Immigration – Smoke, Mirrors and Outright Lies……

‘The debate about immigration is, like all things political, spun in such a way as to hide the reality and confuse the public’s perception……’

Migrants fall into specific groups, most of whom are perfectly entitled to be here. Anybody living within the European Union (EU) is free to live and work anywhere else within the EU, including ourselves. Those who come from outside the EU can live and work here provided they meet certain criteria or who are invited here; most notably healthcare workers without whom the NHS would simply collapse. Those who are married to a UK resident. An overseas parent with a child who is resident here also has certain legal rights allowing them to live here. This is supported by Human Rights law which considers the right to a family life fundamental and universal. However, this does not automatically allow the non UK national the right to work. There is also an international agreement on those seeking asylum, which was agreed up after the atrocities committed during World War II. It is estimated that 3m people were relocated during WWII……

The parents that put their children in a boat must fear the land more. What would you do. Wait for the bombs to drop on you or get your family to safety? No contest……

Do we not have an obligation as members of the Human race to offer the hand of friendship? These people had lives, jobs, businesses, families and security, just like you until America and the UK got involved in the warmongering after 9/11; but that’s a post for the near future. As for the ‘slam the door shut’ advocates; if every country did it we’d be end up with a net increase in population and asylum seekers represent a small number of the total figures that are always quoted……

Don’t believe the hype…… If we can afford Trident nuclear missiles……

21st Century Slavery……

‘Reach for the history books and they’ll tell you that slavery was abolished in the UK by the Slave Trade Act of 1807, driven by the unstoppable will-power of William Wilberforce. Well, almost……’

William Wilberforce (1759-1833)

The Slave Trade Act of 1807 simply outlawed the transportation of slaves. It wasn’t until 1833 that the Slavery Abolition Act was passed; making the owning, buying or selling of slaves illegal. It is not a coincidence that 26 years separated the two acts. Most of the Parliamentarians of the day had slaves and given life expectancy most had exploited the full potential from the slaves they owned. So, what’s changed…..?

 

First we need to define precisely what a ‘slave’ is. There’s the meaning we all take for granted, of people imprisoned against their will, transported to ‘the colonies’ and forced to work for a ‘master’; all enforced by extreme brutality and violence metred out to anybody who didn’t tow the line. It is now part of our shameful past but still happens all over the world to this day.

There are other definitions which have more congruity with our lives today. The Oxford English Dictionary contains several. Here are the ones that are pertinent to this article:

1. A person who works hard without proper remuneration or appreciation.
2. A person who is completely dependent upon, or controlled by something.
3. A state of subjection.

Anybody who is a member of the plebeian proletariat, which is me and most of the people I know, falls into one, two or all three of the definitions given above. Here’s why.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that a single person with no dependents requires an income of £16,300p/y, after deductions, to meet their basic needs. No holidays, cars or HDTVs included; just survival. Therefore, you are a slave to your employer, who holds you in subjection by the necessity to survive. Worse still, that employer probably doesn’t even come close to meeting those basic needs, leaving many people dependent upon the Government for Tax Credits; which is effectively another way of admitting that British employers pay too little for you to survive, further enslaving you to the State. To add insult to injury many of those employers manage to ‘avoid’ paying taxes to HMRC……

Having taken into account your own position the chances are that you fit the definition of a slave, only the ball and chain has been replaced by the threat of withholding essential income.

This form of modern slavery is a very clever device which causes apathy amongst huge groups in society who apostatise issues they hold dear for fear of disenfranchisement by the State upon which they depend for their survival……

It is my personal belief that this ideology is not accidental. Only the other day two more MPs fell prey to a press sting where they told us how they could influence policy and trade ‘under the radar’, and how this was excellent value at £8K per day; more than an unemployed person is paid yearly. If it was 1715 instead of 2015 I dare say we would have adopted the French model and separate MPs heads from their bodies, but it’s a carefully built house of cards and the distraction of survival along with the threat of ‘Jihady John’, ISIS/ISL/IS, global warming and the astutely constructed financial instability from which they protect us, keeps the vassal status quo.

 

The basic fact is that we are enslaved by a system from which we are unable to escape, with the exception of Ray Mears and maybe Bear Grylls. The nepotism, quid pro quo and control of the ruling elite keeps us firmly in our place; slaves who keep the cabal in positions of power and wealth through meaningless elections. You are most probably a modern slave……

Emancipation anybody…..?

