Agenda 2019

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/carillion-latest-kpmg-accounts-investigation-financial-reporting-council-construction-government-a8182811.html An investigation is to be launched into KGMP  audits of Carillion. This is bloody outrageous. A situation where a few benefit while the many are left to bear the consequences of their "missing" pension fund, is unacceptable. For far too long , companies have been using their employees pension funds to shore up their ailing businesses. When the company eventually fails, the employees are penalised while the management walk away unscathed but with their bonuses and severance payments intact. Punitive measures must be introduced to deter the "diversion" of pension funds to the operating accounts of companies who may resort to this questionable accountancy maneuver.

https://paper.li/f-1346065353#/ Good morning everyone Add caption It is 28th January and the first month of the year has practically gone. 2018 promises to be another of those years where all 12 months seem somehow to be compressed into 6. Some scientists say that as we get older, time passes more quickly. I know what they mean. A story in the Jersey Evening Post caught my eye this week. "The Snow Hill Fish and Chips Take Away" in St Helier, has consistently been in breech of the State of Jersey Food Safety laws. Apparently, this food outlet has been failing the compulsory inspections since 2014. If you happen to be in Jersey this year, this may well be a "chippy" to avoid. If it is so bad, why have the "Authorities" not just closed it? It is rare indeed for the American legal system or the US International Trade Commission or any other "official" American body to rule against their own organisations...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/27/theresa-may-conservatives-warning-revolt The Premiership of Theresa May is nearing its end.  The Premiership of Theresa May is in terminal decline and rapidly approaching the end. Any credibility and authority that she may once if ever, have had, crumbles away almost by the hour, and her enemies within the cabinet and wider conservative party have not failed to recognise the degradation. In much the same way as a pack of lionesses identify the weakest of a herd of Impala and then move in for the kill, conservative MP's are positioning themselves for a leadership challenge within weeks. One or even two stories of criticism and unease with the Prime Ministers leadership, would not necessarily produce speculation of Theresa May's demise, but the usually supportive media and political commentators are, almost unanimously, predicting that May will be gone before this summer. This morning, Grant Shapps the former Conservativ...

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/localnews/weymouth/15899184.people-cant-see-a-way-out-shock-as-number-of-rough-sleepers-in-the-borough-surges-by-60-per-cent-in-one-year/ Number of rough sleepers in Weymouth and Portland rise by 60% in 12 months. We provide some limited shelter for these rough sleepers and now even a converted bus to help relieve the problem, but still the shop doorways, car parking facilities and other areas around the town have people sleeping in boxes or huddled in sleeping bags and blankets. The problem is far greater than the resources that we allocate to it. We lack the political will to tackle the causes rather than the symptoms which are demonstrably evident not only on the streets of Weymouth and Portland, but in every town and city in the country. We apply a sticking plaster to cure a fracture. The tragedy of homelessness and people sleeping rough on our street is a national scandal which requires the allocation of funds and resources ...

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/mps-just-agreed-unanimously-force-11909301 MPs  agree unanimously to force the release of crucial Carillion documents as Tories refuse to take part On the 10th January, just two weeks ago, this spineless bunch of Conservative MP's masquerading as a government, sat on their hands and refused to vote on a non binding motion to release extra cash to the NHS for the "Winter Crisis". Last night, (24 January), in another act of shameless cowardice, this wretched government continued their now all too common practice of abstaining on votes, when the are clearly going to lose. Last night's vote was on the question of  government releasing key ministerial documentation on the risk assessments and other checks carried out after Carillion posted "profit warnings" prior to having new substantial contracts awarded to them in what now seems a very clumsy method of the government attempting to prop up the company and avoid a...

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/davos-world-economic-forum-wep-inequality-not-inevitable-elites-not-solve-it-a8172626.html World Economic Forum: Davos 2018 will have as much effect as all the others before. More than 2500 "World leaders", civil servants, business leaders, sports personalities and show business stars are in Davos for the World Economic Forum. There will be much hot air and rhetoric, long winded "speeches", furtive meetings in the shadowy corridors of the 5 Star hotels and lavish conference centres of the resort and no doubt, numerous very expensive and very rich, lunches, banquets and "working dinners" all probably fuelled by the best wines, liqueurs and brandies . The net result of all this extravagance will be the same as all the other World Economic Forum conferences over the past years. The people of the world, particular in the Third World countries will see no benefits or change in their circumstances. There will still ...

