Agenda 2019

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/may/30/    (There are no "comments" provided for this story in the Guardian)  Hiding behind the facade of sham legality, the establishment moves towards the extradition of Julian Assange. The whole purpose of this charade is to comply with the American demand that he be deported via Sweden, to face "trial" in the US. This has nothing to do with alleged "sexual assault" charges. It is all about the embarrassment of the  US and its dubious practices being exposed for public scrutiny. "Don't shoot the messenger" one placard said, but the Americans are not interested in anything other than putting Bradley Manning and Julian Assange on trial and Europe is a willing accomplice in the conspiracy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article- The self appointed "World Protector" pays no tax ! Another example of the hypocrisy so rife amongst the so called leaders, and the contempt that they show for the ordinary people.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may Christine Lagarde, the self appointed "World Protector", and leader of the unelected "IMF Supreme Council" weighs in with her contribution to the growing distorted hysteria, attempting to influence the outcome of the forthcoming Greek elections. There can be no thinking person who really believes that the crisis in the Greek economy is the consequence of ordinary people, "Greek parents" to use her terminology, not paying their taxes. This simplistic, almost naive analysis, is an attempt to convince ordinary people in the rest of the Eurozone, together with those, like ourselves who are not members of the "Euro Club", that the crisis has nothing to do with the banks, financial institutions, speculators and the like, and the duplicitous politicians of the coalition of New Democracy (ND) and Pasok and more recently the unelected “technocrat” prime minister and government, who entered into austerity agreem...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148062/Cut-rate-zero-IMF-calls-Bank-England-slash-0-5-boost-Britains-faltering-economy.html Personally, I think that Cameron, Osbourne, Clegg and the rest of the ConDem coalition are an economic disaster, are on the wrong course on the wrong planet and should get hold of a copy of  "The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money"  as soon as possible and learn some economics. However, that is not the point. Christine Lagarde was not a candidate at the last General election in the UK. Her party, the IMF was not represented at any of the polls over the last two years, and does not hold any political position in this country. It is therefore outrageous that she and the rest of her IMF cronies should now be attempting to dictate to us what our policies should be. Having assumed for herself the role of "World Protector" with the backing of the" IMF  Supreme Council" she has been dictating to everyone what the po...

There are now only 25 days to go before the Greek people go to the polls on Sunday 17 th June, for an election which could rate amongst the most important decisions that they have ever made. It is noticeable however, that the attention of the worlds media, the politicians of the Euro zone, the G8 conference, the politicians of those European countries who are not members of the Euro zone “Club” and practically every news presenter, are specifically focused on one issue and its consequences. The ramifications of Greece leaving or being forced out of the Euro zone, seems to be the only focus of media and press speculation and political comment. Not the social consequences, but the economic and financial consequences not to the people of Greece but to the “markets”, the banks and to the perceived standing of the European politicians. This almost hysterical speculation, seems coupled with threats, warnings and inducements attempting to influence the voting. Every evening on Sky News,...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news With pensioners looking through rubbish bins because their pensions have been cut, with soup kitchens on the streets in Athens, with unemployment at record levels, with minimum wage levels reduced every month, and all as the effect of austerity inflicted from Merkel, the IMF and the Eurozone, this British millionaire offers this advice to the people of Greece " ... voters need to "meet their commitments" as a member of the Eurozone in elections next month or leave the currency union". Some choice ! Cameron spouting t he rantings of an out of touch selfish hypocrite

 http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16232020 How easy it is for millionaires like Cameron and Co, or Merkel or the IMF to preach to ordinary people that there is no alternative to austerity. The story of Eletharias shown here, is not uncommon and similar stories will be repeated across Europe. This is the situation in Greece NOW, with austerity and all its associated hardship for the people of Greece.

  http://news.sky.com/home/world-news This is the reality of what Eurozone enforced austerity measures mean to 70 year old Eletharias...........""Since my pension was cut, I can't buy food so I look through the garbage," he said, "I can only pray that things get better."He is among an increasing number of pensioners who have slipped into desperate poverty and rely on waste food to survive.

http://apps.facebook.com/theguardian The media invoking the tactics of fear and the use of emotive labels. Their problem, of course, is that Alexis Tsipras is absolutely right !

