POLITICS CORNER

[chinatyke]

[Whyperion]

Who is running the World?
Biden,Putin and Xi were arguing on who is in charge of the world? USA, Russia, or China ?
Without any conclusion, they turned to Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, and asked him "Who is in charge of the world?"

Modi replied "Well! All I know is:
1. Google/Alphabet CEO is an Indian.
2. Microsoft CEO is an Indian.
3. Adobe CEO is an Indian.
4. Net App CEO is an Indian.
5. MasterCard CEO is an Indian .
6. DBS CEO is an Indian.
7 Novartis CEO is an Indian.
8. Diageo CEO is an Indian.
9. SanDisk CEO is an Indian.
10. Harman CEO is an Indian.
11. Micron CEO is an Indian.
12. Palo Alto Networks CEO is an Indian.
13. Reckitt Benckiser CEO is an Indian.
14. IBM CEO is an Indian.
15. Britain’s Chancellor is an Indian.
16. Britain’s Home Secretary is an Indian.
17. Ireland’s Prime minister is an Indian.
18. Nokia's CEO is an Indian.
19. And the American Vice President is Indian.
Who did you think was running the World?"

Given the much flagged idea of lack of diversity in organisations has someone noted the general amount of females in that list , the caste / educational background of most of them, and the lack of Afro-Caribbean representation ?

[Tripps]

has someone noted the general amount of females in that list , the caste / educational background of most of them, and the lack of Afro-Caribbean representation ?

I think it's a 'joke' and perhaps not to be taken too seriously.

[Stanley]

Yes David, I agree. And the definition of 'Indian' is being applied quite loosely in that list.
Does anyone else get the impression that young Gavin is being lined up for the bum's rush?

[Stanley]

I'm trying to make sense of the Salmond/Sturgeon matter. I have a feeling it's going to get very murky.
Have a look at THIS.

[Tizer]

I've always found him creepy. I first took against him when he had voting forms printed with `The Alex Salmond Party' instead of the Independence Party all those years ago in a different world. They should send in Susan Calman to deal with him.

I'm all for more apprenticeships but it needs more than just throwing money at it, otherwise it's just seen as a free subsidy by the companies...
`Budget 2021: Rishi Sunak to inject £126m to boost traineeship scheme' LINK

[Stanley]

I agree with you about both Salmond and the apprentice schemes. There are very few that match the old apprenticeships. They are now mostly box-ticking exercises. There are some good ones like Rolls but in the main they are an empty gesture.

[Tizer]

This episode of The Briefing Room is worth listening too...
`Brexit Business' LINK
`Britain's transition period with the EU ended on December 31st. For the first time since the inception of the single market in 1992, British companies were on the outside. A trade agreement was reached meaning that no tariffs would be paid on imports or exports, but it did mean that trade would no longer be entirely friction free. It’s still early days, but what do we now know about the extent of that friction and its possible consequences? How representative are the frustrations of Cornwall’s daffodil growers who say they can’t find labourers or UK companies that are now setting up production facilities in the EU in order to avoid red tape and its cost? To what extent have difficulties been mitigated by new trade deals that the UK is now free to negotiate. And what’s the view from the EU?'
`With Peter Foster of the Financial Times; Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform; Vandeline von Bredow of The Economist; and Maddy Thimont Jack of the Institute for Government.'

[Stanley]

I have yet to see the glorious future we were promised outside the EU.
"Donald Trump is symbolic of the total rot of the Republican Party". Quotation from a lady commenting on the return of the Donald. (LINK)

[Tizer]

There's an interesting fact in Anthony Zurcher's analysis of the Trump event: And while approval of Trump's policies was sky-high in a straw poll of Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) attendees, only just over half said they would vote for him if he ran in 2024. I take this as showing that a lot of people want the sort of policies Trump seeks but they don't want him doing it.

Back in Blighty, the front page of The Times today quotes warnings from civil servants that they are becoming `collateral damage' in an internal briefings war in No.10. It reports increasing clashes between Carrie Symonds and senior female civil servants. For example Symonds is said to have told one the Permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice that she would undermine her career after she refused to approve spending to refurbish the PM's No.10 flat.

[Stanley]

I saw a report saying the same thing about Trump and the GOP Peter.
Re Carrie and the flat, what the hell has the department of justice to do with the flat at number Ten? There are too many reports concerning that lady and her meddling in state affairs. It leads one to think there may be some truth in them and all point to Johnson being weak and easily led.
See THIS Scottish Herald report on the vote of no confidence in John Swinney which has led to him caving in and releasing documents that could bolster Alex Salmond's case. This affair looks increasingly serious for Nicola Sturgeon.

