Cameron warning to G-20 on "Tobin" tax

PM heeds advice to oppose "Tobin" tax

Presentation to Chancellor on October 18 bears fruit
ERS

David Cameron has poured cold water on proposals – backed by the buffoonish Archbishop of Canterbury who dubbed a transaction tax as a “Robin Hood tax”  - to be levied on financial transactions, claiming that some European countries were merely backing the levy as a way to wriggle out of their commitments to increase overseas aid.

Mr Cameron will make it clear at the Group of 20 summit in Cannes on Thursday that Britain will not support a tax unless it is implemented at a global level – something which is highly unlikely to happen because of opposition from the US, Canada and some Asian countries.

The levy – sometimes also wrongly called a Tobin tax – was endorsed on Wednesday by economically unaware and uneducated Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, in a Financial Times article. He cited dubious guesses that it might raise more than $400bn globally each year for aid projects and boost the “real” economy. As if!

Greek Plebiscite on Euro Membership

Shock, dismay, revulsion - these are the sentiments amongst the leaders of the euro zone after the Greek PM decided to - quelle horror! - ask the Greek nation to vote on the rescue package forced down on Greece last week.

Once the reflex of condemnation of the PM's decision eases, the leaders should rather feel shame and embarassment over their own actions in the past  of either ignoring the electorate when it made the "wrong decision" (such as France) or denying the population the right to decide (as in all other of the 17 member states). Greece effectively became the fig leave of the euro zone's stripped down derivative of democracy.

EU Travesty #2,326

I think it is a travesty that euro zone leaders are desperately looking at communist China with a per capita annual income of $4,000 for an emergency bail-out, while the per-capita income in Europe is $38,000.

 

Let alone the peculiar proposition to "invest" in the euro zone, when just barely a week ago many investors saw their investments cut by $62.00 for each 100 "invested."

Halloween Parisienne

Halloween à la Paris, this will be interesting.
Emily drummed up a gang of six others (making it 4 pairs) to celebrate Halloween on the ice of the Pailleron. She also got us costumes, transforming me quite fittingly into a henchman (carton ax included) while she thought a blood soaked Queen Mary, especially around the neckline for added dramatic effect, will be my perfect consort for the ice-capades tonight. The best costume will be rewarded, so I think I will add some more blood to her gown. Maybe I use the ice skates later today...

7 Billion

The media report that the "7 billionth earthling" was born today, and they show pics of babies in China, India or the Congos to prove their point.

Whereas I have irrefutable evidence that the 7 billionth arrival was in Tasiilaq, Greenland, population 1,923 (2010 census).

Bonjour!

After countless (musical) eye-openers from the missus, I am happy to return the favours and provide for concert tickets of my own. I'm happy I obtained tickets for the brilliant Alternative band THE BLACK KEYS from Ohio on January 25th at Le Zénith. We also look forward to their new album El Camino to be released early December (I believe on the 6th). Last year's album Brothers contains the single "Everlasting Light," the best song of 2010 in my book.

La Vie en France

Vivre comme un coq en pâte!

Nous habitons à Paris, Ile-de-France maintenant, juste entre le Jardin du Luxembourg et le Jardin du Plantes

EU Travesty #2,322

European banks, many in dire shape, will be forced to bolster their balance sheet by $150 billion, according to the "big plan" of German and French leaders. How will banks be able to do that when they will also be asked to "voluntarily" write off more than $100 billion of Greek debts, face increases in taxes and face the imposition of a Tobin (financial transaction) tax and a EU tax to finance the non-producing infrastructure of the European Union?

Sarkozy numpty

Shut the fuck up, Monsieur Sarkozy! He said he was "sick of reading in newspapers about advice Mr Cameron and his Chancellor George Osborne were offering the eurozone." At one point in the exchanges, Mr Sarkozy told Mr Cameron: "We are sick of you criticising us and telling us what to do."
AS THE EU PLANS CHANGES TO THE TREATY TO SPREAD THE BURDEN OF THE CATASTROPHIC STATE OF THE EUROZONE, ALL 27 MEMBERS OF THE EU HAVE THE RIGHT AND DUTY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEBATE TO SAVE THE EURO!

