The dreadfully stultified pageantry of the British state has been on full display the last couple of days, all mouldy ermine, fraying gold braid and musty velvet. But forms which evolved as a vibrant display of Imperial might have transmuted into rituals of obeisance, as the nonogenerian Prince Philip stumbles behind the Chinese President along lines of men wearing decaying bears on their heads. The sickness of Britain’s monarchical system was never more bluntly revealed than by the rictus grins of the aristocratic clowns balancing their tiaras at the state banquet.
The Chinese are the imperial masters now. Cameron begs them to build a nuclear power station for which the British state guarantees it will pay double the market price for electricity produced, for twenty years. And a government which has just announced the extension of thought crime to the expression of non-violent or anti-violent thought deemed “extreme”, has no locus to talk about human rights, a concept at least as alien to Teresa May as it is to the Chinese Communist Party. Britain has its own war criminals like Blair and Straw running around, immune and very wealthy.
The British state is an immoral entity which I view with disgust. That is what drives for me the imperative to early Scottish Independence to be rid of it. Every day as a British citizen is like bathing in sewage.
The Government’s own data no longer justifies the choice of nuclear power as part of the energy mix.
Using figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC’s) own ‘Pathways’ website, the report shows that, far from helping to achieve government energy objectives, the inclusion of the nuclear component will:
risk ‘the lights going out’;
waste billions of pounds;
be less effective in meeting energy policy objectives than a more ‘demand-side-led’ strategy; and
leave the ‘urgent need’ for new electricity supplies that the Government claims are necessary unmet.
The report by Together Against Sizewell C (TASC) uses pathways or scenarios based entirely on DECC’s own data, to demonstrate that new nuclear reactors – like the proposed Hinkley Point C station – are unnecessary. In fact, far from making government policy easier to achieve, nuclear power’s inclusion in the energy mix will hamper successful policy implementation.
http://stophinkley.org/StopPress.htm
The Chinese describe Britain as, ‘a small island without Empire’.
The Chinese describe Scotland as, ‘the Land of Invention’.
Cost of all this fancy dress?? Any insiders with some info??
‘Parliamentary Robes
Ede & Ravenscroft provides and maintains the ceremonial dress worn at The State Opening of Parliament.
Parliamentary officers together with peers, bishops, judges and heralds all of whom are smartly dressed in court dress and robes await the arrival of the Sovereign.
Parliamentary robes and uniforms, with their regalia and fabric trimmings, are handmade using time-honoured techniques and traditional materials at Ede & Ravenscroft’s London workshops.
Ede & Ravenscroft proudly supplies legislative assemblies throughout the Commonwealth and the world. We make ceremonial dress for parliamentary officers in locations as diverse as Victoria, British Columbia, and Maseru, Lesotho.’
Plus Municipal Robes, Court Dress and High Sheriffs, Livery Robes….
http://www.edeandravenscroft.com/ceremonial-dress/other-robes/
All designed to keep the gawping populace informed of their place.
Wonder whether the fate of the 239 passengers on Flight MH 370 has been discussed in the diplomatic exchanges. There were many Chinese nationals on the flight to Beijing.
It’s all coming together:
http://mayatoday.com/Finance/China-UK-extend-deal-on-currency-swap/26378
It is said Samuel Pepys, tasted his first cup of tea around 1660, by then the East India tea company was in the process of becoming a global narcotics cartel, flooding China with opium, from India, which led to The Opium wars, in which Britain twice sent the Royal Navy to ensure the Chinese remained addicted to opium.
In the process Britain claimed Hong Kong for herself, if memory serves we handed it back to China in 1997, in a pomp and circumstance gala, through Governor Chris Patten.
Its a wonder the Chinese still want anything to do with Britain after that episode in history. Maybe they intend to flood England with radiation, instead of opium, still opium had its place in England as well.
The drug was widely used in Britain itself, even by the Royal Family, as shown by revelations that Queen Victoria’s court frequently ordered opium from the royal apothecary at Balmoral.
In England, where opium was legal, the cause of the exceptionally high infant mortality rate in one Lancashire town was discovered to be a concoction, called “Godfrey’s Cordial,” a cough syrup containing opium which was given to babies, often in lethal doses.
UK Goes Full Orwell (according to a technology author based in Chicago)
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151013/11125332527/uk-goes-full-orwell-government-to-take-children-away-parents-if-they-might-become-radicalized.shtml
“Chinese practices to compete” is ALSO working 16 hours per day with little breaks and coming back home (even this is not the case as majority of factories provide dormitories) to sleep ONLY.
Agree, actually. Can’t see Cameron writing that one off, as a matter of fact. Osborne would certainly like our hardworkingfamilies at it all hours for a daily bowl of rice. But I would rather the State investing in UK industry were the UK and not China. Call me a hopeless romantic.
You was crazy to write up so bad on our dear queen gawd bliss her little tiara and her little cotton socks, if you don’t like it, go live in Russia where they don’t have a queen and see how you like it there, like.