[Tizer]

This is worth reading. It says her book, `Goodbye Britannia', published this month in France, "calls Boris Johnson an inveterate liar, describes Brexit as the triumph of emotion over reason, and suggests its roots lie in a combination of deluded British exceptionalism and rank political opportunism"....

`'Lying is no longer a sin': former French ambassador on Brexit and Boris Johnson: Exclusive: Sylvie Bermann, who has written book in attempt to understand Brexit, says question of Britain’s identity was key' Guardian

[Stanley]

Brilliant and correct. The book is written in French, as soon as there is a translation I shall be in there...
Have a look at THIS on the Royal United Srvices Website.

[Tizer]

After our Brexit fiasco has cost the EU nearly 5 years of effort and millions of euros in costs it now emerges that for 8 years we've been letting them down by failing to inform them of whether or not convicted nationals had been returned to their country...
`UK failed to inform EU countries about almost 200 killers and rapists: Exclusive: total of 112,490 criminal convictions not sent to relevant EU capitals over eight-year period' Guardian

As serious as it is I have to admit that this sentence in the report brought a smile to my face!
Officials noted in 2015 that the system was prone to errors, with several convicted criminals recorded as coming from a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean known as Wake Island when in reality they lived in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
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Something else that I didn't know about until yesterday is how complicated the dire situation in Libya has become. We've now got the Turks supporting the Libyan National Army (LNA) who also invited in Putin's secret Wagner mercenaries who are equipped with the latest Russian weapons. Now the mercenaries are in charge and the LNA want them out but Wagner are backed up by Russian fighter planes. They, and the Turks, were supposed to leave Libya last month but it's not happening - they are not going to abandon Africa's largest oil reserves.

The United Arab Emirates is paying for the Wagner force and Biden is pressuring them to cut off the funding, but relations are bad between the US and the UAE. A Turkish drone strike on an LNA base killed at least 3 UAE officers manning a Russian missile system, so the UAE then wanted to move one of its US-made Patriot missile batteries into Libya (which would have violated the export agreement and possibly given Russia access to the system).

The military commander of Wagner is a former Russian special forces commander who sports neo-Nazi style tattoos. Wagner is owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin. You might remember some time ago I told the story of Prigozhin, known as `Putin's chef', the man who grew up as a childhood friend of Putin in St Petersburg, got involved in criminal activities, came out of jail and set up a restaurant, was coincidentally visited by Putin and his cronies many years later and the friendship started up again. People said he became Putin's personal chef but it's much more than that - behind the scenes he provides the army of secret fighters that is popping up around the world and hides all its links with Putin. He probably runs the cyberwarfare units too.

[Stanley]

What a wonderful world we live in! And we have to worry about climate change as well?
I am happy to say I managed to avoid the whole of the news about Rishi Sunak and the budget. (Why do I distrust that man so much?)
Private Eye point out that he is doing nothing about the scandal of 'non-doms' and their manipulation of the tax system. They ask whether it could be because his wife benefits from hundreds of millions of pounds in investments abroad.
I'm sorry but he looks like a spiv to me.....
Later.... I am listening to Sunak saying how much he looking after the poor and low income families. He's waffling on now explaining how taking £20 a week off Universal Credit is a good thing. There is also the small matter of people with debt and unpaid rents and council tax. All this at a time when we expect unemployment to peak. In short, I'd rather believe the Rowntree Trust than Sunak. It's a Tory budget.

[plaques]

Something else that I didn't know about until yesterday is how complicated the dire situation in Libya has become. We've now got the Turks supporting the Libyan National Army (LNA) who also invited in Putin's secret Wagner mercenaries who are equipped with the latest Russian weapons. Now the mercenaries are in charge and the LNA want them out but Wagner are backed up by Russian fighter planes. They, and the Turks, were supposed to leave Libya last month but it's not happening - they are not going to abandon Africa's largest oil reserves.

Everything that happens in this area is about oil. Forget about countries like America and Russia defending local populations they are only defending their oil interests or stopping others from gaining monopoly interests. The whole area is a hot bed of corruption which unfortunately the UK is still involved in.