Karl McCartney: Looking Out For Number 1 – 2020 Update…

‘It’ll be abundantly clear of any of Karl McCartney’s constituents that, to coin the phrase of one the 21^st century’s greatest philosophers, “You’re either with us, or you’re against us.” – [G.W.Bush – circa 2002]……

It is the job of your MP to represent your views in the Houses of Parliament. That applies whether you voted for them or not; they are still your representative in the House. They should gauge opinion and express it when it comes to voting on legislation. Karl McCartney not only ignores the opinions of individual constituents but he actively ‘filters out’ a whole public lobby, specifically by discounting the opinions of people who follow political debate and proposed legislation through social media……

 

38 Degrees……

38 Degrees is a legitimate public interest website. It does not claim any political affiliation; it simply raises issues that are important to the people of this country and which are not prioritised in traditional media. However, 38 Degrees seems to be Karl’s antithesis. Perhaps they are a little too close to the truth? 38 Degrees ‘members’ are just subscribers to updates and information regarding laws that may be under review, as well as other vital stories that would pass them by without the likes of 38 Degrees.

There are many websites that perform similar functions and gauging public opinion through Social Media was actively pursued as a policy in the new ‘transparency’ era. You can raise an e-petition to get your voice heard in Parliament, so a modern MP should be able to gauge opinion through social media and they have flunkies to deal with the tech, so there are no excuses……

Your Automatic Reply:

Thank you for contacting Karl McCartney, Member of Parliament for Lincoln. This is an automatic response acknowledging the receipt of your email.

If you are a constituent raising an issue (or acting on behalf of a constituent), we will reply by hard copy. If you have not already done so, please re-send your email with your full postal

Under Parliamentary protocol, MPs are only able to take up individual cases on behalf of their own constituents. If you are not a constituent living in Lincoln, you will need to contact your own MP. You can confirm the identity of your MP by following this link: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

Please note that we no longer respond to mass email campaigns initiated by organisations such as 38 Degrees. However, please be rest assured that your email will be read and noted.

The Crux of the Matter……

Karl McCartney MP has shown complete disregard and disrespect for the people he is paid a substantial amount of money to represent. He considers 38 Degrees to be “a left-wing propaganda website”, and its subscribers; “Inarticulate and incapable of thinking for themselves”. The opinion of hundreds of people who bothered to click a link to express their concern to Karl makes that opinion worthless purely due to its source. Karl’s techno boys have found a way to send an automated reply that states they actively ignore emails initiated by 38 Degrees (who are named).

So that’s Karl McCartney’s views on important campaigns to save our NHS and proceed carefully with Fracking, to name just two. In taking this attitude he is dismissing the opinion of nearly 4 million people, 25,000 in his constituency.

I expect my MP to have his finger on the pulse and represent the views of the people he represents, not his own self-centred, bigoted agenda. I’m sure Japan International Tobacco doesn’t have their emails filtered…….

‘Don’t forget that a letter requires a written response and answers to the questions asked. You can write to Karl McCartney MP at: The House of Commons, London. SW1A 0AA. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear from you…….

The Dripping Tap…….

Eight Simple Ways for the Treasury to Save Money……

Introduction……

We are not broke, we do not need to tighten our belts and we are certainly not ‘all in this together’.  Immigration and welfare benefits are not the drain on the economy our politicians continually claim; they are just an easy target to divert attention and act as a smokescreen to the reality of our economic position.

Here are eight ways to emancipate billions of pounds back into the economy……

1 – IT Projects……

Government IT projects are notorious.  They frequently do not perform the function for which they were designed, go over budget and are delivered late, if at all.  Those that make it into public use are usually redundant within a couple of years due to their failure to be able to communicate with newer systems in other departments.

Here a just a few examples:

1980 – TAURUS was an electronic trading platform designed to make the buying and selling of stocks and shares easier.  Outcome: cancelled.  Cost: £75 million.

2002 to 2011 – Electronic Care Records; one of many NHS IT project failures.  Over nine years and despite numerous attempts to make it work, it was never launched.  Outcome: Discontinued.  Cost: £12 billion.

2008 to 2013 – Digital Media Initiative was the BBCs digital platform.  It was scrapped when it became clear that other media companies could provide services at a much lower cost to the customer.  Outcome: cancelled.  Cost: £98 million.

