The hopelessness of New Labour as a vehicle of change is underlined by their fixation with “judge-led” inquiries into anything that crops up. Remember the Hutton whitewash? Will a senior judge really recommend the fundamental reform of casino banking in the City of London and the careers of the banking squillionaires he undoubtedly knows so well at his club, lodge and golf course?
Which of these best describes most senior judges?
a) A fearless crusader for truth and social justice with unimpeachable morals and the intellectual stringency of a great philosopher
or
b) A very well paid establishment figure with an authoritarian streak who got his position from Jack Straw or his predecessors by very carefully in his career never stepping out of line with the very powerful.
Frankly, it makes no difference at all whether politicians or judges conduct the inquiry into banking practices. It’ll be the same old whitewash. Andrew Tyrie MP happens to be one of the very few decent people in parliament. But if he does chair the inquiry as Cameron proposes, be sure the forces of control will rapidly close over his head.
I didn’t bother to watch the Bob Diamond select committee appearance yesterday. In fact, I have come to terms with the (to me) shocking fact that I now believe our political system to be so corrupt that our horribly and increasingly unequal society will eventually, and rightly, be changed by extra-parliamentary means. Probably not in my lifetime, but one day. I never imagined I would end up believing that.
The political blogosphere will buzz today with parliamentary debate on the banks. It seems obvious to me that parliament is not going to do anything against the financial services paymasters of the politicians.
Parliament is irrelevant.
Reminds me of the conversation between Arthur Scargill and Joe Gormley during the miners’ strike. Joe was elated that he had found a “really left-wing lawyer” to work for the Union’s case. Arthur was less happy. He pointed out that what they needed was a left-wing judge.
“I now believe our political system to be so corrupt that our horribly and increasingly unequal society will eventually, and rightly, be changed by extra-parliamentary means.”
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Rightly or wrongly, I’ve seen that as the only answer for a while now. Not just in the UK, obviously.
Sadly I agree with every single word you’ve written Craig.Westminster is rotten to the core and they make the rules plus it’s their ball. The City controls our Parliament making sure their agenda runs uninteruppted and our PM defends their agenda as if it was a bare necessity of British life.
I’ve been watching judges let the well heeled and Govt. criminals off all my life.They are there to keep the little man in place and a semblance of law and order where there is none.
Bob Diamond was always going to lie and get away with it.Of course it’s a rigged game.
The MSM today are trying to pedal the story that we get the banks we deserve and that somehow we are to blame.
Max Keiser tells it like it is, and he makes you smile too.
http://rt.com/programs/keiser-report/episode-309-max-keiser/
Don’t let them get you down.
Agree with every word. The coterie of interests skimming cash off every transaction, and legislating to ensure that the exploitation continues unabated, seems little different from the arrangement in a North African dictatorship, only lacking the justification that at least the leader’s tribe’s members become wealthy…on second thoughts, forget that. The analogy is near perfect. Democracy – forget it. If it changed things, it would be illegal, as the old saw has it.
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God knows, no-one sane wants a bloody revolution. But what options are there?
Here is a measure that has been proposed that I think could make a difference. Unfortunately the Conservative MP that is championing it doesn’t seem to have received much support from his party leadership.
http://www.stevebaker.info/campaigns/the-financial-system/financial-institutions-reform-bill/
Very good stuff here
http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/unmasking-the-shady-people-who-pay-the-piper/
It’s b) for me. Are there any prizes for getting it right?
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Regarding the Hutton Inquiry (Whitewash) a disturbing thing happened 3 days ago. I would really appreciate knowing if anyone else has had a similar experience.
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On the morning of Monday 2nd July a very strange thing happened. I got two emails from someone who was responding to a post on Caroline Lucas’ personal Facebook page, (not the page that allows you to ‘Like’ her as a public figure). The content of the emails was the same and amounted to a comment to the effect that Dominic Grieve had lost his testicles. I thought this was of interest and a good place to post a link to the Epetition I raised calling for Grieve’s resignation for not allowing an inquest into the death of weapons’ inspector, Dr David Kelly. Caroline Lucas has already questioned Dominic Grieve about having passed on information to the US authorities about Babar Ahmad before and without consulting UK legal authorities which the information concerned, and there appears to be no love lost between the two MPs.
