Alone

Some scars don't heal.

Damien Rice - Older Chests Acoustic

Grief is the price we pay for love.

Beach

Clarity in the mist

Happy 8th Birthday blog.

This blog is 8 years old today. I haven't been as prolific recently, but that may once again change now I am back in Hong Kong for the for seeable future. Check back soon. Check out the links to my other blogs too.

Auto me

Had a fantastic Skype session with my boys yesterday.  I took them from Shek o on the bus and Mtr to Tseung Kwan O using the front camera on the phone.They were sat eating their breakfast in England and as Joseph said, 'it's just like being you Dad'. Got a few funny looks on the train, but then again,  I always do. That got me thinking,  someone needs to invent an ' auto you'   a remote control robot that can be operated by you and wearing a set of glasses and using your voice, I could take the kids to school or sit and make them do their homework all from the garden in Hong Kong. Get your fingers out boffins, and when the fuck is my hover board arriving, and my flying car?

Tories use murdered children for political gain.

How low can they go?

George Osborne has been branded "sick" byLabour after he appeared to link the case ofchild killer Mick Philpott to his wish to cut benefits.Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery said he was "horrified" that the chancellor would seek to exploit the deaths of six children for political ends."Sick, sick, sick, Osborne outrageously using the unspeakable Philpott case in an attempt to boost public support for cutting welfare," he said on Twitter.

The Summer of Discontent

Told you so......The Summer of Discontent

Welfare means murder?

So according to The Daily Mail, being on benefits now turns you into murdering child killing scum,  or that those on benefits are now grouped together with child killers.So if this guy had his own business the headline would have been 'Product of capitalism UK murders kids'
Did I miss something?  Does the job centre now encourage homicidal maniacs? "Have you been seeking employment or killed anyone this week?"  The scary thing is that people swallow this crap. This man was already a child killer, the suggestion that welfare produces this scum is ridiculous in the extreme.
This country becomes scarier everyday, especially for those not able to protect themselves.

Asda(Wal-Mart) being taken over by machines.

Went into Asda the other day, they had more self service check-outs than human check-outs, even though it was busy. I counted 14 self service and just 3 staffed. It's a bloody hassle using the self service, "Please place the items in the baggage area" it is hard not to just say fuck it and walk out with your shopping.  There needs to be a backlash against the machines, people should insist on being served by a human. Stop the horsemeat selling bastards cutting much needed local jobs.

Of course he Iain Duncan Smith will not back up his words.

Helen Grant MP

Disgusting!

Iain Duncan Smith to live on £53 a week.

Iain Duncan Smith: Iain Duncan Smith to live on £53 a week.

SIGNATURES

103,146

PETITIONING

Iain Duncan Smith, Department for Work and Pensions

STARTED BY

Dom Aversano

Overview+

This petition calls for Iain Duncan Smith, the current Work and Pensions Secretary, to prove his claim of being able to live on £7.57 a day, or £53 a week. On this morning's Today Programme David...

Letter+

I call on Iain Duncan Smith to prove his claim to be able to live on £7.57 a day, or £53 a week, by doing so for one year.SignView full site© 2013, Change.org Inc. All Rights Reserved.

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/iain-duncan-smith-iain-duncan-smith-to-live-on-53-a-week?utm_campaign=action_box&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share_petition

Home

直待在家里会让我觉得无聊。

天气好的时候，我会出去走走。

Ignore history at your peril.

In 1924  we had a general strike in this country because of the terrible poverty of the working classes. Those same people had survived the Great War, and the ruling classes capitulated faced with the threat of communism and revolution. 20 years later those same classes fought against the tyranny of facism.They were rewarded with the establishment of the National Health Service and the Welfare State, again to counter the effect of communism. The 70s brought The Winter of Discontent  and the 80s street riots.
This country faces worse today. The ruling classes have undermined the gains of a century, the middle classes have turned the other cheek. The workers have been driven down and down. The workers are now paying for the greed of the wealthy. The bailout of the banks alone has cost hundreds of billions of pounds, who pays? Poverty has been shoved under the carpet by ALL of the ruling political parties, fascism and nationalism now rears it's ugly head, as it did in 1930s Germany and Italy. Britain is a nation of ommigrants contrary to popular belief,  check your own surname. Immigration is not the devil it's made out to be, it accounts for a fraction of our problems. Illegal immigration should be stopped and it can be if the departments meant to deal with it are given the tools to do so.But it is ultimately a convenient distraction from the real problem, the whipping boy that politicians use for their own survival.
The widening gap between rich and poor is the problem, the distribution of the wealth has tilted violently towards the ruling classes. The middle classes believe their continuing support of Conservatives, the status quo and their disdain of the poor will enrich their lives. They ignore the storm clouds approaching and the hard lessons of history.
The same spirit that fought for workers' rights and the same steel resolve that defeated fascism still burns within the working classes. That anger and that violence which has always been a part of our character has had no real outlet for years except for the blood and piss stained city and town centres on weekend nights.

