Agenda 2019

  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/04/alexis-tsipras-antonis-samaras-greece-syriza-election Alexis Tsipras or Antonis Samaras? Greece begins to weigh up the options     Antonis Samaras SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras On Sunday, 17 June 2012, in response to a Daily Mail article, I wrote the following comment in the news paper, and posted it on the pages of my Blog, Hew Agenda”. “When fear is employed as a weapon to influence voters, it is obvious that the scaremongers are very worried. European leaders yesterday piled pressure on Greek voters to reject Left-wing parties threatening to rip up the country’s bailout deal – a move that could leave the euro on the brink of collapse." They now use fear as a weapon to conserve their untenable positions. The "European leaders" who in collaboration with the banks,the IMF, the speculators of the markets, caused and perpetuated this whole mess in the first place, and incidentally got ver...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/back-from-the-brink-eu-ministers-approve-10bn-bailout-deal-to-save-cyprus-8547104.html EU ministers approve €10bn bailout deal to save Cyprus From television reports on BBC and on Sky, the reporters in Nicosia are saying that the only people happy with this "bailout to save Cyprus", are the "markets" and the politicians. There is no mention of the people of Cyprus and their savings, or the ex-pats  and retired British residents who may have their entire life savings on deposit. 100,000 Euro is around £85,000 on today's rates, and can hardly be described as fortune and yet the entire amount could be confiscated from peoples accounts. I stand by what I have said previously. This solution is nothing but state theft given legitimacy by the Eurozone.. Another "victory" for the Troika and the aspirations of Legarde and Merkel for German/IMF domination of Europe and to hell with the ...

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/cyprus-bankruptcy-crisis-talks-set-to-go-to-the-wire-with-new-deal-including-20-levy-on-large-deposits-at-main-bank-8547104.html Savers at the Bank of Cyprus will pay one-off tax of 20 per cent on deposits of over €100,000     Regardless of what the cash figure is, or the % levy to be imposed or even who the "depositors" actually are, this is a proposal to legalise state theft from banks. It would set an unhealthy precedent not only for Cyprus, but for every other state in Europe and would encourage governments to believe that they can behave no better than pirates in the knowledge that their actions are endorsed and supported by the "Troika" of the European Union, International Monetary Fund and ECB. The ordinary people of Cyprus and every other country must stand firm against the excesses of the politicians and the sinister members of the troika. The financial crisis in Europe (and beyond) has essen...

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/02/08/european-union-budget-cut_n_2646201.html?utm_hp_ref=uk   Tory Right Hail Cameron As PM Delivers Historic EU Budget Cut  MEP's may still veto the bill Hang on a minute. The EU Budget is cut, but the net contribution by the UK to the European coffers is increased, so the British tax payer contributes even more money to Brussels. If this is a "victory" let us all be thankful that Cameron did not suffer a "humiliating defeat".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/28/greeks-forests-fuel-winter-nears  Greeks turn to the forests for fuel as winter nears A wood poacher's warehouse near Mount Pelion, Greece.  When Merkel, Lagarde, the Eurozone finance ministers and  IMF sit down to yet another lavish 2 Micheline star banquet (paid for of course by taxpayers), to discuss for the umpteenth time the never ending economic crisis in Greece, and the plan of how they can extort even more money in exchange for another "bail out", do they ever consider the effect that their policies have on the ordinary people of Greece? I think not. Their first consideration is and has always been, ensuring the continued dominance of the IMF and the European Central banks in Europe. (Closely followed of course by the quality of the Filet de veau rôti, girolles d’Écosse et purée de cresson at the evenings nine course meal.) Meanwhile, back in the real world, the Greek people face even more severe austerity, ...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-   A coalition for Greece or the Troika? From all the available reports, it seems that after weeks of confusion and uncertainty, the Greek people will finally have a government. PASOK have agreed with New Democracy, to form a coalition which may include the moderate Democratic Left. The irony of this solution will not be lost on the Greeks or anyone else. The two parties, New Democracy and PASOK who have been the government of Greece for around 40 years, and who are responsible for negotiating with the Germans and the Eurozone, the most draconian package of austerity measures and cuts in exchange for a 130 billion Euro bailout which was poured straight down the drain directly into the banks, and did nothing for the Greek unemployed, the homeless, the pensioners who rummage in dustbins for food or any of the other consequences resulting from the previous governments duplicity. It is difficult to conceive how the scenes o...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/   On Sunday 20 th May this year, I wrote an item on this Blog under the heading of, “ The dinosaur of economic dogma”. The theme of the piece was to argue how fear would be employed, by the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and the European Banking Authority, now apparently known as the “Troika”, as a weapon, “to frighten the voters of Greece into electing those parties who support German dictates of further austerity” . With the result of the election in Greece now confirmed, it seems that the tactic of injecting fear into the democratic process has achieved the objective, namely by ensuring that New Democracy has gained a victory, albeit by a small margin, and will be invited to take the first attempt to form a government. Of course it remains to be seen whether Antonis Samaras and his New Democracy party can or will deliver the promise of renegotiation of the bailout package, and what will happen should Merkel retain...

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.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.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news The "markets"/speculators/IMF/ Eurozone Banks/Angela Merkel/two posh boys who don’t know the price of milk/ and Sarkozy are taking fright.The ordinary people of Europe who are paying the price on a daily basis for the ineptitude of their governments and the greed of the speculators, are more concerned with how to prevent these pirates from creating even more carnage, than speculators pockets and bankers balance sheets.