[Tizer]

Today could be interesting in Washington DC. There have been warnings circulating for a month or so now that the Capitol rioters will return today for another attack....and it all dates back to 1933...
`US Capitol police warn of possible militia plot to breach Congress' LINK
`"As of late February, an unidentified group of militia violent extremists discussed plans to take control of the US Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about 4 March and discussed aspirational plans to persuade thousands to travel to Washington DC to participate," a new intelligence bulletin issued by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security says. Following that assessment, the US Capitol Police referred in a statement to "a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4. We have already made significant security upgrades to include establishing a physical structure and increasing manpower to ensure the protection of Congress, the public and our police officers. Due to the sensitive nature of this information, we cannot provide additional details at this time."..

[Stanley]

I'm listening to Sir Andrew Dilnot commenting on social care. Remember his groundbreaking report and recommendations produced in 2011 and since then completely ignored. He is not happy about Sunak and the government's attitude to Social Care. It may be time for him to stop being polite and not rocking the boat. This boat needs rocking!!
Later. see THIS report in the Independent. I never thought I would see such naked pork barrel politics in the UK but it is alive and well. Read the piece and see what you think about 40 out of 45 constituencies focussed on are Tory led and many are far from deprived.

[plaques]

Later. see THIS report in the Independent. I never thought I would see such naked pork barrel politics in the UK but it is alive and well. Read the piece and see what you think about 40 out of 45 constituencies focussed on are Tory led and many are far from deprived.

Sounds a little like our 2015 Pendle development plan. Nobody reads it but everybody is up in arms when it happens.
How many people actually knew or read the 'formula' before this budget?

Challenged at the press conference, Mr Sunak said: “The formula for grant payments for the new fund, to give them some capacity funding to bid for projects, is based on an index of economic need which is transparently published.”

[Stanley]

Is that the much criticised formula that increases the amount of grant by assessing the 'normal' economic activity of the area based on returns from property and business rates which is designed to send the money where it will make the most difference? I know about that one and how handy it has been for years when justifying money going to wealthy regions.
Lord Dilnot was seriously angry yesterday about the absence of any action on social care...
Andrew Mitchell on cuts to foreign aid... (One could almost forgive him calling police in Downing Street 'plebs'.{allegedly...})

[Stanley]

Later.... When Matt Hancock was found guilty recently of not publishing details of contracts set up in the early days of the pandemic B Johnson sprang to the microphone and said that all contracts had been published and were available to the public.
Oops! 'it has been revealed' this morning that BJ was wrong and over 100 have not been published.
Accidental lie? Or cold blooded politics.

[Tizer]

At least some people seem happy with the budget...
`Budget 2021 measures prove popular with Britons' YouGov
`Our snap polling last night found people approved of the 2021 Budget by 46% to 11%. Overnight we conducted more detailed polling about the contents of the Budget and what people think of the state of the economy. The message of hard economic times has clearly cut through. Two thirds (67%) of people think the economy is in a bad state, with only 7% thinking it is in good order. Almost a third (32%) expect it to improve again over the next twelve months, but 45% expect things to get worse. There is little economic optimism, yet the public give the government's management of the economy a thumbs up - 48% think they are managing the economy well, compared to 39% badly. Rishi Sunak's own ratings remain extremely high. A majority (55%) think he is doing well as Chancellor, with just 16% saying he is doing a bad job. Even among those who voted Labour at the last election he has a positive rating..'.

[Stanley]

Not with me he hasn't. All part of Project Sunak which aims to install him as PM at the next election.
Not with the BMJ or the nurses either. The 1% pay rise that surprised Nadine Dorries so much has attracted universal derision and threats of strike action if implemented.
On Brexit.... remember Johnson saying "Over my dead body" referring to a border in the Irish Sea? Remember Richard Broughton alerting us to the dangers of this all those years ago? Look at the position now, the UK government and the EU are at daggers drawn as we unilaterally scrap barriers to easy trade. The EU say we have departed from a constructive approach and threatens court action.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the Budget which includes the opinions of both the Resolution Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Trust, both criticise the consequences for those on benefits.
Another industry noted by its absence from the budget is farming. I listened to Sunak justifying his freeports by saying they would benefit the farming communities by providing employment in rural areas. Really?

[plaques]

Another industry noted by its absence from the budget is farming. I listened to Sunak justifying his freeports by saying they would benefit the farming communities by providing employment in rural areas. Really?

Pigs could fly in then out again without having to fill in all the tedious paperwork. I'm not sure how it would benefit our farmers since flying pigs would be an environmental hazard. Of course Boris and Sunak have bred quite a number of flying pigs so this may be what they have in mind.