The Government continues with IT initiatives, the latest being the universal benefit system.  Again, it has over run and will doubtless be over budget, if it ever works at all……

2 – Public and Judicial Enquiries……

It is understandable that the relatives and victims of events like Hillsborough and Bloody Sunday want answers.  However, the Public or Judicial Enquiry has become a tool for politicians to kick issues into the long grass.  They are hugely expensive, often take years to complete and rarely deliver results.  The Hutton enquiry into the Iraq war was carefully limited in terms of what it was enquiring into.  As a result nobody faced prosecution and nobody  suffered any consequences in respect to the ‘sexed up’ document that was used as the justification for going to war.  The same is true of the enquiries into the shooting of John Charles de Menezes and Mark Duggan, or the newspaper sales man Ian Tomlinson who died after being assaulted by a Police Officer whilst walking home from work during a demonstration.  None of these cases has led to the prosecution of the Officers involved.

The Jimmy Savile case has as many as 30 enquiries currently taking place……

3 – Defense Spending……

The Department of Defense should change its name to the Department of Attack, as the last time it defended the UK was during WWII.  It is time we stopped acting under the influence of the US as the worlds’ police force and concentrated our resources on defending UK sovereign territory.  A look at a map will show that there are no threats to the UK from any of its neighbors, most of whom are our allies.  The non geographical and greatly exaggerated ‘al Qaeda’ does not warrant £57 billion per year on defense spending.  Government wastage has led to the building of redundant aircraft carriers and the replacement of the Trident nuclear deterrent, which is not wanted and unnecessary……

4 – Tax Avoidance……

It is estimated that the UK treasury is deprived of £95 billion per year due to tax avoidance.  At the same time, many of the employees of the companies involved receive benefits to support low paid jobs (more on this later).  It is interesting to note and a demonstration of Governments priorities that HMRC have a team of 300 people dedicated to tackling £95b of tax avoidance whilst the DWP has 3000 people dedicated to recovering £1b of benefit overpayments and fraudulent claims……

5 – The Monarchy……

The Queen’s household and assorted hangers on costs the UK tax payer £33.3m in 2013; a rise of £900,000 on the previous year.  Although I am a republican I feel our Queen does deserve credit where credit is due.  She is a tourist attraction, or rather her palaces are, so I don’t propose we wheel our the guillotine just yet.  However, the monarchy are independently wealthy and becomming richer by the day.  Assets such as the Duchy of Cornwall net Prince Charles tens of millions each year.  They also hold a huge private art collection thought to be priceless, all of which they aquired through a questionable hereditary lineage.  I propose that the public purse does contribute towards the Queen’s official duties but the numerous palaces, estates and country retreats should be handed to the National Trust and opened to the public thereby generating an income for their upkeep and relieving the tax payer of a large financial burden……

6 – MPs Expenses and Allowances……

Sure, MPs work a long way from home but then so do thousands of other people who pay for their own travel and expenses.  MPs are already well paid but on top of their salary claim £100m in expenses.  Some of this is for the everyday things you and I pay for out of our own pockets and some is for the second home allowance.  As already mentioned many people commute from as far away as Peterborough, Grantham and even further.  If an MPs commute is deemed reasonable they should pay for it themselves.  If a second home is needed it should be sold when the MP looses their seat to reimburse the tax payers.  Even with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority overseeing claims, MPs are still receiving far too much money for expenses that the rest of the population are expected to pay for themselves……

7 – Diplomatic Travel……

The year is 2014, not 1914 and with technology there is little need for diplomatic travel when a simple conference call will suffice.  According to the Daily Mail a lot of ‘diplomatic’ travel is little more than an excuse for what they describe as ‘jollies’ and range from £2k to £10k depending on the destination and who is traveling.  This money does not form part of MPs expenses but comes from departmental budgets; the same budgets that have been squeezed by 25% in recent years.  It is rich to say the least to expect the UK public to ‘tighten their belts’ when MPs and Diplomats do not.  We are not ‘all in this together’……

