Sir Fred Goodwin - fat cat, tyrant, fraudster, what is he?

More news has today added to the pile of evidence pointing a finger of downright incompetence at Sir Fred Goodwin the ex boss of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).  It was RBS who were bailed out by the British tax payer to the tune of 45 billion pounds.  It was Freddy the shredder, who walked away without so much as a single law suit or day behind bars.  It is Sir Fred who was knighted and has shown beyond all doubt he should be relieved of his honorary status, and could only serve better penance for his actions if he were locked up in a tower, with only bread and water for the rest of his life.  His incompetence has meant every man woman and child has paid in the kitty for a slice of his rotten bank.  Had the tax payer not then the country would of been bought to it's knees in the biggest crash europe could of ever seen.

A report published by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) into the goings on at RBS has been viewed, by "Dirty Freddie's lawyers" has said an inside source.  Every single line of it has been checked with a fine comb, because Teflon Freddie doesn't want to be prone to law suits from his old customers.  It was Fred who oversaw the deal to purchase AMN Ambrose, a failing business not worth the paper it was written on.  In fact the report has not been published for the public eye, it has been put under lock and key.  This is not just highly sensitive material, it could mean Fred is open to being drowned in a Tsunami of civil law suits.  This is the man who staff saw stripping assets and giving himself bonuses, year after year.  This is a man who revelled in his selfish Ebenezer qualities.  A man who can sit on a nice island hide away for the rest of his life and be comfortable to the end of his days.  While pensioners whose providers had bought into his company see their savings diminish.  This is a man who single handily takes a lot of the blame for the recession we are in, but has washed his hands of responsibility.  This is a man who deserves one place and that place is behind bars.

Look out Fred, it's only a matter of time before some smart hacker gets the report in the open.  Roll on lawsuits.

Politics is serious stuff

The UK is in a recession which is being made worse by the policies of a Tory mad government.  A government cabinet which is in large part composed of multi-millionaires who want more power and riches by being in the spot light.  The British people unfortunately are complacent when it comes to being politically active, so what we get is what we deserve.  The largest portion of none voters will hold an equally large number who will be effected by the present Tory policies.  I sadly predict this country is in for a very rough ride over the next four years.  It will not be until the 7th May 2015 that a new election will take place and between now and then this country will see the greatest poverty it hasn't seen in at least the last 60 years.  What makes me mad is how those electors who didn't vote will now be dragged into a new world of poverty. It will be their complacency which is to blame.  That and a coalition government who have digressed so far away from their manifesto's of 2010 they appear to be complete tellers of untruths.  Notably, though the recession is not purely down to the governing of the UK but rather multiple factors, but had there previously been better governance it might not of been so bad.

To begin with we have the banks.  These companies now have got so large they by default can not be allowed to fail.  Over the last 10 years, one bank after another has been voraciously bought up, until the resulting banks are so large their success and failure is tethered like a kite to the UK, and the UK is a little boat being pulled along.  At one time there were many building societies.  However, these have been turned into banks, but as a building society there were different rules in place about how they ran their finances.  They had to hold capital assets, they had to have the money in their holdings before speculating.  As a bank they don't.  How a very few people with chosen lucky money jobs in banks can be allowed to bet away on the financial markets and then be rewarded great riches is a product of capitalism.  Had the British Government allowed these banks who had over stretched themselves go to the wall they would of had their just deserts, however it didn't.  It supported them because had they gone bankrupt in this precarious economy we are in there would have been a real possibility the effect would effect every tax payer.  But they do not deserve to be running financial concerns taking into account their previous actions.  What they do deserve is regulation, regulation and more regulation.  They also should be capped in size because they are way too big.  There should be a maximum capital value for banks.  They so need  to be broken up.   The only people who really have the power are rich people, and they also  look after number one.  Gone are the Victorian values bankers used to have, in which they put back into society as a sign of their morality.  Morality for a banker does not exist.

