The Left are deliberately engineering disaster

The rabidly left wing BBC has been its usual uncontrollable self over the Republican's trying to insist on at least a little sanity from the debt kamakazi Obama administration.

It never crosses the BBC's Guardian programmed mind to ask when all this debt is going to be paid back.

My guess is never.

The left plan is to drive democratic capitalism straight of the debt cliff so they can impose the totalitarian socialist regime they all dream of.

It's a plan with a frighteningly good chance of working.

The only way to stop it is to make democratic governments responsible on debt.

The US Republicans were at least trying, though they might reflect on the last Republican presidency's running up of the national credit card.

Burning our money - the return

The most excellent Mike Denham - he of the Taxpayer's alliance YouTube videos of yesteryear ( well about two years ago really ) - has written a book and is returning to blogging.

This is good news all round - especially if you have any Lib Dem or socialist relatives etc you're obliged to purchase Christmas presents for .. see here.

Christmas has come early in my Shed as I'm downloading the kindle version.

It also means Burning our money blog is back !

The truth is the UK lacks to political will to pay back its debts

The inevitable first down grade of the UK has happened.

But the BBC sees this as an opportunity to attack austerity and back stealing from either future generations or those dumb enough to lend our govt money.

Here's the thing - with the BBC dominating our politics as the virtual monopoly arbitrator of our politics, combined with the selfish cowardice of those who should know better, there's never going to be a time when the debt gets paid off.

The only answer is going to be default - and that will either be hard or soft.

Most likely we are heading for a lot of money printing and inflation as we defraud those who have been stupid enough to lend to the UK, and at the same time destroy the wealth of our nation.

Our current political / media class nexus makes us incapable of any other course of action.

Personally as I've said before I think its time to start refusing to back government debt. Then interest rates would rise and the government would be forced to cut back the staggering spending it already undertakes.

PS I wonder if the failure of the 4G auction to offer the free windfall has triggered the down grade ?

Saying No to reinforcing hopeless situations

The last time it was necessary to say no to sending good resources into a hopeless situation.

It looks like George Osborne has learnt this lesson from the Euro. We have the Germans suddenly wanting to be all chummy with us so that we will sell out children into more debt to provide more money to burn on the Euro bonfire.

The time has come to say No and to keep repeating it.

Let Nick Clegg take his fortune and fat Euro pension and burn it on the funeral pyre of  the Euro - no other British tax payers should be required to.

HEADQUARTERS FIGHTER COMMAND ROYAL AIR FORCE,  BENTLEY PRIORY,  STANMORE,  MIDDLESEX.  SECRET                                                      May 16,1940   Sir,               I have the honour to refer to the very serious calls which have recently been made upon the Home Defence Fighter'Units in an attempt to stem the German invasion on the Continent.   2,         I hope and believe that our Armies may yet be victorious in France and Belgium,  but we have to face the possibility that they may be defeated.   3.         In this case I presume that there is no-one who will deny that England should fight on,  even though the remainder of  the Continent of Europe is dominated by the Germans.   4.         For this purpose it is necessary to retain some  minimum fighter strength in this country and I must request that  the Air Council will inform me what they consider this minimum  strength to be,  in order that I may make my dispositions accordingly.   5.         I would remind the Air Council that the last estimate which they made as to the force necessary to defend this country  was 52 Squadrons,  and my strength has now been reduced to the  equivalent of 36 Squadrons.   6.         Once a decision has been reached as to the limit on  which the Air Council and the Cabinet are prepared to stake the  existence of the country,  it should be made clear to the Allied  Commanders on the Continent that not a single aeroplane from  Fighter Command beyond the limit will be sent across the Channel, no matter how desperate the situation may become.   7.         It will, of course, be remembered that the estimate  of 52 Squadrons was based on the assumption that the attack  would come from the eastwards except in so far as the defences  might be outflanked in flight.   We have now to face the  possibility that attacks may come from Spain or even from the North coast of France.   The result is that our line is very  much extended at the same time as our resources are reduced.   8.         I must point out that within the last few days the  equivalent of 10 Squadrons have been sent to France,  that the  Hurricane Squadrons remaining in this country are seriously  depleted,  and that the more Squadrons which are sent to France  the higher will be the wastage and the more insistent the demands for reinforcements.   9.         I must therefore request that as a matter of   paramount urgency the Air Ministry will consider and   decide what level of strength is to be left to the   Fighter Command for the defences of this country, and will  assure me that when this level has been reached, not one  fighter will be sent across the Channel however urgent  and insistent the appeals for help may be.   10.        I believe that, if an adequate fighter force is  kept in this country, if the fleet remains in being, and  if Home Forces are suitably organised to resist invasion,  we should be able to carry on the war single handed for  some time, if not indefinitely.   But, if the Home Defence Force is drained away in desperate attempts to remedy the  situation in France,  defeat in France will involve the  final, complete and irremediable defeat of this country.                         I have the honour to be,                                  Sir,                                 Your obedient Servant,                                                                                 Air Chief Marshal,                              Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief,                                 Fighter Command,Royal Air Force.