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I clicked the link in one of the emails to view the missing ‘testicles’ comment on Facebook. What happened next was most disturbing. Instead of going to the comment it went to the home page. So I brought up my Friends’ list to find Caroline Lucas. Her photograph had been replaced with a standard white silhouette on a blue background and I was informed that her account had been deactivated and I was invited to unfriend her. If she had deactivated her account at that very moment it is a rare case of coincidence, but conceivable. I tried other mutual friends who were friends too with Caroline Lucas. Her photograph, or any other evidence that she had a Facebook account, was removed. Yet somebody had posted a comment to this account that very day.
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I returned to my email account and could not believe it. The two emails with a Facebook link, and missing ‘testicles’ comment, had completely disappeared from my inbox. I tried the Junk box and the Deleted boxes and they were not there either. Two emails had totally disappeared. If anyone can throw any light on this I should love to hear from them. There is a suspicion among members of the group calling for an inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly that the number of signatories to the Epetition is considerably less than it should be.
It’s horrible, the bankers are even involved in the fraudulent charities. They are robbing even the very poorest of the poor. They are so greedy that they would snatch the breadcrust from a starving child, and I am not exaggerating. I just found out about Richard Beaven’s involvement in the political pressure group Pride House that is masquerading as a charity. Charity is supposed to be for helping poor and needy people, it just makes me feel sick what those moneygrubbers are doing. There are people committing suicide because of the benefit cuts now, and in my town a 19 year old homeless man with mental health problems got a month in jail for stealing a sandwich, he was so hungry, I used to see him outside Icelands begging, he was very thin, I did give him some money (even though John Major told us not to give beggers money, how can you not if they look so thin and hungry) and when I read about him in the newspaper it said he was homeless because his parents didnt want him at home any more, whose fault it was I dont know but what I do know is that families are under massive strain these days, you have to be better than Mary Poppins to be considered to be a fit mother, with Social Services ready to pounce on you for the most ridiculous thing, mad things like reading the Bible with your children is consideded child abuse these days, or being against gay marriage and gay adoption (classed as homophobia). Waheed Alli is a scoundrel, he shouldnt be anything to do with childrens television, how he got made a peer is as big a mystery as how Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize, or how Bliar got made peace envoy.
John Goss, yes, I have had strange things happen on facebook as well, not the same. I found friends appearing in my friends list who I know for absolute sure that I never added, for example one didn’t even have a name, it was a creepy looking blue logo, looked like a pair of hands holding a baby or an egg or something. I know I never added anyone to my friends list who had no name! I am a lady who campains very vigerously against institutional child abuse, as I am one of the Staffordshire Pindown child abuse victims (Pindown was what happened at Haut de la Garenne in Jersey as well as Staffordshire and Wales and other places) and I am well known to Lord Falconer as I was corresponding with him and Jack Straw and their minions on the subject of Pindown child abuse and the secret family courts while they were in their capacity as head of the MOJ. Both of them covered up dreadful child abuse and corruption in the secret family7 court/child protection system.
I am sorry for the typo I meant secret family court/child protection system. I pressed the 7 by accident
“I have come to terms with the (to me) shocking fact that I now believe our political system to be so corrupt that our horribly and increasingly unequal society will eventually, and rightly, be changed by extra-parliamentary means. Probably not in my lifetime, but one day. I never imagined I would end up believing that. ”
Finally, you have seen the whites of the ugly truth’s eyes. You have proved to be a man in search of the truth, and I always hoped you would manage to break free from the captivating illusion. Trouble is, this truth hurts and it can be a very depressing place. To avoid languishing stuck there, I suggest you spearhead a citizens activist group (civil disobedience and all that) for example encouraging people to pull their money out of the banks. That’s maybe the only place thy can be kicked so that it hurts!
Steve Baker founded this:
http://www.cobdencentre.org/
Sound money – what heresy!
I almost chocked on my cup of herbal tea, as I read the multiple choice questions about our judiciary. Tut, tut, Judges being arse leaking sooks? Of course they are silly, otherwise they would not be given a bar stool never-mind the bar to go with it!
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The political charade of “parliamentary democracy” is just that, a charade and a sickening one at that. we are witnessing our “representatives” (not my choice, where is my vote?) questioning the man who has conned the nation out of the billions and almost destroyed the total economy, yet the culprit then gets up and walks out, and leaves our “reps” to squabble about inquiries. Is this inquiry into what and how and by whom? of course not, it is about appearing to do something whislt doing sweet fuck all, Way to go “reps” Rome burning and fiddlesticks, Nero, etc.
