Circuses, but Less Bread 1532


The London Olympics are already achieving the number one aim of the politicians who brought them here, which is making our politicians feel very important indeed.

The media is quite frenetic in its efforts to make us all believe we should be terrifically proud of the fact we are hosting the Olympics, as though there were something unique in this achievement. If we can’t competently do something that Greece, Spain and China have done in recent years, that would be remarkable. Of course the Games will be on the whole well delivered, sufficient for the media and politicians to declare it an ecstatic success. Some of the sporting moments will be sublime, as ever.

But did it have to be in London? We won’t know the total cost of the Games for months, but it will cost the taxpayer at least £9 billion and I suspect a lot more. I also suspect the GDP figures will, in the event, show that the massive net fall in visitor numbers has hurt the already shrinking economy further.

But to take the most optimistic figure, holding the Olympics in London has cost every person in the country an average of £150 per head in extra taxes. That is £600 for a family of four. Actually it is in the end going to be well over £2,000, as of course the money has been borrowed on the never never, and taxpayers are going to be paying it off their whole lives, along with the sum ten times higher they are already paying direct into the pockets of the bankers through their taxes.

The very rich, of course, don’t pay much tax, so they are not worried.

But to take just the figure of £600 extra taxes for a family of four, the lowest possible amount, and not including the interest. Is having the Olympics here really worth paying out £600 for? If Tony Blair had approached the head of the family and said “We are going to have the Olympics in London, but it’s going to cost you £600, would the answer have been from most ordinary people: “Yes, great idea, this is that important to us”?

People are not disconcerted because they don’t see that they have to pay. There is no special Olympics tax, and they pay their taxes in a variety of ways, and individuals are not the sole source of taxation. But this is nonetheless real money taken from the people in pursuit of the hubris of politicians.

I love sport. I hate the corruption of the International Olympic Committee, Fifa and the rest; I hate the vicious corporatism and militarisation of our capital and absurd elitism of the transport lanes; the sport itself I love. But with the economy contracting, and the NHS being farmed out for profit, is it really worth £600 for a family – and many families are really struggling in a heartbreaking way – is it worth the money to have the Olympics here rather than in Paris?

Of course it isn’t. I think many of us will feel an extra pleasure watching the Opening ceremony because it is British. Patriotic pride will surge. It is not wrong to enjoy the spectacle tonight on TV. The corporate well connected and ruling classes will enjoy it in the stadium.

But after you have watched it on TV, ask yourself this question. How much more did you enjoy it than enjoy watching the Beijing ceremony, and was that margin of extra enjoyment something that everybody in the room would have paid out £150 for?

Because they just did.


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1,532 thoughts on “Circuses, but Less Bread

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  • OldMark

    ‘An immigrant is defined as a person who comes to live in a country permanently. Students, for example, are not immigrants. They do not come and live in a country permanently: they come to study.’

    Technicolour has made quite a few asinine contributions to this thread but that statement really takes the biscuit. Does s/he seriously believe all the 250,000 students who arrive here each year, the bulk of them to attend private colleges, are here solely to study, and will go home when their studies are over ?

    I know from personal experience (my wife improved her written English at a private college when she first came here as my fiancee)that many of these private colleges are essentially visa mills, not educational establishment. Foreign students are allowed to work here (the limit is supposedly 16 hours a week, but checks are non existent)and on that basis they can acquire an NI number. For several immigrant communities in the UK (Nigerians for example)the student route has been well used as an immigration pathway.

    In Ireland the Nigerian community has grown from virtually zero to 20,000 in a couple of decades. A high proportion of them arrived in Ireland supposedly as ‘students’.

  • Nextus

    Clark (10:00 am) hit it right on the nail. There is a tendency in many of these blog threads to turn against people who dare to break ranks.
    .
    The tension between ‘solidarity’ and ‘diversity’ is a paradox of political liberalism. The left-wing tends to construe political differentiation as betrayal of principle, and so it fractures ideologically (“Splitter!”) while the right-wing gains strength through unity of purpose.
    .
    Craig has often spoken in favour of political tolerance. He actively welcomes challenges to his own views, and is not scared to risk offending the pompous; however, he opposes personal abuse designed to cause upset. Accordingly, provocative voices of dissent (like Angrysoba or Komodo) should be very welcome here, though abusive trolls (like LfStL) are not.

