Monday 30 April 2012

French don't like the Euro either

I was surprised to get the above reaction from many French I spoke to recently. The are getting very annoyed about being bossed around by the strutting arrogant Germans who don't know the price of Camembert. There is clearly a huge groundswell of public opinion which the EU political elite is successfully suppressing. What is Fartage doing to combat this? Well not a lot.


I set up a satellite dish in France to watch UK TV and found myself watching a programme on military history made by  Saul David. His thesis was it is logistics that win wars and if the General cannot get his troops to the battlefield rapidly fed, watered, clothed, armed and trained with all the equipment they need to fight the enemy then he would lose. Leaders need to be managers was Prof David's thesis and it is as true of political leaders as its is of Generals.


This is EUKIP's huge weakness. It is an untrained, unprepared shambles which is currently throwing away the huge advantage anti-EU parties currently have.


Who is in charge of EUKIP's training in EUKIP policies? The last leader had not even read the manifesto! Who chooses the ground EUKIP will fight on both physically and politically? Mr Fartage chooses the constituency he wants to fight on the basis of maximising his own personal publicity. He does not attempt to build up his vote in one constituency. He jumps from on constituency to another and  consumes an inordinate amount of EUKIP resources. Are you surprised he gets trounced when people perceive him for what he is an unprincipled opportunistic carpet bagger. Peter Kellner is right when he says EUKIP will not win a Westminster seat next time but Galloway and Lucas will retain their seats. That is a strong statement from an eminent pollster.


You fight on ground you have prepared and where you are strong. You build up your activist strength and keep them in the party not kick them out. Mr Fartage is a bit like a paranoid, Stalinist,  communist dictator purging the party officer corps to indulge his own many fears and inadequacies and surrounding himself with lick spittle sycophants and incompetents. Armies led in this manner lose as do political parties. Comical Ali would have fitted well into EUKIP!


Good politicians build up and train their forces properly. They prepare carefully their policy positions and keep the debate on issues of their choosing. They build up team spirit by loyalty to their activists and supporters. they avoid the too many Chiefs not enough Indians syndrome. They can detect lack of knowledge, ability and commitment and hence avoid the Bannermans and Andreasens. They avoid like the plague those like the Hamiltons who make EUKIP a sitting duck for their opponents to attack.


They build up a strong and resilient management structures staffed with experienced talented people. They concentrate their resources at their strong points and the oppositions week points.  They work hard and concentrate on detail. They give credit to their team not themselves.


Does this sound like Mr Fartage to you?  He is throwing away the best chance we will ever have to get out of the EU to pander to his own selfish publicity seeking ends. Its organisation and commitment which wins not prima donnas.













Sunday 29 April 2012

We have been conned by the EU philes for over 40 years

Chris Booker in his piece in today's Sunday Telegraph headlined, "Europe alienates us all-as foretold 40 years ago" recounts details from an FO document he found 10 years ago then released under the 30 year rule. It was a confidential FO memo written in 1971 entitled 'Sovereignty and the Community", FCO folder 30/1048. Its an excellent article and is positively chilling to read.


The memo predicted it would take the British people 30 years to wake up to the real nature of Heath's European project. In that sense given reasonable usual confidence limits on the precise timing it foretells the rise of UKIP  and the populace feeling alienated from government  as Community law trumped UK law and power passed from Westminster to Brussels.


It outlines the duty of politicians, " not to exacerbate public concern by attributing unpopular measures to the Community". As Booker writes, 'Politicians of all parties should be careful to conceal the fact that controversial laws originated in Brussels. By this means it might be possible to preserve the illusion that the British government was still sovereign, "for this century at least"- by which time it would no longer be possible for us to leave.'


I was working in the Civil Service at the time and I can vouch for this being the mandarins accepted creed. Cynical? Well at that time the other big government problem was Northern Ireland to which the mandarin's policy was  keep the lid on and by 2000 the Catholics will have out bred the Protestants and the problem will have disappeared. Equally cynical but now of course an unforseen new, fast breeding, alien,  population has arisen on the UK mainland which will sweep Sir Humphrey and his mandarins away and install a Caliphate eventually. The Rolls Royce minds of the FCO are not omniscient after all.