Queen brings in so many fecking tourists and that, and she is luvley like
I am trying to hang on to my job and not be classed as an extremist of any sorts in any interpreted, misinterpreted, misconstrued, or otherwise ways/manner/form! In the light of the the latest edicts coming down the chute, which inevitably will require us all to genuflect to the pictures of our dear leaders and sing gawd save the queen a top of our voice whilst goose stepping in the cardinal directions and pledging allegiance to any and all fads that our dear leaders can dream up or vaguely think of. I am already practicing the goose stepping whilst typing, although cannot sing gawd save our precious ……. at the same time but I am willing to learn and that is what counts!
If our dear leaders and great leaders pull their heads out of the Chinese presidents butt for a second I hope they will see this humble contribution and will let me hang on to my job for another day and won’t compel me to wear any insignia or cloth patch denoting my extremism.
I guess it’s a bit confusing having two freds here, undoubtedly the other one has been posting lots, unlike myself, however he could have at least have been polite about the matter. I’d have changed my avatar if requested, but he told me to f off and die, for ‘impersonating’ him (ego). I didn’t like that.
It’s not like it’s a unique avatar, many use fred on a qwerty keyboard as it is fast and easy to type. That’s why I use it.
“Every day as a British citizen is like bathing in sewage.”
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You can legally renounce your UK citizenship, you know.
Here and now, no need to wait for Scottish independence.
And then you can either travel (if you wish to travel) on a travel document issued by the British state or, alternatively, seek citizenship from a state you approve of.
“The attacks mark a period of political meltdown in Turkey. Erdogan’s response to it has fanned the flames rather than help quell them. The president generally wastes no time voicing his opinions, but he dropped completely out of sight for three days following the attacks. The media was instructed to refrain from showing images of the events, and not a single member of the government attended any of the victims’ funerals. ”
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/ankara-attacks-heighten-political-divisions-in-turkey-a-1058732.html
A fairly well researched article which is pointing to a massive split in Turkey. Erdogan was nowhere to be seen for three days after the bombing, when usually he is the first to comment on an important issue, he put pressure on the media and TV to not show too many pictures of the attack and or funerals which not one of his ministers attended.
Selahattin Demirtas, the man of the coming hour, a HDP chair” The Kurds are the real enemy of the Government, not IS, the president will even risk war to stay in Government”
To explain the HDP was created between Kurds and Turkish parties and they got 13.6% at the last election.
Erdogan has called a snap election for Nov.1st. Expect more of the same State terror against HDP supporters before the election to engulf Turkey.
Could Ms Sutton have walked into the firing line by trying to find out? did she identify the bombers? were they as Turkish IS, like those that blew up people in Suruc?
What are the chances that western agencies did not know about the event beforehand?
From Ba’al – Zeus on lofty Olympus:
“First and foremost being massive State investment and if necessary subsidy of our industrial base.
This very good advice will not be heard by the effete City spawn running us, obviously.”
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And I wonder if Ba’al – Zeus has heard of the European Union and its provisions on state aids?
Obviously (not).
Speaking of British sewage, how about setting up Freddie Scappaticci aka ‘Stakeknife’ for the murder of taxi driver Francisco Notorantonio when the UFF did it to protect the real ‘Steaknife’ in the IRA Council so that the cargo ship Eksund with all those Libyan arms on board for the IRA could be captured.
Ba’al opines:
“I’m reasonably certain that Blair – running around, very wealthy – has been instrumental in our snivelling approach to China.”
_________________
Whilst realising that Ba’al has a certain ….obsession (to put it kindly) …with Tony Blair, I do feel obliged to say that I’m reasonably certain that the UK govt is able to find out the importance of trade links with China all by itself and is more than capable of adopting the “right” approach for bringing this about (alas!) without Mr Blair’s sage counsel.
Silvio, sorry I wasn’t very clear there, The EU is indeed a vehicle of global capital, it doesn’t really represent the 500 million souls it wrested power from without any real consent.
TTIP along with thousands of other examples just goes to prove the point that our politicians (that includes the SNP) have given away our democratic choices to an unelected cartel of bureau-rats who in turn have handed that power to global corporate finance and the central banking mafia.
Talk of Scottish ‘independence’ within the EU framework is a contradiction in terms.
KOWN
“On the Jeremy Vine radio programme yesterday they were queuing up to phone in and excoriate China’s human rights record, seemingly unaware of our record on torture and rendition, mass illegal surveillance, and of course the small matter of a million dead people in Iraq for whose human rights our leaders clearly didn’t give a stuff.”
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That’s a classic bit of “what about”-ery, isn’t it.
And a very silly one.
As for you sharing Craig’s disgust, you could envisage doing what I suggested Craig might consider (cf at 15h15, above).
Ganglion
“Fred : £90 per MWh for 35 years sounds like a damn good deal to me
I wonder if the people of Fukushima Prefecture would agree with you.”
