tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65370449542421633922024-03-18T21:26:55.530+00:00London Regional Press OfficeLondon Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691156849093032881noreply@blogger.comBlogger1660125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-55261760364917063242024-03-16T13:37:00.000+00:002024-03-16T13:37:07.106+00:00The perception of war is different from reality<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The Perception of War is different from Reality</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Throughout history, the outcome of wars has been reported as victories and defeat, conquests, and so forth, but the reality of war has escaped proper consideration.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even in victory there has been a price to pay to win. For those who were tragically injured or killed there is no victory. There is also no defeat. It is the end of their lives. There is no recovery. Even if they survive, life will no longer be what it was.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Warmongers will not often suffer the consequences of what they have instigated. For warmongers, the lives of those they see as enemies don't count, but the lives of those they pretend to be close to don't count either. It is just a matter of numbers. As long as they can claim victory and even if as consequence of their acts there is defeat, they will go around living their lives happily ever after while both presumed foes and presumed friends will suffer dire consequences.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">When we see or hear reports about tens of thousands of people dead or injured, names don't count because it would be time consuming or even impossible to determine the identities of those who have lost their lives. The pulverised buildings of what used to be a living city cannot possibly reflect the full story of the tragedy that has occurred. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-33951762306146424012024-03-09T22:05:00.001+00:002024-03-09T22:05:10.824+00:00Olaf Scholz: Hesitating man or man deeply aware of the dire consequences of knee jerk reactions<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaH304pAT-s8sFAMbx8fg1FQxhN2IRuM6ov4ofOcr8qkokKuZ0dw4jJ5bbVbKurmKGnGn01pep0fZup335MDPjvRWiKwdC3ezn0_1PsdlyBkEx5P8JPJMuiyL4yFi191TIFBCM2Sryn1M6nHcly5MHZB4oxV4ymHEIYCjCGu-UGj6n6pzpUhvHCndOfo/s285/Olaf%20Scholz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="220" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaH304pAT-s8sFAMbx8fg1FQxhN2IRuM6ov4ofOcr8qkokKuZ0dw4jJ5bbVbKurmKGnGn01pep0fZup335MDPjvRWiKwdC3ezn0_1PsdlyBkEx5P8JPJMuiyL4yFi191TIFBCM2Sryn1M6nHcly5MHZB4oxV4ymHEIYCjCGu-UGj6n6pzpUhvHCndOfo/s1600/Olaf%20Scholz.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>An article on The Guardian newspaper qualifies the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as 'hesitant', supposedly a label for somebody seen as weak or indecisive because he is not fully committing Germany to yeat another war in Europe.<p></p><p>As a German, Olaf Scholz is extremely aware of the consequences of war. He might not have been around during World War II, but he certanly knows about what happened in Germany all the way until 1945 and after that.</p><p>Despite all odd, Germany prospered and with a lot of hard work managed to reach an enviable position, leading those who were supposed to be the conquering nations, the winning nations, after World War II.</p><p>The recipe for German success? Ingenuity, creativity and a lot of work done from the very beginning in the worst of circumstances. Germany started the way to recovery and excellence as an occupied and devided country. It capital city was not more. Berlin was divided by the victors and for a time Bonn became the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. Much of its territory had been lost. Much of it was taken by Poland, Prussia was chopped to bits. The DDR was born, the so called Polish corridor - German land - was given to Poland and much of the eastern side of German was also given to Poland. Eastern Prussia was taken by the Soviet Union and is now part of the Russian Federation.</p><p>The fall of the Berlin Wall was much celebrated as was celebrated the end of the DDR and the reunification of Germany, a reunification that is very much incomplete as vast expanses of German land are still in other countries.