A truly horrible example of how corporate interests own our politicians and control government policy. Private health providers have donated £16,285,437 trousered by the coalition parties who are privatising NHS services to them. Fantastic work by Eoin Clarke.
When I tell audiences that corporate interests control politicians, they want to agree but, having seen any establishment-critical analysis labeled “conspiracy theory”, some are often worried that I am going to start fantasising about the Illuminati, or at best am postulating an academic construct. I am not. I am talking about very real business deals and very real sums of money getting behind the politicians’ career-promotion, party funding and thus personal financial interest.
So as the NHS is ruined by “marketisation” and billions of taxpayers money go into private pockets as profit for NHS “providers”, you know that Cameron and Clegg have been bought, simple as that.
The same dynamic was true of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 2,000 US troops have now died in Afghanistan, but very real profits indeed have been made, amounting to hundreds of billions, by arms manufacturers, military contractors like Halliburton and companies owned by the Karimov family, and of course the private mercenary hired killers like Aegis. There are thousands of people who made millions out of the wars and some who made hundreds of millions. They are not the ones who did any of the dying. They give a lot of money to, and mingle a lot with, politicians.
This business report from the BBC was given toltally without irony:
Work to re-equip UK and US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has helped profits to soar at defence group BAE Systems.
The UK’s largest defence firm, BAE made a pre-tax profit of ’657m ($1.4bn), compared with ’378m a year earlier.
BAE said the “high tempo” of UK and US military operations was increasing demand for land systems to support armed forces overseas. BAE, which is facing an anti-corruption probe by US authorities, saw its half-year revenues rise by 10%. The firm said its sales had benefited from its US operations, which achieved organic sales growth of 12% during the period.
Overall sales at BAE’s Land & Armaments business, which includes everything from tanks to munitions, rose 43%.
And that is before you get to the oil companies waiting to come in and hoover up the profit from “liberated” assets. I repeat, this is not an academic construct. While I was Ambassador in Uzbekistan, I learnt the hard way the industrial scale torture, repression and state compulsion of child labour were of no importance compared to the vested interests of the powerful.
The sad truth is, of course, that New Labour were no better. As they look well placed to come back to power, you are going to see some of those private donations heading their way shortly. They massively forwarded the “market driven” model of NHS privatisation, and of course presided over the Great Banking Pozni Scheme while Mandelson, Bliar and Brown hovered around the rich soliciting donations. They also received very large donations from BAE, who made billions from the Iraq War, while Blair intervened to prevent BAE executives facing criminal bribery charges as this was “against the national interest”.
The mainstream parties are bought and sold, merely a collection of alternative parcels of rogues. The politicians are, virtually without exception, sickening examples of self-seeking, profiteering and aggrandisement. What astonishes me is that many people apparently think bringing back the first lot of war criminals will make things better.
My suspicion is that the percentage splits between parties by pollsters are an illusion, and a large majority are sick of all of them. Society had not yet found a way to express that, but it will.
Nextus
The Muslim owned company I have just been sacked from utilised a particularly nasty assessment form.
Productivity. 10 – 7 [ ] 6 – 4 [X] 3 – 0 [ ]
Punctuality . 10 – 7 [ ] 6 – 4 [X] 3 – 0 [ ]
Integrity. 10 – 7 [ ] 6 – 4 [ ] 3 – 0 [X]
Communication.10 – 7 [ ] 6 – 4 [ ] 3 – 0 [X]
Sociability. 10 – 7 [ ] 6 – 4 [ ] 3 – 0 [X]
Sign or lose your job.
@guano
“Who else is there to do it but them?”
Er – us, actually. Hate to worry you or your pal Allah (who if you won’t mind me saying, seems to have anger problems) but infidels are not few in number. Loved the punishment stuff, though! Right into that. Send me your phone number.
@Craig
What you describe is not new. It’s the same old story.
If you held any hope that Obama would be anything but what he is then you were duped. If you think the politicians of your wished for European super state will be any different then you are allowing yourself to still be duped.
Your analysis is again sharp but why do you think a change of personnel or borderlines would change anything? It hasn’t before.
There is nothing to salvage from a system in which we repeatedly delegate political responsibility to a few who are repeatedly corrupt or corruptible.
Not sure if this has already been posted but the stench of rottenness is overpowering. See Lord Carter of Coles and the American company McKesson and Nick Carter of the think tank Reform.
Was the BBC’s coverage of the NHS bill biased and distorted?
Open Democracy’s report has found significant evidence of serious omissions in the public broadcaster’s reporting
Oliver Huitson
guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 October 2012 16.11 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/01/bbc-coverage-nhs-bill
Sadly I find that Eoin Clarke of The Green Benches is deeply embedded in the current Labour party.
