Friday 2 December 2011

Loss of Control Sparks EU Power Plays

I've held the view since the economic crisis first started that it may turn out to be bigger than governments.

I've been proved right as successive governments around the world have sunk hundreds of billions of pounds into the banking system and their own economies, only to fail miserably to turn things around.

Nothing, repeat nothing, they have done has turned the ship around. It may have deflected its path by a few degrees, but despite the colossal amounts of money, we are still in recession, we are still massively in the red and  we have yet to see any growth.

Lets remember that the crisis started back in 2007, four years ago. At the time many said it was an aberration, a blip, likely to be limited to one or two banks.

But here we are years later, trillions of pounds later and no result.

I do think that governments have finally understood they have lost control and given up. I get the undercurrent from the various EU posturing that the gig is up: governments don't have a clue what to do to save the Euro and the game has now moved on.

There are a number of  political dramas being played out across the EU. The first being closer integration of a core of EU countries. Behind closed doors I'm pretty sure its acknowledged that some countries will leave the Euro and things have moved on to political positioning to be top dog of the smaller core Euro zone. Despite talking of repatriating power back to the UK Parliament, David Cameron is negotiating exactly the opposite. He wants to be fully integrated, paid up member of what will effectively become the EU's equivalent of the UN security council. A core bloc of countries that will control, manage and police the outlying EU countries.

That this manoeuvring is going on behind closed doors is clear by the other strands being played out. The current distraction strand, chiefly which is the bust-up with Iran. Good for distracting the proles as governments do their damnedest to word and re-word new treaties to not look like new treaties, but amendments to existing treaties. Thereby avoiding the triggering of referendums and an outbreak of democracy across the EU. However, the affect of these not-treaties will be a new EU, with a new management in charge.

The final clue to these behind closed door manoeuvrings is the indecent haste and effort with which the senior members of the EU commission have tried to get involved in it all. We've had Barrosso sticking his oar in for weeks and being ignored as the Power shifts towards Merkel and Sarkozy. Now Baroness Ashton has ramped up the noise and sense of self-imposed importance by commenting publicly on the UK's diplomatic spat with Iran, urging other EU countries to get involved. The "don't forget we're still here" undertones of her timing can not be ignored.

There is the possibility of a new Europe being forged here and if successful, could emerge slimmer, fitter and more competitive if it ditches the over-expensive, overbearing and overtly corrupt EU commission.

Shock-Horror, it could be a Europe that some current Euro-sceptics could embrace.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

A Catalyst?

Something is going to happen now the woman allegedly making racist remarks to people on a tram has been arrested.

I think this could turn out to be a catalyst: for good or bad, I don't know, but when you get opposite forces poles apart like this, there's bound to be trouble.

Monday 28 November 2011

Predictable Recession Predicted at Last.

It seem that financial forecasters are finally predicting what I said 2 years ago: that we would have a double dip recession.

To be honest its as plain as the nose on your face: as long as there is uncertainty then there will be no growth, no growth, no recovery.

Either we face decades of uncertainty and neutral growth, or we ditch the toxic bank debt overboard.

And finally, we don't pay through the nose to dump the debt: the banks bought it, let them suffer the consequences. Its not like there aren't enough solvent banks to pick up the slack. Just let'em sink or swim without government and taxpayer help.

Quick, clean, clinical. lets get back to growth and prosperity without having a several decade debt Albatross hanging round our necks.

Sunday 27 November 2011

ClimateGate 2.0

A second tranche of ClimateGate emails were released this week.

One of the main themes in the emails is the arrogance of the climate science cabal and their disdain for other scientists and observers asking to scrutinise their data and verify their  findings.

The one thing that will settle this supposedly settled science once and for all is for the climate cabal to make all their data and their calculations public.

Its time to put up or shut up.

The longer they refuse to enter into fully transparent exchanges with their critics, the increasingly unsound their science looks. The initial ClimateGate email release was an ideal opportunity to release their data and prove their theory. Instead we got a whitewash. Their refusal to engage in public debate if nothing else proves their lack of confidence in their findings.

Remember that oft used phrase "Nothing to hide, nothing to fear"? It applies here.

Just what are the climate cabal afraid of? Do they fear being exposed as the con artists their detractors think they are? If their data and findings were logical, repeatable and provable, then there would be no argument.