</p><p>Olaf Scholz explicitly said that despite the fact that Germany is part of NATO - in fact is still under American occupation and its contitution was not designed by Germans. It was imposed by the USA that maintains a substantial military pressence in the Federal Republic of Germany. So Germany is still an occupied country.</p><p>The German Chancellor has to move with extreme caution. He is the head of a coalition that is intrinsically weak and SPD won an election without winning a big number of votes. It was the debacle of CDU/CSU that fell so massively what made it possible for SPD to win an election with less than 30 per cent of the votes cast.</p><p>A new party now has more than 21 per cent of electoral support and, unlike SPD that is only represented in 11 of 16 Federal States, Alternative für Deutchland has captured the imagination of German voters to the point that in the last days of the then Chancellor Angela Merkel many elected representatives of CDU were working together with Alternative für Deutchland.</p><p>The present German Chancellor knows full well that if things take a turn for the worst the present coalition will not survive. He also knows that after decades of constant lecturing and self-imposed and imposed guilt, the German peoples themselves are reluctant to engage in yet another European war that would be fought not because of German interests, but of American interests that go against German interests. The German peoples are not willing to throw away decades of hard work and prosperity to please the invaders that fragmented Germany and left Germany in ruins.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-72165497684188744692024-02-08T16:08:00.003+00:002024-02-08T16:08:24.326+00:00Brilliant Speech about serious issues<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h2JLBbPjGPU" width="320" youtube-src-id="h2JLBbPjGPU"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-65264247545401675142023-12-31T19:17:00.002+00:002023-12-31T19:17:33.364+00:00On the way to World War Three: This is not the end, not the beginning of the end. It is maybe the end of the beginning<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1HGmxX8_Tu0NS3Q0E_hqJDQfhnTFX-q_dZLfa6puE1oa2MwpE2bRVXPKOW3UuYT6HeGY9C5OjwtAqko-j5MHBqxMUYlpV1IHpXyf_K84996fIPaCSHsCukuac8ZDgHLpU5KavHBLzILobI3xRcXpU1UWpJDgfnmhkIhx0TjSNTeZJoy0o9dUwh4oZMg/s548/War.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="548" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1HGmxX8_Tu0NS3Q0E_hqJDQfhnTFX-q_dZLfa6puE1oa2MwpE2bRVXPKOW3UuYT6HeGY9C5OjwtAqko-j5MHBqxMUYlpV1IHpXyf_K84996fIPaCSHsCukuac8ZDgHLpU5KavHBLzILobI3xRcXpU1UWpJDgfnmhkIhx0TjSNTeZJoy0o9dUwh4oZMg/s320/War.png" width="320" /></a></div>Although, officially, the beginning of World War Two was September 3rd, 1939, in actual fact the World War Two started a lot earlier. <p></p><p>In the early 1930s, Japan was battling it out with China. In 1936, the Spanish Civil War was yet another step. In 1938, the then Czchecoslovakia so much of its territory taken away. So other things were happening long before German troops launched the atttack against Poland.</p><p><br /></p><p>Palestine, Ukraine and Yemen are just part of the picture. They are steps towards World War Three. All sides, as it usually the case, try to interpret the opponents' movements, according to what they think is the opponents agenda.</p><p>The war in Palestine is a war of extermination. The general idea is to get of Palestinians on the way to the creation of the bigger Israel. When Palestinians are out of the way, or even before that, Israel will use any justification to attack its neighbours. Ir is already waging war against Syria and Lebanon and other countries will be attacked.</p><p>The conflict in Ukraine has served to clarify the contradictions of a presumed unified European Union. The European Union is a political project and the controversies in terms of lack of support clearly show that behind the facade of unity there are dangerous differences when countries are asked to choose between the political project and their own national interests.