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What have the people of Fukushima prefecture (Japanese-built and designed reactor)got to do with the question of whether £90 per MWh (Chinese-built and designed reactor)is good value or not?
Yours was a cheap and silly remark.
RobG
“Fred, if we stuck just a thousand quid solar panel on the roof of every dwelling in Britain we’d halve the load on the national grid.
You’re either working for ‘them’ or you’ve bought into the propaganda.”
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That is bollocks and you know it. The same sort of bollocks that got trotted out about wind power.
Fred is right – if you don’t want fossil fuel powered electricity generation then it has to be nuclear power. Or huddle round a candle to read and wash your clothes (and yourself) less.
Fred: “Way to go to catch up with Aberfan.”
Indeed. Are you interested in Lovelock’s analysis about the comparative death rates for conventional Vs nuclear power generation? It appears much along the lines of what you’re driving at here.
“Fred, if we stuck just a thousand quid solar panel on the roof of every dwelling in Britain we’d halve the load on the national grid.”
Might work in Portugal but where I live mid-winter we only get 6 hours sunshine if we’re lucky and that’s when we need the electricity the most.
John S Warren (to Ba’al – Zeus)
“Here is the difference. If I think I have something to contribute and that seems grounded in evidence I will comment. If not, I don’t. You should try it some time.”
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If you imagine that asking for evidence-based posts is going to make you popular here, John, then you’re on the wrong blog.
But I did like your comment – it needed saying.
NB – Ba’al is probably better than most of the regulars.
Other Fred: “ I’d have changed my avatar if requested, but he told me to f off and die, for ‘impersonating’ him (ego). I didn’t like that. ”
You should try to forgive him – Coprolalia is not easy for the sufferer, nor on those who have to witness the condition.
Ahh Well said Craig
” lines of men wearing decaying bears on their heads. ”
Gawd is that where the poor creatures are ending up.. How many for this lot then, As Mary says
” All designed to keep the gawping populace informed of their place.”
WorldViews
Watch: If the BBC reported on the royal family like it did on North Korea
Resize Text Print Article Comments 4
By Adam Taylor October 19
You wouldn’t expect a BBC report on Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday to suggest that “it was a birthday celebration, but it felt more like a cult meeting in adoration of the leader.” Nor would you expect talk of “fearsome missiles” or a “snarling martial threat” in the military parade that accompanied the celebrations.
And yet that’s what the footage Below appears to show –
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/10/19/watch-if-the-bbc-reported-on-the-royal-family-like-it-did-on-north-korea/
Well said Craig.
Ooops What happend there.
The Link works though. ..it’s good humor.
Tom Welsh’s post was so excellent that I’m persuaded to repost it:
“1. I just cannot understand this emotional hostility to the Royal Family and the institution of royalty in general. In a practical sense, our mixed constitution has generally proved reliable and flexible – I go along with Burke about this, although if he were alive today I think Burke’s main criticism would be that the monarch has far too little power to balance the constitution. The Queen, Prince Philip, and Prince Charles certainly seem to have thrown themselves into their roles and duties with complete commitment, even though it meant more or less foregoing any chance of living a normal life as most of us can. Their sense of duty and obligation to the nation cannot be matched by any elected politician that I know of.
2. Why complain that the British establishment is making up to China? China is the most populous nation in the world, and is just becoming the biggest economy. It is by far the oldest state and civilization in the world, and invented everything necessary for civilization hundreds (if not thousands) of years before our ancestors did. Scientific studies strongly suggest that the average Chinese person is significantly more intelligent than the average “white” person. And we could learn a great deal, to our advantage and everyone else’s, from Chinese politeness, discretion, thoughtfulness, and patience.”
One in the eye for the Royal-haters on here (and boy, do they hate)!
You may trust me on this: I do not give a fig for “popularity”.
Habbabkuk
‘That’s a classic bit of “what about”-ery, isn’t it.’
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It might be whataboutery, but it is a highly pertinent and legitimate example of it. The point in question was human rights abuses. If we consider killing a million people in Iraq as the ultimate abuse of their human rights then China’s human rights abuses pale in comparison to ours. But so brainwashed are the people in this country with the laughable notion that we are the good guys that the whole country lines up to condemn the lesser crimes of China totally oblivious to the slaughter done in our name. The ignorance, hypocrisy and sanctimonious self-delusion is nauseating. They would do better to observe that classic piece of whataboutery from Jesus, look to the beam in your own eye before banging on about the mote in your brother’s. Perhaps if they did that we wouldn’t spend so much time pointlessly bombing people who have done us no harm.
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‘And a very silly one.’
Oh do fuck off. Can’t you make simple point without behaving like a prick?
“One in the eye for the Royal-haters on here (and boy, do they hate)!”
There must be a solution here that could keep everyone happy. The Royals could be paid for by subscription from those who actually want them. Those subscribers would be entitled to refer to the Windsors as “Our Royal family”, refer to themselves as “subjects”, and so on.
Surely nobody could object to such an arrangement?