  • OldMark

    Suhahl yesterday produced a pastiche of my opinions on the immigration issue. I’m sure he won’t object if I return the compliment vis a vis his opinions, and those of his allies-

    ‘Them- Daily Mail.Monochrome Britain. Sad old gits who’ve never got over the loss of empire. Daily Mail. Vile, ignorant racists who question whether the social capital and transferable skills of present day refugees (from Somalia, Afghanistan, DR Congo et al) might not be comparable to the social capital and skills bought to the UK by the refugees from Hitler’s Germany. Daily Mail. Crazed conspiracy theorists who impugn the motives of immigration cheerleaders such as the Institute of Directors, or Goldman Sach’s Peter Sutherland. Daily Mail. Aren’t Migration Watch awful. Hate peddlers. Economic illiterates who argue that mass immigration from the EU accession states has been good for landlords but bad for unskilled or semi skilled Brits. Daily Mail.

    Us- Vibrant. Diverse. Humanitarian.Immigrants have re-invigorated a native culture that’s been dead since the time of Dickens. Immigrants always bring social and economic benefits, and never contribute to social and economic problems- and those who mention the latter do so only from base motives.Vibrant. Only racists think there was ever such a thing as ‘native Brits’.Open minded. Vibrant.’

  • Suhayl Saadi

    Ha! Good one, Old Mark! I like it. My pastiche was of a composite character, but some of that was indeed drawn from the views you’ve expressed. The finest tribute, they say.
    .
    Yet still no answers from Komodo (though I have provided answers to all those who subsequently asked me questions). Why might that be, d’you think?
    .
    Interesting that those calling for the closing-down of discussion/the thread, etc. simultaneously seem to be arguing for freedom of speech. And every time I suggest that the sub-texts be confronted and discussed openly, a clutch of the same posters seem to panic and say, “Oh, no, we cannot do that!”
    .
    One would have to ask what are the “dissenting voices” here? We’ve all agreed and disagreed with one another on a variety of topics over the years. I’d argue that to reinforce the stereotypical narratives of dominant groupings and of the propaganda organs which perpetuate those narratives in a manner which produces gross distortion of the truth is hardly, ‘dissent’. ‘The Daily Mail’ is not ‘dissent’; it is the Establishment’s patronising of the working class. But there we go (after Monty Python):
    .
    “I’m a bigger dissenter than you, so there!”
    .
    “No! I dissent from that! I’m the biggest dissenter of all!”
    .
    No-one need fear honest discourse.

  • Nextus

    “Yet still no answers from Komodo (though I have provided answers to all those who subsequently asked me questions). Why might that be, d’you think?”
    – Quod Erat Demonstrandum

  • Passerby

    Clark,
    Stop being so thin skinned, and enjoy the rough and tumble, this “debate” is not an instance of exchange of opinions, but an opportunity for reiteration and fortification of convictions of the parties involved. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to find yourself getting painted into a corner, and your statements are reordered and restated to defend an existing position of your opponent.
    ,
    At the outset, there has been a paucity of effort to transcend the usual issues surrounding the subject of “immigration”, and attempts to explore the issues beyond the most obvious that is the stock in trade of the; racist, nationalists, “media”, and pressure groups. Further, result in this almost tedious circular pedantry in reiteration of positions, of those in opposition and other proponents of immigration, is not a pretty or a wholesome affair.
    ,
    However, given that no Sun readers frequent this board, the matrix of expectations would have dictated: there should be a debate about why does immigration occur, and how can we help the would be immigrants from launching into an uncertain, dangerous and unimaginably difficult journey, on their way into the lands unknown that more often than not end in sad outcomes.
    ,
    Instead, the chauvinist world-views of both sides has cast a shadow on the preceding, with each in turn talking over the immigrants, and treating these as “holidaymakers”, in search of adventure, love, and easy street. This preposterous base being the starting point, then the debaters launch into problems of wage suppression through immigration, lack of social housing, lack of health service resources, stretched education services, and would you like your child/grandchild to be educated next to some kid who cannot speak a word of English, to the harangues of proponents; “you racist bastard that is not the case, …….it is a lie, …………it is not scientific, …………etc”.
    ,
    The task is complete and the scene is set for a confrontation, in which emotions run high and piety and self-control are kissed goodbye and debaters enjoy the opportunity of joining in a cyber jolly and get stuck in!
    ,
    Trouble is poor “immigrants” have to suck it in and sit by and watch the insults being heaped upon them, based on good and ill will alike, and note the lack of any solution that is nowhere to be found other than even more draconian measures to be meted out to the next lot of immigrants on their way here, and or more pressures brought to be born on those “immigrants” already here, to get these to renounce their traditions in the way of proof of their loyalties to their new masters in the new society they have found themselves in.
    ,
    Fact is so far no one has been talking about immigrants, everyone has been talking at the immigrants. Hence. Clark don’t be upset, you are not the only one misrepresented, and insulted all in best possible tastes, immigrants have been getting it in the neck too.
    ,
    However amusing as it seems, the intellectuals have been dumbed down too, when it comes to the subject of immigration, and that is the frightening fact, that has emerged.