The government is completely overhauling the benefits system with the introduction of the Universal Credit.  However, the real reason UC is here is to cut costs, it is to reduce the welfaire bill because this is the biggest financial burden to the entire country.  There is no doubt a lot of skivers out there in this country, but equally there are not enough practical programs or educational courses to help them in the transition from unemployment to employment.  There has to be a support network but it doesn't exist and never has really existed.  UC will be ran by the Department of Works and Pensions, in itself the DWP are barely and organization fit for purpose.  It manages to get by, but that is about it.  The DWP are incapable of dealing with all their normal welfare benefits let alone take on the extra burden of benefits which were once devolved to either local authorities or HMRC.  There has not been formulated an IT system which would be able to deal with it, even though this Tory government seem to believe 'agile methodology' or technology will pave the way.  As an example of an IT disaster there is the system the previous government wanted to bring in for the NHS, it cost billions of pounds and was useless.  The same will no doubt happen with UC, however the repercussions will be so dire as to steep the entire economy and society into a vicious cycle of depression, recession and probably violence.  Yes.  This is nothing to do with disgruntled people in the new UC welfare system but rather this will be millions of people pushed into deep poverty, many pushed into homelessness and worse. 

We may think we are in a recession now, but the reality is this is just the tip of an iceberg.  What we have we deserve, a travesty has been born.

Chandlers win the idiot award

It is a fact the Chandlers who were kidnapped by Somali pirates are proud owners of the idiot award.  They were in their yacht, boating of a renown area where pirates were known to be about.  Were kidnapped and held for ransom for over a year.  The negotiation process took place thought the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)  but they were a bit slow.  On account of not wanting to pay any ransom.  Eventually a ransom was paid by the family to the pirates, not the FCO.  So now although the Chandlers are free after an event they are wholly responsible for, anyone else who is kidnapped by the Somali pirates will again expected to fetch an handsome ransom.  OK I can understand a family would want their loved ones back, but it is not as if nobody knew about Somali pirates.  The region was off limits.  They had willfully put themselves in harms way.  Can you have sympathy for what is without doubt a completely stupid, cretinous action.  They are certainly lucky to be alive, but of course the £620,000 which was paid for them certainly went some way to their release.  How they can now sit and give evidence to a committee of MPs is again risible.  The Chanders are criticising the rescue effort of the FCO, however had they been of sound mind they would never of been in a renown area were pirates casually do a bit of sea fishing.  For what they have done they are now guilty of the continuing kidnapping and ransoming of other innocent persons.  Since these pirates have been so handsomely paid they now have ventured out to the Kenyan borders and grab holiday makers minding their own business.  The Chanders deserve to be put in a stock and pelted with rotting food, which is probably too good to throw at them anyway.

I would go so far as to say it is not worth wasting a breath on the Chandlers, unfortunately their liability for being idiots and endangering the lives of others increases as each new victim is taken.  Idiot award, most definately qualified.

Greece to default

I heard on the radio it has nearly become a fact, it will probably become fact soon.  Greece is about to default on it's 350 billion euro debt.  To tell the truth, it's about bloody time as well.  What europe has failed to see most intelligent people already had, if you have a losing horse you don't keep racing him and hope he'll change.  Let them go and sell the horse for dog food.  Greece can then bring back the Draccma and get themselves in order.  Then the rest of the world can go to Greece on holiday and wonder at the great low prices they have.  The only downside to letting Greece slip is the domino effect.  Politicians will then look on in great concern to see how Portugal, Itally, Spain and Ireland all react.  Let them drop like stones as well I say.  The reason is, this big wonderful european model of finance was never going to work in the first place.  Some of the entrants clearly should not of been part of the euro or european finance.  Portugal is by no means a European country, it's never really had anythng other than sun to give the world, even if you allow for cork and rose wine, it's not much at all.  I don't know a great deal about Itally, Spain or Ireland.  Ireland being an odd one out on account it's not as sunny there and they make Guinness.  I always wondered how Ireland could of had such a crazy building boom as well.  There are just hundreds of thousands of new properties unlived in and going derelict.  Again a move made by a crazy notion and optimism for the future. 

Somewhere out there, sits a few very rich bankers who have succeeded in brining the entire western world to it's knees.  They probably can't wait to go to Greece on their next holiday as well.