</p><p>The conflict in Ukraine is only about winning. In the same manner, that Israel has no intention of allowing Palestinians to have a political solution, in Ukraine there is no political solution. So this is war for years to come and in the process other conflicts will appear, conflicts we have been hearing about as possibilities.</p><p>We have repeatedly heard the British Prime Minister, the Secretary for Defense and many other major and minor political personalities talking about doing the walking. The fact remains that in the event of any major conflict Britain is desperately ill equipped. One government after another has totally disregarded the need for Britain to be prepared. They have done the talking, but they haven't done the walking. Britain has barely 40,000 people fit for war of a total of about 73,000 - counting administration staff and cleaning personnel. Britain is not even capable of guarding its own borders or patrolling its own territorial waters.We hear talk about long term projects that mention 2035. Well, what has Britain got today in 2023? </p><p>European politicians talk about their fears of yet another President Trump's presidency. Why? Because they fear that USA will walk away from NATO. Why? Because NATO is the USA. If you look at all other NATO members, they don't have the capacity to wage yet another World War. Germany's development was stiffled on purpose. Germany has been prevented from developing its true potential and German politicians will have to make a huge effort to convince German voters that they need to part with more of their tax monies to build infrasture to prepare the country for war. Germany's bridges and Germany's road have not been built to endure tanks and heavy equipment. But this, as important as it is, is practically nothing compared to the fact that Germany does not have neither the material resources nor the emotional preparedness for war. Decades of blame and apologizing for World War Two have left Germany disabled to even defend itself from aggression. And let us remember that Germany is - even it is poor present state - the biggest economy in Europe.</p><p>There are two certain possibilities - vertical escalation and horizontal escalation. Vertical escalation means the use of much more advanced weapons. Horizontal escalation means the spread of war beyond the present boundaries, but there is yet another possibility - vertical and horizontal escalation. Lets see how many countries have the capacity to combine both. Look at both sides of the divide to know what will happen next.</p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-11878116720346265012023-12-14T18:50:00.003+00:002023-12-14T18:50:42.981+00:00Grant Shapps: More white elephants instead of beefing up British Armed Forces<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxEUhA-2a5KJg5wDWAqRF1dpwrKIM8IceIXcqqGUlcHB71B82GyvrToH0UbTfZyrFhOSmhWNZR96poz48V0X9m7W1CLJlvUdQ-H-qPphFOwv9xclkRJL_RCOZNfQyihPksGg-JDyBCapN0d03Jii69d0t2SGeBTjPyRlGRfxrCIvZ2SfZBaKg0DKHG60/s2048/Grant%20Shapps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxEUhA-2a5KJg5wDWAqRF1dpwrKIM8IceIXcqqGUlcHB71B82GyvrToH0UbTfZyrFhOSmhWNZR96poz48V0X9m7W1CLJlvUdQ-H-qPphFOwv9xclkRJL_RCOZNfQyihPksGg-JDyBCapN0d03Jii69d0t2SGeBTjPyRlGRfxrCIvZ2SfZBaKg0DKHG60/s320/Grant%20Shapps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>New white elephant projets announced while British Armed Forces suffer from lack basic investment and have a manpower crisis.<p></p><p>Systematically, one administration after another has been underinvesting in the British Armed Forces. On top of an endemic lack of manpower caused by recruitment issues, Britain has permanently underestimated the need to raise standards and support for the Armed Forces. Instead, Britain persists in its efforts to repeat the experiences of the Euro Fighter or facing ridiculous situations like the construction of aircraft carriers that had to go without aircraft or had to be returning to port because of technical defficiences. Britain does not have not even enough ships to protect its own territorial waters. Just a few weeks ago, the British Prime Minister had to announced that it was abandoning plans to deliver what was promised in terms of transport infra-structure.</p><p>The construction of stealth aircraft that will not be stealth aircraft produces headlines for people to congratulate themselves but it does not improve National Security.