We are no longer an elected democracy. We are governed by unelected and unaccountable officials in Brussels who can replace our government any time they choose just as they did in Greece and Italy last year. Cameron's coalition is going down the same path with more and more power handed to  Sir  Humphrey.




Finally the shrewd official that the people should be given the chance to vote for impotent but well paid representatives who would be irrelevant, meaningless and no threat to Sir Humphrey. So he predicted the EU's camouflage need for Mr Fartage and his EUKIP ilk. Clever man but who was he? That interesting bit of information has been redacted and we will have to wait another 60 years to find out.






, but who wa

Saturday 28 April 2012

Home thoughts from France


As I write the French are going to the polls for the first round voting in their presidential elections. One of our neighbours drove yesterday to Lyon, 500kms away, as that is where she is registered to vote. Another of our friends is driving back from Lyon so they can vote here where they are on the electoral roll. I am not sure if voting is compulsory in France but more importantly they seem to have no on demand postal voting system that has so corrupted and perverted our UK general elections.

On demand postal voting was introduced by Labour under the excuse it would increase the turnout. The reason was Labour knew it would play into the hands of Islamic so called community leaders and heads of family who would control the voting papers of a hundred people at a time and who could then be targeted by Labour activists. Its so much easier to work on 200 people than 20000!

I have seen the same system at work in the LibDem rotten borough of  South Somerset where the votes of old people in residential homes are in the hands of  wardens many of whom are fully paid up political activists.

It is time we returned to Churchill's definition that democracy is a man in a polling booth with a pencil and bit of paper. The French have stuck to that principle. If you want to vote you go to the polling station where you are registered unless you have a medical or other valid exemption eg serving in HM's forces.

Yesterday thanks to satellite I listened to the morning, 11:00, Radio 4 politics programme where Peter  Kellner, pollster and husband of Baroness Frumpy head of the EU foreign service, lead a discussion on the thesis that the domination of UK politics by the three big parties with a panel consisting of George Galloway of Respect, Caroline Lucas of the Greens and Nigel Farage. Galloway was outstanding and Green was very good. As per usual Farage blustered but Kellner eventually nailed him. The discussion had turned to the prospect of Galloway retaining his seat next time. Kellner opined that George would easily win again in Bradford and Lucas in the gay capital of Brighton. Kellner, obviously pissed off with Farage's irrelevant bluster, offered  Farage a wager that UKIP would not win a single Westminster seat in the next UK general election. Farage huffed and puffed and did not like being nailed to the wall but eventual had to concede a £10 bet on Ukipnot winning a seat next time!

Kellner is certain to win his bet but will Farage pay up? The fact that a respected and experienced pollster like Kellner was prepared to offer such a bet on air shows how irrelevant Fartage's EUKIP is as a serious UK political force.  The most he will ever achieve is a few 90 second sound bites sponsored by the EU to make the anti-EU supporters look silly.

 The other big piece of UK news was wee George kindly offering the elegant, hobbling, Christine another £10 bn of our money so she can further her 2017 French presidential campaign. It will also ensure some well paid  EU sinecures for former members of the Bullingdon when they get kicked out by the UK electorate in 2014.

It is laughable. Note the US have refused to cough up and pointed out the Germans who are members of the EU have lots of spare dosh. But of course the Dr Frau's Thatcheresque principles stand in the way. Christine may be fragrant with a big designer handbag but Angela is keeping her money belt tight.

The EU is reported on French TV today as asking for a 6.8% increase in their budget for next year. Austerity is for the little people not EU apparatchiks!

I get back to the UK late on Thursday just in time to miss QT but it was good to catch Andrew Neil with Gisella Stuart. The main thing  I learned was that the French also hate the Euro as much as we do. Only Sarky of their candidates support the EU. Marine and Francois both want to leave. They can see France going the same way as Spain, 25% unemployment etc. Certainly French builders are short of work judging from our personal experience.