  • nuid

    Thatcrab,
    .
    Have you any intention of replying to me? Is there some problem?

    ——————

    “Every point I made was misrepresented or ignored” (Clark)
    .
    Clark, perhaps you’d indicate to me what justified this statement by you:
    .
    “Look at the reaction when I said it wasn’t wrong to be discomforted when in a group of people speaking a language one doesn’t know. Apparently, I’m supposed to learn their language, because it’s good for me!”
    .
    Who told you to “learn their language”?
    .
    ———————–
    .
    “I don’t like it here since this argument.”
    .
    Neither do I.
    .
    “You’ve just found a cause you consider impeccable, which absolves you from exercising your conscience as you pursue it.”
    .
    It was Komodo who “found a cause” and started the whole thing, saying he wanted to “shake up” this place and “explore the issues” raised by the “xenophobe reflex-Right.” Are you blaming those who felt pushed by their consciences and open hearts to argue against him and his supporters? Your whole attitude seems to be skewed by admiration of Komodo – who was probably sitting grinning into a pint last night having toyed with people here for days.
    .
    And he snidely made reference to “people whose lips move when they read” etc, without naming names, so he couldn’t be accused of direct ad hominem. I’m not surprised that DonnyDarko said “From the wings it looks like sabotage.”
    .
    “however, he opposes personal abuse designed to cause upset. Accordingly, provocative voices of dissent (like Angrysoba or Komodo) should be very welcome here”
    .
    Really, Nextus? Komodo didn’t indulge in personal abuse? Are you seriously suggesting that when he said “some are as thick as pigshit” nobody knew who he meant? When I pushed him, he admitted he was talking about, “Technicolor, principally” and then said “Tell me you hadn’t worked that out?”
    .
    Of course I had worked it out. Are you trying to tell me you hadn’t Nextus?
    .
    “Yet still no answers from Komodo (though I have provided answers to all those who subsequently asked me questions). Why might that be, d’you think?”
    – Quod Erat Demonstrandum”
    .
    Yes, I already said you’d do precisely that.
    10 Aug, 2012 – 5:18 pm

  • Nextus

    “Yes, I already said you’d do precisely that.
    10 Aug, 2012 – 5:18 pm”
    – So? I said I’d do it as well. No harm in being right, again. 😉

  • technicolour

    Passerby: several people have made the point you make on this thread – Suhayl, me and Crab among them. You are one of the people (the others include Nuid, Crab, Suhayl, Fedup, CheebaCow) who I have largely agreed with on this thread. Would you rather no-one had taken up Komodo’s challenge? Does one stop poison by ignoring it?

    Glen: interesting and articulate post. I agree that our consumption is a desperate issue. However, I think it is a leap too far to blame overpopulation, or to expect limiting numbers to resolve it. The problems lie in what we consume, and how we consume, and what we do with the huge amounts of waste our system is creating.

    We need, I think, to move to a different system. I said as much early on. We need to address, urgently, our current toxicity. We will not do this by bringing down populations, or tinkering with ‘immigration’, or blaming ‘immigrants’ for everything wrong in our society (I know you were not, yourself). As Suhayl pointed out, it is a great distraction, but war and waste are the real issues here.