‘Founded @labourleft & Editor of The Green Benches & Red Book. Fiancé to @leftiehistorian’
https://twitter.com/DrEoinClarke
His fiancee is Rebecca Dunlop
Labour. History PhD student studying Black Panther Women/Marxist Feminism. Partner @dreoinclarke Proud to be a Labour Party member #EdM4PM
He says:
@chunkymark. Blairites did their best to ruin the NHS but they’re the past. Ed + Andy will 100% repeal the NHS Bill
~~~~~
If he really believes that, well!
Hello all: on topic for this and Europe strand: Corporate Europe Observatory are very good on the strength of the lobbyists in Brussels, and the vested interests which shape our current world.
O/T but of interest. Worth knowing about, even though a number of us on this board have reservations about its ‘humanitarian intervention’ policies. Avaaz propose to get into journalism – and to be fair to them, their response to the ‘Muslim Rage’ propaganda was timely and sensible:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/avaaz_becomes_the_media
Whenever I read a blog like this I ask myself “Where’s Newsnight? Where’s Channel 4? Where’s The Independent?”. Bloggers are doing the job of the press, while the latter form the propaganda machine for the government. Deeply worrying.
The fact politicians are shrewd top-educated gangsters should be shocking the nation into anger. But all I see is oblivious complacency from the public. Even more worrying.
Politicians, of course, know it. The fact that they continue to treat us with this level contempt speaks volumes on how safe they feel from being widely exposed, let alone any legal response.
Hello @technicolour, trust you’re well. Good to see you popping in!
quote
Whenever I read a blog like this I ask myself “Where’s Newsnight? Where’s Channel 4? Where’s The Independent?”. Bloggers are doing the job of the press.
looking for the bbc and all the other gob msm shites.
seek out the fine restaurants and cozy bars of w1.
pop down to chatham house.
you will find plenty of script conferences going on.
those newsnight folks have to stay on message.
who controls chatham house that is the question.
the bbc are forever wheeling out chatham house specialists.
one last year said fukishima was unfortunate but really a minor issue.
nice to know the bbc are keeping it real.
Great post!
Serco was also one of the biggest beneficiaries for software contracts for our recent new Academies and Free schools too.
http://www.serco.com/markets/education/schools/index.asp
Vronsky
Craig is saying there’s not enough anger. Would you not like a bit of Divine wrath to fall on the shameless and powerful? Or are you one of the happy chilled?
Anon 1 Oct, 2012 – 8:23 pm
+1 from me for slipping in a mention of chunky mark.
Patten’s Register of Interests
http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/christopher-patten/28731
1: Directorships
Non-executive Director, Russell Reynolds Associates Inc (company research)
2: Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.
Chairman of the BBC Trust
Member, European Advisory Board, Bridgepoint (private equity group)
Member, EDF Stakeholder Advisory Panel (electricity)
Occasional income from writing and speaking engagements
Member, International Advisory Board of BP (energy)
Adviser, Hutchison Europe (telecomms, property, transport)
10: Non-financial interests (b)
Chancellor, Oxford University
Member, Board of Overseers, Sabanci University, Istanbul
Advisory Board Member, St Benedict’s School, London
Member, Prime Minister’s Business Ambassador Network
10: Non-financial interests (e)
International Adviser, Praemium Imperiale, Japan Art Association
Co-chair, India-UK Roundtable
Co-chair, Italy-UK Annual Conference
Member of Advisory Council, The Hague Institute for Global Justice
Chunky Mark. Not your typical teacher.
http://www.youtube.com/user/chunkymark
O/T. Six UK citizens face extradition to a country, the United States, which has no reciprocal agreement to extradite to the UK. As well as this imbalance the United States has an increasingly deplorable record on human rights. One of those due to be extradited is the poet, Tahla Ahsan. I have set up a Facebook page for poets, writers and artists to oppose extradition and try English subjects in an English Court.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/371661099578187/?fref=ts
@jon: oh, you know, surviving 🙂
++1 for Chunky Mark/Artist Taxidriver: breath of (diesel) air, always. Loved his artists’ rant and also his bail out one.
“A truly horrible example of how corporate interests own our politicians and control government policy”
Still coming to terms with totalitarian fascism parading as democracy? Don’t worry, you can replace them at the next election with the previous lot – you’re totally free to choose between red or blue.
The funny thing is that when the last lot were in power (and for many years) they left the country in a total mess. Now, after just two years in the ‘wilderness’, they apparently have all the answers to all the problems they created. Utter bullshit so it is.
It’s the political system that needs reforming because the banks will not pay politicians to reform the banks will they?
[Mod/Jon: posted as Wagon Wheels, but has posted in the past under Ginger Nuts, so fixing]
“The delegation with Rabbi Weiss that showed such respect to President Ahmedinejad puts to shame all of those who pretend not to understand the difference between Zionism and Judaism.”
