An Apology

The Stats on this blog tell me that on average there are 155 views per month from US sites a further 45 from Australian sites and a smattering of hits from NZ, India & others.

It pains me therefore to apologies for the BBC's output on the Queens jubilee


To put you in the Picture ( no pun intended ) many many years ago while the US opened up their airways to the private sector the UK went down the road of a Government appointed broadcaster.

This, in a strange form still exists today (BBC), US readers may find it hard to believe but it brings with it a
license fee, Yes in the UK each house holder has to pay for a TV receiving license
( in 2012 this costs £145 or $225 ) and this is paid each year.

Before you ask, most stations are commercial (with adverts), this a started a state controlled monitoring
system of letters reminding you to pay and a fleet of detector vans, yes detector vans driving around detecting unlicensed TV's then fining the owners in a court of Law.

But I distract 


Older folk will remember the BBC from the WW2 or from old film clips, the BBC was a rock for the people of the world, even Lord Reith once said "the BBC's purpose was, in three words: educate, inform, entertain". and that's how it was.


Why the BBC did not ask
Jennie Bond , Michael Aspel,Kate Adie , Joan Bakewell, Trevor McDonald, Anna Ford.
and last and I feel the best Richard Dimbleby's sons, all excellent with gravitas to compare the programs
I just don't know..

What the BBC put on was I feel was a kick in the teeth to our Queen,the whole process is steeped in history but it didn't get a mention even the flotilla consisted of some of the little Dunkirk small ships and everything afloat on the Thames that day had an historic story to tell.

One presenter forgot the name of an old Sailor during the interview another said the upper deck of a boat was "the first floor" I would be terrified to ask them were the poop deck was.



Is it time to scrap the license fee and look again at the BBC ? 
and
where's the educate, inform, entertain gone ?


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9314625/BBC-gets-2500-complaints-for-Diamond-Jubilee-coverage-as-former-controller-admits-they-wont-win-any-BAFTAs.html

Euro pt2

Only a few months ago senior Labour ministers were shouting how good the US economy was, siting the US pumping  $Billions into the economy as the reason for the success and that the Uk's Coalition was totally wrong not follow.


Now some months later the US economy seems to be sadly slowing with the latest release of job creations.


Where are the Labour pundits now? why don't we hear their shouts? of pump more money in?

The same goes for Europe, the Socialist mantra of print a few more bank notes and it will be ok, worked for local financial problems, Governments then let inflation rise over a 5 or 10 year spell, effectively devaluing the currency and and taking away the public's pain and hardship by producing jobs when exports become cheaper.

This time its not a local problem loads of countries are effectively devaluing their currencies
( including ours) so the base line stops the same.
Effectively you spend Billions of £-$- Yen- Euro's to get absolutely no where. 

The worlds two biggest capitalist countries, the US & Japan are in the growth doldrums with thier economies stagnant.and over the last 10 years Japan has tried umpteen measures to kick start its economy including giving every one money to spend, but nothing was successful, Japanese folk just kept the money under the bed for a safe day.

The US are learning the same lesson and the UK economy is just about the same with -0.3% growth
(within a margin of error of 0%) UK residents are holding on to money.

Meanwhile Europe is a mess after following the Socialist spend more philosophy, but slowly European countries are realising this Ireland has just voted for Austerity and I believe Greece will too, just delaying the the date when the Euro collapses.

Some Politicians have yesterdays answers for today's problems and their rhetoric seems good to the electorate for a short term gain but in the long term  I fear they simply have not a clue, just what are these Euro socialist politicians playing at? even our own Prime Minister said that he's attended 18 economic summits in 2 years, yes 18 and its still a mess over there, If this had been a private sector company the share holders ( us the people) would be in revolt and voting them off.

Yet While they mess about in Europe on the socialist dream, its damaging our economy!

Labour went ballistic over a 1p rise in a pasty, but forgot to mention we are paying over £100M a day
in debt and Euro payments.

Do we need Euro politicians on £100,000 + when a school kid could spend that sum better?




 

New Art Centre called a total success

Yes its Belfast's new £18 million Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) opened over the weekend attracting more than 5000 visitors in just a few days

This new Art Centre cost just £18 million and will host an exhibition of art by LS Lowry and a new Titanic play,

it is open seven days a week and contains

two theatres,
three art galleries,
education and workshop rooms,
rehearsal space,
a dance studio
and not to forget a cafe.