But that violence is simmering,  boiling up, local councils have already begun to plan for mass non payment of increased council tax, and bedroom tax they fully expect the same reation as they had for the Poll Tax.
The middle and ruling classes have forgotten that their way of life is only possible with the permission of the people. If that permission is taken away,  anarchy ensues.That point is being reached in this country. We are back to 1924.
If a man or woman work full time and still are unable to provide for their family, there is something very very wrong. When that point is reached, the system has broken. When the system breaks it breaks for everyone not just the poor.
When there are riots later this year, the media will act surprised and shocked, the ruling classes will call for tougher penalties. But this time,I don't think it will just be chavs and scallies rioting, and this time they may not stop.
We are on the brink, only the character of a Churchill, Lloyd George or Atlee will be able to pull us back. Someone with the balls to renationalise all those that have failed the nation.. the banks, the railways, the electricity and gas suppliers, even the buses! Answer this, Which British company is admired more than any other? The BBC. Who owns it? You do!
Someone with the balls to introduce a minimum wage of £15 per hour, and impose an immediate 40% levy on banks' profit and accounts with over a million, and 75% top rate tax rate. 
Workers don't want fucking working tax credits or council tax benefits they just want to earn enough to pay their way, and they want the fuckers who made this mess to pay for it.

Breadline Britain

Breadline Britain on ITV now( or plus 1 later).This has reduced me to tears, how did we let our country become like this, children without food and heating, even with working parents? The numbers are sobering, the difference between now and 30 years ago. 3.1 million WORKING people live in poverty!!!

Spring cancelled in Europe.

Depressed with the never ending winter? Neighbours jetted off to the south of France?  Greece? Spain? Well unless they've left Europe, they are still cold!

Permanent residence for domestic helpers.

If a Filipino enters on a work visa or marries a permanent resident they CAN obtain permanent residency. Racism? Chinese wives from the mainland are NOT able to gain permanent residency,  racist? Domestic helper contracts clearly state that permanent residence will not be given. Taking up the offer of work is not compulsory. How can foreigners gain permanent residency in The Phillipines? They can't!  Racist?

Hong Kong residency and blatant racism | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Hundred flowers blooming

NHS to be completely overhauled due to shocking neglect,Same with the UK border agency(which is being abolished), nothing at all to do with being understaffed, having no money to do the job at hand, and being saddled with cut price computer systems and lying managers and politicians who inflate figures until disaster strikes. This will become a familiar move over the next year with all government departments and services, as each fail to do the job they exist for, or calamitous incidents occur again and again.  Reminds me of Mao's China and 'The hundred flowers blooming' campaign when work units produced miraculous amounts of rice according to government figures closely followed by a famine that killed 20 million.

Crook Osborne rumbled.

Asda(Walmart) horsemeat

I bought this a few weeks ago and cooked corned 'beef' hash for the family. Now turns out it was horsemeat.  I didn't buy horsemeat, I really have a right to be sold what I paid for. If they didn't know it contained horsemeat, what else was in it? How can I feel safe buying food for my kids?
When will the government punish these corporations for endangering and misleading their customers on a colossal scale? These companies make countless millions in profits and drive down quality and safety in pursuit of that policy,  when will they be punished?

Any company using government workfare scheme will be targeted until they stop or close!

Great stuff!  Minimum wage is for everyone.All employees need a wage, Work experience is slavery and any company using it will be targeted!
@UKuncut:  @boycottworkfare:

Tories promise another ten years of misery.

Tories celebrate worst recovery in modern history, promise to drag it out for another ten years until all peasants are dead.

We love Osborne, opposition tells Cameron.

Whole world tells Chancellor he is a fuckwit of the highest order.

Murdoch turns on Tories after spectre of press regulation.

Tory papers turn on the Chancellor.  The Scum and The Nail are still obviously pissed off about press regulation, and are on the war path.

Daylight robbery budget.

Fuck you and fuck your budget! 1p off a pint?! We want the 5% tax cut for the rich to be abolished. And answer the fucking question Bullingdon Boy, how many in the cabinet and your party will be £100, 000 better off on April 1st

Scoop!

London Evening Standard publishes budget before budget

Another shambollocks budget from the undoubtedly most inept Chancellor ever.

What goodies will Osborne give the rich tomorrow?  Will he try and tax sausage rolls or maybe school uniforms?  Cyprus, first nation to leave the EU?

The Endgame begins.

The first bankrupt nation? And a run on the banks regardless, as Cypriots realise that ALL their savings may now be in danger, not just 6-12%. And don't think for a moment it will stop in Cyprus, or just the EU. The first line of dominoes have already fallen, but this is the second line, watch them fall. Europe will not back down on the bailout being underwritten by savers' deposits as they feel that Euro money to bail out the large amount of Russian money in Cypriot banks is not acceptable. Seems the only possible way out of this hole will be a Russian bailout. We live in interesting unchartered times, we continue to wrongly assume that this financial crisis can never lead to the conditions experienced 100 Years ago in the developed world. The financial endgame has begun.

Cyprus MPs reject divisive bank tax http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21842966

News International amongst others running scared of being forced to stop telling lies.

The Independent,Guardian and Financial Times have approved of deal but some  newspapers not keen on regulatory deal, especially the scummy ones. Meanwhile the sky is falling in, in Cyprus.

Prosecute Murdoch!

The Sun illegally access MPs stolen phone! Scum Sun, close it down!  #TheSun #leveson    
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21831000

BBC News - Sun apologises for accessing MP's stolen phone

Putin not happy

As I said, Russia have major interest in Cypriot banks.

Putin calls Cyprus deposit levy unfair, dangerous http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/us-russia-putin-cyprus-idUSBRE92H06Y20130318

Freedom of speech has some obvious controls.