Monday 16 April 2012

Who will be next BoE Governor and SW MEPs

I well remember when Tony and Gord appointed Merv as governor. In the eyes of bank insiders he was the worst of the three candidates, the other two were Andrew Crockett, old bank hand and then head of the BIS, and Howard Davies, former BoE deputy Gov and then founding head of the FSA. But the politicos chose Merv who has been a disaster.


This time there are 5 names in the frame:


Paul Tucker, my old boss and long term bank employee


Gus O'Donnell, God for shor,t and recently retired cabinet secretary but worst of al before that permanent sec at HMT


John Varley former chief of Barclays


Stephen Green former HSBC chairman


Adair Turner of the FSA


Its a pity that Peter Sands, head of Standard Chartered has rule himself out as he knows he is persona not welcome at HMT


John Vickers former bank chief economist has also been mentioned.


I just hope they go for a banker this time, Tucker, Varley or Green. Wee George's chief of staff one Matt Hancock now MP was Tucker's bag man when at the BoE. Interesting!


Mean while Spain sinks further in the mire with 10 year rates today at 6.1%. The EU solution of demanding banks hold more and more capital is insane. It merely ensures banks will lend less. There will be fewer jobs and less tax and so on. Madness!


Meanwhile in the democratic republic of the SW I hear the skids are under the belted earl with the favoured candidates for the next Euros being Steve Crowther and Neil Hamilton. Wow what a pair. It will certainly increase the UKIP battleaxe quota.


I have upped my bet on the independent lady for London Mayor. I think she could finish second to BoJo. Anyway I am off to France to watch the action with Sarky so no blogs for the next 10 days.





Sunday 15 April 2012

Independent is the best candidate for London Mayor

There was a great piece in Saturday's Telegraph by Cristina Odone, one of my favourite females, on the independent 41 year old independent London mayoral candidate, Siobhan Benita. Unlike Farage's female fluff heads Mrs Benita as well as looking good is the real deal. She comes with a ringing endorsement from Gus O'Donnell the former cabinet secretary with whom she used to work. The bookies are taking her very seriously with her odds coming down from 500/1 to 66/1. Still an outsider but she might well beat the EUKIP candidate.


She is what the UK needs a genuine independent pragmatic experienced candidate not beholden to party dogma. She has 15 years plus of solid Civil Service experience  ie she knows how the system works and how to run an administrative machine. She is clearly the equal of BoJo intellectually and in political experience and miles ahead of the newt fancier, PC Plod  and the rest of the bunch.


Three other things impress me about Mrs Benita:


She has resigned a good job and given up an outstanding civil service career to run for mayor.


She is not a single issue politician and lives a very normal life in touch with ordinary people and she refused a largish donation of £10000 to her campaign. EUKIP's many crypto Tories describe her  as a commie and the rest of their usual smears. She is nothing of the kind. She is a woman of common sense, integrity and experience. You can't say that about EUKIP can you!


Best of all she has published her last year's tax return on her website. Her earnings were £67690 on which she paid tax of £17000. She puts mealy mouthed politicians like Farage and Livingston who suddenly become very coy about their earnings when asked to publish them to shame. 


If I had a vote in the London election I would vote for her. She is a breath of fresh air and holds out our hope of freeing ourselves from the shackles of party politics.











Friday 13 April 2012

Andy Pandy does not like Farage either

It never ceases to amaze me how the UKIP rank and file cannot see Farage's EUKIP is just a useful tool of the Tories for which Mr Farage hopes he will receive his red leather reward from a grateful Dave.


Its particularly galling when these ex-Tories are installed in key positions on Farage's say so and any who oppose him like me are fitted up by the Tory plants who are then able to rejoin the Tories as Bannerman did and now Pandya, Farge's much heralded head of research of one years standing, has just done.