</p><p>Once again, huge amounts of money that will have to taken out of the public budget (or borrowed) will be thrown away. In the meantime, the country will be struggling to borrow at rising rates of interest. Fancy projects will not make Britain more safer.</p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-54633688426771268162023-12-06T13:49:00.005+00:002023-12-06T13:50:16.789+00:00The Road to Hell: If demonization does not stop, the only way leads to hell on Earth<h1 style="text-align: left;">The Road to Hell: If demonization does not stop, the only way lead to hell on Earth</h1><div>It is impossible to watch and listen to mass media without listening to demonization messages. Every single minute is being used to exploit stereotypes, to build barriers and to promote violence. How long can this continue before there is disaster of major consequences?</div><div><br /></div><div>Nowadays it is also impossible not to detect an agenda. Hatred messages are being spread openly and directly, without the faintest attempt to sound impartial or balanced.</div><div><br /></div><div>Such messages are not about 'love thy neighbour'. They are about hate your neighbour, discriminate against your neighbour, harass you neighbour, blame your neighbour for everything that is going wrong and ultimately about expel your neighbour or kill your neighbour. It is absolutely disgraceful and what is most disgraceful of all is that educated people are the ones promoting such messages.</div>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-80591254185542353032023-12-03T19:31:00.002+00:002023-12-03T19:31:15.404+00:00When people talk: Muslims and Nick Griffin in dialogue<p><br /></p><p><a href="https://rumble.com/v3ygoxa-nick-griffin-jews-zionism-the-far-right-and-islam-in-europe-bb-113.html">https://rumble.com/v3ygoxa-nick-griffin-jews-zionism-the-far-right-and-islam-in-europe-bb-113.html</a></p><p>As Winston Churchill said it: Jaw Jaw is better than War War.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-58250828548396563782023-12-02T02:22:00.000+00:002023-12-02T02:22:02.834+00:00Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned hostages to death<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46sW5PIBqxb30gmuL79mMPerXaZbqSUR6U7TdRh2jiXmvPudwEJ6WKQwkQiNz4bOWAS_jKHWqficBA2_UChvfOPg8ACBN2NDQbCDOGHHfS-iBjoDqQ0myIf40kml59XXTnbrquMTpTucBQjtsv5LTnZ9xHvmhr01jnnLX8u5e3S83yZIiddImp7F_l1k/s554/Benjamin%20Netanyahu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46sW5PIBqxb30gmuL79mMPerXaZbqSUR6U7TdRh2jiXmvPudwEJ6WKQwkQiNz4bOWAS_jKHWqficBA2_UChvfOPg8ACBN2NDQbCDOGHHfS-iBjoDqQ0myIf40kml59XXTnbrquMTpTucBQjtsv5LTnZ9xHvmhr01jnnLX8u5e3S83yZIiddImp7F_l1k/s320/Benjamin%20Netanyahu.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The lull in the fighting was a window of opportunity for peace, but peace is not the objective Benjanmin Netanyahu is trying to achieve. His objective is the obbliteration of the Palestinian peoples as attacks are also being carried out in the West Bank.<p></p><p>Families whose relatives were recovered are now to be followed by families whose relatives are going to die as the re-start of hostilities are a death sentence of Israeli hostages.</p><p>What he proposed at one time - the exodus of Palestinians to other countries is exactly what Adolf Hitler proposed at the beginning of the implementation of the repression against Jews in Germany and elsewhere. Send them to Madagascar, Adolf Hitler said. Send them to Palestine, Adolf Hitler said. When all options of sending Jews elsewhere failed because of the start of World War Two, the extermination campaign started with the Final Solution meeting. Benjamin Netahyahu's plans to send Palestinians into a Dispora is no different. As Arab and Muslim countries are reluctant to allow ethnic cleansing in Palestine, Israel attacks them for not accepting ethnic cleansing.</p><p>Attacks against Palestinian farmers and erradication of Palestinian in entire areas of the West Bank is no different from the Pogroms carried out against Jewish peoples during before and during World War Two.</p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-5770717299375306792023-11-26T19:11:00.007+00:002023-11-26T19:11:53.762+00:00Energy Crisis: Who is winning?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbpUFhNF29HE1U1C4iwdLEiwgxKbxnX1RcuHDgHpxWasxLKtDiMvV7plnYz3nzAjWtOiH8AKCys8tXnKNSoOZc0moamzr-UEXnpUqGg4-kVfyfx6xB9cmpybrzTqaZ8KuLHdUHOAxmTUh8uChVs2Aute3hdplW2VoN9w23w-pqKefPRX1hYiZoPU3pUo/s702/Energy%20Crisis.