Agenda 2019

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/nov/29/government-energy-firms-freeze-prices-green-cuts   No 10 blames possible misunderstanding but sources confirm companies have been pressured to hold prices David Cameron denied that he had asked companies to hold prices until 2015.   The ConDem coalition government hold out the begging bowl and crawl off to the energy companies for a crumb of relief from the constant price hikes of the energy cartel. To make their errand even more snivellingly derisive, they plead that any future price hikes should be delayed until after the next election in 2015. After that date presumably, the status quo can be restored and the cartel can resume its exploitation of the consumer. A government  without the backbone to do what is right and tell the industry that no price increases will be allowed and that their excess profits will be subject to scrutiny and taxation. All political parties must accept the reality that the ext...

  http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/nov/29/fights-asda-black-friday-us-shoppers Black Friday chaos as fights break out over televisions Black Friday, seems to have been  imported into the UK   My e-mail inbox has been inundated over the last week or so, with mail from Asda. Amazon, Curry's, Big Fish Games, Lights for Fun, Argos and what seems to be a hundred other retail outlets, all telling me how many "wonderful deals" are available for their "Black Friday" event. It seems to me that yet another "Americanism" has crept into the British way of life, but Black Friday is perhaps the most insidious one to arrive on British shores so far. Coming as it does just 25 days prior to Christmas, Black Friday provides another opportunity for the "hard pressed" shops and supermarkets to capitalise on the potential of an artificially created consumer market. However, many see it as just another exercise to persuade shoppers to bu...

A friend sent this to my e-mail inbox this morning and I thought that I would share it. "Thought you might find this interesting.  Can you imagine working for a corporate company that only has a little more than 635 employees, but has the following Employee statistics? 29 have been accused of spouse abuse, 7 have been arrested for fraud, 9 have been accused of writing bad cheques, 17 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses, 3 have done time for assault, 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit, 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges, 8 have been arrested for shoplifting, 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits, 84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year, And collectively, this year alone, they have cost the British tax payer £92,993,748 in expenses! Which organisation is this? Of course; it's the 635 members of the House of Commons. The same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to ke...

  http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/29/ed-miliband-pledge-simplify-energy-bills   Ed Miliband pledges to simplify energy bills as he takes on utility firms.   Ed Miliband to "take on" energy companies.     "Fiddling" while Rome burns. Ed. We do not need simpler bills. Freezing the price is welcome but not the solution. What we need is for politicians to recognise that the energy companies are out of control, their cartel must be dismantled and that the companies must be returned to public ownership.

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/facebook-democracy-the-face-of-things-to-come-8967976.html   Facebook democracy: the face of things to come? Speaker John Bercow   The "Speaker" has lost the plot. There are millions of people in this country who for one reason or another, do not use "Facebook", or do not own a computer or do not have internet access. Bercow should spend less time day dreaming and more time trying to find new ways of justifying his defence of the secrecy surrounding  the extortionate MP's expenses claims and the justification of their increases in pay and pension provisions.

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/embrace-culture-of-greed-says-boris-johnson-8968276.html Embrace culture of greed, says Boris Johnson Boris Johnson.  "I stress – I don't believe that economic equality is possible; indeed some measure of inequality is essential for the spirit of envy and keeping up with the Joneses that is, like greed, a valuable spur to economic activity." Johnson delivering the annual Margaret Thatcher lecture at the Centre for Policy Studies think-tank, Wednesday 27th November 2013 Boris Johnson seeks to emulate Thatcher. He appeals to the evil side of the "nasty" party, for a society where greed is good, where selfishness is encouraged, where division amongst people by envy and status is championed as a proper objective and where the excesses of business and government are regarded as appropriate and right for the advancement of the few at the expense of the many. Johnson is an evil man with evil intent...

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/26/mrsa-poultry-east-anglia-infected MRSA found in East Anglia turkeys and chickens destined for stores.   Government reassure consumers of low risk to health       Within the space of the next few hours, a "spokesperson" for the turkey industry will say (if it has not been said already) on BBC News or Sky or some other media outlet, "Of course, prices will have to go up". There is always a reason for increasing prices of almost everything, particularly at this time of year.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/11/25/12-thanksgiving-traditions_n_4337878.html?utm_hp_ref=uk "Brits wouldn't mind a bit of this pilgrim-inspired action." says  Andrea Mann of the The Huffington Post UK     The 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade   No thanks Andrea. We have more than enough "Americanisms" already in our culture, language, television programmes, in our schools and in our society. We have become just another state of "Uncle Sam" in all but name and to put Thanksgiving on the list would be a very bad (and unhealthy) addition.

 The Jewish Defence League reacts to criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu. This arrived in my e-mail a few moments ago. "Mr Yates, in the middle of the last century, Jews had no right or means of response when they were demonised, persecuted and attacked by your ideological soulmates. Today, the world is a very different place. When we are attacked by hate-filled, antisemitic filth like you, we respond with all the resources at our disposal, and with extreme prejudice. You clearly enjoy indulging your hatred of Jews on public forums, but not as much as we enjoy delivering the retribution that perpetrators of hate-crimes against the Jewish people deserve. There are three things that you should remember: the code that we live by is 'never again'; our loating of Jew hating scum like you is stronger than your hatred of us; we didn't choose you as an enemy, you chose us. The Jewish Defense League" Typically, these fascist Zionists, take perverse pleasure eit...