Click on link  to read his critique of Farage on the Daily Torygraph blog entitled 'Why no decent Tory should vote UKIP'. I suppose there are some decent Tories but none would ever join  UKIP. Andy Pandy is right in that respect! Its just the sort of person Nigel Farage   likes. 

Thursday 12 April 2012

Eurozone is slowly dying

That was the message Gerald Lyons, chief economist of Standard Chartered gave on Jeff Randall tonight. He nailed Lagarde's obsession with debt. The problem is not debt but lack of growth or even contraction.


The Germans are doing very well in China as they make thimgs the Chinese want to buy. Not so here in the UK. No amount of Dave PR can change that.


Spain sinks deeper into the mire. The Germans won't go there. A big problem for the EU

Wednesday 11 April 2012

The pain in Spain falls mainly on the plains

Spanish austerity is horrendous but very selective. The cosseted public sector is protected and the poor buggers in the private sector pay through the nose. The market sees through the EU kicking the can down the road. There will be more LTROs from the ECB to Euro banks on life support, money printing by another name.


Rates on Spanish and Italian debt jumped yesterday to 6% and have come back only slightly today under ECB massaging. It will go on like this with diminishing returns from each further dose of LTRO until reality sinks in that the Euro is finished.


Even in the Fatherland the penny is dropping. Yesterday BMW and Audi announced record increase in sales but this did not happen in the EU but in the BRICs especially China. The story that the EU is a dynamic expanding economy is now being exposed as a fairy tale kept going by unscrupulous self serving Europhiles.


Cameron's visits to the BRICs also gives the game away. He knows the EU is a busted flush.The UK is in a mess and there is no way out via the EU. The UK's future and destiny lies as it always has with open sea and the world outside Europe. The Europeans will continue to squabble as they have done for a thousand years. 



Monday 9 April 2012

Tax transparency is for others not politicians

If you missed Mr Farage's weasel word performance last Friday  on Any Questions you can pick it up off the BBC website but if you click on link you can listen to Mr Farage elaborating on his excuses for not publishing his tax details. In the City its called talking your book. 


We have been here before with Mr Farage. On the question of publication of his MEP expenses he claimed on TV that his expenses were published on the web. I could never find them. I asked for any one who could find them to let me know the URL. I received no replies but my request still stands.

Then of course there is the question of Mr Farage employing his wife on EU funds something that following the MP expenses scandal all serious politicians gave up as improper.


What was sick making was Mr Farage's claims that Labour and Tory parliamentarians were largely juvenile political careerists making money out of politics. Mr Farage has made a great deal of money from the EU so why should others not be able to do likewise?


Mr Farage claims he could make more money in the City than he does as an MEP. He says he worked in the City before becoming an MEP.  I would be grateful if any one could tell me who he worked for in the City.


It was good to hear the Exeter MP, Ben Bradshaw, flatly contradict Mr Farage's claim that school headmasters could not get rid of poor teachers as completely untrue. Mr Farage's claimed  'source' was 'a friend of his who was a headmaster'. Who is this headmaster? What school is he head of? It all sounds a bit like ' a bloke in the pub told me'. Its not even anecdotal!


I hope to see and hear more challenging of Mr Farage's assertions. For too long they have gone unchallenged by political opponents and incompetent journalists. We are entitled to transparency in this as well as politicians tax and income. 



Friday 6 April 2012

Suicide rate is the measure of a society's health

I never did sociology at university but  I remember a good friend of mine who did Soc I telling me that the suicide rate is a measure of a society's health. I read with interest Richard North's blog today in which he reports that suicides caused by financial pressure are increasing in Italy and Ireland amongst pensioners and entrepreneurs. Indeed the Irish suicide rate is the highest ever recorded.


The Eurozone is clearly a very sick society. Richard also reports that an ad hoc committee set up to try and cut Italian MP salaries, the highest in Europe, gave up a hopeless fight. Its a bit like trying to clean up EUKIP, a job for Hercules.


