is just a minor glitch. I remember flying in Indochina back in the day and trying to land without an engine. No one can fly planes like the Vietnamese.

On another note, I recently bought a plane ticket and whilst reading the small print (as one does) I came across the following fees which made up the total price;

1 - passenger duty

2 - service charge (UK)

3 - service charge (overseas)

4 - solidarity tax (?)

5 - civil aviation tax

6 - airport tax

7 - govt, authority & airport tax

8 - fuel surcharge

9 - airline surcharge

One day flying will become so expensive only the rich and famous will be able to afford it, or is this another way of stealth taxing the rich?

HS2

I was watching Billy & Susannah on BBC's brand new dumbed down breakfast show for those of the intellectually challenged and they were interviewing an MP about the merits of HS2.

HS2 for those who don't know is a £33 billion railway linking London with the North. London is already linked to the North, but this link will take around 40 minutes off the journey.

It's not being built for a few years and it has to be said the populace aren't really in favour of this expenditure, especially when everything else is being slashed and we are heading for triple dip recession

There was a time when our railway system was the best and the envy of the world, our underground was a major feat of engineering and we were the leaders of the new world. Anyone who has spent a few hours in the summer stuck on the Central line will no doubt have their opinion on this.

HS2 is a complete waste of money, we need to seriously upgrade our infrastructure as it is, rebuild the whole network to high speed standards, yes it will cause disruption but think of the gains.

China has built its new road and rail network in a matter of years to rival anything the west has to offer.

We take a similar time to go through planning.

The destruction of Timbuktu

I had a wonderful lunch at Tate Modern today overlooking perhaps one of the best sky lines in the world (except Hong Kong before we gave it back) and pondered the new half built additions; The Walkie Talkie and the Cheesegrater and wondered what would happen if we were invaded by fundamentalists who came to destroy signs of western decadence.

St Paul's would be the fist to go, followed by the city's skyscrapers and then the consumerist nirvana that is the west end. Then our historical buildings, museums and records would be destroyed.

This is essentially what has happened in Timbuktu. Which has put the French into a foul mood and forced retaliation.

We have stood back at this destruction with mild irritation and confusion and have ignored our history where we have done exactly the same, but that was 100's of years ago and we have moved on since then

Timbuktu was a dusty back water town when I was stationed there and the food was appalling, but its historic buildings were beautiful.

Alas no more.

Tomorrow I am meeting an old Hedgie for lunch in the city. He wishes to be referred to as an Estate Agent now so that people will hate him less.He is a delightful chap and knows his way round a wine list too

Kim, Oil and WW3

All the global arms manufacturers must be rubbing their hands. Since the demise of the cold war and the excuse to stockpile thousands of nuclear weapons they have always been looking for the boogeymen to justify their business of selling tools for killing.

The event with the sky scrapers, evil Saddam and the hunt for the elusive Afghan cave dweller (subsequently found a long way away from Afghanistan) has justified this global hunger for war.

Interest has been waning of late, until now, when the whole of Africa has now become a hot bed of terrorism and tyranny as a direct result of the Arab spring which ensured that weapons left the hands of dictators we knew into the hands of the lunatic fringe that we don't.

And lest should tiny North Korea feel left out here we have little Kim Jong Odd declare his complete hatred for anyone that isn't himself by stating that he is building nuclear weapons so he can fire them at the USA.

I am no left leaning pacifist and my spell in the Army showed me insights into the world that cemented my belief in arming oneself as a deterrent (ie: so that you can retaliate when some lunatic who doesn't like your way of life decides that murdering you is the best way forward) but this blatant war mongering is somewhat tiresome.

I have always maintained the world will be a happier place once the oil runs out.

And if i were Kim I would sack my barber too.

Teenage Kicks

As regular readers of this blog well know i detest the obscene amounts of money footballers earn. A lot of which is diverted through holding companies in off shore tax havens.

Imagine my delight this morning then to see pages upon pages of comments about the actions of one player v a ball boy.

In a world where 1300 billionaires own nearly half the wealth of the planet and yet a 1/4 of the planet do not have access to water, it is good to know that the people of the UK are concerning themselves with whether the actions at a game were intentional or otherwise.

I was out with a property developer friend of mine last night in Soho quaffing a large amount of very agreeable vintage brandy pondering such issues as this. And whether we should be in Europe. There were some lovely media fillies out too. Always a bonus.