H/T http://www.battleofbritain1940.net

Our meta-stable economic world

There have been now shortage of John the Baptists crying out in the desert about debt levels in the western world, and specifically the US & UK.

But there have been far more "smart" people saying debt doesn't matter, and that we need "investment". Its so happened that their approach is much less painless in the short term and helps you win elections.

So that's what we've had. But still our trajectory has been in a direction that we all knew would become unstable.

We all know the public sector pensions are a ponzi scheme, but that you lose the next election if you tell anyone.

No one asked too many question about the house price bubble or the credit splurge that financed it - as you could tax the wave and win the next election on the bribes.

Even the Euro bailouts are pointless in the long term, without harsh economic reform in the South and sacrifice in the North of Europe. ( And we know whilst "kicking the can down the road" is politically popular - and may allow you to win the next election. The reforms ( which will be very unpopular ) will cause you to lose it. )

We are asking political Turkey's to vote for Christmas.

They will fudge, delay, do the stuff that keeps them in office and not the stuff that will get them kicked out. ( Though that has its limits as Ireland, Greece and Italy have found out ).

And as the crisis develops we learn how little of how our world works our leaders really understand. They are experts in politics, getting elected and climbing the greasy pole whilst clubbing others off it. They're lives devoted to the mayflower type moment when they win office and cling to the glory for as long as they can.

They have had the dream, one in which they feature prominently by coincidence, but now reality can no longer be denied.

Democracy is starting to look like its failed.

Those who want to save it had better start rehearsing and making their arguments heard, because if this goes all the way there will be revolution in parts of Western Europe.

Hemlock for your morning coffee

H/T To Wildgoose for putting me onto this in the comments earlier.

Link to the report here - perhaps easier to read in that form.

Also the original source over at Tullet Prebon and the author Tim Morgan.

There's a lot to think about in this report... and a lot that isn't making mainstream media analysis - or more worryingly government action.

The threat to the middle classes (US)

Below is a lecture by Elizabeth Warren, Harvard Law School - and I think a Democrat , in 2008 on the collapse of the middle classes in the US. Its about an hour I'm afraid. However if you have the time its well worth watching.

Note this is before the full impact of the debt crisis has hit. Whilst things may be different in the UK in some respects I suspect there's a similar story here also.

This is going to be a source of not inconsiderable trouble.

For the attention of my customer satisfaction champion at HSBC bank

The Shed,
End of the garden,
Woking
11 Oct 2011

Dear Sir/ Madam / Person of indeterminate gender,

Whilst I have long taken a traditional view of accounting practices and have till now believed what's mine is mine, what's your in yours, I can see that we live in extraordinary times.

I am also aware of the heavy responsibility as a consumer of Chinese electronics, Polish labour, German engineering and Scottish sour grapes that I must do my part in saving the world economy, by getting out there and spending.

You may be aware of the, till now, restriction of the low balance in my bank account which has prevented me from performing my duty in the world economy.

However I am now pleased to announce I am undertaking a programme of Quantitative Easing, and the £75.13 in my current account should be replaced with a figure of £1,000,000,000.00 at the opening of business tomorrow.

I promise to spend it all quite quickly saving the world economy.

Yours faithfully,


Man in a Shed.

PS I realise this may sound irregular, but its quite kosher for the Bank of England, so please give Sir Mervyn King ( chairman of the Bank of England and Monetary policy committee ) a call if you need to go over some of the details. Since this is just an electronic transaction there will be no need to undertake anything messy with printing presses and dead trees ( just the sort of bottle neck that caught out the Argentine government a few years back ). I take my responsibility to the environment very seriously indeed.

The road to Hell is paved with wishful thinking

As the news rolls in there's two types - emergency measures which are sold as confidence building but turn not to be enough, and the other sort dire.

The Economist tells us that Angela Merkel needs to explain to the German people someone has to pay and its going to be them.