The Mirror is silent again but The Sun has come out fighting to protect its right to continue to abuse the whole nation.The Mail has gone with 'British lives have fought for freedom of expression..'.. which is right, but they didn't fight to be hacked and treated like pieces of shit by Murdoch, the Mail and The Mirror.  These scum have had 50 years to self regulate, now it's too late.

Murdoch scum abuse Churchill's words.

Which paper has its front page protecting the 'free' press? Yes, it's the Murdoch Sun scum! Nobody is trying to restrict the freedom of the press or the right to free speech.Legislation is to hold the press accountable for the despicable breaches of law and ethics that closed for example The News Of The World, The Sun scum's dirty sister paper.  Fuck you Murdoch, get the fuck out of our country, we don't want your scum here.

Cypriot banking collapse?

Interesting day ahead. The Cyprus bank bailout has a price tag of a 10 % levy on all bank accounts to underwrite and pay for the bailout. There will be chaos as the Cypriot population attempt to withdraw their savings. This could well be followed by a nervous Greek population watching and following suit. It's estimated that Russians have $3.7bn in Cypriot banks, and an alternative Russian bailout may yet emerge to safeguard Russian interests. Why Cyprus and why now? The rest of Europe will be watching this and wondering how safe is their own money.
Meanwhile here in the UK, the ruling Coalition may well be over by this time tomorrow,  with the Conservatives effectively left with a minority government.  The Liberal Democrats know that even they must support legislation to control the gutter press, or face extinction at the next election.
On Wednesday the emperor gets his new clothes, when the deaf, dumb and blind George Osborne announces his budget without even the support of his own party who realise that every budgetary measure introduced by this cretin has failed spectacularly or resulted in one of many many u-turns.This is the man who brought us the pasty and caravan tax.
To summarise,  now more than at any other time in living memory have so many been ruled by so many humoungously inept, stupid , Eton, Bullingdon club stuck up their own arses total fuckwits. The boat is rocking violently but there is nobody rowing.

MPs Murdoch shame

600 new hacking claims against Murdoch! Prime minister says no press legislation is necessary!  Any MP voting for no legislation should forever hold down their head in shame.

Catholic cardinal excuses paedophiles.

I listened to this idiot last night on Radio5. He doesn't believe paedophile priests are criminally liable as they are 'sick'. This man is a cardinal who helped choose the new pope, he is a leader of the Catholic Church!

BBC News - 'Paedophilia not criminal condition' says Durban cardinal

Non non proliferation.

Sad day, after nearly 3 decades of scaling back missile defences, is this the beginning of a new arms race?

BBC News - US to boost nuclear missile defences to counter North Korea

Scroungers?

A little noticed piece of DWP research shows that four out of five claimants spent at least three quarters of the past four years off unemployment benefit.
Read this excellent article from The New Statesman.

The myth of the "welfare scrounger"

The end of the Coalition as Cameron gets into bed with Murdoch.

On the day that it emerges that the ruling Coalition may itself be threatened by the Leveson inquiry,  certain newspapers choose to ignore the news.  The Sun obviously, and The Mirror whose editor has just been arrested ( Piers Morgan is still free!).

Cameron gives Murdoch another blow job

What a big fucking surprise,  the Prime Minister says he will not legislate on findings of Leveson inquiry which showed that the press acted and continues to act illegally and without ethics, half of The News of The World's journalists are currently being prosecuted for phone hacking murdered 12 year old's phone amongst others, and countless senior and junior police are facing court for passing private information to LAWLESS press! Cameron protects Murdoch and the rich and powerful.....again!

Price fixing by Wellcome and ParkNShop?

Bought this for HK$4 in the UK.  Would be HK$80 in Hong Kong. Price fixing by Wellcome and ParkNShop is the only real explanation.

Stranger Danger.

A lot of this about at the moment, here on The Wirral,  Liverpool,  and Wigan. At least 5 attempts in the last month, thankfully unsuccessfully,  need to keep reminding kids of dangers.

Uk is second most expensive country after Chad!

Scandalous!  This is continuing to hurt the UK economy

Blame it on the duty http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2013/03/britains-exorbitant-airport-taxes

Really?

Tory Britain

Some older videos

Newsflash! Cameron is a lying bastard.

Pinnochio has got nothing on this lying bastard!  He has been caught red handed telling lies about official economic figures, and the independent agency have had enough, and told him to stop lying!

Cameron and Clegg rob disabled woman.

Here are the real victims of those banker loving bastard motherfuckers Cameron and Osborne's  Bedroom tax
She said of Mrs Carmichael: "She has spina bifida and lives in a two-bedroom flat with her husband. She is severely disabled and has to sleep in  a hospital bed with an electronic pressure mattress.
"Mr Carmichael is unable to sleep in the same bed as his wife. The bed is not large enough for two people...there is no space in the room for a second bed.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2013/03/06/merseyside-woman-takes-up-bedroom-tax-test-case-challenge-100252-32934323/

Cameron and Osborne. Save the bankers, fuck the disabled!

Prime Minister's questions today, Cameron said we must ensure bankers stay in the UK, but 26 Euro countries (not the UK)voted to restrict bankers' bonuses yesterday. He didn't explain why he protects bankers but not the disabled, who will be paying £300m because of the bedroom tax, or why £3bn will be given to the richest in tax cuts but the poorest will pay more in council tax.

Ignore their howls of protest. If bankers leave the country, it would be no loss | Simon Jenkins
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/06/if-bankers-leave-it-would-be-no-loss

Moro Islamic Liberation Front drags Philippines into armed conflict with neighbour.