  • Mark Golding - Children of Iraq Association

    Nuid – I know your perception is better than that. No need to wait for the war (the abuse) the trick is to see it coming.
    .
    £5 million of tax-payers money given to terrorists in Syria on the strength of “we know them better” – what bollocks!
    .
    Meanwhile £65,000 a year politician Nick Boles who wants to speak to his wife in Hebrew (a language perk), echoes axeman Iain Duncan Smith’s slashing decree of pensioner perks or non-perks, after taxing their pensions of course.
    .
    Why bother Mr Boles – squeeze them bit further after doubling the cost of living (food/fuel prices up 53%) and only the funeral expenses remain.
    .
    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron-ally-says-all-benefits-1166473

  • thatcrab

    Its really a flawed idea that migration has a simple relationship with global population pressure. Its just movement, pressure goes up here and goes down there.
    .
    By far the biggest distraction has been our emotions.

  • nuid

    Thatcrab:
    .
    I take it then that:
    .
    “Nuid iirc Clark did get a rough ride for his putting his feelings on language situations, and he was advised even by myself in someway to learn/be interested in other languages.”
    .
    is either a faulty memory, or flat out wrong. Fine.
    .
    ———–
    .
    A programme regarding food on UTV last night said that Britain throws away 100 million tons of food a year. From Supermarkets, restaurants and homes. I gather the same is true right across the “developed” world. It’s a disgrace, couldn’t be more of a disgrace in fact, with people dying of malnutrition elsewhere. The figures make me ashamed every time I hear or see them.
    Not to mention, of course, that what Obama spends on war would feed the world several times over.

  • thatcrab

    No that was just my final word on it, i did see that and i did say that, if you want to find it (1000 ) comments ago and cant its your problem and the scroll wheels now.

  • Passerby

    Does one stop poison by ignoring it?
    ,
    Fighting the poison can be;
    By blood letting,
    By administration of an antidote,
    By lessening the affects of the poison,
    By combating the source of poison,
    By poisoning the poison,
    By burying the poisoned/poisoner alive, along with the poison.
    ,
    There are many ways of fighting a poison, however, there remains the point of prevarication concerning the degrees of the potency of the course of action to be chosen that is the most effective in combating the poison that is to be fought. This latter proposition takes into account the good will of those involved in dealing with the poison.
    ,
    The emotional issues concerning “survival” all too often are mistakenly blown into the zero sum game of survival of one group at the expense of another group. This course of debate is a circular debate that can be argued over many times, and never reach a satisfactory resolution, because the opponents are in battle to vanquish the other side, and there can be no other outcome in such a battle.
    ,
    I referred to “talking over the immigrants”, and talking “at the immigrants”. This is the proffered course of debate by the “media” and “government” alike, to encourage engagement in any debate concerning the issue of immigration, without taking into consideration the immigrants own need to uproot their lives and set on the road.
    ,
    At the outset, let us clarify the beneficiaries of this; fight/poison/debate, by assuming we agree the beneficiary to be the plutocrats engaged in covering the ugly facts concerning immigration, through the zero sum game plan. Therefore to engage in such a debate based on the referential boundaries set in place by the same plutocrats. This in fact is an exercise in reiterating the existing policies with respect to immigration, regardless of the positive, or negative aspects of the forwarded points, by either sides. Therefore we the immigrants, and or indigenous lot, need to start thinking pretty hard, and out of box to tackle the issues that have come to be used by successive generation of politicians to sew divisions and set up dog and pony distractions to cover up their incompetence, and vile corruptions.
    ,
    In short we need to be inventive in our way of dealing with this issue, included not relying solely on statistics, because as we know; there are lies, then there are statistics. This issue is an emotive, and emotional issue, and the dry statistical analysis will not cut the mustard.

  • nuid

    “No that was just my final word on it, i did see that and i did say that, if you want to find it (1000 ) comments ago and cant its your problem and the scroll wheels now.”
    .
    I can usually use Edit/Find. But no search term I use brings it up. And I’ve gone through your comments individually and can’t find it that way either.

