Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Are they already here?

Over at Calling England (and cross posted at Orphans) yesterday was an excellent post about the endless series of assaults facing the British nation and its people.  It is seemingly never ending and coming from all angles.  Within the post was a very intriguing paragraph:

Nothing adds up any more and only one answer continues to make sense. It's impossible to conceive that successive governments should have been so incompetent therefore it has been done by design. We are a country weakened on many fronts and under assault from so many sides that it can't be coincidence. It's a perfect storm for the fall of a nation.

Like Calling England, the idea that what we see so flies in the face of common sense, we too ask ourselves could this be deliberate?  Chances are although we suspect something deliberate we censor ourselves because to do otherwise would lead us to question even ourselves.  Yet still, what we see niggles away at us.

So we write such thoughts off because we would really need to see some kind of evidence of such thinking by those who would promote such a plan.

So what would we make of historical figures such as Joseph Stalin making statements about the US like this?:

" America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas America will collapse from within." 

Furthermore what would we make of interviews by former Soviet spies such as Yuri Bezmenov where they explain in this post about a process called "ideological subversion" and a stage called "demoralisation"?  Added to this, what would we think when we understand about the works of the Marxist academics at the Frankfurt School on linking Marxism to society and culture and more as discussed at length in a documentary in this post?

Would we all of a sudden start to recognise a pattern emerging from the madness?  A pattern that is suddenly made recognisable through the works and viewpoints of a group of people expressed over the last 60 years or more, with the intention of collapsing western society from within?

I'll leave you to mull that one over.

Victory Loves Preparation...

....So expect us to lose out. 

News reaches us via WUWT that real experts have been watching the sun and note a serious decline in sunspot activity.  From this they conclude that we face another Maunder Minimum.  For those not familiar with our last Maunder Minimum, it got cold, really cold and was also termed the mini ice age.  The latest release on the the study of the activity also suggests we could be in a for a long colling period.

Of course a quick tour around the mainstream press reveals a lack of activity on this release on par with that on the sun.  To report on this would require one heck of an volte face, especially on the part of the BBC who blow the trumpet of AGW loud and proud. We now wait to see the reaction and one which will be telling.

We were "caught out" last winter after the debacle by the met office who have also become the standard bearers of AGW instead of being impartial assessors of the weather for the benefit of the nation.  I note we were "caught out" as other forecasters such a Piers Corbyn and Joe Bastardi were aware of such a winter through a willingness to look at the evidence and without a preconception that the earth is warming and a political need to make the evidence fit the narrative.

This need to make activity fit the evidence runs through politics and infrastructure management and so I can anticipate that once again we will fail to plan for a cold winter.  To do so would have to acknowledge something was very wrong with the idea that is being used a way to generate politicians billions in taxation.  Politicians struggle to make the right decision when faced with the obvious need to take action balanced against their desire for more of our money, with the latter usually winning out.

So in the event that we are set for a cold winter this year and that the powers that be refuse to entertain such a notion I'm issuing so of my own practical advice.  Be prepared.  Anticipating power cuts - stock up on candles.  Not serviced your boiler?  Try and do it now and save yourself the emergency call out cost.  If you've got a condenser boiler, get hold of some external lagging for the outdoor condenser pipe and look at whether a larger bore pipe will be better for you.  Go to a builders merchants and get your own bags of rock salt.  If you don't have tyre chains, now might be a good time to price up a set before a price hike comes along.

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Wasn't "unfunded liability" a clue?

Some time ago I was party to an interesting conversation with a former colleague.  In a previous role he had been on the employer side of negotiations with trade unions over needed reforms within the industry.  What was described to me sounded like the kind of experience that would have left me banging my head against the table as the union were unwilling to give an inch and to concede that any of the employer proposals could be explored.  That evening the two parties agreed to have dinner together, but would not include negotiations.  It was during these that one of the union negotiators talking to my colleague observed that the employers were right in what they were saying about the needed reforms and that although they accepted the need for them, that wasn't their job.  Their job was to disagree and to slow things down for as long as possible.

I'm always reminded of that story when I see union disputes and once again it sprang to mind as I saw Richard North's observation about the latest potential strike action from the public sector unions over pension reform.

Its a story that polarises opinion among the public depending on whether they are currently private or public sector employees.  I get it because I've sat on both sides.  I know that many public sector employees are not all state employed leeches.  Many a time I sat with colleagues and marvelled at the waste and ridiculous spending that took place before our very eyes, particularly by those who had portrayed themselves as class warriors.  They would spend it whilst the remainder would scratch our heads and wonder why we couldn't just give it back to the public.  My point is that the public sector is filled with people with families who share everyday concerns like putting food on the table and keeping the mortgage payments coming.  They go along to get along.

All that said, the issue with public sector pensions is very simple - there's no money for them.  They are not sustainable.  The posh phrase for them is that they are unfunded liabilities.  In other words it was typical of the modern day politician. Promise something in the short term to ensure their place at the trough, hopefully safe in the knowledge that when it blew up in someones face it would be long after they had passed from power.

There are several things here.