DSK did it? No Yes

Something happened in the hotel room between Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) former head of the International Monetary Fund and the chamber maid Nafissatou Diallo.  There is no doubt of that.  DSK claims it was consensual.  Diallo claims it was attempted rape.  But yet DSK is allowed bail and may not even go to trial.  Diallo has been painted as an opportunist woman who has friends with low life criminals, she's not in American.  Whilst DSK is a rich powerful man, he commands the attention of heads of states, he walks on water.  Yet there is something you just can't help feel he is not revealing.  One reason perhaps is because DSK has not stood up with anger and denied it.  If he could not do this because of legal reasons, his lawyers should have done so.  Instead they went on the attack, discreditting Diallo.  Also you have to ask why would a chamber maid want to go about selling her self to customers of a highly esteemed hotel.  It would stand to reason if this was her normal behaviour she wouldn't be working there long.  It doesn't add up.

It all comes out in the wash.  Tristane Banon (a reporter) has also stated DSK tried to rape her.  This was in 2003 in Paris, where he acted like "a rutting chimpanzee" trying to rip her clothes off.  You can't wonder how the hell if this was the case didn't DSK come to trial over it. The reason could be because DSK had been having a fling with Banon's mother as well.  In fact a look on the news web and it is easy to find more allegations of DSKs exploits.  However, you have to judge things for yourself.  So I would ask anyone who had doubts about DSK to check out the videos of him.  These show a man with body language which tells a lot.  It tells of someone who has a guilty walk, an arrogant strut, and a quite deceptive face.  It is only when you see these images it hits home.  And the thought will occur along the lines of "this man is a liar, he did it."

Were it another woman with a less shady background than Diallo then it would likely be this case would not of fallen under they vulture like discredit of DSKs lawyers.  He may have admitted to some minor charge.  But here is a case of a powerful man who will not.  However, as time goes on, more instances of his behaviour will come into the public domain.  If the courts don't get to take judgement of DSK many others certainly will.

America and debt

At the moment the clock is ticking.  As American has not agreeded to holding another trillion dollars in debt.  The implications for the rest of the world are absolutely dire.  If they can not come to an agreement then they will default on all their previous loans.  It could as a consequence mean interest rates for the rest of europe with go up higher than a rocket.  Further from this it may mean, repossessions and homelessness for all those who would be sitting in comfort.  Job will ultimately go and we will then find everything becomes substantially more expensive. 

Now is a catastrophic time.

Murdock refuses responsibility

Watching a clip of Rupert Murdock give evidence at a government committee, I was flabbergasted when he refused to accept responsibility for what happened in his own company.  He blamed those people he trusted.  Here was a prime example of someone who should be made completely liable and held to account.  In an equally absurd and mind boggling display of madness shares in News Corp gained six percentage points after his interview.

The owner of a business is ultimately responsible for everything that happens in that business.  Murdock doesn't seem to understand this salient point.  It is the owner who sets the standards, makes themselves known, decides the policies and is the vanguard.  If such a person chooses not to be seen and when they do are only interested in the figures of profit how can they give any moral compass to their own company?  They simply can not.  Here is a man who has acted like all short viewing accountants.  He hasn't bothered to find out how those profits come about, what was happening behind the scenes or has he even cared about the content of the newspapers.  This is someone who hadn't heard of the Minnie Dowler case until the phone hacking scandle began to take form.  Then it didn't actually hit him straight away.  Murdock states he has not been more humbled in his life.  In reality what he is saying is he has not been more stupid or ignorant.  An example of this was seen when in a flippant comment to a reporter who asked him about what was going on he said he was keeping an eye on Rebbecca Brooks.  This was so as to assure Rebbecca he was giving her his full support.  Lets not forget, Mrs Brooks is a woman who had only got her post as editor of the NoW because of who she knew.  Not because she had a single journalistic or editorial qualification.  Only because she knows how to mingle in millionaire and billionaire circles.  I nearly wrote class.  When class has nothing to do with it.  Brookes getting her cushy job at the NoW was a prime example of upper societies nepotism.  They look after their own. 

