Confused By The Euro Crisis?

I bet you are. Go on, admit it, you don't really have a grip on what is going on, do you? A big part of the reason for that is undoubtedly the shockingly poor quality of the reporting in the British media. I remember in my last years at school, my Dad trying to contact an executive at a paper that he was in the armed services with and receiving a stock reply about qualifications.

My Dad was more keen on my getting a job than qualifications so that was a dead end. Today one can only surmise that to write for national media, you have to be the thickest person you know and have no ability to understand anything more complex than a ready meal.

So day after day, the papers have stories, totally at odds with each other, but without any recognition of that fact, about the ups and downs of the markets and the likely success of the Euro/bailouts. Today the Greeks agree and the markets are up, tomorrow they disagree and markets are down. No-one points out that the markets make money on anything, as long as they predict it.

But here is the bottom line. The Germans are the only ones who can bail out the Greeks and they are not going to and never were. The delays and protestations otherwise, are just to keep the Euro stumbling along. The Euro is a political construct, not really a proper currency and saving it is mere politics too. The cost to the little people is entirely inconsequential.

The markets should be considered an irrelevance as they merely bark at cars. Certainly they can do a lot of damage and politicians need to pay them heed, but to us, the poor bloody infantry, they might as well be Martians. The markets will do what they will do. What we need to worry about, what we need to address (and urgently) is the bureaucrats of the EU. They are creating very dangerous paths for Europeans to follow that suit only them.

The Euro is going to fail. It always was and the inevitability of this outcome has been long predicted. Whether they will take it as far as war, only the politicians, driven by the bureaucrats can know. Greece may leave, Germany may leave it is all of a muchness; the Euro cannot exist - it is an abomination to nature.

If you do not believe that Britain should never have joined the EU and that we must leave it immediately, then you also wish for the Sun not to rise tomorrow. Ted Heath should have the same respect in Britain as Vidkun  Quisling in Norway, their faults are so similar.

London House Prices Shock

A publicity seeking company that you have never heard of, have released a story (they call it a report) saying that if the eurozone breaks up, it will see expensive houses in London halve in price. Here is their reasoning; property has been bought at the top end primarily by rich foreigners looking for stable assets away from eurozone Europe.

There has been a surge in this activity they say. If the Euro goes kaput (which is like asking will the sun come up tomorrow) then there will be a brief uplift again in London prices, but as it all settles they will leave and prices could fall by 50%.

This didn't seem right, so we asked a six year old what they thought. Did house prices double in London due to all this buying by fearful Euro avoiders? No. Why did they buy in London? Because it has fine houses, in a much less volatile economy. Will this change after the Euro crisis settles? No. What will a 'settled' Europe look like when the Euro has become history?. A mess, with many countries vying with each other for trade by devaluing currencies and protectionism. Possibly a bit of fighting (you know, the thing the EU guaranteed to prevent).

How long will this last? Perhaps a decade. With a much poorer Europe resulting. If you thought London was a good bet now, why and when would you leave? For where? This is stark evidence, actual empirical evidence of the way Britain can weather the storm and come out clean. By being independent, getting as far away from Europe as possible, increasing industry at home and trading widely. We could ask the Queen what all this Commonwealth stuff is about, perhaps.

Does Cameron realise any of this? The six year old says he doesn't expect Cameron to move up to his class any time soon. Apparently, his attentions are held by a very disreputable gang that is hanging around at the moment. They call themselves the European Union I gather. They have some interesting, metaphysical ideas such as black being in fact white etc. I think Cameron does have a back up plan though. Whilst generally he believes that if something is absolutely, provably broken, it may not be. But, if you stick with it, the fairies will come and mend it while you are asleep.

WW2 And Communism Haven't Gone away

In the Thirties a drift towards more state intervention and an interest in communism was coming to the fore. The rise of authoritarian regimes in Germany, Italy and Russia, amongst others were the most dramatic examples. After the war, despite the evil contained within Nazism and the destruction it brought, even to Germany itself, it didn't quite result in a penitent nation. Germans, even with forced de-nazification programmes were still largely happier with Nazi control and a purge of Jews, than with what they had after.

Some of this was doubtless due to the fact that while Hitler was in power everything was wonderful at home. Then there was nothing. Germans struggled to put these things together, at best suggesting it should all just be forgotten. France, ever with an eye on the prize was looking for war reparations but didn't get them. Not only that but they too had done quite well under Nazi rule and lots of French people hankered for the day.

Communist and socialist parties were on the rise everywhere and this was not a swing to the left after Fascism, because the authoritarian is the way of the left. Fascism is more related to communism and its central planning and collectivisation. No, people were well aware that communism, in fine form under Stalin was not the way to go and yet they did. Except in Britain, where support for communism was minimal.

It just goes to show the differing mentalities; Britain stood firm whilst other European countries, primarily France just rolled over and became, on the whole willing collaborators. This then turned to a desire for more authoritarianism and the rebirth of the idea for a European superstate. It was the passion of madmen the like of which had started the war in the first place.