Firstly the unions are as aware as everyone else that there is no cash to cover the pension liability.  As with the story at the top of this post, its irrelevant.  They can criticise the need for reform whilst at the same time, knowing that it needs to happen.  For them however, it is not their problem to solve.  They are particularly fond of pointing out a problem without ever having to offer a workable solution to get round it.  If they don't offer anything they can see how much they can get away with sometimes getting a bigger result than they anticipated.

One of the popular narratives they are currently thriving on at the moment is trotting out greedy bankers and the rich in general and how we should hit them up for the money.  It all sounds very plausible if you don't examine the numbers behind that too hard.  To see a simple explanation of the problem take a look at how US commentator Bill Whittle ran through this observation.  It's a little simplistic and tongue in cheek but it effectively captures the problem with relying on the eat the rich type argument, especially when you bear in mind that some of that money Bill is talking about was made by US companies in this country so we would have wanted some of it too.



The other point for me is the window dressing on this "assault on our members pensions".  This unfunded liability is not a new one.  It was unfunded long before now.  Nor was it a secret.  Every day nobody did anything about it was simply making it worse.  So my question is when did the unions know about the problem?  And if they knew some time ago as many analysts had been commenting on it, why did they sit on it?  Surely it would have been "in the interests of their members" to warn them of this so that they could take their own alternative action in order to plan for their future.  Why do they only now appear to be fighting on this issue?  Where were they when the political party they bankroll was in government on this issue?  Is it coincidence that this dispute now puts them in a face off with their old traditional enemy the (albeit fake) Conservative Party?  It certainly does raise the question of exactly whose interests this battle is representing.

And then there is the final problem.  To the unions, the outcome they want is simple.  Carry on as before.  Just give them the money and all will be okay.

Erm.  Erm. Erm.  I'd like to point out there's no money.  We're borrowing more than we take in via tax.  The institutes and nations loaning the money are also in debt and so are those who are loaning them money. If you don't understand the problem, take a look at my previous post.  That's fine while everyone keeps pretending there's money and shuffling the numbers around but as soon as one party stops doing it (cough - Greece) it all goes a bit pear shaped.

The Fan is on. Shovellers on the way

It looks as though the proverbial will be hitting the fan in the not too distant future.  EU Referendum highlights how at long last one aspect of British Mainstream Media has decided to share with the rest of the country what has been brewing all along with the news that Greece is really in such a bad way that their credit rating has basically had a "don't touch with a barge pole" sign stuck to it.

For those who are thinking that it is only Greece, well it is time to have a bit of a rethink.  Allow me to show you how far the rabbit hole goes Alice.  First up, is this little scene setter from Waspsnest who talks to us about the real debt we have.  Then as recommended by Waspsnest, take a look at this very clear explanation how we're all linked together, beautifully explained in the graphic further on down.

Time to keep our eyes open as politicians make a ham fisted effort to solve this.  Buckle up!

Sunday, 12 June 2011

Get Ready People - We're Going In!

Although I can be critical of the mainstream media, there is occasionally a story which points out some the madness that passes for life in a so called modern democracy.  What is often the heart warming sight is the outrage in comments section at the bottom.  It shows me that there are many who are angry beyond belief and want something very very different than what we have right now. 

Among those comments is something that piques my interest.  It is usually a comment along the lines of "wake up" or " so when will you do something about it?"  In other words its a call to people to stop returning to the coma that most of us live in while this decay persists and spreads.  It is quite telling because that is the truth of the matter.  Whilst the outraged are probably in the majority, they will allow things to carry on as they are, which is precisely how the situation got as bad as it has.  It will only stand a chance of turning around if people do something about it as opposed to saying "someone should do something about it".

If we were to take modern politics for example the lack of engagement with politicians allows them to ignore the democratic rights of voters and allows them to assume powers over us they simply do not have.  Autonomous mind yesterday gave some perfect examples of these abuses in power.  They are assuming a dominance over us which has no grounding in the law.  No one challenges them on the legitimacy of their actions and as such we surrender freedoms every day.

But it doesn't have to be this way.  I am not suggesting illegal action.  Far from it.  The strength of this nation and its people lies in the power of what is left in the legitimate democratic processes.  The rights that they haven't yet outlawed in order to protect their place at the trough.  It is following these and working within the law that I am talking about.  I am an advocate of taking processes that are legally permitted to bring about the nation we all want to see and to return democratic power to the people of this country.

So shall we get to work.

The first thing many of the lost voices of this country need to do is change their perspective.  Too often we see the powers that be as a single whole unit attacking our lives from all angles.  This gives us the perspective that the task that faces us is overwhelming.  Let us take Parliament for example, those circa 650 are often viewed as a collective whole over which we have no power.

Not true.

They are quite happy for that perception to persist because they are acutely aware that a change of perspective will shift the power from them to you.  Look at them differently in order to bring the fight to a territory on which you can win. They are in fact not a whole but individuals at a trough of taxpayers money.  You need to look at them as individuals because that's where your activity needs to take place. 

Think about it.  Does a lion on the hunt for prey look at the whole herd of wildebeest on the grazing grounds.  Not at all.  Lions pick out the one on the edge, the one that looks vulnerable.  It is something we should copy in our work. 