Even more so is this evident in disbanding the entire NoW business and still keeping Brookes on as head of News International.  Murdock simply has a soft spot for Brookes.  It has taken a fiasco of her offering her resignation, Murdock refusing it and then Murdock sacking her.  Probably through some mutual consent because he will have another nice little earner job set up for her somewhere else.  Maybe not immediately.  But I'd put a pint on it.  After the whole episode has been swept under the carpet, Murdock will invite Brookes to a week in the Alps and make her another proposal she can not refuse.  After all he's a billionaire.  He could propose anything for me, at the right price of course.

Jumper trys suicide

This morning I heard a helicopter overhead.  It seemed pretty low.  At first I ignored it then as it got louder had another look.  It was descending and looked like it was going to land a few streets away.  I recognised its distinctive red colour and the logo on the side.  Sponsored by Virgin.  It's the air ambulance which is used in London in emergencies.  Over they years I've seen it maybe three or four times and it normally means someone is in a serious condition.

I ran out of the front door and took my camera.  I was hoping to video or photograph the copter on it's descent, because it would look really good seeing it land.  But I was too late.  So settled for some pictures of it stationary in a car park.  Some kids on bicycles asked why it was there, I said they had run out of petrol and were about to fill up at the station.  As I walked along I could see a some people and then emergency personnel.  They seemed to be gathered on a railway line.  There is a flyover next to this part of the line.  Another kid asked me "is he dead?" I'd only just got there and didn't know what the circumstances were.  But it was then obvious.  Someone had tried to commit suicide by jumping off the flyover onto the railway line.  There about fifty feet away was a stopped train.  It had stopped at the station and had not even started to move out.  Whoever had jumped had pretty much got poor timing and jumped before the train moved.  Hence a crowd of emergency personnel trying to keep him alive.  I say it was a bloke, because of the method of suicide.  Men are more successful at killing themselves except in this case.  I couldn't see a woman jumping off a bridge.  They would be a mess when they hit the ground and are more considerate.  No it was definitely a bloke.

So this would be suicide victim had now decided to stop the train service for the next hour or so as all trains would not be allowed up or down to London for the next hour or two.  The expense of the helicopter was no doubt equally phenomenal.  Then there was the police and two ambulances, a quick response one and a standard one there.  In all probably about twenty plus people involved, not to mention the closure of the train line and the impact of every person who wanted to go somewhere.  The cost I have no doubt had climbed into the tens of thousands of pounds. Now take into account the immediate emergency submission into hospital and life saving surgery the cost would escalate some more.  If he survives there would be a stay in hospital and then the use of any other life long services which would be required because no doubt this man would be crippled for the rest of his life.  The failed suicide victim now comes into needing life long support from the state again at an expense to the state for which he would unlikely to contribute back into.  The clear and cold reality is, resources taken for this one person could now have an impact on many other individuals.  NHS funds as we know are limited and resources tight.  Some other individual who would of been booked an operation today may find they are put back into the waiting line.  Other patients who may require expensive medication may find this medication is limited or not forthcoming because the funds have been depleted a little more.  Another individual who could be on a train and just had to be some place at a certain time in for a special event will miss it.  Something which can never be done again. 

So it is.  The failure of a suicide can cost society more than the success.

Death of a 16 year old

It is with sad news I hear of a 16 year old boy who has been stabbed by another boy and died.  This happened only a few miles from where I live.  Such a young life and now gone.  I wonder if this young lad had a girlfriend and whether he had felt the love of a first love.  I'm guessing the perpetrator has no understanding of how the weight of justice will now sit on his shoulders.  How for the next 10 years at least he will be in custody and not be given the chance to grow up with his friends.  Go to discos, get drunk and play football.  Or whether he was one of those misguided youngsters who was in a gang and thought defending his territory, street cred and stupid gang alliance was what mattered.  No doubt the full details will come out over the next few days.  Whatever those details are they will be depressive.  Society will ask for it's pound of flesh and he will learn about this very soon. 

I wonder if he is sitting in his police cell and crying, whether he has remorse, or if he is there sitting in silence not knowing or guessing the consequences of his action.