8 – A Fair Pay Act……

It is time that laws are introduced setting out a workable minimum wage.  Not the £6.31 (21+), £5.03 (18 to 20), £3.27 (under 18) and £2.68 (apprentice); all of which are an insult when taking into account the increasing cost of living.  If you earn £6.31 per hour for 37.5 hours per week, you will barely be able to afford necessities.  This is the reason for the various Tax Credits which are paid to top up earnings to a reasonable amount.  But as mentioned earlier, many of the companies that pay minimum wages are also tax avoiders, thereby depriving the treasury twice.  Our whole economy would function better if wages were increased, Tax Credits abolished and tax avoidance curtailed……

None of this is rocket science and all perfectly achievable given the political will.  But instead of tackling the real issues of waste and poverty our representatives continually repeat the mantra of immigration and welfare reform; always being careful not to give factual details.  Immigrants pay in far more than they take out and welfare covers pensions, tax credits, child care allowances and a multitude of other benefits including universal benefits such as family allowance.  Unemployment benefits make up 1 or 2% of the welfare pie.  It is a tactic as old as democracy; divide and rule.  Whilst the arguments are focused on two vulnerable groups who have been demons, it gives the public someone to blame for the hardship they are suffering when in reality, with a little political will, this country could be £250 billion per year better off if only the pigs would pull their heads out from the trough and do the job for which they were elected……

NB: On the Radio 4 Today program (17th June) a recent survey revealed that the majority of residents believe most immigrants come to the UK to claim benefits.  It appears the political message is working……

The Cost of Technological Progress……

‘We all love our mobiles, iPads and laptops and most of us would feel lost without them. We also care about our planet, support eco-friendly products and would use them if they met our needs. Everybody loves a bargain, so when the price of technology keeps on falling we upgrade, even if our device is perfectly adequate. It sounds like a panacea; cheap, accessible and green. But as the old saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is……’

 

We all know that global industries are not in business for pleasure. They have one goal and that is to return the maximum possible profits. So a penny saved by the consumer is a penny recouped from somewhere else and that usually involves a human cost along the way……

 

I am writing and administering this blog from a seven year old laptop and, with good housekeeping, it continues to function perfectly. In fact I cannot think of anything I can’t do that a new computer would make possible. The truth of the matter is that we suffer from ‘technology envy’ and the sleek new laptops and phones are more cosmetically satisfying than they are functionally better; but we want one anyway. This applies to TVs, fridges, coffee machines, cars and almost any gadget we own. To supply goods at discount prices savings have to be made……

 

Human Resources, and a ‘resource’ is what we are in the eyes of global industries, is one of the first lines of cost cutting which is why your technology is almost always made in a country with no public healthcare, dilapidated infrastructure, chronic poverty and corrupt officials. For it is in those countries that humans can be bought at the least cost. They work 16 hour days and the concept of health and safety doesn’t appear in the equation. There is no sick pay or paid holidays and the employees dare not challenge the bosses because they are replaceable by the next desperate person……

 

Many companies claim to monitor standards at their far eastern supplier but the reality is that they will be shown a specially set up part of a factory; clean, safe and air conditioned. If they interview employees they are too frightened to speak up. This was brought into sharp focus by the recent collapse of a factory that made clothing for many well known high street brands……

 

The second issue is caused by the technology itself. To make batteries that last longer, motors with more power and the materials that aid miniaturisation we often use what are known as ‘rare earth elements’ such as Boron and Neodymium. By an accident of geology rare earth elements are most common in third world economies. Extracting them requires yet more cheap manpower and extracting them can leave behind toxic chemicals; chemicals that developed nations have strict regulations regarding their disposal. Unscrupulous third world companies simply dump them on the ground or into rivers. Another unfortunate consequence of rare earth elements is their rarity. Hundreds of tons of earth may contain only a tiny amount of the desired element, therefore, extracting them causes the destruction of vast areas of important ecosystems……

 

So, the next time you’re thinking of upgrading to the latest sleek, brushed aluminium mobile phone or laptop, ask yourself if you really need it, because your new phone may be helping to shorten someone’s life, contributing to the extinction of plants and animals, and ultimately halting development of third world countries.

 

And all because multi-national global companies need to pay huge bonuses and increase profits. ‘Sustainable growth’ has to be one of histories most damaging and unrealistic oxymoron ever to have come from a comfortable, air conditioned, over staffed and detached boardroom since ‘think tanks’ came into existence……

Shares in the Planet Soon to hit Wall Street ……

I noticed the mainstream press have been bringing inner city pollution in UK cities under the spotlight.  To bring the figures within ‘safe’ limits the ‘expert’ on the news suggests we walk & cycle to work, tax diesel vehicles & turn off the lights when leaving a room.  If, & it’s a big if, global warming is totally man-made, the action being taken is akin to pissing on a forest fire. However, the ‘green’ taxes being levied on us all are massively disproportionate when making a comparison against the effect they are having in reducing CO2 emissions.