That is exactly why I felt a strong need to post the link Guano – Thank-you for lifting the emotion – a very powerful post.
Simon Wood, 1 Oct, 2012 – 12:12 pm
Welcome / Bienvenue. As you might have gathered from the lack of response, the ground is not ready yet for the seeds of Direct Democracy to take root on this forum. Mostly we engage in lively debate about “Who is to blame?” here. Few have moved on to “What must be done?”. Even fewer realise that although they may disagree about who is to blame, they could agree on what must be done. Truly, we (collectively) deserve our rulers 🙂
I look forward to reading your book / blog – though in my instance you are preaching to the converted. I’ve been extolling the relative virtues of true democracy versus shamocracy for a couple of years here, with limited success. Weldone on writing a book on this btw, I has been a pipe-dream of mine, too, to gather in one place all of my thoughts on the subject. Perhaps one day when my primary purpose in life (replication vehicle for a bunch of genes) takes up less of my “leisure” time..
Incidentally our host is one of those who have absorbed the erroneous idea that Direct Democracy is ‘mob rule’. I would love to know how this propaganda is planted in the minds of people. I have heard this objection many times, often from people who have not spent 5 minutes in their entire life thinking about what constitutes democracy, yet they have this reflexive distrust of their fellow human beings. Never mind, there is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come, according to Victor Hugo. Perhaps give it another 100 years or so. I am quite Marxist in one respect – I think popular sovereignty is a historical inevitability. It’s just the way it will come about is a mystery to me.
You suggest a mode of implementation that “requires people to vote directly”. If compulsory voting is implied then I disagree strongly. Compulsory voting not only adds nothing to democracy, it creates a potential danger of a flippant insouciant vote by those who care little about the outcome and are easily swayed therefore by superficial arguments and sleek advertising. BUT, crucially it does not matter what I think – because Direct Democracy is self-righting. If a flaw is perceived in the system, all it takes to fix it is an Initiative Referendum.
Also, doing away with Parliament would be throwing away the baby with the bath water. Efficiency gains resulting from representation are massive, and the underlying problem is not representation itself but the corrupting effects of impunity. Remove the perception of impunity by introducing strong feedback mechanisms such as Initiative, Referendum and Recall and we will have a very different Parliament to the nest of rent-seeking vipers that we have today (with notable exceptions).
tony roma
1 Oct, 2012 – 6:21 pm
“why are som many nuke plants allowed to leak.
why is cancer treatment and cancer care all over tv and radio advertising.
why in a post modern world is cancer a major growth area.
because cancer cannot be allowed to be cured.
why would you want to destroy a trillion dollar industry.
problem nuke power station leaks,depleted uranium missile fall out gone global
reaction cancers
solution trillion dollar pharma and medical industries to help make you better or kill you trying.”
Hmm, a global conspiracy at work. Or, could it be that whilst the probability of eventual death has stubbornly remained at unity, the constituent probabilities of dying by infectious disease, malnutrition etc have diminished following advances in modern medicine and the general standards of living, leaving the “diseases of old age” to make up the shortfall back to unity. This would certainly look like an “epidemic” of diseases of old age, most notably cancer. Is this too simple?
“I’m currently working with Greens Conservatives and some very pissed off Lib dems, all absolutely fed up with their parties, that’s how far it got.”
Yes, Nevermind. I’m in California. But one shouldn’t conflate the Rule, to the Exception to the Rule.
I am quite often criticized for ‘blanket’ appraisals, but I believe the situation in US is close to my expression. Hence, my previous question as to the culture in UK, and how it compares.
Evgueni: Give us a break. Far from not being ready for Direct Democracy (inc), we know only too well that immediate, summary justice and decisions – by the masses, on the spot – doesn’t serve humanity well at all. You’re condescending to the wrong crowd.
You say, in a rather snide fashion I might add, “Incidentally our host is one of those who have absorbed the erroneous idea that Direct Democracy is ‘mob rule’. I would love to know how this propaganda is planted in the minds of people.”
One might get this notion from observing mobs in action. From noting that capital punishment would be reintroduced if put to a referendum, that most wars are largely popular regardless of its merit, that stupidity and fear is the primary motivation to the actions of a damned large majority.
You need only observe the simple fact that religious delusions are respected and institutionalised if not actually practiced, to see that a general wisdom simply does not exist.
It also seems you’ve got a touch of religion about this “Direct Democracy” of yours. You say, “If a flaw is perceived in the system, all it takes to fix it is an Initiative Referendum.” That’s wonderful. Shame the electorate didn’t even have the sense to vote for a form of proportional representation/AV in the last referendum, as just one example of how this “fix” of yours never even starts to get off the ground.
Do you take into account, in the slightest way, the effect mass media and monied interests would sway this Holy Direct Democracy, by making any object either a work of the devil, or the only thing that could possibly save us?