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There is no chance of any of the culprits ever getting even so much a as a smack on the back of their hand, but hey the ire of the moment will sort out the problem, for another day, and another scandal later, is enough to keep the bandwagon rolling.
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However, the libor scandal, the news of starving children, who cannot find enough food because their working parents cannot afford to buy food, soldiers getting killed in Afghanistan (no money to feed the kids but hey we have money to bomb the shit of Afghanistan and keep our troops in place to look after the opium harvesters), all is explained away with the;”BASTARD IMMIGRANTS”.
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Firstly this morning the teleprompter readers were interviewing the ministers about “BASTARD IMMIGRANTS”, then there has been the news of the fortuitous arrest of some Alkaidy Terrrrrrorrrrristy characters, and now there is the high tension drama of the Megabus on a closed highway with armed response officers surrounding the said BUS (what no more airplanes?).
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So all is well we can now o back and live our lives, all we had to do is to curse the “BASTARD IMMIGRANTS” and our problems are solved!!!! “Just like that”
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-18719962,
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All we need is for Frank to get his banister prop and turn up on the scene to deliver an unbiased account of the mad bad “BASTARD IMMIGRANTS” running amok in our fair and trouble free lands!
Very weird John. Enough to make you bolt the doors and draw the curtains.
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My attention has just been drawn to this EDM put down two days ago by Austin Mitchell and others.
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MURDER OF HILDA MURRELL
Session: 2012-13
Date tabled: 03.07.2012
Primary sponsor: Mitchell, Austin
Sponsors:Corbyn, Jeremy
Cryer, John
Hopkins, Kelvin
Kennedy, Charles
Skinner, Dennis
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That this House notes with concern that, as documented in the recent book entitled, A Thorn in Their Side: The Hilda Murrell Murder, by her nephew,Commander Robert Green, Royal Navy (retired), key forensic and other evidence was not disclosed at the 2005 trial and the 2006 appeal of Andrew George, who was convicted for the abduction and murder of the internationally renowned rose grower and anti-nuclear campaigner Hilda Murrell in 1984; further notes Michael Mansfield QC’s view that the book raises serious and substantial doubts about the criminal investigations to date into this controversial murder; supports Mansfield’s call for a Commission of Inquiry or a reinvestigation by another police force unconnected with any previous inquiries into the case; further notes the overwhelming endorsement of the same at public meetings in Shrewsbury and London in March 2012; recommends that all the relevant papers should now be published by the Home Office, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Sizewell B Inquiry, the Atomic Energy Authority, the West Mercia Police and the Northumbria Police; andfurther recommends that all these matters should be examined by the House of Commons Justice Committee.
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Recommend reading the book A Thorn In Their Side written by Hilda Murrell’s nephew Robert Green, who was a RN Commander at Northwood at the time of the Falklands War. He now lives in NZ. ie he left this swamp of corruption. Michael Mansfield said of the book
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“This is a tale of mystery and intrigue which touches all our lives. Carefully researched and lovingly told, you cannot remain unmoved. The questions come thick and fast. There is always another stone to be overturned. Far more than a ‘who dunnit’, it is also a ‘why’ and ‘what dunnit’. Echoes of the death of David Kelly. It is a story which uncovers the life-threatening risks that have to be endured by a few for the many who ‘dare not speak’. – Michael Mansfield QC
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http://hildamurrell.org/
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PS Whole heartedly behind what Craig is saying. But we have to go on finding out and protesting. If we don’t, it is not worth living a lie.
There is a massive police operation on going on the M6 involving a coach on which someone was seen ‘pouring a liquid into a smoking box’. The powers-that-be are in full-on mode. The Royal Logistics Corp are there as are the anti terrorism squad. The M5 is closed. No mention of Peter Power as yet.
s/be The M6 is closed.
Enough with the MSM “news”, Mary.
1)E-Petition for Full Judicial Inquiry into Financial Sector
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35421
2)E-Petition for Max Keiser to Give evidence to above Banking inquiry
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35647
“I now believe our political system to be so corrupt that our horribly and increasingly unequal society will eventually, and rightly, be changed by extra-parliamentary means”.
There is a worse alternative: it won’t be changed. Instead, Britain will go on into the future governed by the delegates of the rich and powerful, with the plebs appeased by bread and circuses (pardon me, frog in my throat, pizza Macdonalds and football and the X Factor and the Olympics) and the regular empty ritual of “elections”.