 

I did an astonishing complicated calculation on the back of a fag packet that just happened to be to hand and came up with the following conclusion: If we are paying taxes to combat CO2 emissions, Her Majesty’s Treasury will be distributing it amongst the myriad of measures put in place to that end. Of course monies allocated to the treasury are distributed as the Chancellor, Gideon Osborne, sees fit. Many of the measures put in place and the funds allocated to them are a dismal failure, such as the home insulation scheme and similar projects which have not been taken up by the public, leaving a surplus of cash which has doubtless been used to give the impression that the economy is performing far better than is apparent to most of us. Meanwhile, the ‘big six’ energy companies profits have quadrupled from £230 million in 2009 (when the recession began), to £1.2 billion in 2013.

 

The reason that all attempts to reduce the CO2 emissions have nothing whatsoever to do with climate change is because Global warming is an industry and industries have one objective; to return profits to shareholders, not to save the planet. A function which I’m sure it is achieving because if you happen to be Siemens, or for that matter any other of the multitude of companies offering to smear your roof with ugly, inefficient PV cells, the Government are positively throwing money in your direction.

 

Finally, the figures for CO2 reduction laid out in the Kyoto agreement show our country to be 25% under the required quantities. This is nonsense at best and/or an accounting manipulation of the sort Lehman Brothers would be proud. The calculations for CO2 emissions fail to take into account the vast CO2 footprint created by imported goods on their journey from the far east, which by sea is somewhere around 8,000 miles (90% of UK imports arrive by sea). The same applies to the gas which we burn in power generation and domestically; again the CO2 from the journey is excluded. Another accounting trick is to remove CO2 in proportion to wind, water and privately generated PV electricity. But this is another deception. Because power stations cannot simply be turned on and off with the flick of a switch, even when green energy is being fed into the system, the gas and coal power stations continue to pump out CO2.

 

Politicians have done what politicians do, and do well; they have turned global warming into a business opportunity, taxing the public, rewarding the industries with tax breaks and dining out with the lobbyist at the best restaurants at our expense. They have little, if any, interest in climate change and contrary to popular opinion there are many scientist who will not support the statement, ‘Global warming is man made’, because, like weather forecasting, the system is so complicated nobody knows for definite whether global warming is natural or partly assisted by man. Science is an evolving subject but it is, unfortunately, funded by governments so if you want that grant you are more likely to get it if you sign up…..

 

They don’t care about smoking, drugs or drinking

They don’t care about waging war on innocent people

They don’t care about starvation

They don’t care about human rights abuses, torture and dictators

They don’t care about you

 

They care about two things: money and themselves

 

They are worried about an uprising against their lies, that’s why they are ordering water canons

 

 

Big Brother – Beware……

The Care Data Project – A Snoopers Charter……

During these times of austerity our Government has announced its latest hugely expensive, unnecessary and intrusive IT project, which based on their track record will cost three times as much as has been budgeted for and not work……

The new database will include medical information collected from your GP and hospital records.  It is unclear if this a re-launch of a proposal made at the start of the coalition or something entirely unconnected.  But, like the last attempt, it is an ‘opt out’ rather than ‘opt in’ system.

The proposed database is intended to improve patient outcomes and, although the data stored will be anonymous, it is not beyond the capability of hackers to trace its source.  It is unclear at this stage who will have legitimate access to the information stored and as we have learnt, it is not beyond major multinational companies to employ dubious and illegal methods to obtain whatever they need……

GPs have expressed concerns over the new database and although it is reported to be ‘anonymous’, the Police can access the database under certain circumstances; no specific details of what circumstances would warrant this……

The Pharmaceutical industry would also have access.