We have George Osborne telling us Britain's interests are in a strong Euro zone ( do you feel you wallet quiver when you read that ? ).

The can is going to get kicked down the road again and its going to cost.

But how did we get here ? The answer is simple - the dishonesty of debt. Governments have given the electorate everything they have wanted ( low taxes high spending ) by using something that's too boring to be understood - debt.

Even if people did try there were the Keynsian apologists to tell them they didn't understand economics and it didn't matter anyway.

We now know where that road leads ...

#SillyWeek: Mad Dog Al Nutter to lecture US & UK on fiscal responsibility

Dr Al Nutter, the Mad Dog of the desert, launched one of his 5 hour rants on Liabyan TV from an undisclosed bunker, but still sitting in his electric golf cart berating the US and other western infidels on there failure to balance the book.

Dr Al Nutter pointed out the following keys facts during his wide ranging lecture that also seemed to keep returning to the theme of hiring models and paying them to sit mostly undressed to hear his lectures on moral living:

1. When he had committed acts of terrorism it had been "fully funded". He had never needed to borrow money from the Chinese to they pay them back again for the rare earth metals to put in some decadent over the horizon fire and forget Western guidance system.
   
2. Even now, despite the efforts of the evil NATO he was more solvent than the entire Western world, just based on his Swiss bank account and a pile of Gold ( you can't trust the dollar these days ) he has buried away in the great desert.

Dr Nutter offered to return to the London School of Left Wing Economics, from which his honoury doctorate was purchased, and deliver another Dead Marxist lecture in memory of the Unions choice of leader of the Labour party there to explain how this "paying your way" thing actually works.

He only asked the Mr Ed Balls be kept out of the audience as he was as mad debt denier and completely beyond reason.

---

PS Just in case you don't get this - none of this is real, except perhaps the bit about Ed Balls ...

The West looks bust

Everyone knows Greece is bust, but no one is allowed to admit it. Why ?
Because if Greece is bust so are key French and German banks, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and probably Italy.

And if they are bust, due to loans and the banking sector then so are we.

Someone has to pay, hopefully without dying in the process.

It seems to me that the West is bust ( yes US I include you ) and those of us with pension funds etc perhaps are going to lose them.

Can denial fix this ?

Sent from my HTC

Theft from the future, and breach of trust with the past - Pensions

There was an interesting 5 minutes on radio 5 live this morning, as the low provision of many people for their pensions was discussed. ( By many people I of course mean private sector people who are also carrying the burden for the people with pensions - public sector people ).

Scripture and the differences in the Lords prayer between the churches of Scotland and England were even mentioned. ( Just showing how the weak Church of England has totally failed to engage with the whole issue of debt- beyond the simplistic left wing view of just writing it off for third world dictatorships. )

Someone phoned in to explain how every pension pot they had invested in had lost money - I have to say that's my and my families experience also. ( Although the tax relief on the pensions may have offset that - but all that really amounts to is a subsidy of the pensions industry, not pensioners. )

A long time ago I explained to a colleague about why you need to be careful about pensions. I explained the example of Argentina 'borrowing' private sector pensions to pay its public sector wage bill. The problem with pension is you've put your money into government controlled parcels.

This has already started in Europe, and the Irish have just started a 'temporary' tax on pensions. We can all remember Gordon Brown's stealth tax on pensions to pay for Labour's re-election campaigns ( ie to help with his irresponsible running of a structural deficit with an unreformed public sector just to keep the egos of as few washed up socialists provided for by tax payers money ).

Its worth reading about what our government may do over on the Adam Smith Institute blog here. ( There are also the links which I've used in this post there. )

There is a wider political issue here- a massive breach of trust is being carried out to help resolve the banking and sovereign debt crisis. The assumptions of a successful capitalist economy and democracy are being called into question by stealthy subversion.

This could be the biggest wave of the crisis yet to break.

I don't think the politicians have realised how angry people will be when they realise what has been going on.

And before Labour types get all Fabian on me, remember it was Labour that ruined pensions. Brown & Darling were not just very close to Fred the Shred at RBS, but also the whole Scottish insurance and pension industry that support Edinburgh. Labour changes taxes and regulations in ways that made their city backers and friends very happy.

The Rally Against Debt

Just back from the Rally Against Debt in the old palace yard opposite Parliament. Here are a few pics from my not so great camera phone ....