Have started to see support from the Philippines in support of these criminals, which i can only describe as  nationalist in nature with accusations of rape and torture doing the rounds....which is simply not true.

These gunmen are hired Muslim criminals, pure and simple. The same groups that the Philippine government have been fighting for 20 years! 

The claim that thousands have been deported is a false one. A Filipino family have been involved in violence and intimidation in Borneo. If the 'heirs' truly have a claim, then they should not have left. Fisherman did indeed settle throughout South East Asia, but they did so under the rule and sovereignty of the countries they settled in. The same applies to Chinese fishermen and traders, just because they settle in Vietnam, Philippines etc doesn't mean they own where they settle.The heirs have already asked for compensation which has been rejected.As soon as they left their claim lapsed. One person or family cannot own a country it belongs to the people living there. Borneo is not The Philippines. At the same time the islands near The Philippines are not Chinese they belong to the Philippines. The filipino 'claim' on Borneo will damage its relations with its neighbours for what reason? To try and get money for one family? Would any payment benefit the people? No. Let the family go to the International court and waste their own money doing so.

There doesn't exist a single historical map that shows Philippine sovereignty of any part of the island of Borneo. The claim is a private land ownership claim,  which must be settled according to the laws of the governing country. The Philippine itself has very strict laws restricting foreign ownership of land, as do most of its neighbours. If the family in question were born and settled in Borneo then they would be citizens of that country and have a possible rightful claim. This is not a nationalist issue, it concerns private ownership. The Philippines would be better served looking at its own land ownership problems.Most of the land and wealth is controlled by a handful of rich families who gained their wealth through corruption and at the expense of normal Filipinos. The indigenous peoples of many islands have lost their lands to 'mainlanders' from Manila, take the Mangyans of Mindoro for example,  who now sell trinkets on their own beaches which have been sold illegally to outsiders. This claim in Borneo stems from mining and the hopeful exploitation of the natural resources of that area.The land should belong to those that live and farm the land, and those that were born there and raised their children there.

Malaysia launches air strikes against squatter sultan's Filipino army

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/05/malaysia-bombs-borneo-expel-sultan

Are Catholic priests wankers?

Amen!
Men are driven by testosterone to want sex, says John Wass, Professor of Endocrinology at Oxford University. Women are driven to a lesser degree by a mixture of testosterone and oestrogen, he explains. "I'd regard celibacy as a totally abnormal state."

Around 80-90% of men masturbate and it's likely that priests do too, he says.

There is data to suggest that men who ejaculate more are less prone to prostate cancer, he says. "You could argue that it's not so healthy to be celibate."

Is it even possible to live a celibate life?

By Tom de Castella BBC News Magazine
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21654663

Stop these thieves!

Home is where the noodles are.

Happy Anniversary to me! On this day 20 years ago in 1993 I first arrived in Hong Kong. The next day I got a job as a dancing rabbit, and started teaching a week later, then moved to Lantau 3 months later. On my phone and laptop all my clocks show dual time, UK and Hong Kong. I check the weather in both no matter which one I'm in. I have spent more of my life in Hong Kong than I have in the UK. Hong Kong is my real home, I only spend time in England because I have to. As Arnie would say........

Giz a job

As well as 3m unemployed there are 3m under-employed, that's 1m up from 2008. In 2007(the last time I worked here)  there were 2.1 people for every vacancy nationwide. Today here on The Wirral there are 38(see table below)

Wasteland Wirral, Wasteland Merseyside

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9094339/Worst-cities-to-find-a-job.html
Some 80 candidates are chasing every role going in Hull, while 73 claimants apply for every job in Stoke-on-Trent, a review of the latest official jobs data found.
In Sunderland, 54 applicants chase every vacancy, while in Southend and The Wirral there are 44 and 41 claimants respectively for every job, the analysis by recruitment site Adzuna showed. TELEGRAPH 20 Feb 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/feb/28/uk-job-market-shows-improvement

The statistics show that there were 3.22 jobseekers for each vacancy across the UK but in Hull that rises to 50.95 jobseekers per vacancy and 45.56 candidates per job in the Wirral.guardian.co.uk, Thursday 28 February 2013

WANCHAI

Wanchai (to the tune of 'Downtown')

 If you are young, and got nowhere to go, head down to Wanchai, Wanchai
 All along the streets you'll find lots of bars and discos,
 All are pretty seedy, but good enough to get pissed in.
 Careful of your wallet and anything you're carrying
 Be-cause-you-will-have-such-a-good-time-there
 Oh Yeah, Wanchai, you'll find everything there,
 Wanchai It is just waiting for youuu wanchai,wanchai


If you are old and feeling life has no meaning,head down to Wanchai,Wanchai
The wife gets on your nerves and you want to escape, just go to Wanchai, Wanchai,
 Standing at the bar, you'll meet lots of sad gits,
 As the beer goes down, you'll become another sad tit
 In-Wanchai-it-doesn't-really-matter, just-drink-some-more beer-and-get-a-little -fatter,
 oh yeah Wanchai, you'll lose everything,
Wanchai, everyone's in the same boat,
Wanchai it's there for you noooowww.
wanchai wanchai

Got no money, and up for a laugh, head down to Wanchai,Wanchai
Stand on the street and watch the nutters go by oh yeah in Wanchai,Wanchai
24 hours a day, it never fails to impress,
 The people that you see, are often quite depressed
Stand-on-the-corner-watch-the-world-go-by
Oh yeah, Wanchai, it has lots of 7/11s,
Wanchai, there's always a party,Wanchai
It's just waiting for youuuuu-wanchai, wanchai, wanchai......