https://paper.li/f-1346065353#/ Good morning everyone  The story of the week has to be the collapse of Carillion with its 800 odd open contracts and the possiblity of some 40,000 people being put out of work. The company collapsed with more than   £5 billion of liabilities with an additional £2.5 billion "missing" from its pension funds money which, of course, belongs to the people who work for the company. The "good news" is that Senior executives at  Carillion , managed to "ring fence" £4 million to protect their bonuses and their  severance  payments will still be paid up to the date of the forms collapse. This will of course be a great comfort to the people who work there and to the hundreds of  suppliers  who are owed   £millions, who have already been forced to lay off many of their workers, and are predicted to receive only 1p for every £ they are owed. Many other sub contractors and suppliers will go out o...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/18/taxpayers-to-foot-200bn-bill-for-pfi-contracts-audit-office Taxpayers face £199bn bill over PFI projects. As predicted by some of us back in the days when the Blair government first expanded a policy launched by the Major government creating the PFI (private finance initiative) schemes, as a way to use private sector investment in order to deliver public sector infrastructure and/or services,the prospect of such close associations between government and private industry was always a bad idea, not good for taxpayers or society. Today's report by the National Audit Office reveals that there is "little evidence that government investment in more than 700 existing public-private projects has delivered financial benefits" The report goes on to state that "The cost of privately financing public projects can be 40% higher than relying solely upon government money". The result of this, is that ...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/carillion-latest-compulsory-liquidation-contractor-prisons-hs2-united-kingdom-a8159326.html Government contractor enters compulsory liquidation 'with immediate effect' We must not allow this government and its friends in the city to privatise the profits and nationalise the debts. If there is to be a government bail out (that's us, the taxpayers handing out £billions again) it must be on the basis of complete nationalisation under full public ownership and control. We have been taken for granted by this government and these "bail out" deals for far too long. The British people have been duped in the past and lost £billions when the bailed out companies have been gifted back to the private sector. We must never again be defrauded by the collusion of government and private industry.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/trump-uk-visit-boris-johnson-jeremy-corbyn-sadiq-khan-london-protests-embassy-labour-a8155316.html Boris Johnson has launched an attack on Jeremy Corbyn  and Sadiq Khan  accusing them of endangering the UK-US relationship.  The overblown buffoon Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, known as Boris Johnson, has always been more attached to his place of birth than to his country of residence albeit that he retains dual nationality. He, with others, still clings to the discredited myth that there is some sort of "special relationship" between the United States and Great Britain. As Bill Clinton said many years ago the only special relationship is between the USA and Israel, the USA and Ireland and the USA and Saudi Arabia. The sooner those remaining dimwits in the media and in Westminster get their minds around this simple fact then this country can concentrate its efforts on building meaningful rela...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/motion-release-funding-extra-ash-hospitals-commons-jeremy-hunt-theresa-may-staff-patients-a8152026.html  Labour motion demanding that the Government releases extra cash to combat the “appalling winter crisis” has passed in the Commons without a vote.  "Government whips ordered Conservative MPs to abstain". A pathetic bunch of spineless creatures lacking in moral fibre but drenched in shame and cynicism. These are the "politicians" who are in charge of our country, reliant on sordid "payola" to the DUP in exchange for their miserable 10 votes and on the cowardice of a Prime Minister not fit for the highest office of State. This country does not deserve the contemptuous governments, inflicted over the past 10 years and this government, which now grows more corrupt and shameless with each passing day.The demand for a general election this year is compelling and is what the people of t...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/08/theresa-mays-reshuffle-thrown-off-course-by-defiant-ministers Theresa May's reshuffle in disarray  What had been heralded only 24 hours before as the cabinet reshuffle to stamp Theresa May's authority on her government, a bold and ruthless purge to demonstrate that she is in charge and in complete control, has turned into nothing of the sort. In fact the proverbial "damp squib", was not even present for this performance of stunning ineptitude and chaos. The event got off to a poor and confused start with the announcement that Chris Grayling was to be the new Conservative Party Chair. Less than 5 minutes later, the "appointment" was hurriedly withdrawn and Grayling's name was never mentioned again as he remains Transport with Brandon Lewis later appointed to Conservative party Chair. Grayling must be the shortest serving party Chair in the history of politics. From there the day which had st...