Category: Politics

Doing nothing!

Freedom and justice needs active participation.

Let me start with an extract from the Henrik Hudson School District Library Media Centre:

Perpetrators, collaborators, bystanders, victims: we can be clear about three of these categories. The bystander, however, is the fulcrum. If there are enough notable exceptions, then protest reaches a critical mass. We don’t usually think of history as being shaped by silence, but, as English philosopher Edmund Burke said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’ (My source for this is here.)

So what has prompted this Post?

Continue reading “Doing nothing!” →

UK employment figures.

No sign of green shoots here.

While these figures were published by the UK Office for National Statistics last Wednesday, first opportunity to comment on this Blog was today.  It’s not a pretty sight!

Employment figures, as reported Aug 2009
Employment figures, as reported Aug 2009

These trends look really nasty and not a hint of an upturn in employment or a lessening of the rate of increase in unemployment.

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This is a spoof, isn’t it?

Big brother may be watching

But in this case it is a mythical pizza house.  (Includes sound as well)

Anyway, watch this futuristic scene courtesy of the American Civil Liberties Union.

By Paul Handover

The sub-prime crisis

British humour

One aspect of British culture is their dry sense of humour.  In terms of satire, for over a decade three people have held pole positions: Rory Bremner, John Bird and John Fortune.  WikiPedia has a very good summary.

Bird and Fortune have also recorded a series of ‘interviews’ focusing on some of the idiocies of life.

Here’s a classic about the sub-prime crisis.  Slightly dated but no less funny for that.

More from these incredibly, clever guys from time to time.

By Paul Handover

Baseline Scenario

This is an impressive Blog.  Impressive because of the number of subscribers and commentators.  Impressive because of the credentials of the authors, Simon Johnson and James Kwak, and impressive because of the quality of arguments presented by the authors and commentators and the force of reason that pushes back against the establishment.

Some of the content is quite technical although the Blog does have a good supply of articles to help those starting into the subject of the global economy.  But you could do no worse by starting with the article written by Simon and published in May 2009 in The Atlantic.  Called The Quiet Coup it is a masterful attempt at trying to explain where the real power lies in the US.  (And, as a Brit, I would not be surprised to see the same situation in the UK.)

Then ask yourself the questions: Is there any political integrity left?; Where is this ‘integrity’, or lack of, taking the US (and UK)?; What does the end-game look like?

By Paul Handover

Where’s the truth about our economy, Part 2

This may be Part 2 of an unending series! It simply beggars belief that no one in Government (I bundle at least the US and UK Governments together, in this regard) appears to have sufficient trust in their peoples to acknowledge the very significant risk of much worse to come.

Nouriel Roubini (aka Dr Doom) has just published a convicing argument that Mounting Job Losses Will Hurt Consumption, Housing, Banks’ Balance Sheets, Public Finances and Lead to Protectionist Pressures

Here’s just a small extract from the article:

If you include partially employed workers and discouraged workers who left the U.S. labor force, for example, the unemployment rate is already 16.5%

(Not sure if the above link can be accessed if one is not a (free) subscriber to RGE Monitor’s regular updates so the full article is included at the end of this post.)

But it’s the same old, same old.  Politicians don’t understand the huge damage that is being done to democracy by an apalling lack of political integrity.

Read the rest of the Post

Where’s the truth about our economy?

There are many commentators out there who are doing a great job in challenging the drivel that is being put out by governments.  There is Simon Johnson and James Kwak of The Baseline Scenario, two very expert guys albeit with a tendency to be a little too technical for the masses.

And then there is Karl Denninger who Blogs as Market Ticker.  He is blunt and brave, clear and courageous.  His latest video is typical of the man.

It’s the reason that there are links to both sites on this Blog.

By Paul Handover