Get over yourself just a teensy bit, and you might have your half-baked notions knocked into some sort of shape. This group is a forgiving lot, on the whole.
evgueni
keep taking the bill gates big pharma jabs.
or may i suggest you are in the same industry as shipman.
read a book called murder by injection.
pretty boring and some wild conspiracy within.
but what is of great interest is the interconnection between wall street,the city of london and nuclear,big pharma and hospital industries.
rotten and unhealthy state of affairs.
now go take your chicken virus shot now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNUq0fm5EOA&list=UUGThM-ZZBba1Zl9rU-XeR-A&index=4&feature=plcp
Chunky Mark on Miliband and the NHS. At the beginning, the ‘man with the magic balloon’ referred to is Branson and his Assura outfit.
McGowan (the taxi driver) is spot on. This in the Independent yesterday:
Labour to embrace David Cameron’s ‘big society’
Ed Miliband has described it as a “failure” while his Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said it was just a “big con”.
But now it has emerged that Labour is ready to embrace David Cameron’s much maligned concept of the ‘big society’ as part of its forthcoming policy review.
Members of the Shadow Cabinet are to meet for party “away day” in two weeks to sign off on a programme of policy development which will form the basis of Labour’s manifesto for the 2015 General Election.
/,,
{http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-to-embrace-david-camerons-big-society-8192956.html}
Another scam is arising to relieve those left working of their revenues and to line the pockets of the banksters a little more.
As I thought – held in equities. John Hutton now Lord Hutton ex nuLabour was the fixer. Gideon invited him to chair the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission. One can imagine the conversations. \A nice flow of Joe Bloggs’ 5.8% into the City*, in fact a nice little earner. Any warning about ‘the value of your pension pot can go down as well as up’? and note the rapid start.
NEST Foundation phase – The first phase is designed to get you used to the idea of saving. We will take some risks to give your money a good chance of staying ahead of the rising cost of living and to cover the charges that are applied to the fund. At the same time, we aim to avoid doing things that would be likely to cause the value of your pot to fall a lot.
http://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb/NestWeb/public/NESTforSavers/contents/managing-your-pot.html
See growth phase.
Will the 99% revolt? Not yet. Chunky Mark ought to see this. I somehow know this will be a scam.
* See {http://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb/NestWeb/includes/public/docs/briefing-note-low-charges,PDF.pdf} Lots of garbage here. Pie charts. Nice colour scheme. The full monty.
Reduction in retirement pot due
to charges at NEST’s level 5.8% !!!!
Over the last nine months I have been fortunate to have had the support and assistance of an extraordinarily talented group of people within the Commission. I want to thank each of them for the help they have given me. I would also like to thank my panel of experts (Ron Amy, Professor Nicholas Barr, Lord Michael Bichard, Professor David Blake, Niki Cleal, Baroness Jeannie Drake, Carl Emmerson, Professor John Hills and Professor Alasdair Smith)for their comments and contributions. What appears in the pages that follow are of course my conclusions alone. But I strongly believe they hold out the prospect of managing rather than succumbing to the powerful forces of change that are requiring individuals, companies and Governments all over the world to re-think their approach to pensions.
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/hutton_final_100311.pdf
Signed Milord John Hutton of Furness
10 March 2011
Independent Public Service Pensions Commission: Final Report
One of the entries in the Turner Prize includes a sculpture of excrement!! The Guardian here is too coy to mention it.
‘The one exception is Paul Noble who is showing five new pencil drawings and marble sculptures from a long-running project in which he depicts the fictional place Nobson Newtown.
But Curtis said they were “very representative of the works for which he was nominated”.
Noble was immediately made 5/4 favourite to win the £25,000 prize by bookmaker William Hill. A spokesman said: “Paul has attracted over 90% of the early money and if this trend continues he could well become the shortest priced favourite in the history of Turner prize betting.”‘
But you can rely on the Soaraway Sun
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4566815/Plop-Art-This-pile-of-poo-is-favourite-for-25k-Turner-Prize.html
although I quite liked the handle of their Art Critic Jackson Pillock, LOL
Glenn 2 Oct, 2012 – 3:24 am
“Evgueni: Give us a break. Far from not being ready for Direct Democracy (inc), we know only too well that immediate, summary justice and decisions – by the masses, on the spot – doesn’t serve humanity well at all.”
Direct democracy is not the answer, but some form of more direct democracy will most likely be part of the answer. In fact there are examples where direct democracy has served humanity very well. Sure, if we merely bolted on referendum onto our present power structures then not a lot would change.
To suggest that direct democracy must be rule by idiotic, cruel, untrustworthy masses is a depressingly elitist view.
Technicolour 1 Oct, 2012 – 10:38 pm
“Chunky Mark/Artist Taxidriver”
I knew Chunky Mark was a cabbie and a teacher. I had no idea he is an artist as well.