Cost Benefit Analysis……

In yet another disturbing story, the Government is pushing the BMA and NICE to apply a cost benefit analysis to the prescribing of some medications.  There has been talk of withholding medications from older people.  Although it may be beneficial for the patient, their contribution to society may not be as good as that of a younger man with the same condition.  It is almost as if they are regarding us as batteries……

‘Since writing this article is has become clear that this IT project is the one previously……’

 

The original article was entitled ’The Snoopers Charter (Cont’d)’ posted on 28 December……

Putin’s Olympic Shame……

The Olympic Charter……

 

‘The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play……’

The irony of the failure of the fifth Olympic Ring to light during the opening ceremony of the winter games wasn’t lost on me and the thousands of other people disgusted by Russia’s treatment of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender citizens.

In a sick game referred to as ‘hunting’, gangs of homophobic thugs, posing as LGBT through social media, lure their victims to a location and systematically abuse, humiliate and torture them.  They then post videos on YouTube which can lead to further attacks and the victims sometimes loosing their jobs.  The police pay little, if any, attention to the assaults causing many abuses to go unreported……

Olympic Athletes’ Protests……

Many would argue that a boycott of the event was appropriate, given the human rights abuses taking place in Russia.  However, the Olympic Games have a history of participants’ protesting and making their feelings known while the worlds’ media watches.  It would be nice to see this tradition carried on into the Sochi Games……

Past Protests……

In 1936 at the Berlin games which Hitler intended to prove Aryan supremacy, Jesse Owens, having already broken five world records in the previous year, won four Gold medals cheered on by German spectators to Hitler’s annoyance.

Traditionally, the organizers of the Olympics have not courted involvement in political issues. But in the case of South Africa’s apartheid, they took a stand. The Olympic Charter states that “any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on ground of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.”

In 1958, a movement began to exclude South Africa from competing in the Olympic Games because of the country’s policy ban on “interracial sport.” It took several years for the IOC to act, but beginning in 1964 South Africa was banned from participation in the global games.

In 1968 Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the black power salute during the medal presentation ceremony.  They both held their black gloved hands aloft until the United States national anthem had finished.

Other athletes have protested at the inequalities different groups have faced at the Olympic Games and long may they continue……

Sochi 2014……

In light of the human rights abuses of LGBT and other liberal thinkers based in Russia, including journalist who fail to tow the party line, I hope that the rainbow flag can be seen waving in the crowds and that athletes interviewed for television take a stand against human rights abuses……

Christmas Message for 2013……

As we leave 2013 behind us we prepare to celebrate Christmas.  Out come the tinsel and the glitter balls, in comes the tree and we send cards, but only to those who sent one to us last year in the spirit of Christmas.  The shops are full of eager consumers, all vying to get the latest digital device and ticking off the long list of requirements from their nearest and dearest.  The works Christmas party leaves its employees with a hangover and some embarrassing photographs, posted on social media sites for all to see.  We stock up our cupboards with special treats, mince pies and the obligatory tin of Quality Streets from which the purple ones are first to go and the orange creams left for the late comers.  This is pretty much the modus operandi of almost everyone, but amidst the frivolities those of you who are paying attention will have noticed the absence one fairly important detail: the birth of the alleged son of our Lord and our saviour, the baby Jesus, for whom this whole celebration is centred around.  Unless you happen to be a gloating parent of a primary school child, the central raison d’être for Christmas will probably not have even entered your thoughts.  It is also worth noting that the classical ‘nativity play’ stops just short of the point where King Herrod ruthlessly massacred ever male infant born within his kingdom, but the indoctrination has to lull its victims into a false sense of security before revealing the ‘catch 22’.  The hell and damnation can be woven in at a later date, once we have allowed our children to believe in the complete omnipotent nature of ‘god’s’ existence……

Christmas, along with Easter, Valentines’ Day, Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day, to name but a few, is nothing more than a commercial opportunity for the multi-nationals to generate sales.

Unless you are a devout Christian, in which case you need to get with the program, and then take advantage of the time you have been off work and get drunk, but have a re-think on some of your other actions.

Your kids don’t need anymore mind-numbing computer games and why buy so much food that you’ll still be finding out of date Christmas fodder in your cupboards in July 2014……

The Alternative……

By all means buy your closest friends a token gift; hand made with thought speaks volumes.  Most people would appreciate a bottle of £5 plonk and the ridiculous game of only buying for the people who bought for you last year is hardly in the spirit of Christmas.  I can’t think of anything more satisfying than receiving a card explaining how you’ve donated the money that would have paid for your gift to a charity that cares for the hundreds of thousands of orphaned, displaced and starving people who are only in that position because of US and UK foreign policy.  Four million, that’s 4,000,000,000 Syrians are currently in dire need of assistance for food, shelter and medical supplies.  870 million people are classed as malnourished.  The displaced Palestinians are in need of help as they eek out an existence whilst the occupying Israeli forces continue to encroach on what little territory they have left despite dozens of UN resolutions against Israel who are in contravention of international law but continue to receive military assistance and hardware from the US and UK.