Portugal will soon need another bail out and the effect of Draghi's money printing at the ECB has worn off as evinced by Spanish and Italian bond yields jumping after the poor market reception of the latest Spanish bond auction. The FT reports the Euro has fallen through its floor against the Swiss Franc and is now trading at 1.21 to the pound Sterling so if you are thinking of buying your Euroland retreat now is the time.


Merkel's gauleiter in Italy Monti is running into problems over his proposals to make it easier for firms to sack workers. I guess the EU will discover that democracy is a dreadful system of government until you try the other ways of running a country.


The Dr Frau has turned her tax panzers on the peace loving Swiss and according to Jeff Randall yestreen will get 100 bn Euro back from tax avoidance schemes by Germans using Swiss banks. Come on wee George. Get your tax tanks rolling or at least threaten to sink the Swiss Navy.


For those who are not yet depressed and suicidal I recommend listening to Any Questions on BBC 4 at 8:00 pm tonight. I expect the EUKIP suicide rate to rise after this broadcast.

Thursday 5 April 2012

Greek despair forces pensioner to suicide

A Greek pensioner committed suicide yesterday outside their parliament building. The 77-year-old retired pharmacist, Dimitris Christoulas, shot himself in the head on Wednesday after saying that financial troubles had pushed him over the edge. A suicide note said he preferred to die than scavenge for food. 


This is a professional man driven to take his own life by the EU enforced austerity programme.Its that bad. Does
 the EU care? Of course not their idiotic project justifies all. Reuters reports Greek police recorded another 4 serious suicide attempts this week by people driven to despair by financial pressures.


This is playing big in the coming Greek election scheduled for 6th May if the EU allow the Greeks to vote. Its not just us who are diddled out of their democratic rights!


The Greek people's main anger is directed against the two main Greek parties who have held power since the Colonels gave it up. They are facing melt down. For the EU the nightmare is they will be faced by extremist parties of either the left or right. Meanwhile Jeff Randall reported tonight Portugal needs another bail out. No rest for the ECB printing press then.


When we in the UK get to this stage conditions will be ripe for us to leave the EU. I make one prediction. Farage and his EUKIP cult will not be involved. Piss ups are their speciality.

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Market does not believe Spanish austerity plans are deliverable

Spain held a bond auction yesterday. The results were poor. Spanish 10 year bond yields closed at 5.71% with Italy at 5.37% and Portugal at 12.35%. So why so bad given the ECB's trillion Euro money printing?


The market thinks the Spanish plans are undeliverable and Spain, the 4th largest Eurozone economy, is headed for a recession and worse bank failures because of the property market collapse. There was a huge sell off today in Euroland equities with all the main markets including the UK down 2% to 3%. Banks were hardest hit with Spanish banks the biggest losers.


Its not over in Euroland by a long chalk.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Spanish austerity puts UK to shame

24%+ of Spaniards are out of work. Almost 50%  of its under 25s are unemployed. The Spanish government is pressing on with the right kind of austerity, public sector budget cuts. It has cut the budget of its Foreign service by an eye watering 50%. as for its foreign aid that has been eliminated completely. Would that our government had the courage to do the same but I suppose there are too many Old Etonians in the FCO to allow it to happen in the UK. As for foreign aid why we have just increased it. Crity does not begin at home for the LIbDEms but with corrupt foreign regimes in poverty stricken countries.


Wolfson's little prize on how to exit the Euro is down to a short list of five. I hope Dr Frau Merkel is on the judging panel.


At some stage the markets are going to take a hard look at the UK and I don't think they will like what they see. A-levels have been a steadily devaluing currency over the last 30 years. Gove is correct to put control into the hands of University academics but he is holding back from the crucial reform, get rid of the plethora of examining boards and have a national exam! Profit making Exam boards have an inbuilt conflict of interest. Raise standards and reduce your profits and go out of business. Its a no brainer, to raise standards we need one national exam. It also make recruitment and university place offers a whole lot easier.


Still we will no doubt bumble on with our LibCons until the markets blow the whistle on their total incompetence.