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="702" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbpUFhNF29HE1U1C4iwdLEiwgxKbxnX1RcuHDgHpxWasxLKtDiMvV7plnYz3nzAjWtOiH8AKCys8tXnKNSoOZc0moamzr-UEXnpUqGg4-kVfyfx6xB9cmpybrzTqaZ8KuLHdUHOAxmTUh8uChVs2Aute3hdplW2VoN9w23w-pqKefPRX1hYiZoPU3pUo/s320/Energy%20Crisis.png" width="320" /></a></div>Covid did damage economies and completely changed lifestyles, but the single most negative factor for Western Economies was the knee jerk reactions aimed at damaging the Russian Federation that ended up creating hardship, political and social instability in those countries seeking to undermine the Russian Federation.<p></p><p>For those living in the United Kingdom, sanctions against the Russian Federation meant the end of the Paradise of low prices and stable economics. Just when Britain was coming out of the nightmare created by Covid economics, the British government - once again - reacted by impulse instead of using their brains properly. Not enough with mistakes made in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. British politicians had once again to put a foot wrong by jumping on the American bandwagon of failed foreign policies and started to dig an even bigger hole for themselves.</p><p>British policies regarding events in Eastern Europe have led to catastrophic realities in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Industrial economies rely on... energy. Something that British politicians completely forgot about it. Germany, thank to Merkel, got into a bigger hole. Why? Merkel's knee jerk reactions regarding nuclear power. What would be the chances of a tsunami hitting German nuclear reactors as it happened in Japan? Zero. Angela Merkel over-reacted and decided to leave Germany totally exposed to an energy crisis having to almost totally depend on fossil fuels. Even France with its nuclear capacity got hit because... France negleted its nuclear infra-structure.</p><p>The conflict has been raging for years now and might continue for the foreseeable future, although the USA and Germany are now applying pressure on Ukraine to force Ukraine to seek peace. At the end of the day, it all comes to money and another factor to consider is that today Europe is a lot less safe because of the stupidity of its leaders. As the Western side decided to get dirty by using weapons banned by most countries in the world, the Russian Federation decided that it had enough and passed legislation withdrawing from all nuclear weapons agreements. So now, all gloves are off. This is a situation created by Western warmongers that expected that they could whatever without a rection from the other side. They have used Ukraine in a war by proxy against the Russian Federation and now those who jumped on the warmongers' bandwagon are bound to pay the consequences.</p><p>General Winter is coming. The expectation is that all Ukrainian infra-structure will be wiped out, pushing Ukraine back to the Middle Ages.</p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-88323532824971128422023-11-26T14:07:00.007+00:002023-11-26T14:07:59.870+00:00Ukraine: USA and Germany are putting pressure on Zelenski to end war<h1 style="text-align: left;">Ukraine: USA and Germany are putting pressure on Zelenski to end war</h1><div>As recent Ukrainian actions risk bringing general mobilization in the Russian Federation, both the USA and Germany are putting pressure on Zelenski to end war before the Rubicon is crossed. The Russian Federation has been controlling itself and avoiding direct attacks against Kiev, but with the arrival of winter, this is about to change. It has been national policy of the Russian Federation not to attack government buildings in Kiev, but Zelenski's actions could lead to an all-out assault against the Ukrainian capital by land and air.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the last 48 hours, drones have rained over Kiev and this could be the prelude to an air assault against Kiev. We are in 2023, not in 1939. In 1939, the Luftwaffe launched a deadly attack against Warsaw with much more limited capabilities. Politicians in the Russian Federation have been campaigning for a nuclear attack against Kiev. Short of a nuclear attack, a massive air assault could see one of the cultural capital of Europe demolished.