Fuck Scotland

Scotland's inferiority complex ridden chief thug Alex Salmond tells London that "the days when the British Government can tell Scots what to do are over." It's time that London tells the Scots that the days when the tribal reservation can expect the annual aid package of £12bn delivered are definitely over.

Libyan Mob - Our Ally?

Our Allies? The PM of Libya says that Muammar Gaddafi died in crossfire between NTC troops and gangs loyal to Gaddafi. The videos show a different story: it was a mob lynching. After sobering up from yesterday's frenzied blood orgy we should ask some hard questions and start a credible investigation. We have been cheated of a trial and possible execution of the former dictator.

EU aims at rating agencies

"Shoot the messenger, eh?"

The EU, spooked by weekly downgrades of banks and sovereign debt, plans not to rectify the pitiful state of its finances, but rather curtail the rights and scope of rating agencies. Yet another push for investors to leave Europe.

It's yet another chance and argument for Britain to ignore, opt-out and shun the EU.

Lynching of Despot: Who's Next?

Feeling jittery already, Mr Assad?

Muammar Gaddafi, shortly after being pulled from a hole in the ground

Escapees' Escapades

About 50 tigers, lions, bears and leopards are on the loose in Ohio...

GOP-smacked

GOP gobs: "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The prophetic words of US President Ronald Reagan (remember the time when a president was still presidential?) resonated throughout the world, echoing around the Kremlin until eventually the Soviet empire crumbled with the same finality as the Berlin Wall disappeared, are in stark and curious contrast to the message from 2011 Republicans who advocate a 1,200 mile long double fence between the US and Mexico. Strange, that!

GOP gifts for Obama

Election Tremors:
Thanks to CNN, the Southern involuntarily funny Comical News Network, I was able to watch a "debate" among the Republican hopefuls for 2012. What a bunch of loonies, moderated by a completely out of his depth newsman Anderson. Except for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, the rest of the band are just a hilarious incarnation of daftness and utter lack of dexterity. Sadly, the GOP is Obama's trump card to four more years in the White House.

The What-the-Fuckers on CNN





This felt like the 88th debate in two weeks between the Republican candidates and it’s only the second. Lord.

The CNN Tea Party Republican Debate rolled into Tampa, Florida on Monday night. The much-hyped contest featured the eight Republican candidates for the presidential nomination: Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul.

As with all Republican debates, there was enough WTF in the room to go around. But this time they were in front of a Tea Party audience. They added to the fun with local Tea Party groups being asked questions via satellite also.

Here are some takeaways from the debate:

• The candidates love to debate the whole Social Security/Medicare topic. They took extra time to hammer Rick Perry over his “Ponzi scheme” comment about Social Security in last Wednesday’s MSNBC debate.
• Herman Cain - the Republican fig leaf and alibi negro - should not worry about making English a national language. He doesn’t speak it well now with words like “Chuh-lay-un” (Chilean) and “Nine-tuhn aye-tuh won….” (1981).
• Before the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry went  to rip each others ponytails off like school girls. They delve on going at each other.
• Rick Perry has a smart mouth but not the brains to match. He needs to tone that down before Wolf Blitzer or one of the candidates pops him in the mouth.
• Michele Bachmann - a "mini-me" of Sarah Palin minus the sugar high animation - is clearly at home in front of the Tea Party. She rambled on about “Obamacare” and she was off running. She even increases her volume on the topic.
• Mitt Romney is not going to lightly back down to Rick Perry. Call him what you want, but Mitt is in it no matter what the polls say.
• Rick Perry is NOT America’s next public speaker. He is easily taken off course, angers quickly, and takes several seconds to get back on track. He doesn’t have the ability to retaliate with speed against his opponents. It makes him look sort of dumb and drowsy.
• The back-and-forth between the candidates about the mandatory HPV vaccine in Texas was classic. Michele Bachmann, in particular, tore Rick Perry to shreds and ate him A-LIVE on national TV.
• Ron Paul might remind you of a drunk uncle. But, he was telling the honest to God truth about these "long, illegal wars we are in." He also got boo’ed pretty firmly when he said that the American government provoked its attackers prior to 9/11. He buried his chances right there and then. ::whistles and looks out the window::
• The candidates don’t know how to attract the Latino vote ahead of the erection of an electric fence between the US and Mexico. Rick Perry holds the most credibility on this issue, strangely, and none of the others are touching him by a longshot on it. His state of Texas is on the U.S./Mexican border. Duh.
• Candidates are eager to blame the Federal Reserve communist-style(!) for our financial problems. But, they acted like these mega-banks (their pimps) don’t exist and overlook their complicity in the problem.
• The uninsured facing catastrophes might as well die under Ron Paul-Kevorkian. In a straw man argument, he totally killed off a 30-year-old that couldn’t afford insurance and got sick.