  • nuid

    Is this what you’re talking about Crab?
    “Being bilingual may delay alzheimers and boost brain power”
    -I believe it, and also like this adage “To speak another language is to possess another soul” -Charlemagne

    2 Aug, 2012 – 12:13 pm
    .
    That hardly accounts for Clark’s claim, viz.
    “Apparently, I’m supposed to learn their language, because it’s good for me!”

  • Jon

    Hi all. No plans from Craig, as far as I know, to close down this thread – I think everyone is pretty much behaving themselves, and that the discussion is still coming and going as it pleases. I’m still happy to pop in periodically, ensuring the spammers, trolls and topic-diverters are kept at bay. Carry on!
    .
    ThatCrab said:
    > By far the biggest distraction has been our emotions.
    .
    Indeed, and it’s a human limitation we sadly cannot remove!
    .
    @Nextus:
    > The left-wing tends to construe political differentiation as betrayal of principle, and
    > so it fractures ideologically (“Splitter!”) while the right-wing gains strength through
    > unity of purpose.
    .
    Yes, but additionally: the distance the Left and Right wish to travel is not the same. We’re in hock to the corporations for our food, our sporting events, our entertainment and for a good chunk of government spending, and in the UK we’re headed automatically down a path of PFI and police and health privatisation. Obama’s health bill was unusual in that it was partly liberal (automatic medical insurance coverage for more people) whilst being obviously corporate in others; other than that though, the Left is on the back foot. If there was substantial appetite for Left values, and if society were configured mainly towards progressive aims, it would be the Right who would be splitting and falling out.
    .
    I suspect therefore we need to find strategies to tolerate factions and disagreement. Liberals will always have them, for as long as they have the greatest distance to push.

  • nuid

    US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are considering implementing no-fly zones for Syria after holding Saturday talks in Istanbul.

    ­According to Reuters, Clinton said that Ankara and Washington need to plan ways to assist the rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad – including possibly implementing a no-fly zone. Full text:
    http://www.rt.com/news/clinton-turkey-syria-damascus-aleppo-437/
    .
    You think the security council is going to put us off? Think again!

  • Jon

    @Chris Jones – thanks for responding kindly to my point about civility, much appreciated.
    .
    @Frazer, thanks for the update about Craig. Best wishes to you both.

  • Fedup

    It is uncanny right on cue:
    Clinton’s announcement in Istanbul came 17 months into an escalating crisis that has claimed more than 17,000 lives and forced an estimated 150,000 refugees to flee into neighboring nations, including Turkey, which is hosting 50,000 people.
    .
    Clinton announced an extra $5 million in aid for the United Nations refugee agency. Washington was already providing $25 million in non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition, including communications equipment.

    ,
    Considering that the numbers of the refugees who have fled the fighting, ie fled the areas under the control of the “free army/rebels”, is around two hundred thousands and more, also taking account of the costs estimate in late June, U.N. agencies estimated they would need $193 million to help 185,000 refugees from Syria by the end of 2012. To find the five million contribution of Hillary a derisory 2.5 p3rc3nt of the required budget, it should come as no surprise to find the refugees getting on the road to some other destination. However in late June, U.N. agencies estimated they would need $193 million to help 185,000 refugees from Syria by the end of 2012. in these cheap wars that is pentagon is waging the human cost matters not, and it is regarded as only minor collateral damage.
    ,
    Now what was the debate about again?