Harwood to be charged with Tomlinson's death

Today there was a news announcement in respect of the homicide of Ian Tomlinson.  Tomlinson was one of those unlucky people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, this was the G20 demonstration on the 01 April 2009.  He was attacked by a police officer (PC Simon Harwood) and this resulted in Tomlinson's death.  It has now been stated Simon Harwood will be facing prosecution.

The circumstances around Tomlinson's death were always suspicious.  It didn't take long for video evidence to surface, evidence which the Police authorities already had available, which showed Harwood attack Tomlinson whilst Tomlinson was walking by, with his back to Harwood.  This by the way was made available by an American who had been in London at the time, not the police.  At the time it seemed unbelievable the authorities had not taken action against Harwood.  Their justification of this was the original pathologist reported it was natural causes which caused the death.  Tomlinson was an alcoholic, but in the videos he was certainly anything but aggressive, he could of been out strolling in a park although clearly intoxicated.  Another inquest was held into Tomlinon's death and two separate pathologists agreed it was not by natural causes but internal bleeding he died.  The Police Complaints Authority did nothing.  In silent agreement not to investigate their own one might think.  Any normal authority would have considered an innocent person who had been attacked from behind and then died is worthy of some kind of investigation, even if it happened to be the use of unreasonable force and therefore assault.  It was only the continued pursuit of this matter by the family of Tomlinson which ensured his death was not covered up.

It is sad the police authorities have waited so long, when to the rest of the world, easily accessible video evidence suggests a serious breach of confidence in that authority.  You can not help but wonder were it not for the family of Tomlinson the police would of done absolutely nothing and of been satisfied of the outcome.  In many respects Harwood is now only one of a number of individuals who have allowed a miscarriage of justice to nearly succeed.  He may have been the criminal, however those who supported and continued to allow this injustice to pass now two years later should also be investigated. 

The Met Police were once described as "institutionally racist," this event suggests they are self protective and have an authoritative hubris a blind man could see.
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Lib Dems AV vote will be a no brainer

It is a sad and sorrowful fact, the first real change of the voting system which means so much to so many people is highly likely to fail.  This is all down to the Lib Dems image and decision to form a coalition with the Tories.  When the vote takes place next week, the electorate will make the decision on what they perceive is the salient factor, not the notion of AV at all.  The factor is Lib Democrats and can the be trusted.  The answer intuitively seems to be "no" but don't quote me on this, it's just a feeling I get.  The alternative voting system would of challenged all elected parties to really get their act together.  But we'll see, for I believe one act will not be seen in power again for at least another 70 years, and I don't have to tell you who that is.

A coalition government bent on creating depravity

At this moment in time the coalition government comes across like a 3 year old baby doing brain surgery.  Their combined hubris is such it will bring the UK to it's knees and take decades before clear Sky's are seen again.  Fact, the banking sector and international finance take a big portion of the blame for the recession taking place.  It is the greed of the few (bankers) who have effected the many (public) and bought the entire country to the brink of bankruptcy.  If the government had failed to bail out the banks millions of home buyers would be out on the streets.  Further there would not be enough Local Authority housing to put them in because a previous Tory government ensured there was a compulsory sell off of Local Authority housing at massively discounted rates.  The coalition belief is entrepreneurs will rescue the economy.  However, it is through Local Government finance such small and medium businesses have work.  The biggest employers of any area are usually Councils.  It is employees of these Councils who purchase goods from businesses.  There is an obvious cycle which these idiotic brain surgeons have failed to appreciate.  but then they are in it with the rest of us, or are they?  There are more millionaires in the cabinet than there has been in any other cabinet.  How can these people be representative of the public?  They can't.  They do not know or understand the repercussions of their decisions on the rest of society.  Their tongues are like a scythe, one which cuts not just through the pockets but through the future of the entire country.  They just don't get it.  We can see what they bring to politics.  It is a new higher level of ignorance of the world than has ever been witnessed before.  Ignorance which will not cost them as much as it costs the common people.  We we suffer.   The differential between rich and poor will become as bad as it is in India or any other developing country.  It is without moral guidance or objectivity.  For this coalition there is only one goal, to bring the UK permanently to it's knees.  God help us all.