Visitors have called it a total success 

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/unforgettable-opening-for-belfasts-metropolitan-arts-centre-as-5000-visit-venue-16148760.html

Sandwell Tory said     
You can do wonders with just £18 million 

4,000 Diamond Jubilee beacons

All over the world beacons will be lit by people to honour the Queens 60 year reign.

Australia, Canada , Tonga, Falkland Island, Malta, Kenya and many others.

all over the world our commonwealth cousins are re-affirming the strength of a constitutional monarch



Sandwell Tory said I wonder what the Socialists think of that?

The Beacon system was once used as notification of a pending invasion

Greece problems mount

We now seem to be watching a classic left wing and right wing finacial battle with Greece, with the news that
Germany has given Greece a few warning comments on their spending, this follows Greece announcing unemployment up to almost 22% 

Greece is due to make a massive debt repayment on Friday and some pundits are questioning if they can make it 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9255637/Germany-warns-Greece-it-will-halt-aid-unless-it-commits-to-bailout-agreements.html
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9255710/Keep-cutting-or-EU-aid-stops-Greeks-told.html

This comes on top of news that Spain nationalised a big Bank(Bankia) Spain it self has an unemployment rate of 25%

Yet the country that is currently bankrolling the EU ( Germany) now has its own politicians openly talking about letting Greece sink.

Sandwell Tory said
Our unemployment rate about is 8% and we are working Damn hard to get that down

Do you feel we should send over a few Labour MP's to help them sort it all out?,

Markets Plunge

Following the elections in Both Greece & France the markets have plunged,  I wonder why ?

Could it be that after borrowing loads of money on their national credit card, now the bills arrived no one wants to pay the bill?

Lets tax the rich, is the battle cry of the socialists, but this was tried before in England and France during the 1960's, with the "We will tax the people" approach

see

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=101


This section is from another site in the US

Wealthy Residents Have Fled New Jersey and Other High Tax States.Similar to the UK, these states thought taxing wealthy residents was the answer to their fiscal woes.
They have since learned the wealthy have other options. Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) has repeatedly emphasized that as taxes have gone up in his state, the wealthy have relocated. The state had a $98 billion surplus from 1999 to 2003.
Then New Jersey significantly raised taxes on the wealthy, and between 2004 and 2008 they ended up losing $70 billion. The Garden State has America’s heaviest tax burden


It goes on to say

The UK’s Upper Class Exodus
The New Jersey lawmakers should not have been surprised because taxing the wealthy an inordinate amount has rarely worked. Denis Healey, who was the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979, was correct when he predicted “howls of anguish” from the rich. He was referring to the tax increases made by the Labour governments in the 1960s and ’70s.

The result was a huge decline in Britain’s income when the upper class fled. The UK’s biggest export turned
out to be its wealthy residents


See for your self
http://diplomatdc.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/the-return-of-the-tax-exiles-the-uks-biggest-export-has-been-its-wealthy-citizens-by-gregory-hilton/


and it finishes with

The UK has a new government, but it inherited one of the largest budget deficits in the world and they are coping with a larger structural deficit than they thought. Similar to the 1970s


let the debate start

Tony may be back

There are press reports that Tony is considering a come back


Come on Labour welcome him back.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2012/may/03/tony-blair-uk-politics



Well then what do you think ?? Ho Ho

Labour Isn't working

Back in the 1970's a new poster was issued for the election 

it showed what unemployment was like under a Labour Government this was at a time of major strikes and high inflation Labour lost the election

Strangely enough 30years later, following another period of Labour Government we have a similar fate 

High unemployment High Inflation

Deja Vu

   

Government funds Sandwell Social Housing

After years of Sandwell bulldozing properties and leaving the land fallow for decades
(see previous blog posts) the Government has given Sandwell £10 Million to kick off a rebuilding programme

The HCA (Homes and Communities Agency) wants 80,000 new social home built with some being for sale
as part of this Sandwell is being funded to build 450 new homes in the first wave giving about 2 - 3000 homes
by 2015


Sandwell Tory said

Its funny Labour were in office for 13 years with little social housing being built
we're in Government for less than 2 years and 1000's are being built but there's more to do
we have to get the school achievements improved next