Still a four horse race but Mitt's the current frontrunner until the next hurdle
Nonsensical drivel given to the French people as sensible politics
Passengers of Spanair flights get a spanner in their works!
Business Secretary as a dog with a bone in the House of Commons
Searching the internet for titbits about accused IS contempt - OFFICIAL!
The South rises up for Newt Gingrich as the frontrunner trips up big time!
Rick Perry sees Newt Gingrich as the hope against Romney. Some hope!
Eight voters reveal how they flip-flopped all night in tough decision making
Anyone wanting to find out the scams and schemes that bankers get up to should watch this video which gives a very good description of the fractional reserve banking system. Essentially this is a grand money printing exercise or, in the current computer world, a digital dollar production. Shocking or what?
I knew we would be given the stick first and carrot second. It doesn't appear too bad all round. The Coalition should not worry about upsetting people. Most sensible people are resigned to the fact that the deficit needs to be removed as quickly and efficiently as possible. If anything is going to upset the taxation applecart it will be the media. They can't help trying to drive a wedge between the Tories and LibDems. It's OK for Harriet Harman to snipe away. That's her job as she sees it. But I think it's a bit rich for the BBC to harp on about who is sitting beside whom on the front bench etc, etc.
I didn't watch the match last night, so I'm in no position to comment. Football has gripped many in such a way they've got a mental vice on their brains. A chap said to me last night, "What, not watching the football!?!" as he saw me out and about with the kids. "I got off early from work!" he explained, engaging me momentarily in the culture. And with a few more seconds of pleasantries he was gone, making his way to a big screen somewhere. A complete stranger, but he was a charming advocate for the game.
Just as I turn 60 and my wife tells me I could take advantage of a free swim to get a bit fitter, I see I won't be getting it after all. Well, OK, I could, but I can't see the point of filling out the forms only to be told "You've only got a couple of weeks, mate!" as if I'm the moron that hasn't quite grasped the point. I have grasped it, I think. And I'm not complaining. Free swimming is a luxury considering the times we're in, so the government has my support here. I'll pay as I go, or swim with the tide!
FIFA is the international money-making organisation that promotes association football (allegedly!) and promotes its own business vigorously with a ruthless eye for commercial miscreants and cheeky wannabe competitors. This nonsense about the Dutch beer, which I now see is Bavaria, is a bit OTT. But FIFA has always been OTT. Bavaria Brouwerij traditionally gives away orange clothing to fans. Orange is the colour of the Netherlands. This happened in the last World Cup. Budweiser got in a terrible lager lather then.
If anyone had any doubts that the World Cup was not about big business then these young Dutch women will tell you otherwise. They were kicked out of the stadium for allegedly promoting a Dutch beer that was not being officially sponsored at the matches. ITV, who know a thing or two about proper sponsorship, have sacked Robbie Earle for allegedly giving them the tickets to get in.
I'm glad the Home Secretary has decided to abandon the more ridiculous elements of New Labour's vetting scheme. The quango set up to see if we are deviants of the first order will still be in place though. We live in a weird world. We have to be so careful not to offend but also be wary of being accused of neglect, abuse or just plain ingorance of the new ways.
I saw Raymond NcDaniel, the Chairman & CEO of Moody's, being quizzed by the venerable interrogators of this financial committee, the FCIC, looking into the banking crisis and all things connected with it. When asked if any due dilligence was done over the subprime fiasco, McDaniel looked somewhat perplexed. After a bit of waffle, I think the answer was a basic no. It was likened to just going through the accounts of the Dairy Queen rather than sipping the blizzards on offer. Warren Buffet was sitting next to him, and Buffet owns the Dairy Queen.
The American people seem to want their president to be some kind of cross between a genie in a bottle and a jack in the box. He is, of course, neither. But disasters always lead to a belief that the president is the chief fixer as well as the Chief. So President Obama is now involved in some form of crude politics in order to rid the Gulf of Mexico of crude oil. Calling BP "British Petroleum" just ratchets up the blame game but it hardly serves to find a real solution. The truth is that there were three other American companies giving willing support to BP in their quest for deep sea oil wealth. And it's not as if BP is exclusively British. American investors have a sizeable share in the global conglomerate. Perhaps we should call it Anglo-American-Sino-Hispanic-Franco-Teutonic Petroleum.
I am still wondering how Britain will get out of the financial mess. The government seems fairly certain it will mean tough times. But for whom? Are we to rely on the bankers to get us out of the mess? If so, it's more funny money and a greater catastrophe down the line.
I've been otherwise engaged lately, what with half term and doing other things other than blogging. I've also been seeing how the coalition is bedding down before making any comment that could be regarded as meaningful. I've also been watching Britain's Got Talent. And it definitely has. Piers Morgan is dead right. We talk ourselves down terribly. If anything is going to get us out of this catastrophic mess, then it's talented people. Some will make us laugh, some will make us cry, but we need a dose of reality on the way.
Of all the people in the world one would think that the Jews would know a bit about suffering. That's what might be expected. But the reality of the modern world seems to suggest otherwise. Especially the present Israeli government, which has a hunkered down mentality. I've never accepted the Jewish proposal that the holocaust of World War II was the worst atrocity. Because to accept that allows other atrocities to be measured as being only half-way there in the heinous crimes stakes. Benjamin Netanyahu is quite happy to starve innocent Arab children to death if needs be, because in his eyes the Jews have experienced much worse. So it lends credibility to his policy of sealing off the Gaza strip and turning it into a hell hole. Of course, all that gives the Hamas leadership a political manna they never dreamed of. The Israelis must be barmy at best and just plain wicked at worst to think such a policy will succeed.