</div><div><br /></div><div>As General Winter comes, telecommunications, energy supplies and general transportation by land and see will be targetted - the kind of warfare that brought down the Third Reich. No fuel, no electricity, no gas, no water, no food, no communications and total devastation of urban areas of Ukraine.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-31111842969716775892023-11-23T22:02:00.004+00:002023-11-23T22:02:44.665+00:00Geert Wilders: More votes, but not enough<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3lkZFOJU0F9eBrSXyR4A8j-QzLTPB1LU8b3O2uZq6QZixbN17J4mUtafEwYsVQLIK36yjKF4Qm9eCvmQNI5CRTnd6lY_of32GuyEiw_gP921oRJ9bTIIB_WwGwWrERocB657eBpUibJ6nvyBtRRdUEQu4hyEYxM_SNq-uQCPPl9I-As_nCOmvAF9anU/s822/Geert%20Wilders.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="805" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3lkZFOJU0F9eBrSXyR4A8j-QzLTPB1LU8b3O2uZq6QZixbN17J4mUtafEwYsVQLIK36yjKF4Qm9eCvmQNI5CRTnd6lY_of32GuyEiw_gP921oRJ9bTIIB_WwGwWrERocB657eBpUibJ6nvyBtRRdUEQu4hyEYxM_SNq-uQCPPl9I-As_nCOmvAF9anU/s320/Geert%20Wilders.png" width="313" /></a></div>Netherlands suffers from the paradox of having a leader that has more than 30 per cent of the votes, but not enough votes to become Prime Minister.<p></p><p>The electoral system makes it practically impossible to become Prime Minister without having a coalition to back up a given candidate.</p><p>If no political party is willing to enter a coalition to support Geert Wilders then the only solution will be a Prime Minister that has less individual support in the country as long as he can count on the support of smaller parties.</p><p>Even with a ballotage system like the one applied recently in Argentina, Netherlands could end up with a Prime Minister that would have to negotiate every step of the way to get legislation passed.</p><p>The idea that Netherlands is moving towards the right is extremely premature. In fact, electoral results tell us that the country will be embroiled in endless negotiations and delays. </p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-29826755180039940712023-11-23T14:19:00.003+00:002023-11-23T14:19:36.304+00:00Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez: agreement with Catalunya's politicians generates political disquiet<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgkxgPTSTmBY_PJZw-fpcKW6dv2lgqeiQiTCCassTc64G4qS4betwZ1hHJYlD94oAV7iiTvFyt9uACNf8Oyd8bkVXWL7CYai2enJRxy2v5pdAGowWYyjHGDfT0W0Wl3zl9OObuvyoOg3hPPyBQ3XrAr-iGOIgcjVdEzlN4hQLcd4SY5MLt_yVitKS5G8/s1200/080323-sanchez-biografia2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgkxgPTSTmBY_PJZw-fpcKW6dv2lgqeiQiTCCassTc64G4qS4betwZ1hHJYlD94oAV7iiTvFyt9uACNf8Oyd8bkVXWL7CYai2enJRxy2v5pdAGowWYyjHGDfT0W0Wl3zl9OObuvyoOg3hPPyBQ3XrAr-iGOIgcjVdEzlN4hQLcd4SY5MLt_yVitKS5G8/s320/080323-sanchez-biografia2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Agreement with Catalunya's politicians including an amnesty was a necessary condition to ensure that he had enough support to remain as Spanish Prime Minister, but it does not come without political disquiet.<p></p><p>Just a short time ago, Catalunyan politicians were persecuted and even imprisoned for daring to organise an independence referendum. There is also the issue of Catalunya's debt to be declared fully paid. </p><p>There is discontent in Spain regarding such agreements. Some said that those who were declared to have violated the Spanish Constitution are now being pardoned as a way to ensure political continuity. There are also those who say that the agreements were an essential part of a deal to maintain political stability in Spain as a whole.</p><p>It is difficult to foresee the outcome of the present political impasse. Will the agreement re-ignite the independence process or was the agreement reached with pre-conditions that could prevent another referendum? Was a financial package for Catalunya a way to buy time? As long as the agreements do not lead to yet another political crisis, Pedro Sanchez should feel that it was the right option in a country in which absolute majorities seem to be a thing of the past.</p><p>Spain is not alone. Just hours ago, Netherlands went through an electoral process with the aim of choosing a new Prime Minister. Being a majority is no guarantee. Because of political fragmentation, the political party that got more votes (more than 30 per cent) is by no means assured of being able to choose the next Dutch Prime Minister.