All went well - turn out was respectable. I'm told 300 was mentioned on the radio, but frankly I didn't count. The key thing is perhaps who attended rather than numbers as its spreading the message that we can't keep stealing from our children's futures that needs to get through, and for that to happen motivated people need to spread the message.

The problem with the national debt is that its a slow boiling frog issue. Because the increase is gradual its hard to get the public to properly engage with the issue. This leaves the playing field open to the special interest groups, special pleaders and apocalyptic socialists who actively seek the crisis we are heading towards.

So what can be done ?

Further

BBC "Rally held to back cuts to reduce UK deficit"
Guardian "Pro-cuts activists to rally against debt"
Cranmer "The Rally Against Debt cannot morally be opposed"
Guido "We Rallied Against Debt"
Brian Micklethwaite - pictures of the protest signs.
Matthew Sinclair: The Rally Against Debt was a huge success
Other views
Tim Montgomerie: Why doesn't the Right march?

Update: Petitions in circulation has 400-500 signatures. The BBC reported 350 there. No a mistake they make on left wing demos. Maybe right of centre people are partially invisible to BBC eyes.

The Debt Labour have hung around our necks

Debt, not 'cuts', will destroy society

What a wonderful life it is for the BBC. Every morning they just have to trawl though the words from press releases and speeches in electronic format and look for the word "cuts" and they have a story ready for the morning news.

Since someone else will have said it, they can use the fig leaf that they are just reporting. Its impartial after all right ?

Everyone who's budget is being cut, or in many case not increased, is squealing. Local councils etc are offering up the "Red Arrows*" defence of bus and other high profile cuts whilst protecting their diversity and community cohesion managers for climate change.

But almost never do we have any reporting of the impact of the debt. Reporting on Ireland and Greece has gone quiet in BBC land.

Soon we will pay more in debt interest than on education. ( But of course you'll never see Socialist Worker banners handed out saying this to gullible students being reported on by the likes of Paul Mason. )

Its debt that will destroy our country as well sell tomorrow to bribe our today.

Where's the BBC investigation of what it could be like if our currency collapsed ? Where the consideration of what debt will do to future generations ? The inter-generational theft Nick Clegg has mentioned ?

Not from the BBC you can be sure. The BBC just has its left wing agenda to bring about another Labour government and destroy our country yet further with the sclerosis of debt.

* The Red Arrows defence is the ploy by which a government department or body always offers up the cut that will create the most publicity. Hence a cut in the RAF will mean the Red Arrows are under threat as they are much loved by the public ( oddly didn't happen this time, but it has on many other occasions ).

Update: It turns out the story that inspired this post on the BBC ( about evil kitten murdering cuts from bastard Tories of course ) has dropped down their running order. I wonder if its because its being pointed out that the source is a long time Labour supporter ?

Labour's new debt and history denial strategy

At last Red Ed has woken up the idea that Labour's selling our children and us into debt slavery has been a little unpopular.

So like Red Len on the radio earlier in the week he has a new re-write of history that will let Labour say it will do something, but their only mistake was to trust the evil capitalist banks who murder kittens round the clock in the docklands. ( Even though the banks in trouble where all Labour heartland banks with close political connections to Labour. )

So perhaps they didn't 'rebalance the economy' enough. Perhaps there wasn't enough blaming of the banks. But let nobody remember the structural deficit that Labour started as soon as Brown shock of the Tory spending plans two years in. Let no one remember the failure to reform or the deceit of rising educational standards when we now know that was a very cruel deceit at the expense of our youth.

Yes Labour can't bring themselves to admit what wen't wrong, but they are rather worried the general public are going to understand. So a new lie is required from Gordon Brown's closest of allies who has been imposed on the Labour party by the Trade Unions ( which means public sector trade unions - they who ensure our public services can't imp[rove and will drag us to the depths of economic destruction socialists dream about drowning us all in so much. )

Read the Guardian article on the new lies Ed Miliband has approved and weep....

The new Opium wars

Whilst some good things came of it, specifically the crown colony of Hong Kong - which has massively influence the welcome emergence of China, the Opium Wars were a moral low point for the British Empire. ( A much maligned Empire that we should in many ways be proud of - but its not an unblemished record ).

In short the Chinese were forced to take opium sold by British merchants. When they refused, due to the effects we are all to familiar with today of drugs on your society, we sent in the gun boats and changed their minds.

Well now something of a reverse of this is beginning to emerge. The West, and especially the left wing politicians of the West - though not exclusively, have become addicted to reward today and to hell with tomorrow. This is perhaps a result of the short term rewards our electoral system provides, combined with the mainlining of focus groups and market research - which lets the feckless demand the moon on a stick now. So the West has a debt habit.