  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.559781 Netanyahu: Iran nuclear deal endangers Israel, we will defend ourselves Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu, the psychopath: The ink is not even dry on the "agreement" and already Netanyahu, the war mongering psychopath, is rattling his "options" card. This evil specimen is bloody dangerous.

  http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/23/iain-duncan-smith-wrag-benefit-cuts?guni=Keyword:news-grid%20main-1%20Main%20trailblock:Editable%20trailblock%20-%20news:Position4:anchor%20image  550,000 people currently considered too sick to work face losing financial support Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith   Iain Duncan-Smith crawls out from the woodwork with yet another pernicious proposal designed to inflict financial hardship on those least able to resist and to punish people for being sick. This is not in itself, unusual in this ConDem coalition country, where the demonisation and marginalisation of those sections of society, the sick, the disabled, the unemployed and any other benefit claimants are considered to be prime targets for cuts to the welfare system in the name of austerity and "saving money". In the case of Duncan-Smith, he alone stands out as the undisputed leader of the drive for harsher and harsher measures and takes the...

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/10820077.Olympic_legacy_for_Weymouth_and_Portland_is_going_begging_says_House_of_Lord_report/ Olympic legacy for Weymouth and Portland is going begging says House of Lord report What legacy?   There never was and never will be an "Olympic legacy", for Weymouth or for any other town or city in the United Kingdom. The whole idea of some tangible benefits for the British people extending for years to come, was a myth generated by government propaganda to justify £millions of expenditure of tax payers money to convince everybody that it was "a good idea and good for Britain". The fact is that a few big companies and the Corporate hospitality industry made a great deal of money and a few short term employment opportunities were created, but many of these were in fact,  filled by foreign workers. The "Weymouth Tower" is a classic example. The United kingdom is learning what other host nations in cities like Vancouv...

  http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/11/16/switch-energy-firms_n_4289042.html?utm_hp_ref=uk  Energy Secretary said: "Switching is one of the best ways that people can force the Big Six to compete on price and take control of their energy bills". Energy Secretary Ed Davey    Ed Davey says that "......... 'Big Six' Can Be Forced To Compete On Price" This blockhead clearly lives on a different planet to the rest of us. A planet where privatised companies especially power companies, are philanthropic organisations, responding to the whims of their customers and vigorously competing with each other by reducing their prices and improving their services. There is no such thing as an energy company cartel and customers are  of prime importance, rather than victims acting as "cash cows" for the rapacious companies. It must be a very pleasant place in Mr Davey's world. I wonder what colour the sky is.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/11/15/london-cyclists-a-wobble-from-disaster_n_4280102.html?utm_hp_ref=uk  Cyclists are "one wobble" from disaster on London's roads   A ride through the country lanes.   Cyclists are "one wobble" from disaster on many roads and not only in London. In the narrow hedge lined country lanes around here, particularly in the summer months, many visiting tourists take to their two wheels and seem to develop a mind set that lures them into believing that they are invincible and that they can peddle around the twisty lanes with high leafy hedges and overhanging tree branches with complete impunity from dangers and oblivious to the fact that farm vehicles or vehicles of local residents and commercial delivery vehicles also use these lanes between villages or between fields. It is sadly, sometimes the case that a "holiday in the country" turns into a painful, traumatic (or worse) experience.

  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/14/typhoon-haiyan-relief-effort-stalls-philippines?commentpage=2   Frustration spreads in Philippines at slow pace of typhoon relief effort  Typhoon victims queue for free rice at a businessman's warehouse in Tacloban city   As is frequently the case in these disasters, (remember Haiti?), the "international community" promise mountains and deliver molehills. There is an understandable skepticism amongst many ordinary people donating to the various funds as to whether all of their donation will actually find its way into the relief effort, or whether some percentage will be siphoned off into the pockets of politicians, profiteers and gangsters in the affected country. The NGO relief organisations do their best with what they have, which is why ordinary people continue to donate. Governments have much to learn from charities. 

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/on-a-wing-and-a-prayer-in-sri-lanka-david-cameron-ventures-on-to-a-diplomatic-sticky-wicket-over-countrys-human-rights-record-8940582.html Cameron vows 'frank' speaking at summit  Cameron critical of Sri Lanka's human rights record  Cameron says that he is "going to raise some serious questions about war crimes and human rights abuses" while he is in Sri Lanka. He was in China a few weeks ago, and will be in that country again shortly. The question of human rights did not come up and will no doubt be ignored on his next visit. These shameless politicians seem to believe that their hypocrisy and double standards pass un noticed by the rest of us.

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exclusive-us-blocks-publication-of-chilcots-report-on-how-britain-went-to-war-with-iraq-8937772.html US blocks publication of Chilcot’s report on how Britain went to war with Iraq    George Bush with Tony Blair   This is outrageous. The Americans already have an totally unhealthy influence on British politics and on "our" foreign policy. To now allow a conspiracy by the pro Blair/Bush camp, still dominant in the UK and in the States, to stifle and suppress a British judicial report into how and why this country went to war in Iraq, demonstrates the extent to which our government and its duplicitous politicians are totally dominated by and subservient to America and the American State department. The arrogance of America in its attitude towards and treatment of other nations, has for many years been breathtaking. They clearly consider themselves to have some divine right to dictate to any other na...

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-charles-is-turning-65--and-still-awaiting-his-key-job-is-he-a-guiding-light-for-the-postretirement-work-era-8937573.html  Prince Charles at 65: A portfolio of jobs and no plans to retire, so he's just like the rest of us The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall   The headline reads: " .....so he's just like the rest of us". Yes of course he is. He and "Parker Bowles" regularly visit the Kensington Foodbank to get their weekly rations and they frequently switch energy suppliers in the naive belief that they might get a better deal from another cartel member. Every 4 weeks, when his pension is paid into which ever bank account he has nominated for that purpose, he takes his "Casio" calculator and works out to the nearest penny, whether he and the Mrs. can afford to have that pound of meat for a liver and bacon treat they have been thinking about, or whether that spar...