Boycott the Maldives

People have the power to stop this, let the Maldives govt know that if they do this, then their tourist industry will be boycotted. Maldives girl gets 100 lashes for pre-marital sex By Olivia Lang BBC News Maldives Rights groups have urged the government to abolish the punishment A 15-year-old rape victim has been sentenced to 100 lashes for engaging in premarital sex, court officials said. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21595814

PRIVATISE BRITISH GAS

Profits up, prices up, people going without heating PRIVATISE THE BASTARDS! Anne Robinson, director of consumer policy at the price comparison website Uswitch, said:"Seven out of 10 of us actually went without heating at some point during this winter and over a third of us have reported that we feel it's actually affected the quality of our life and also our health. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21598504

Wanchai Jesus

Fraudulent e-mail from Manila.

This is a scam. An email arrives in your inbox from a friend or contact asking for help. It is a scam, your friend is fine!

Just received this e-mail today, The 'sender' is apparently a real-estate agent in Hong Kong I have used, so the email must look for a name in my contacts and pretend it is from them.
Be warned folks. And if you get one from me, it is not me, I am not lucky enough to be stuck in Manila, as if I was, I'd buy a San Miguel and enjoy the heat...oh too be hot again! Anyway, here's the e-mail.

Hello,

I am sorry for my sudden request but I am left with no option, I know I did not inform you of my trip but I had a short vacation down to manila, philippine which is just the 3rd day today, I was robbed last night on my way back to the hotel from a shopping mall with family, it's such a traumatic experience for us as the robbers had gun pointing at us. All belongings are gone now since everything where stolen off us, no one could do anything because of the panic state we were in. I already filed a report after the incident and also had to block the credit cards immediately so we don't lose more than what was taken. Please I need you to loan me $3000 to resolve our predicament back home, I will pay you back right as soon as we are back home, I give you my word. Please let me know if you can be of help.

Thanks,

Yours in HIM,

Brother Sai

Millionaires' bonus

Council tax bombshell

Mail drop from the (Wirral) council today, the same letters must be dropping through letter boxes all over the country.
To summarise; A single person on the dole will now have to pay £5 a week council tax, which is about 8% of their money.
A couple about £12-9%
A couple with 2 kids on the dole £15
A single mother with 2 kids earning about £190 in wages needs to pay  £15 per week, previously all of these groups were excluded  from council tax.
That WORKING mother will now pay £60 more per month.
For low earning working families the rise will be around £20 per week.
The government is still going ahead with massive tax cuts for the rich and large corporations. 
These letters have only just started arriving, mine today.
The actual bills are due to arrive in 2 weeks. For many, the court orders for non payment will begin to arrive in May.
Watch this space,  this same issue brought down Thatcher. How can people pay what they don't have? How will the courts take money that isn't there?

Sterling cock up

Monday blues! Osborne and Cable described the loss of AAA as background noise this weekend, the markets appear to think differently this morning, the pound is falling through the floor. How are these wankers in charge of the nation's finances?

Garden

Shame on us

Economists, The Bank of England,  The World Bank, even the UN warned that the UK's austerity measures were too fast and too steep. And now the ratings agencies have confirmed it.To make vicious cuts without any measures for stimulation cannot work, it is simple maths. The people in this country have been bled dry and are suffering,  of course they are not going to spend money! The number of job cuts announced weekly is staggering.This govt play with statistics and claim unemployment is declining, bollocks, only an idiot would believe that.Meanwhile they spit in everyone's faces and continue to ensure tax cuts for the rich. In times of recession, belts must be tightened, that goes for the rich and the big corporations,  but the government must take up the slack. Why continue to pay money on huge welfare costs as everyone loses their jobs, spend it instead on major infrastructure projects, create jobs and build something solid with the money? Housing, railways, power projects to name but a few. This govt are  criminals, so far removed from everyday life in their ivory Eton and Oxbridge towers they think they are untouchable and treat the nation they rule with contempt. Shame on them and shame on those who put them in power. Yes, other countries are also in trouble, it was a WORLD recession after all, but it is how the UK drags itself out of that world recession that is the point.We are now entering a triple dip recession, the only developed nation to do so.

2011 and 2012

What are they feeding our kids?

Now we don't even know what shit we are feeding our kids! Famous last words from the government, 'there is no need to worry'.  These horses have been fed on bute, which has now entered the human food chain.
"Bute can cause a potentially fatal blood disorder in humans called aplastic anaemia, in which the bone marrow fails to produce enough blood cells. Because it is not possible to say what triggers the disorder, it is not possible to identify a safe level of residue in meat".

BBC News - Horsemeat found in some school dinners

Stigmatise the unemployed?

I am tired of the media blaming 'shirkers' for this country's problems, a quick search of the real data is enough to see the real picture.  Firstly, most unemployed have been unemployed for less than a year, they paid their National Insurance and are fucking entitled to dole, that's the fucking point! Nationally there are 5 people for every job vacancy, that goes up to 35 here on The Wirral, 35 people for every available vacancy, it's not rocket science, that means no jobs for 34 people!The majority of long term unemployed are over 50 years old, the group who are discriminated against the most in the job market. 

