Category: Politics

short lived rebellion seemed to be popular in the towns he invaded. His narative of make Russia graet again bears comparason with Trumnps supporters in the USA. Even in the UK there are comparissons with the Brexit vote. Sad old people wanting to live a distorted memory of an unobtainable past. People do not like change, especially the old. Russia over the past has had some horrific experiences, So it is not really a surprise that they support a “strong leader” who can offer them security in the future (not wealth, just security). People in this country did the same with Brexit – they were encouraged to believe that the UK (England) could reclaim its former position (sullied position) as a world leader. if the Dily. Mail and Telegraph were in Russia they woulkd probably be promoting Prigizhin! Nationalism is their mantra – I do not understand this! Nationalism seems to me to be the worst type of belief.

What is going on? Before the Daily Mail, Telegraph and Express get too excited Prigozhin seems at least as bad as Putin. The chaos that might ensue is concerning (Chaos results in so many unknowns. From what the BBC is saying it seems that the Wagner group is challenging the Russian Military for control, not the Kremlin? However once destabilised it is entering unknown territory? Presumably there will be inits of the Russian military that are very loyal so some fighting is likely? The gripe seems to be based on ground troops rather than the airforce – so. this is an aspect which we remain to hear about. How this may affect the Ukrainian offensive is another unknown? Prigozhin seems hardly likely to back down on Russian territorial demands in this region .

The BoE has only one option to reduce inflation and that is interest rate hikes to reduce demand. However this makes the banks and bwankers richer. There are other alternatives – tax rises aimed at those who have money to spend (surely it is not the poor fuelling inflation?). A rise in VAT on luxury items . I am sure that there must be at least one economics student who has the ability to think outside the box. Interest rate hikes are there to reduce demand in a generic way. Surely we do not want to reduce demand for healthy foods, medicines and exercise. So maybe the whole vat system needs refinement? help me here!

So some very rich people choose to sate their own egos (at £250000 a shout) and die – and their stories are spread all over the media. yet hundreds die as desperate migrants trying to get a better life. Can we think about these people could have spenbt £250000 more wisely rather than a ghoulish grave watching expedition.

How I long for a party that I want to support, rather than voting against another one! Starmer, writing in the Daily Express (the man will do anything to get into government) has said we will not rejoin the EU, single market, or customs union; he also saod freedom of movement was a no go. He is wrong on all counts – lastest opinion polls state that 56% want to rejoin, whilst only 9% think Brexit a success (how the fuck can the think that?). Ignoring the rapid commenbtary about the small boats, immigration has spiralled,the economy is failing and restrictions on movement are causing chaos at airports and ports.

So Starmer is ignoring the publics opinions in the hope that he will win back the “red wall seats”. Does he not realise that most of the bigots will just vote for the biggest racist out there! Does he want to be this person? He will find support for the LibDems increasing in the Home Counties and calls for PR increasing.

Is remaining high, food inflation is 18%higher than a year ago, whilst overasall inflation is 8.7%. Mortgage rates in the UK typify the capitalist approach with thousands of products and rapid changes in rates, unfortuanately wages do not respond. France, Netherlands and Belgium all have a steadier morthahe market with 30 year deals common – banks are forced not tolend above a set rate. Thus they are not having the turmoil faced by many in te UK. The downside in these countries is less choice and the banks being squeezed so fewer mortgages. With 1/4 households coming tothe end of fixed year deals, they face an average yearly hike of £2700 with the figure much higher in the South-East (£5200 estimate) in Johnsons old constituency. Capitalism needs regulation!

So a £60 food shop now costs £70 – approx £40 extra per week for a family of 4 = £160 per month, the rest of inflation is down but still above zero – so everything is costing more. 13 years of Tory rule and Sunak tries to claim that the last 12 years if Conservative mistakes did not happen! He will also claim at every opportunity that Labour would make things worse! He will be hoping that the 70% of homeowners with no mortgage vote tory next year.

Honours list – Mordaunt said Johnson had presided over a debasement of the honours system – Sunak claims to have no knowledge of this comment – a respnse he uses regularly.

Covid Inquiry – It is difficult to apportion too much blame on the lack of preparedness for the pandemic prior to 2019. It was an unprecedented event that the governments austerity campaign had made the NHS more vulnerable, but one which was not being flagged up by opposition parties or health experts in a big way. What will be crucial is the examination of the events of late 2019 and early 2020 when we had expert advice of what the consequences of the pandemic could be. It seemed at the time that tjhe government was purely reactive rather than proactive. George Osborne a true tory and propogator of austerity economocs failed to accept any approtionment of blame, in fact claiming that his economic policy had enabled Sunak to introduce the furlough scheme (and its corruption?), in contrast Oliver Letwin showed that some tories have humility – when he accepted that he would have done just about everything differently. That was not a show of incompetence (well maybe a bit) but of humility.

7 tories voted against democracy, whilst 118 tory MP’s voted in favour of the report, whilst 225 MP’s did not vote. He will now have his Parliamentary Pass taken away. The Tory Party HQ party during lockdown looks like it maybe reopened by the police. And then we have the Covid Inquiry and associated court case. The tories are taking a bit of a hammering and this is without the credit crisis with rates likely to rise again, migration rates at record highs, schools and NHS struggling to find staff, NHS waiting lists at over 7 million. The only thing they seem capable of is a piss up in a brewery (or No10!).

And where is Rishi? Yesterday one of his acolytes suggested that he was busy running the country which begs the question “Into the ground”.

So the world market has put the rate for gilts above that after the TrussKwartang debacle. Mirtgage rates for millions will go up over the next year as fixed rates expire. Then the Bank of england has to bring down inflation – it only has the one tool – interest rates will rise. For fuck sake can the press get a grasp on realities – the BoE is not to blame for 13 years of mismanagement!