Fortunately all of our MP's are on the edge of the herd and vulnerable if we look at them in the right way.  Not only that they are already on the ground on which we can fight them and win.  Its called their local constituency.  On that ground, they are not 650, they are alone.  We the people are the legion on that ground and they are the ones vulnerable to democratic process that could cancel their place at the trough.

We should organise on that ground.  Richard North mentioned it some time ago with his post on local voting blocs, which partly came out of a blog post from Wittering Witney.  It is there that they must answer for themselves.  It is there that we must develop our strength and begin to send each of them a clear message that we are waking up to our legitimate rights and are taking back our power.

Some will recognise the change and will come into line.  Some are beyond redemption and think they are safe.  If we organise and begin to set up our local base camps we can deal with those who are beyond redemption. 

One thing we must do is forget voting for parties.  Voting for parties at present takes them out of our control.  A vote on party lines is a vote for party machines which I will explain further in another post.  We must vote for individuals and hold individuals to account.

That is where I think we start.  As well as blogging about news stories it was always my aim to make this site a resource around this principal.  The independent bloggers network is bringing the stories, but it needs many more people to help the aims get some traction and momentum.  The people need to act because in some areas we are in an endgame.  If we never start legitimate and legally permitted action, all the blogging in the world will have been in vain.  But the bloggers cannot do it all.  They can re post messages like this to reach a wider audience or they can write their own version.  But people have to start in their localities with the setting up of their base camp and growing their local base. 

Its time to decide.  What will you do?

Saturday, 11 June 2011

Message for Independent Bloggers

I have a quick message for all independent bloggers using blogger blogs.

It seems that they are currently testing formatting of the blogs to be read more easily by mobile phone users.  At present they don't automatically reformat for reading on a mobile phone which can make navigating the site a bit more cumbersome.

I've already noted from my stats that a significant percentage access this site by mobile so will be setting it up to be more easily read.  If you want to do the same for your blog, here's how (if you don't already know):

  • Go to Dashboard
  • Access settings tab
  • Click on email & mobile tab
  • At the top of that page click next to the setting: "Yes. On mobile devices, show the mobile version of my template."
  • Scroll to bottom of page and click "save changes" button
 You're now ready to have your blog viewed more easily using mobile phones.  You'll also get to preview what it looks like.



If you don't like it, it can be undone just by clicking on the no button

    Looking after Number 1

    Not that you would know it thanks to the seemingly wilful blindness of the mainstream media outlets but there is a larger disaster looming than the faux cuts story we are being presented with on an almost daily basis.  The faux cuts are part of the looming disaster but not in the way they're being reported.  They're a disaster because in reality there is no significant effort to tackle the deficit or the debt and failing to do so will be a disaster.  I saw the measures being taken as akin to "kicking a tin can around".

    Among the things we're not as a nation hearing about because things like Wayne Rooney's hair transplant is considered bigger news, is that wider world is struggling to manage its financial problems.  Its there if you look, but once again it brings us back to the vital role of independent bloggers through the Gates of Vienna news feed.  It seems that Greece may need another bailout as they fail to resolve their debt problem, with Germany wondering if Greece faces Bankruptcy . However it would seem that Germany and the ECB don't agree on the approach although analysts reading the tea leaves of the ECB position suggest they might be backpedalling from an earlier standpoint.

    There is also the view that Ireland still hasn't solved their woes despite injecting money into their system.  Added to which it is being reported that the US credit rating is at risk as the US administration struggles to get its economy in order, despite the best efforts of a fawning press to present it as an issue of presentation.

    The problem comes in that although what I've described is taking place in places away from our shores, we are plugged into all of it.  The fancy word they use for it is interdependence.  We really are all in it together as the former conservative party would say.

    Now although I sound something of a Private Fraser with my "We're all doomed" alarm, that isn't really the aim.  I actually have a different more positive aim.  The point of the matter is that despite the utterances of our politicians, everything they "assure" us of  regarding the economy, our financial situation is plugged into that of other nations which they are not in control of.  In other words what is true one day will certainly not be the next.  That presents us with a choice as individuals.  We can choose to carry on as normal or we can decide that we need to spend time on our own "economy" so that we can reach a position where we are more ready to adapt to the coming changes.

    The second choice sounds better to me because it involves being reliant on ourselves and not on a group of people whose only thought and action is for themselves and their place at the trough.  Many of us need to grow our financial literacy for our own sakes.

    To that end I'm adding some new links to the resources section.  Although my original aim was to make it solely about links that would enable readers to take an active interest in revitalising our nation.  I have come to realise that part of that requires the ability to prevail when changes occur such as financial ones.  The first ones are from the US.  The first one I have been looking at, is the Rich Dad series by Robert Kiyosaki.  Kiyosaki takes the average reader on a different journey and says some thing that will make you think twice about the sausage machine operatives who are looking after the financial affairs of most of the country before putting your money with them.  The other one I'm putting up there is the Townhall.com finance section.  I think they're great starting points.  I hope you find them useful also