There most certainly are some lazy bastards out there, milking the system, and more needs to be done to find them, but the numbers are 5% of the total at the very most.
Give people on the dole a fucking break, they are not animals who need to be punished and stigmatised, if you want them off the dole choose a fucking government that will create jobs and not just give tax breaks to the rich.
Remember- you may be one of those on the dole, and that doesn't make you scum.
n.b. I am not on the dole, and if after being here for 6 months or so and I can't find any decent work, i have the option of finding it elsewhere. 

Source:LabourForceSurvey
Nationally there are 5.1 unemployed for every vacancy.
The employment rate for those aged from 16 to 64 for September to November 2012 was 71.4%, There were 29.68 million people in employment aged 16 and over, up 90,000 from June to August 2012.
The unemployment rate for September to November 2012 was 7.7% of the economically active population, There were 2.49 million unemployed people.
The inactivity rate for those aged from 16 to 64 for September to November 2012 was 22.5%, There were 9.03 million economically inactive people(this includes me, not claiming and not working) aged from 16 to 64,
WHO IS UNEMPLOYED?
HOW LONG?
32% up to 3 months
20% 3months to 6 months
26% 6-12 monthss
That means 73% of claimants claim for less than 1 year.

27% claiming more than 12 months for all ages
highest group 36% over 50 yrs old.
less than 10% claim more than 2 years, tthe majority of those 50+ years old
6.5% all workers on temporary work
24% part time work
2.5% have 2 part-time jobs

Source
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-222531

enquiries: labour.market@ons.gov.uk

Time to boycott Amazon

Amazon electronically tag workers in the UK and pay no tax. Time to boycott these fuckers!
http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/14/when-did-lowly-paid-become-offence

Also;
Project Gutenberg

Germany's largest network ARD reports how Amazon employs foreign subcontracted labour paying them ridiculously low wages and lodges them in overcrowded cottages watched by neonazi security firm HESS.In German. Share with your German friends

http://www.ardmediathek.de/das-erste/reportage-dokumentation/ausgeliefert-leiharbeiter-bei-amazon?documentId=13402260

Ausgeliefert! Leiharbeiter bei Amazon - Reportage / Dokumentationwww.ardmediathek.deDie Reportage deckt auf, was sich hinter der Fassade von Amazon.de verbirgt und wer dafür zahlt, dass die schöne neue Warenwelt des Internethändlers so billig zu haben ist.

Slave labour

Nothing wrong with making people work, but it must be for minimum wage, as part of benefits. Companies have been using these schemes to get cheap labour, thereby reducing the number of real workers employed. Minimum wage is £6.19 per hour, most people on dole would quite happily work the 11 hours needed to earn their £70 dole.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21426928

A university graduate has won a legal challenge on appeal, claiming that a government scheme forces people to work without pay.Cait Reilly, 24, claimed that requiring her to work for free at a Poundland store breached laws banning slavery and forced labour.The University of Birmingham geology graduate lost her original case at the High Court, but has now won on appeal.Her solicitors said this could have major implications for jobseekers.

(No) Care for the elderly.

THE Tories announced another major policy yesterday: Care home costs will be given a maximum limit of£75,000. Sounds reasonable at first, but when looked at closely it becomes apparent, it is all lies, as usual, and helps nobody. Independent analysts recommended a £35,000 cap.
A £75,000 cap would not kick in for four years, by which time the average person in care would have died. The average length of time in social care in a BUPA home, funded to the tune of 70% by the state, is two years."If the cap is set at £75,000 it will take people four or more years before they hit the cap. The vast majority of people in residential care homes would have passed away before that happens."

Polly Toynbee's excellent article looks at the true picture.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/11/jeremy-hunt-will-not-solve-care-crisis

Securing more of older people's savings is partly funded by freezing the inheritance tax threshold, sending the Tory party into new paroxysms of fury. The front pages of the Telegraph and Times blasted, "Cameron abandons inheritance tax pledge" and "Osborne stealth tax on inheritance". Note how those same voices that call for more cuts to benefits for the near destitute want inheritance tax (IHT) exempt from a freeze.
As it is, only couples with property worth more than £650,000 pay any inheritance tax. That is only some 3% of the population.
Britain is a country profoundly ignorant about the distribution of its wealth, the electorate suffering under a conspiracy to deceive them. The persistent misrepresentation of the true"middle" leaves most voters clueless as to where they stand on the spectrum of incomes. Even the poor imagine they are much nearer the middle than they are, as the rich pretend to themselves that they are only middling.

New figures show the widening income gap: 1% of people now take 10% of all income while the entire bottom half receives only 18% of national earnings. Wages keep falling and wealth is sucked ever upwards.

A typical cost(in a care home) is £800 a week, so families will still pay a £360 a week top-up, plus £240 board and lodging.
People will get a nasty shock when they need care for a parent, only to discover how much they will still have to pay, and how bad is the care they receive. To cap the cost is a good idea: Andrew Dilnot called for a £35,000 maximum. But at £75,000 Hunt's words turn to dust for most, as few ever reach this level of cost.

Is that our most pressing priority, when families are queuing at food banks?

While the rich and their press fume over inheritance tax betrayal, the danger is that voters think money has been found to cure the care crisis, when nothing new has been added. So be prepared for some Mid Staffs-sized scandals soon in nursing homes and in people's front rooms soon. "Care" may become a word spoken only in irony. With no useful solution, the government should have left this snake's nest alone.

Shale future.