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business   Between now and the elections in Greece in June, the attention of the media and pundits, particularly in Europe, will be focused on the dire consequences resulting from the exit of Greece from the Euro zone. These tactics of spreading alarm and despondency through the pages of our newspapers and the screens of our televisions, are a not very subtle attempt to frighten the voters of Greece into electing those parties who support German dictates of further austerity, and to convince the rest of us that there is really no alternative to further cuts and reduction of living standards. The truth is of course, rather different. Far and away, the real beneficiaries of austerity are those individuals and organisations who are making considerable amounts of money from the sacrifices of others. Only the interests of Merkel and the Germans, the IMF, the bankers of the Eurozone, the ECB and the speculators of “the markets”, will be met by the continued...

The odious Kelvin McKenzie was given air time on Sky News last night (10:30pm Tuesday 15th May 2012) under the pretext of reviewing today's papers. Apart from his usual patronising and offensive comments, his main diatribe was centered on "The Greeks" who had been going around "for years with their hands out" and essentially getting money for nothing and deserved all their current problems. Not once did this obnoxious individual mention the Greek people who are daily paying the price for the failure of their system and institutions, with higher unemployment cuts in their pension, wages and salaries and the latest phenomenon of "soup kitchens" in Athens to feed people of all strata of society who literally have nothing to eat. McKenzie of Hillsborough and "Gotcha" fame really is a waste of space.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2143959/Euro-collapse Even before the decision to hold new elections in Greece has been made, the hype has already started to try to influence people by fear. The banks, the Eurozone, Brussels, IMF, Merkel now Cable and Darling promising dire consequences if th e Greek people fail to Kowtow to the vested self interest of European financiers and a few duplicitous politicians more interested in their own positions than with the views of people expressed in the ballot box. In Greece, France, and Germany election results have shown that austerity is rejected. The tide is turning and the days of the political financial establishment of Europe and the IMF are numbered. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-London-2012-Olympics  This problem has been predicted since "the games" were awarded to London, but its roots go back over decades. The provision of social housing (not to be confused with the myth of " low cost affordable homes"), has been abandoned by governme nt and local authorities alike, leaving the private rented sector very much to its own devices Paradoxically, in the present economic crisis, a programme of requiring all local authorities to provide a given number of social housing units would create employment and generate growth in other sectors and go some way to alleviate the housing crisis in the country. It is a pity for all of us that we have a government committed to the failed policy of austerity and cuts.

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/business  The only people who really give a monkeys whether or not the Euro survives are the bankers, Eurozone financiers, Angela Merkel, Brussels, the European politicians who are more interested in their personal position and future prospects in ot her fields, the speculators and some people who actually believe the doom and gloom propaganda trotted out by the media. The people of Europe who are paying the price every day for the incompetence and greed of the aforementioned groups who are in fact responsible for this crisis anyway, are now rejecting the politics of austerity and the "establishment" are horrified.

Blaming the previous Government for "leaving behind such a mess" has been around for as long as I can remember. It has always been one of those aspects of politics that I despise and have argued against over the years, because of all the negative point scoring practices, this is in my view the most crass and self defeating. This present government has turned negativity into an art form. Yesterday, I along with perhaps millions of others, watched the BBC News 24 election coverage presented by David Dimbleby (not one of my favourite presenters), and a varying panel of politicians, pundits and other "experts" offering opinion and analysis on the days events. In no particular order, Baroness Varsi, Danny Alexander, Paddy Ashdown, David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Sarah Teather and numerous others from the ConDem Coalition repeating parrot fashion various combinations of "the mess  the last Labour government left" or other such descriptions. In the case of Teather and...