Now the East has encouraged that habit, indeed it needs it for the current model of business it employs ( whilst quietly arranging for more and more raw resources to redirected to those businesses ). SO we have representatives of the Chinese govt promising Spain and encouraging Portugal with promises of support for their debt. Alls fine as long as you stay as a customer ....

This continued habit is undermining the long term future of our societies in the west. Like an opium addict we just lack the will power to refuse our next fix, and it looks like the supplies of new credit won't dry up from the East - so no chance of cold turkey sobering us up.

Of course the Chinese run a single party state, with central planning and mostly ex-Engineers at the top. They take a long term view, and as the Chinese showed with Hong Kong they have the patience to allow their strategy to bare fruit. Given their history its hard to blame them.

We just have a habit, and a growing problem and no easy way top break the dependence even though it is going to lead to our ruin.

You could argue this is economic warfare on a par with that Regan and the West used to defeat the Soviet Union, only this time its the West that's heading for defeat and unfortunately with debt enslavement.

Its time the right of centre started to raise this problem more forcefully.

See also Analysis -
China's support for euro a necessity, not a virtue Reuters.
Europe fears motives of Chinese super-creditor Daily Telegraph.

A slightly different analysis reported by Dan Hannan
China's purchase of euro bonds might not be a sign of confidence in Europe, but a prelude to a sell-off

April 2008: Its really a debt crisis

I've been firing a few comments over at Conservative home about the new Bank of England regulations about lending for mortgages and been doing some thinking about debt.

Can you remember just two years back when Labour/BBC would have you believe this was "the credit crunch" ?

Here is my post from that time over two years ago reproduced below.

We need to do something about debt and its use in our country:

Monday, April 28, 2008

It's really a debt crisis !

We are all now aware of the credit-crunch. The official explanation, as far as I can gather, is that of blaming the Americans for their sub-prime mortgages. If you don't buy that then some complexity is added about slicing and dicing these mortgages up into a financial product that allows the debt to be sold (or bought perhaps ?) but with no one knowing who owes or owns what.

Still not convinced ? The you should blame all those evil young men with their testosterone in banks and perhaps city bonuses and the asymmetric nature of risk and reward in the city. ( I could almost buy into this idea ).

But what about our attitude to debt ?

After all we are calling the current problem a credit crisis. The problem being that there is suddenly no-one willing to lend money without a clear idea of what backs that request for cash (except central banks willing to either turn trees into bank notes or get the tax payer to cough up). But the underlying problem is we, as a society, have long term debts fuelled by short term credit, and we can't pay back the debts without some tricks like inflation or defaulting.

In addition we seem to, as a society, load up with all the debt 'we can afford'. In the economic competition for assets like houses - he who takes on the most debt wins the house.

It appears that the old building society model - savings and mortgages in balance - has been replaced with vast piles of foreign cash. Which foreigners have all the cash ? It'll be the gulf Arabs and China. They have been smart - getting out without having to cover the underlying problem of the debt - we're now doing that as tax payers.

They have learnt their lessons, it wasn't always like that - the last major debt crisis was in South America, and was funded by oil money badly lent out.

There are those worried about the large debts being taken on, by individuals and governments. The Archbishop of Canterbury has sensed something is wrong - but reaches for the usual woolly Marxism as his answer.

But debt is itself a problem, as the Arch Druid should understand! You are under obligation when you are in debt. In old testament times debts were not allowed to go on beyond a certain time period 7 years and money lenders weren't exactly popular in Jesus time. Islam outlaws it - but there are people willing to get round that. Perhaps Williams should focus on this aspect.

But we live in a world where being in debt in now normal. I can remember how keen the blue chip company I used to work for was to encourage its graduates to buy houses - get a mortgage and you won't leave (didn't work in my case). I almost wonder if it isn't seen as a wider stabilising factor by government.

Yet we see it as normal that everyone has a mortgage. If you don't you're missing out on the rising property market, and worse it will be impossible to climb aboard latter on.

But what if credit wasn't so freely available ? The answer appears to be the value of some things (assets where their is competition due to scarcity) will drop. Houses, for example, might cost less - as long as immigration (demand) is managed. Surely this would rebalance our society for the better ? People could buy their first house without signing away their future life's earnings for the loan which in effect comes from a foreign country.

