Agenda 2019

  http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/dec/30/alistair-burt-anger-syria-westminster  Alistair Burt reveals anger over Syria vote at Westminster Alistair Burt: whinging war monger It really is nauseating when the war mongers like Alistair Burt, bleat on with their whinging spurious garbage about how Parliament has somehow become undermined and impotent because those itching to become involved in the Syrian Civil war, (for whatever reasons their hidden agenda demands), have been defeated in their desires to kill people in someone else's country and someone else's war. It appears that they would have no qualms or shame in using other peoples lives in their desire to demonstrate their macho images with the specious justification of "supporting the Syrian opposition forces" regardless of the fact that they are unable to specify which of the 1001 opposition groups they would actually be supporting. Parliamentary democracy often involves not getting you...

  http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/dec/30/pay-workers-more-cbi-firms Pay workers more, CBI chief tells thriving firms Director General of CBI: John Cridland. John Cridland, director-general of the CBI, is either living on some planet millions of miles away from reality, or he is treating us all to a "tongue in cheek" piece of New Year nonsense. Companies exist on a simple premise. Charge their customers the maximum price that they possibly can, and at the same time pay their workers the absolute minimum that they can get away with. Should the workers protest, then scream "Holding the country to ransom" and rely on the divisions within society, the prejudice of bias within the press such as the Mail or Sky News, the support and encouragement of many MP's (who have their own agenda in any case) and the fear of working people generally that they may find themselves without jobs. There is no incentive for any employer  "benefiting from the...

                                     http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/28/david-blunkett-tv-regulation_n_4512182.html?utm_hp_ref=uk  David Blunkett Says Satirical TV Shows Need Tighter Regulation The Rt Hon David Blunkett MP Blunkett seeks to put the self interests of politicians above criticism and comment. On a daily basis, politicians of all parties, leave themselves open to ridicule and mockery, with their pomposity, arrogance and hypocrisy. Were it not for Satirical TV Shows, people like Blunkett (who is probably not the worst of a poor bunch) would have carte blanche, to trot out their prejudices without any possibility of widely circulated public comment. To propose, as Blunkett does, that such television shows "Need Tighter Regulation" suggests a desper...

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/order-order--is-it-time-to-bring-rowdy-mps-into-line-and-reform-pmqs-9027619.html Is it time to bring rowdy MPs into line and reform PMQs?      Controlling the mob? I have long been critical of the weekly circus of "Yaboo" politics so loved and commented upon by the media pundits of television and press. "The Prime minister was clearly left reeling after heavy blows were landed from the opposition benches" or some other cliche ridden rubbish from BBC News or Sky News or some other media commentators, frequently dominate the political news "reports", and are as meaningless as they are banal.   (http://new-agenda2012.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-weekly-visit-to-kintergarden.html) It is not only during Questions to the Prime Minister that this playground behaviour of trading insults and shouting banalities across the chamber of the House of Commons is put on public disp...

Boxing Day !   Its December 26th, Boxing Day 2013. The wind seems to have died down and it is not raining at the moment. Hopefully you are all well this morning and not suffering too much from yesterdays celebrations. No doubt however, some people may be regretting that final slice of turkey in the sandwich before going to bed, or the "just one more" chocolate from the box of Quality Street, or even that "this is definitely my lot" glass of Scotch or vodka or what ever your favourite tipple may be. What ever your condition may be this morning, I do sincerely hope that you had a wonderful day and are having a great Christmas holiday. Sadly, there are those in our society, who will not be of the same disposition as the majority of us as we nod gently over the breakfast table contemplating whether we do actually want that slice of toast and marmalade (rather that the usual scrambled egg, bacon, sausage and tomato and perhaps even a slice of fried bread...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/25/egypt-declares-muslim-brotherhood-terrorist-group Egypt's military-backed interim government has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, criminalising all its activities, its financing and even membership to the group from which the country's ousted president hails. President Mohammed Morsi   Whether you support the Muslim Brotherhood or not, the Egyptian people as a nation have finally lost. Egypt has returned to the "bad old days" prior to the "Egyptian Spring" of 2011 and the removal of the SCAF puppet Mubarak and Field Marshall Tantawi, and descended to a new dark age of military oppression perhaps even more sinister than that which existed until 2 years ago. . The new military junta, headed by Abdel Fatah al-Sisi hiding behind the facade of respectability after the July coup with the title of "Interim government" issues a statement that ""The cabinet has decla...