“It’s horrible, the bankers are even involved in the fraudulent charities. They are robbing even the very poorest of the poor”.
You’re quite right, Barbara: it is horrible. But there is nothing in the slightest unusual about it. On the contrary, it is SOP. Paradoxically, it is the poor who offer the rich the best prospects of becoming even richer. Individually they have little, but there are a lot of them; and they are naive and easily conned.
More of the same.
5 July 2012 Last updated at 12:19
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Bank of England pumps £50bn more into economy
The Bank has already pumped £325bn into the economy
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The Bank of England has announced it will pump a further £50bn into the UK economy over the next four months through its quantitative easing (QE) programme to try and boost demand.
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And Barclays has been downgraded from stable to negative.
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The house of cards has a serious wobble on.
John Goss, I’m going to take a guess here; do you access your e-mail by “webmail”, i.e. by visiting the web page of your e-mail provider, rather than by using an e-mail client program like Microsoft Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird?
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John, as a moderator, I can see your e-mail address, but for the other readers here, who is your e-mail provider? Your e-mail provider is best placed to delete e-mails from your Inbox.
Barbara Richards, Facebook is not to be trusted:
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http://www.stallman.org/facebook.html
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and their internal security is very poor, so even if Facebook itself wasn’t interfering with members’ political activism (which it does), any one of hundreds or thousands of staff could do so on behalf of some third party.
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But the deletion of e-mails from a non-Facebook e-mail account is altogether more sinister.
Very strange Mary, as you say. I’ve also tried to contact many people using Facebook, including the person, Brian Irvine, who raised the successful Epetition for details of the Hillsborough Football disaster being released to families of the bereaved, to find out what methods were used. I contacted a Brian Irvine in Liverpool twice using Facebook. On a second attempt to make contact I even asked if he was not the Brian Irvine connected with the Epetition and if he knew who it was, would he please get in touch. I got no response to either of these. I have contacted many other groups and organisations. Not one has responded. Not even Stop the War campaign, of which I am a member. Now this is peculiar beyond the rational.
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Barbara Richards, there are some strange things happen with Facebook. I sent a message to someone I know supports the Campaign for the Abolition of American Bases (CAAB) to come with her husband in my car to the Menwith Hill demonstration which took place yesterday. I contacted her husband two days ago and learnt that the message, though sent, never arrived. Sometimes I know I’m responsible for errors, clicking the wrong icon, but not on any of these recent occasions. Sorry to hear about your problems with Pindown.
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Mary, I’ve been meaning to buy Robert Green’s ‘A thorn in their side’ and will get it when I have time to read it. Even when I read Judith Cook’s ‘Who killed Hilda Murrell’ I knew there was more to it than met the eye, and never believed the boy accused and convicted, who if I recall had learning difficulties, had nothing to do with it.
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We must keep fighting these nasty people with power every inch of the way.
anything to do with it.
After the first hour of listening to Diamond, I came to the same conclusion. Taking such a cynical position however feels sort of like giving up.
Well, there are more possibilities than insurrection. It is often stated that our current system is unsustainable. “Unsustainable” has become such a clichéd buzzword that we tend to forget its meaning, which is that things cannot continue unchanged, i.e. if we don’t change things deliberately, circumstances (natural or economic) will take the matter from our hands and change things forcibly.
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This is why I advocate the building of alternative systems. The status quo is sick and dying. It indulges in all the “deadly sins”; indeed, it appears to be addicted to such behaviour. We don’t need to kill it, it will die as a result of its own behaviour eventually.
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The faster we can build an alternative, the faster we deprive the corrupt system of its sustenance (human contribution of labour), and the sooner it will die. Good riddance. It’s become a parasite.
“Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of reasons will somehow work for the benefit of us all.”
Anon.
Craig,
you love super injunctions right? check this bad boy out.
http://order-order.com/2012/07/05/homicide-detectives-interview-royal-lawyer/
“The faster we can build an alternative, the faster we deprive the corrupt system of its sustenance (human contribution of labour), and the sooner it will die. Good riddance. It’s become a parasite.”
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But from the point of view of the masters of the universe, Clark, aren’t the masses the parasites? How many of us do they really need now in the developed nations?
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Life expectations, living standards, nutrition, education, salary level, etc, are all being downgraded massively.
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I really see the only viable option to be leaving the UK and leveraging skills and whatever cash one has to start anew in the developing world.