So would tighter credit controls mean we would have cheaper houses ? (Sounds good). So who benefits if credit for house buying is allowed to be supplied in industrial quantities ?

1. The banks - who charge for all this.
2. The government - who taxes in proportion to property value (stamp duty, council tax, and being English old and ill NHS tax ).
3. The lenders who get interest.
4. Asset holders who buy cheap and can sell in a rising market.
   

I suspect we justify the damage this debt does by item 4. We all hope to enjoy large unearned benefits from holding property (greed - another point for you to note Dr Williams). So we are all in debt. Apparently many people with mortgages own less than 20% of their homes.

So here's the political (and moral Dr Williams) question - should the state allow credit to be housed around like this, especially considering who is ultimately supplying it ?

Eventually the left is going to come up with their answer, when they get round the problem of New Labours very close relationship with the 'Financial Industry'. ( By the way - Labour is almost insolvent and owes millions of pounds to a few key individuals. They are hardly in a place to lecture just yet - but soon they will dump Gordon Brown and New Labour and blame the whole episode on everyone else. Then Socialism will return to its vindictive roots.)

At that time the right of centre will need a better answer than just let the markets decide ( which clearly no government of whatever political make up is willing to do when push comes to shove and high street banks look like going bust ).

We need some thinking on debt, and the lack of savings. I can't help thinking Mrs Thatcher would have explained all this is straightforward terms that would have been denounced by every academic economist, and any hairy bishops, in the land and then proven to work - much to their annoyance.

Debt is the elephant in the room right now ... how odd that we are drowning in it and yet talk of credit.

Note: Sorry this is a little rambling - but I'm trying to get my head round what's going on at the moment - feel free to add links in comments to any good commentaries you've seen.

PS I know someone at a local Citizen's Advice and apparently the enquires on debt problems are rocketing right now ...

The changing terms of the debate now Labour have been defeated

Two key areas of the political debate look like they are on the move not that Labour have been removed from office - at last !

1) Debt.
Its no longer "the credit crisis" or the BBC approved Labour not at fault "downturn". The attempt by the left to say its "all the banks fault" is ongoing. But there is a realisation that Debt is the problem and that we in the west have been using it to steal from our children for at least the last decade.

Take a look at the articles in this weeks Economist that has a special report on debt ( private and public ).

A long time ago I called this as a debt crisis, but the left wing media has been desperate to stop that happening as they know where this will lead - to a change in the default ever increasing state controlled spending.

Now we have all much of the developed world taking the Conservatives approach ( you remember the one Gordon Brown used to ridicule us about at the dispatch box as being only followed by the Tories in the whole wide world ). Even the Lib Dems have finally understood the situation ( or at least those Lib Dems who have seen the books ).

2) Afghanistan.
Again this blog has been highly sceptical about the ongoing military activity in Afghanistan and more recently has come out against it. The move into Helmand was shown to be anything but the bloodless policing operation Labour sold to us.

Questions about the war have been asked for a long time. I can remember reading an Economist article about the impact of foreign military presence on the Pashtun population at least 4 years ago ( found it here - economist subscription required I'm afraid ). But its been too much trouble for the Labour to admit its potential errors, especially with the sunken cost of blood and treasure. Instead they have tried to hide behind the uniform with things like "Armed forces day" to make it hard to criticise the deployment.

The armed forces have issues warning about almost eternal deployments that its quite clear would never be politically viable - but our then Labour masters didn't want to deal with the short term consequences of admitting this. ( Easier to just let the cortèges drive through Wotten Basset every day. )

But again many Conservative leaning commentators are now questioning the war ( and calling it a war ), including the interesting character of the new MP Rory Stewart.

The current Conservative govt appears to be preparing the ground for a withdrawal, or at least a withdrawal of most of our military. The UK military and diplomatic commitment to Afghanistan has the momentum of a super tanker, but the signs are that the order to change course has been given and the rudder is now over, even if it will take time to see the results.


Both these issues are major departures from Labour's policy and key issues for our country. And these change in the balance of the debates are very much welcomed by this blogger.

Will the Bank of England's printing presses be turned off soon ?

Rumours are circulating that the Bank of England will soon stop funding the government debt by printing money. ( We'll if you ask them or a Labour Treasury minister they will say the same thing, but with a hole load more guff ).

Anyone want to buy long term UK debt at low interest rates with the prospect of a hung parliament and no clear action to reduce the deficit being undertaken till yet another general election can be held ?

The risks are real as Greece is showing.

This will be interesting ... if you excuse the pun.