The UK has found enough shale gas to power the nation for 1500 years.  The US has its own reserves and has begun to extract it.For the UK this means a future not reliant on Russia or The Middle East.  In the medium term, energy prices should stabilise. This country is far from finished. Expect full scale extractions to 'begin' before the end of this year, although production and  sale is still a number of years away.
http://ktwop.wordpress.com/

Foreigner!

My mother has been told twice this week she is a foreigner, first by the bank and second by her work who asked her to send her passport to prove she is eligible to work here! She has worked for them for 5 years!I told her to tell them to bugger off, and point out she has lived here for 55 years, has voted in numerous general elections, paid tax for 55 years and had 2 sons and a husband in the British Army.As well as that Irish people don't need a passport to enter the UK and NEVER have, long before the formation of the EU and our entry into the EU. Liverpool was built and maintaned by a steady stream of Irish for centuries, and to a lesser extent most of our major cities.This country is shooting itself in the head with ridiculous red tape and spurious, needless checks. There has to be a certain amount of common sense when trying to detect if someone is a johnny foreigner, picking on 70 yr old women who have worked for half a century and sound about as foreign as Hilda Ogden is not the way.I could understand myself being asked as I seem to be mistaked for South African, Australian or German.

Explosions

Duty of care.

There are 3 problems which are dominating UK news at the moment, which all have the same solution.  First within the NHS and Care homes for the elderly and also in Kindergartens and Nurseries. All nurses are now required to be educated to degree level,  while quality of care seems to  be hurtling downwards at the same time.
Whilst a certain number of highly educated nurses is needed,  there really is no reason for all to have proven academic qualifications.  Surely those who are able to apply their caring ability and practical skills should also be sought?
The same basically applies to childcare, those who possess child care skills should work alongside those with teaching backgrounds.
A degree does not make a good carer or a good child carer.

Residential Homes for the elderly is a slightly different problem, substandard conditions  due to a  culture of complacency, and  a lack of real care, leading to horrific conditions for the elderly.

The old, the sick and children. 
The vulnerable.

30 years ago, their care was seen as a right.What changed?

The main problem seems to lie within society itself. Where did the ethos  'duty of care' go? What happened to respecting the rights of others? Today the sick and the old are often left to lie in their own waste, sometimes malnourished and thirsty, how and by whom? People and especially those in the caring industry used to 'care'. What happened to the kindly nurses who would go that extra mile or the stern matron for that matter who made sure things got done? The truth is, is that they would not qualify today, and how many like them have been put off training because of the degree requirements?
Of course money is a factor, but not the whole reason.During 2 world wars hospitals ran under extreme circumstances.  But money of course still remains a major factor,  so as well as changing the mindset of what makes good care and who we need to be carers, maybe  this is the wrong time for the NHS to lose vast amounts of money and for local councils to be starved of the funds needed for care homes.

Falkland Islanders will determine their own future.

 The Argentine foreign minister Hector Timerman had a lot to say in London today, here are some excerpts and my comments underneath. 

 "We have been trying to find a peaceful solution for 180 years. I think the fanatics are not in Buenos Aires [but] maybe in the United Kingdom because they are 14,000km (8,700 miles) away from the islands.
1. Argentina didn't exist 180 years ago, it was part of the Spanish Empire. 

He also dismissed the forthcoming referendum - on whether the Islanders want to remain part of the British Overseas Territories - as meaningless.
1. Self determination is meaningless? Tell that to the Bosnians, Kosovans, East Timorese, Scots, Irish, etc.
 
On a visit to London, he claimed "not one" other nation supported UK sovereignty of the Falklands. 

1. The UN has recognized the FALKLANDERS right to choose their own fate.  

"If you ask the colonial people who came with a colonial power and replaced the people who were living in the islands, it is like asking the British citizens of the Malvinas Islands if they want to remain British," he said.

1. The islands were uninhabited before the arrival of the British.
2. Argentina itself was settled at the same time, replacing the indigenous people! 

"Argentina 'will control Falklands within 20 years"

1. Deluded twat!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21341578

In support of Lib Dem MP David Ward's right to express a considered opinion.

Having lived next to Belsen Concentration camp for 8 years,  the description of the Holocaust as 'the largest mass murder' in history is an accurate one, and we must never forget that fact. but like Mr Ward, I also find it distressing that the same people who survived that horrific era so quickly have become the oppressors of the Palestinian people, and refuse to adhere to continued appeals by the United Nations and flout international law. No mistake, the Israelis deserve their homeland(using the 1967 borders), but so do the Palestinians. 

Lib Dems condemn MP's criticism of Israel ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21194991

Mr Ward won a majority of just 365 votes at the 2010 general election
The Liberal Democrats have "condemned" their MP David Ward for his "use of language" in a statement about Israel's treatment of Palestinians, issued ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day.

He accused "the Jews" in Israel of "inflicting atrocities on Palestinians... on a daily basis".

Mr Ward has been summoned to a meeting with party whips next week.

But the MP told the BBC he had chosen his words carefully and did not regret the timing of the statement.

The MP said it was "regrettable" he had been reprimanded by Liberal Democrat officials.

'Sickening'
This Sunday - Holocaust Memorial Day - marks the 68th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp, where more than one million people - mostly Jews - died.

Mr Ward, who has represented Bradford East since 2010, described Auschwitz as "the Nazi concentration and extermination camp which is the site of the largest mass murder in history".