The majority of suffering in the ‘third world’ is as a direct result of the actions of the UK, US and the Netherlands’ historical desire to build empires.  In the 19th century we killed the food supply for fun and now the only animals left can just about support safaries for the wealthy.  Think of the difference your Christmas spending, which is meaningless to all but the devout practicing Christians, could make to the people of the world.  I doubt whether the Prime Minister or his contemporaries will give the true meaning of Christmas even a passing thought as they rip into their presents on Christmas day.  How long he can afford to keep his central heating on will not feature, nor will his electricity consumption, water bill, council tax and the endless other considerations that his minions are hard pressed to pay after the celebration of the birth of Christ.  I doubt he will give a passing thought to the British troops who lost their lives needlessly in ‘the war on terror’, or to the devastated families they left behind.  No, Christmas at the PMs will be all Champagne and laughter, as it will at Nick Cleggs’ and the others who are responsible for our suffering.  What more could a detached upper-class Etonian under the control of the global elite wish for at Christmas……

May we all one day live in an equal secular society that makes no categorical judgement other than ‘member of the human race’, that takes only what is needed to live in a warm, sheltered, loving environment……

Make someone’s Christmas by sending your excessive, indulgent spending so they can sleep in shelter and drink clean water……

Happy Equinox for the 21st……

The Distribution of Wealth……

The reality of everyday life has led us to accept that some are wealthy than others, either through an accident of birth, some extraordinary luck or plain old hard work. I thought I’d look at the richest nation on Earth to see the disparity between rich and poor; the United States of America.  You may, as did I, find the outcome quite incomprehensible but enlightening.

The disparity between rich and poor is in reality larger than the perception of the public’s impression of just how big that disparity is……

A Harvard Professor of Economics asked 5,000 people how they thought Americas’ wealth was distributed.  The graph below divides the population into 5 groups each representing 20% of the population, poorest on the left, richest on the right.

The bottom line represents how 92%, that’s 8 out of 10 Americans, would choose as an ideal distribution of wealth.

The line above represents how they thought the distribution of wealth actually is.

Here we add in the top line which shows the actual distribution of wealth.  Note that the bottom 40% is hardly visible and are hard to see on this graph.

The top 1% has more wealth than 9 out of 10 Americans believe the top 20% should have.

To help make things clearer we have taken the same 5 x 20% groups and made them into a representative 100 people.

Dividing the wealth proportionally to the 5 groups making up the 100 Americans, we have $54 trillion to allocate.

Divided equitably, here’s how it would look.  This is idealised socialism.

This is how the graph would look if the wealth was shared out according to the ideal expressed by 9 out of 10 Americans.

Again, this is how the graph would look according to how 9 out of 10 think the wealth is distributed.

This is the graph representing the reality of wealth distribution.  We’ve had to cut the last 3 columns of the richest 20% to fit it neatly on the page.  However, a new column has had to be created for the richest 1% (the column in black).  That 1% holds more wealth than all of the others added together.

The richest 1% of Americans has 40% of the wealth and the lowest 80% have only 7% of the wealth.

What this means is that the CEO of an American company earns 380 times the income of their average employee.  Not the lowest paid janitor but that of the average employee.  In other words the average employee earns in one month what the CEO earns in one hour.

I chose America because somebody more intelligent than me had already worked out the calculations but I imagine this is pretty close to the reality of most nations; and in many it is much worse.

Surely there will come a point when the inequality between the richest 1% and the poorest 40% will become apparent to more and more people, especially through social media.  Eventually, given that we are reaching a point where the disparity effects more than just the starving and oppressed people of the third world where the West continue to trample their populations with their sycophantic, ideological wars that serve no other purpose than creating yet more wealth, the people will decide enough is enough and something akin to an ‘Arab Spring’ will start to spread across ‘democratic’ western nations and revolutions will abound.  If I was in the top 20% of this unequal distribution of wealth, I would start to have serious concerns about my position in society and the company I keep……