So it was here, from the post WW2 desire to have a planned economy, a planned society that our present distress was born. The current pig-headed approach to the Euro crisis is the same as the stupidity of the USSR and its five year plans and idiotic targets. The over-arching belief that France and Germany must run the whole of Europe, for its benefit and to do so requires the single currency. It doesn't matter how many ways you prove them wrong, they just carry on following an ideological dream.

How was Europe rebuilt after the devastation wrought by the war? By state spending, by raising taxes? No, the US launched the Marshall Plan which gave Europeans money to spend, pretty much as they liked, but to regrow their economies. Certainly the US saw some gain in doing so, but the plan was nevertheless very generous and very possibly genius. It saved Europe, without a doubt. Even at the time though, the French denied it helped, despite the fact that their nation may never have recovered without it. Some things never change.

So, the war left countries deeply in debt and with an enormous problem of homelessness due to the destruction of housing stock in addition to industry. How much did the Marshall Plan give, to kick start the rapid recovery that ensued? At today's prices, I understand it would be something like £200 billion.

Consider that and then think of the 'support' the IMF propose, the money being used to prop up Greece and Italy, Spain and Portugal. It vastly overwhelms the scale of the Marshall Plan, but what is the spending today achieving? Nothing. It is happening to support a currency that cannot work and a banking system that shows up the flaws. We are even inventing new money by printing it, to give to the banks.

We got into this mess through stupid political decisions and their effect on banking (forcing mortgages on those who couldn't afford it and lack of official over-sight) and it continues because of stupid politics. All of our problems stem from the wrong responses of our politicians to the shock of total war. Sixties architects forced dehumanising tower blocks on a bewildered society and praised themselves, until their folly was found out for what it was and some of the damned things fell down.

At least we learnt from that. The same cannot be said of politics, as it continues to career along towards collective planning and an authoritarian state, causing harm and devastation along the way. Look around you, from the Global Warming scam, born as it was of communist opportunism, seeing a chance to destroy capitalism, to the RSPCA and its attempts to seize control of its sector of society. The answer is always central control, central planning.

Time I think for some real politics, for some grown ups to take charge.

Latest Euro Woes

You could laugh at the idiots, if it wasn't so serious. The Dutch government, as I write, looks set to fall, because they cannot, will not agree to austerity measures, which is odd bearing in mind they have been pretty keen for Southern European states to do so. France looks on the brink of bringing in a Socialist President. Across Europe it seems that the people don't understand the crisis any more than the politicians.

Greek, Spanish and now French people do not want cuts. Hollande in France is saying he would grow the economy and we can guess how, with state spending, which won't work, because he will cripple private industry with taxes to pay for it.

There is a suggestion that if the IMF had insisted on proper fiscal measures to avert crisis, things would be very different and very much better. I wonder if that is why Lagarde was so hastily shoved in? To make sure the IMF was as pro-Euro as possible?

The scariest thing is that, even now the Politicians and Eurocrats are treating the whole thing as a game. Perhaps there should be some real sanctions on them should they carry on with patent folly; imprisonment and/or no state pension. That would, I guarantee make them act very differently.

Eurosceptic Cameron

If a bloke in a red jacket, with a black hat and surrounded by a pack of dogs says he is against fox-hunting, he is probably pulling your leg. When David Cameron says he is a Eurosceptic, he also isn't being entirely straight. As a committed friend of the European Union, who is prepared to be a tad less than truthful about offering referenda to the population to support these friends, David Cameron is a Eurosceptic in the same way that the moon is made of green cheese.

His constant promises of repatriating powers from the EU has the ring of Blair about it; he repeatedly says it, hoping that at some point we will come to think that he has actually done it. He must have, surely, by now. Nope, no intention. Talking tough because he is weak.

Those involved in the EU meet and talk about the Euro crisis, focussed just on saving their idiotic monetary construct. Not at any point to do they actually consider the real situation and what has to be done. They are only, only interested in their own positions. Sickening. Germany keep complaining that Merkel is compared to Hitler. Not by me and not that I have seen. The comparison is with Hitler's Germany, with the Kaiser's Germany; a country that wanted to dominate Europe, just as it does today. Nein, nein says Merkel, the Germans don't want to take over Europe, it is just that everyone should do what Germany says.

This strange world where the whole of the Eurozone should become Greater Germany, but no 'conquest' is intended is like a murderer saying it was an accident that he stabbed someone 147 times. France of course thinks that there should be fiscal union but with national governments staying in charge, which is a stupid unworkable idea, but has the attraction of leaving France continuing to run things behind the scenes. Won't happen Shorty.