  • Mark Golding - Children of Iraq

    I hope you will forgive this piece from the street, my family. The piece presented a discussion about drones (my pet hate) but maybe I’m wrong. It would be really nice for me to hear your views while we are in obeyance. I present it as is, only cut into paragraphs for clarity:
    .
    I don’t think anyone can doubt we at war now, although tactics seem to of changed. Rather than just bomb the countries to rubble, they infiltrate local uprisings and protests that are springing up from time to time, then using their money and resources to influence retaliation to these arab governments that are a little less lenient with their population. Assisting the rebels we call it, and we seem to see these rebels walking around with all this military hardware, and our foreign ministers telling us they’ve donated another five million to assist the rebels.. “but its not for lethal resources”, …Yeah right, what are these rebels going to do with the money when they’ve got it? Go Mcdonalds? or buy a bigger gun? What our country is doing is choosing sides in another countries civil war, trying to overthrow the Iran supporting country that has also had links with aiding Hezbollah and the Palestinians, so its not just a war about one particular point, its about the whole oil rich region. That of course also applies in Sudan and Northern Africa, where we see Hillary Clinton jet-setting off to recently, and we’ve had reports of drone strikes in Sudan, Somalia and even our special forces, again, oil.
    .
    Peak oil is very real, and no, it doesn’t mean running out of oil, it means we’ve hit peak production, and so now we are on our way down, well no, not quite right, we are on our way up at this present moment in time but this is what is termed the bumpy plateau, rising oil price, falling oil price, rising oil price etc, and it does this but all the while those highs get lower and lows get lower, until flat-line. -^-^-^—–
    .
    The rises are dependant on several things, growth, manufacturing, distributing but to name a few, so when we see what we are seeing, the global economy collapse, and more and more businesses fold under debts, then that actually eases the oil price because it causes demand to fall, lower demand lower price, lower price less production, so it creates a false impression that there is no peak oil. We have plenty, but should the economy survive, then all those new start up businesses just getting started and ….Wallop! Rocketing oil prices!… and that brings us back to Peak oil… the point where we can no longer supply the global demand for oil, so someone has to go without or we use less and to be forced to use less without the preparation could quite easily destroy the whole UK economy, so the logical way forward IS to LEARN to use less, but when was the last time we heard our govt ask us to use less, even though they know that oil is a finite resource! No so what we do is destabilize oil bearing nations using their own people against them, then send in the economic hitmen for the new govt, “well done, your free, here have a loan!… Next!”
    .
    With regards to UK, well there is a lot of anger on the street, we see that daily at UKC now, stabbing, rape, murder, robbery and all round general violence to their fellow Islander. I believe aside from those wolves in society, that this is mainly due to frustration with their lives, jobs, kids, finances etc. So there are people walking among us as we wander along the high street looking for things to buy to make us feel better, that are pissed off, annoyed, angry, hateful, dark, and unaware of the real reasons their life’s so crap, can’t get a home, doesn’t fit council, “requirements, single with a baby”, can’t get a job because he has no real address, sleeping on mates floor and the jobs he might be able to get decide to pick the university graduate to stack boxes on a loading bay, So with no money he can’t even buy the new Xbox game, something to distract him and he has no Xbox either. All the while society pushes at him that he’s a failure, “can’t support ya self or your family then your not a man”, and he can’t buy this new aftershave that will have you fighting the girls off down the local weekend meat market, pick your poison nightclub. So he just walks the streets, nowhere to go, nothing to do. Angry.
    .

    There is a lot of public anger towards the governments and right now its a tinder box, and someone somewhere has a match. I dont know who, where or when but it will take that one event to set another round of riots off. With our police already struggling to cope, their own force is demoralising, we are seeing an almost daily occurance of some police officer, or ex-police officer being taken to court for this, or that, or the other, and then they sit and whine on BBC Newsnight that the general public don’t respect them. We all know that it was the communities that put a stop to the riots last year, police forces were backing away from looters in areas and let them get on with it while those cops stood and watched, but those communities that came out on to the streets put a stop to it. And therein lies the secret to this whole mess.
    .