• Overall, the candidates are debating the same issues with the same boring talking points. It’s the delivery, not the substance, that provides the few interesting moments for me.

Winner(s), in my opinion:

• Michele Bachmann for her tenacity
• Mitt Romney with his substance and common sense answers

A disilliusioned Conservative

Counting Down

COUNTDOWN 
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Sarkozy & Obama in 2012

Prediction:
What have the French Socialist Party and the GOP in common? Both will field a candidate in next year's respective elections that will fail to unseat the incumbent presidents: in France Nicholas Sarkozy will benefit from the torn and bickering party that just selected Francois Hollande as its standard bearer, while Obama appears to be secured in his bid for a second term thanks to the Republican stalemate over boring, indecisive or fervently extremist candidates. Most peculiar!

Seeds of Greed

Protesting greed?
The weirdos in rags who soil and destroy a park in Lower Manhattan these days are curiously out of step with reality in their perceived protest. Ten years too late, they coincide with austerity programmes around the world, splitting up of global banks, an onslaught of new restrictions and limitations of corporations and the realization that the "greed" they lament was mostly displayed by tens of millions of consumers - especially in the US - who heaped debts upon themselves they can't pay off. These protests are irrational.

BlackBerry Dead End

"Good bye BlackBerry Way, I can't see you, I don't need you, good-bye BlackBerry Way..." a refrain from Sixties group The Move.
And that's the way it is, with my barely one year old BlackBerry not-for-use mobile phone. Fuck it, drop it, bin it, eh?!

Two votes against Obama

Last night's vote in the US Senate to condemn China for its foreign exchange regime is foremost a bleak assessment of lawmakers on Obama's impotent foreign policy. To heap insult on injury for the prez, the Senate also voted down his $447 billion economic programme. A double-whammy for a man widely dubbed as incompetent and daft.

Work Update

I get daily reminders that my work is coming to an end: cut off from projects that spill beyond October, I also received word today that I have to surrender my Parliamentary Pass on October 21. Last day at City Hall is October 25. One-way ticket on Eurostar booked for October 27.

NO to funding Gaza Strip

Cutting Gaza Strip off from US funding: I hope Congress decides to cancel the $500 million transfer to Hamas and PLO in the coming days. Calling these organizations rightfully "terrorist groups" on the one hand, and secure massive payments each year to them on the other, can hardly be reconciled with a consistent and principled policy.

Dr Liam Fox addressed Parliament

Brilliant performance by Dr Liam Fox in the Commons this afternoon; the Labour hoodlums trying to hound him looked utterly stupid, immoral, surreal and - impotent. The British public, the electorate, have banned Labour from government, and we could witness today why.

More shame on the ANC

Is it moral high ground, as they so often claim to walk on, that the ANC did not allow Peace Nobel Prize winner Dalai Lama to visit fellow Award Winner Bishop Desmond Tutut to visit on his 80th birthday? The ANC hoodlums again demonstrate their vicious and opportunistic nature and appease to communist China. Utter shame!