And Cameron sees this bunch of madmen and women as a club he should be part of. The Eurozone is a disaster, the EU is a failed socialist attempt at creating a Europe wide dictatorship and like socialism everywhere it has failed. But still these grasping, corrupt dorks won't give up. The reason Britain should stay in the EU doesn't exist. There isn't one. Hint; Blair wanted to join the Euro. Anything he wanted was bound to be wrong and designed to enrich him personally. Stuff your promised referendum where the sun don't shine David (and don't continue to insult our intelligence with your pathetic, 'it isn't a treaty') just get us out of the EU. Now.

What Would You Have Done?

Suppose for a moment that you have been accused on rape by your cleaner, which means you have been arrested and held in a cell for a while. Then you are put on trial. Very quickly the trial falls apart as the 'victim' very clearly isn't telling the truth.

The question is, how would you feel? Relieved immediately I'm sure, but what about when you consider what happened? Would you be incredulous that you had ever been arrested let alone that it got to court? I mean, it all fell apart so quickly that a little stress testing before hand should surely have shown up the flaws? What if you were also someone 'important' and this had all happened in the full glare of publicity?

I would imagine the normal person would kick off mightily and a somewhat more famous person seek some redress, noisily. Now think about the Strauss-Kahn case. He seems to be taking things quite calmly.  Which started my conspiracy nose twitching, even though I don't generally get caught up in the crop circle, the US government did 9/11 craziness.

You see, from what I recall, Strauss-Kahn was kicked out of the IMF and Christine Lagarde installed in lightning quick time. Even teachers accused of interfering with their charges get suspended until proven guilty and yet a very important executive, of an internationally important organisation was out on his ear as soon as the allegation was in. And I wonder why.

The IMF have recently been muttering about pitching in to support the Eurozone, which drags in countries like Britain, whereas before we could avoid more costly payments. A useful extra source of income and one that you might have thought would be more diligent. The Eurozone is in crisis because some states are having the wrong 'exchange rate' applied to their currency, the one-size-fits-all Euro. It is set to work for countries like Germany and France of course (after all, it is their empire) and the problems it is causing Southern Europe were as predictable as night following day.

So the obvious solution is to release them from their obligation and let them float their own currency. But if they were so allowed it would weaken the imperative of a single political union, which is what the objective is, not solving the Euro crisis. This then requires any and all efforts to be applied to propping up the Euro until the political union is in place and there is frantic activity taking place, well out of sight of the compliant media to exactly that end.

The question is, did Strauss-Kahn object to the IMF being dragged in and so was disposed of, the threat being 'look what we can do, now be quiet and go away', probably with an 'or else' added for good measure.   The great game of creating a Franco-German version of the USSR is well under way and nothing can be allowed to stop it, not even high profile figures. It would be like allowing someone to expose the lies about WMD before the Iraq invasion.

Getting Angry? You Should Be

Lunchtime news on BBC. An article about BAe shedding 3000 jobs (which is mainly a political stunt, played out with people's jobs) is quickly followed by a report from the Labour Party conference. From the latter you become aware of the sheer volume of people hanging on to politics, who 'earn' their living from this circus. It is insulting to the highest degree when people in productive, high technology jobs are dispensed with but those around the public sector and particularly government, carry on like it is Christmas every day.

What about the Euro? Have you become angry yet about the huge amount of your money that goes, without you having any say, or ability to affect, to the EU? Not just to be a member, but to prop up their currency, the one that cannot possibly work in the real world. And now there is talk of cancelling some of Greece's debt. Yeah, that will make them behave more responsibly in future! We may as well not punish the London rioters, as their behaviour will improve if we allow unfettered looting.

What about state theft? Are you likely to get annoyed that government resorts to illegal measures to extort and bully money out of you? Today we read more people are going to be allowed to issue fines for littering and such like. This of course is not to improve society but to pull in funds; money that they need to make ends meet but do not, for political reasons want to put on direct tax. Money they need because they will not restrain their areas of involvement (interference) nor cut back on waste.

My son chose to pay more for a 'course' after a speeding 'offence', rather than pay a fine and receive penalty points. The target driven authorities though, still awarded the points and added a 50% uplift to the fine, for not paying within the prescribed time! Can you complain? No, it goes to the same people who ignore you and claim 'no one made a mistake', which doesn't answer the question but is the final answer you are going to get.

I was pursued and threatened relentlessly by HMRC for years over allegedly unpaid tax, until at last someone answered the question I had asked from the outset, 'why do I owe anything?' and realised they had got it wrong. So far, they have investigated themselves and, you guessed it found that 'no one at HMRC made a mistake'.

We have found, huge, really huge deposits of shale gas off our coasts and it could stabilise our economy much more quickly, but the Greens don't like it. It is capitalist and would mean keeping carbon dioxide producing technologies. As Man Made Global Warming is, put simply, just a lie, we should ignore these communists and get on with producing a working economy. But you have to do your part, You have to let the politicians know you are angry. Angry about their stupidity and theft.

They have to understand the consequences of continuing to ignore those they happily see as 'the little people'.