  http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-camerons-young-sidekick-claims-1852193  Liam Walker claims families use food banks so they can spend cash in the pub A young sidekick of David Cameron has claimed hard-up families are turning to food banks because they’ve wasted their money on booze. Liam Walker and David Cameron   A vile and despicable comment demonstrating yet again, how out of touch and insensitive the hierarchy of the Conservative party actually are.  Liam Walker, Chair of the Conservative Future, Witney, joins Iain Duncan-Smith, Nadhim Zahawi, Rupert Charles Ponsonby, David Anthony Freud and numerous other Tory ministers and MPs' who have consistently belittled the work of Foodbanks and demonised the people who, due to ConDem coalition government policies, are now reliant on the charities for food to feed their families. In this first quarter of the 21st Century, it is an outrage that there is a need for such charities and it is to th...

  http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/22/my-first-year-food-bank-organiser My first year as a food bank organiser 'I love the work' … Ruth Fox at the food bank at East Cleveland Baptist Church in Redcar. The following text is from today's (23rd December 2013) Guardian and is reproduced in full:  "I resisted getting involved with the food bank at first. The minister at my church kept asking me, but I had managed a charity for homeless young people and was looking for something with a little less responsibility. Finally, at the end of last year, I said yes. We opened on 30 January, and it's the best thing I've ever done. When we started, we knew there was a need, but had no idea how much. We quickly realised we needed more distribution centres, because people were walking nine, 10, 11 miles for their food parcel, then home, struggling with the bags. That's not just people wanting free food, is it? It's desperation. ...

  http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/21/christmas-shoppers-flock-to-high-streets-across-britain_n_4486149.html?utm_hp_ref=uk Christmas Shoppers Flock To High Streets Across Britain    Christmas in the high street   Austerity Britain. We should wonder how much of this "Christmas Shoppers Flock To High Streets" is being funded by Barclaycard and/or the usury companies of the "Payday loan" industry. We might also consider that this Christmas, more than 1 million people will be taking payday loans to put food on their table on December 25th and countless others will be collecting their Christmas day meals from the local Foodbank. Preparing Christmas dinner?   It will be interesting to learn sometime early next year, how many of these high street stores will be proudly announcing "record sales over the holidays" with increased profits ! If these companies can discount prices by 50% or even more and still make profit, then why are...

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hungry-in-camerons-cotswolds-beyond-the-4x4s-and-classy-shops-of-the-pms-own-constituency-a-food-bank-is-alarmingly-busy-9020229.html In Cameron's Cotswolds in the PM's own constituency, a food bank is alarmingly busy A local Food bank.   In December of 2012, I wrote in this Blog under the heading of, “In 2013, Foodbanks will feed more than 200,000 people in the UK”. I was wrong.    Before the end of April of this year, 2013, the figure had already reached 300,000 and now as we draw to the end of 2013, the figure is close to 700,000, who are regularly reliant on Foodbank charities. The Trussell Trust , the biggest of the Food Bank providers, reports that their charity alone is now feeding more than 300,000. The number of smaller providers, operating in towns and villages around the country, has more than doubled in the past 12 months and make a valuable contribution to the growing struggle...

 The Winter Solstice. 21st December Today is the 21st day of December or the 355th day of 2013. It is also the winter solstice, the longest night of the year or to be more accurate the shortest day. As from today the nights begin to get shorter an event which we have looked forward to for over six months. I have always found the long winter nights very disturbing. The fog and mists of winter together with the rain and wind and the cold is not something which I really enjoy. When the clocks go back in October of every year I am immediately thrown into a state of gloom, looking forward to the time when the clocks can go forward again. Apart from the festivities of Christmas and the New Year winter is one long drag. At least now as the days get longer, albeit by only a few minutes each day or week, we can look forward to that day in March, the 29 th in fact, when the clocks will be put forward by one hour and normality will return. It would of course b...

No matter where you are at this festive time, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas. John Yates Merry Christmas to everyone.