Not too sure what to write today? Death of Wagner leader is interesting – much of the press did the normal and decided that it was Putin – sloppy journalism, at least the Mail put a question mark on the headline. What happens next is the interesting bit. Wagner was big in parts of Africa where it provided soldiers and arms and received gold, diamonds, etc. I had wondered for some time where the conflicts in the Congo and Sudan got their weaponry from? The pen has yet to be more powerful than the sword in many parts of Africa. Fledgeling democrcies that are trying to build after the demise of colonialism and then globalisation of their resources now seem to be swayed by power grabs by military groups as in Niger recently. It is all a bit James Bond without a hero! I doubt many will rue the demise of Prigozhin – his troops were renowned for their cruelty towards civilians.
Next topic – education. There is a growing divide between regions of England with the N-E having 10% less top grades than London. Reasons for this are complex but would seem to be related to wealth and job opportunities. When there is a lack of opportunity there is a lack of motivation . Poverty of food and warmth does not encourage ambition and learning. Public schools do even better as the exams are ones that they can coach students for. It is time for a proper evaluation of our education system and the worth of certain qualifications.
Next – Bonus payments and wages of directors. I think this was yesterdays news – was it an average of 17% on top of the huge salaries they are paid anyway. I often hear of footballers, some of whom earn vast amounts, giving copious amounts to charity – but rarely hear of businessmen (and it is still mainly men – so I will alter to business people) who earn inflated salaries giving anything to any one! And when one like Dale Vince supports a cause close to his heart he is castigated for it.
The government is complaining about the cost of asylum seekers due to its own inefficiencies. Solution – do a quick check for criminality then approve them all. they can then get jobs and pay rent – so a deal may need to be done with the hotels to reduce their rates?
Lastly climate matters – it sure does. Energy cap will fall to £1900+ this winter, but still much higher than before.Government North Sea reserves will not help, it takes a long time to get the stuff out and it is then sold on international markets. Wind and solar however benefit immediately and are not subject to international fluctuations – but at set rates which industry can cope with.