    Only when we hit rock bottom will people of the UK actually DO something to change the government, only when their TV is cut of or they can’t afford the fuel for the car, and put food on the table. My worry is that there’s so much delusion from the general public about needing to work for a living and that we need money to make the world go around, that the general population would actually support another monetary system like this one, as long as “you sort out the banks”, they generally do see the current problems as a bank created one which is really only a fraction of the problem but thats what BBC said! Things have changed so much over the last year alone, and theres so much disinformation, actually more than information, with all sorts of, well, not bollocks, but diverting info, to take you down a dead end, the queens a lizard and that kind of stuff, or theres a falseflag on the olympics, as IF the UK economy could AFFORD to do that, the UK is a powerhouse in global finance, a hit on the olympics would have tourists and athletes leaving in their droves, london would shut down, and the UK economy is so fragile at the moment that they need EVERY pound they can get.
    .
    If, and its a big IF, if we did see some sort of massacre at the olympics then it would be terrorist, and terrorist only. Think about it, why did they bring in the Army if they weren’t serious about protecting their “investments”? So I never did buy into the whole false-flag business, I did think about it for awhile but common sense took over.
    .
    So I was never worried about that angle, no, the one I worry about is racial tensions, where we are seeing a rise in racial hatred and its absolutely bonkers, so many people disillusioned into believe this is their country, their english and all immigrants “can piss off home!” Lol… Coming from someone who’s ancestors were raped and pillaged over the centurys by the likes of the Vikings, Romans, Celts etc… “Oh thats okay… just not those ‘paki’s’ ….. Those same Pakistanis that were invited by OUR government in the 70’s to help save the dying NHS? Them? “They come over here and take our jobs”.. Yeah right, dont think they were yours to take!.. I just can’t abide racism from someone of a nation that couldn’t be further away genetically from its own tribe! But this is my main worry, roaming gangs attacking other races just for being the wrong colour, and with the spate of Muslim men being jailed for trying to have sex with 13yr old white girls this helps to stir the pot.
    .
    As for the government etc, they will carry on doing what they are doing with little resistance, whilst people are worried by events at home, why would they look any further or even care whats happening in Sudan? I dont buy into the Alex Jones, we are all going into camps, yes we may see drones in the sky but thats the advancement of technology, and the only people to fear these police drones is those that (a) Have something to hide or (b)Are doing something they shouldn’t be. So no I dont worry about survellience drones, it’s the future of law enforcement in this paradigm, if it means a drone can attend and assess a situation then that’s saved a police officer a wasted trip to find some old dear locked her keys in her car, I know, but you get the picture. But the application is limitless, Medical, Rescue and so on, and part of our technology growing up. I also go with Gerald Celentes thoughts about the west being in a third world war, hidden from public view by Olympic Mania, all over TV news and papers, some Assad troups getting publically executed by the good rebels of Syria, Oh look, that athletes got union jack finger nails… Front Page news! And of course, UK hasn’t come out and said we are at war with the Syrian regieme, no, can’t do that cos then Russia and China might want to get involved, no can’t have that…yet, no, we are helping the “people” of Syria – look how nice we are.

  • nuid

    Shit, ‘Steelback’ too? Freeborn can’t be far behind.
    .
    Mark, I’ll read your piece and then I’m gone.

  • Suhayl Saadi

    Thanks, Passerby (superb post, excellent points, btw), Jon, Nuid, Crab, Technicolour. One of the key strengths, I think is to keep a sense of humour (humour, in the old and contemporary senses). It’s been a discussion, people, not something to fall out over.
    .
    I see that like Julius Caesar, Caligula and (who knows?) Whitney Houston, Komodo now has a bodyguard who can speak Latin.
    .
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103855/
    .
    Mark G, I’m going to read your post now. Give me time, man… 🙂

  • technicolour

    yes, superb post, Passerby.

    think a lot of people here have provided an antidote, they know who they are.

    think warm, goodhearted emotions are priceless, as Nuid and others demonstrate.

    think Clark has no need to feel bad and sorry he is

    excuse lack of caps – sore hands! off to supper. mark read post, v passionate, applies to a few, not sensing that general degree of anger on the streets myself; predictions of doom and violence would seem exaggerated to me.

  • Suhayl Saadi

    I think that whatever our views on this, that or the other, we ought to recognise the immense contributions both Clark and Jon have had on this rocky and difficult thread and of course on all the threads since they kindly volunteered to moderate on this blog. They’ve made a huge and positive difference. I think we all owe Clark and Jon at least one tall drink each – which means of course that by the end of the evening, they will become hopelessly intoxicated.
    .
    I owe you one, guys. Thanks.

  • Chris Jones

    Mark Golding – you make some important point about the riots and the international criminals etc but dont you dont seem to have fully listened to the whole discussion on immigration: again,i’d like to point out that very few,if any people, are against immigration – the main contention is on a sustainable number of people per year and how that should be addressed

    This is a great video by the way,called ‘Thrive’. Its 2 hours long so maybe more suited to a rainy day, but is excellent at explaining the corrupt world system being attempted. I would recommend starting at around 42.06 as there is some utterly needles and counter productive bit on UFO/military technology before that, which is perfect weaponry for purveyous of ‘tin foil hat’ accusations

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEV5AFFcZ-s&feature=player_embedded

    42.46

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