It indicated that the MP supported efforts "to combat prejudice and racism today" by the Holocaust Educational Trust and had honoured "those who were persecuted and killed during the Holocaust" by signing a "Book of Commitment".

But it also included a statement from Mr Ward: "Having visited Auschwitz twice - once with my family and once with local schools - I am saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel and continue to do so on a daily basis in the West Bank and Gaza."

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said she was "deeply saddened" that the MP had "deliberately abused the memory of the Holocaust".

She added: "These comments are sickening and unacceptable and have no place in British politics."

'Positive response'
A Lib Dem spokesman said: "This is a matter we take extremely seriously. The Liberal Democrats deeply regret and condemn the statement issued by David Ward and his use of language which is unacceptable."

Jon Benjamin, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: "We are outraged and shocked at these offensive comments about Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the suggestion that Jews should have learned a lesson from the experience.

"For an MP to have made such comments on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day is even more distasteful, and we welcome the fact that the Liberal Democrats have sought to disassociate the party from David Ward's comments."

But Mr Ward told the BBC: "I've spoken to the chief whip, and he's got his views. I don't feel bad about it in any way. They consider my comments regrettable; I consider their reprimand regrettable."

The Lib Dem MP said any further disciplinary would be "a sad reflection on the values we all hold so dearly, particularly on free speech".

He also said his comments had received an "overwhelmingly positive" response from the public, with 80 unsolicited supportive emails, and just two from etractors.

While it was essential to remember the Holocaust as "one of the most horrific examples of man's inhumanity to man", he said, "should we not also remember when there are examples of atrocities being committed in the present?"

Duty

This government's treatment of the disabled is truly despicable. There are people being told to only take a bath once a week, to cut down on the number of visits by carers
We have a duty as a society to take care of the disabled.  It is 2013 not 1900.

Tax Starbucks and Amazom

http://twitpic.com/btcqnq

Tax vs benefits.

Benefit error including fraud is £1bn, which includes pensions, child benefit etc. This in comparison to figures ranging from a minimum of £23-70bn in tax avoidance, especially from large business. Why is this government obsessed with the smaller figure? Corruption reaches the very top, that's why.
Benefit fraud is just a distraction from real issue of tax dodgers http://on-msn.com/10Nv08g

18 December 2012 15:18 | By Richard Murphy

Benefit fraud is just a distraction from real issue of tax dodgers

Iain Duncan Smith is exaggerating one problem while the government try to hide another one.Share280Share1.9KIf I were the Chancellor, one of my very highest priorities would be to close the gap between what businesses owe in tax and what they actually pay.This government, however appears preoccupied by a different kind of fraud in the benefits system. Why?Well, Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, claims that £10 billion has been lost in fraud and error under the tax credit system introduced by Labour. That’s not £10 billion from the whole benefits system but just one part. As a result, IDS says, the tax credit system is "not fit for purpose".In fact the benefits system is quite inefficient - not because it wastes money but because it pays out far too little.It’s an interesting claim for a number of reasons.First of all, to come up with a big enough figure to make a headline, Iain Duncan Smith had to spread his calculations over a period of seven years from 2003 to 2010.And according to latest data on the error rate in the benefits system as a whole the cost of fraud is no more than 0.7% a year. In 2011/12 that meant £1.2 billion was paid because of fraudulent claims. And given that this fraud rate has been remarkably consistent over time, it also implies that in total fraud might have cost over all benefits, including the old age pension, just £7.6 billion during the Labour years to which Duncan Smith referred.Errors might add another £5.4bn meaning a total of £13billion incorrectly paid out from a total benefit spend of £1,089 billion.On this basis Mr Duncan Smith’s claims about one part of the system (tax credits account for about 15% of the total cost of the benefits) simply do not stack up.What is quite staggering is how little has been lost to fraud, not how much. Any system administered by humans or computers will make mistakes, and for an issue as challenging as benefits the error rate is tiny.In fact the benefits system is quite inefficient - not because it wastes money but because it pays out far too little to people who are entitled to claim but for one reason or another do not.Now, bearing that in mind, let’s have a look at the tax system.HM Revenue & Customs admit that tax fraud and error costs at least £23 billion a year. This figure is pure conjecture and there are many indications that it is a massive underestimate. My calculations suggest tax fraud in the UK is costing around £70 billion a year.Now we can disagree about whether the right number is £23 billion of £70 billion or somewhere in between, but however it is looked at, the impact of tax fraud is many, many times bigger than the £1.2 billion that benefit fraud will cost in total this year.And the government aren’t interested in looking at it ironically because they are fixated on cost savings at the Revenue, which has lost tens of thousands of staff in recent years. This is actually depriving the Treasury of much-needed cash and it is hurting honest businesses who are being forced to the wall by rivals happy to cheat.Iain Duncan Smith’s political attempts to malign the benefits system so that he can replace it with his universal credit are distracting from genuine issues that are undermining the economy and the national finances.The government are tackling the wrong issue and they are doing it on purpose.Richard Murphy is an accountant, economist and director of Tax Research LLP. You can find him on Twitter@RichardJMurphy.Share280Share1.9K< Back to #socialvoices

Rome burns.

People get the government they deserve, and there is now a sense of fear for normal working people, working or not. All bills continue to rise way above inflation, as do transport costs. Tax relief, benefits, spiral down in real terms.Cameron has been all over today's tv saying how great everything is, and he wants to stay in power until 2020. Nero fiddles as Rome burns.

Dancing at The Old China

Xmas 2012