</p><p>In Germany, the survival of the ruling coalition led by Olaf Scholz is by no means guaranteed and we have a long way to go before the next Federal Elections due to take place in 2025. In recent state elections, CDU seemed to recover although only a little and Alternative fur Deutschland has reached more than 21 of popular support.</p><p>We could go on reviewing what is happening in different countries of the European Union and finding similar situations across the board.</p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-84266252014861990902023-11-22T15:10:00.000+00:002023-11-22T15:10:11.025+00:00China and Uruguay strengthen bilateral relations that go beyond trade<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCg58-xMPo7vu3knm9rSLc3H9GcSmy3FnH_JrISrLtehR_wxUMEZKRJmQNNm8Dva4oz7U3KFYYhPAWCjfKBN0zf72t_hvDqwV6xzMe3o-Ii7QQzvxorFuRHLfNpZCEVOH0lr6wYXz7a7rbIszvLLI1zt3HJUn29xvdRjviGX3gafQad2u7SZnVKt4Xdc/s2000/Luis%20Alberto%20Lacalle%20Pou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="2000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCg58-xMPo7vu3knm9rSLc3H9GcSmy3FnH_JrISrLtehR_wxUMEZKRJmQNNm8Dva4oz7U3KFYYhPAWCjfKBN0zf72t_hvDqwV6xzMe3o-Ii7QQzvxorFuRHLfNpZCEVOH0lr6wYXz7a7rbIszvLLI1zt3HJUn29xvdRjviGX3gafQad2u7SZnVKt4Xdc/s320/Luis%20Alberto%20Lacalle%20Pou.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>China and Uruguay strengthen bilateral relations at all levels, including trade but not exclusively trade. President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou is in Beijing for the signature of important agreements with a country that already receives 56% of Uruguayan exports.<p></p><p>Uruguay is a key geographic player with full access to Antarctica and the South Atlantic having some of the best deep water harbours in the region. Somebody that was already remarked by other Asian nations seeking to exploit the riches of Antarctica and of the South Atlantic.</p><p>The Uruguayan President has long seen bilateral agreements outside Mercosur as the key for Uruguay development, taking Uruguay away from the straightjacket of a trading block. It is not about leaving Mercosur, but about looking towards the rest of the world and especially towards new trade agreements in distant parts of the planet.</p><p>We do not know what will the Argentinian position since President Elect Javier Milei and his political partners in the Argentinian Parliament still need to decide what is needed to curb the inflationary process in Argentina. One needs to assume that for while internal matters both financial and political will be seen as immediate priorities. With regards to Brazil, President Lula is still interested in an agreement with the European Union, agreement that in view of present positions in Europe seems to be distant.</p><p>When comparing trade agreements, the European Union is a very small fraction of world markets. In demographic terms, Europe is an even smaller fraction compared to India, China, Russia and other world operators and this includes Africa - a massive continent with a vast amount of resources.</p><p>For Uruguay, anything that limits Uruguay's capacity to trade with the rest of the world is something to get rid of. Paraphazing what was said by Hungary when Hungary joined the European Union, 'we are going to accept that benefits Hungary and reject what does not benefit Hungary'. By the way, the music of the Uruguayan National Anthem was composed by a Hungarian composer. <br /> </p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-44340480236659167162023-11-21T22:50:00.001+00:002023-11-21T22:50:33.103+00:00Argentina's difficult political balance, Mercosur and trade alliances beyond Latin America<p>With three digit inflation rates and decades of stagnation, forty years of democracy could mean absolutely nothing. In an election in which there were record numbers of voters, the incoming President Javier Milei got outstanding support accross the entire country with equally record numbers of provinces that came out to support him. </p><p>It is not going to be an easy task. In fact, in Parliament opposition forces still have a commanding majority that could block every single attempt to change Argentinian politics and economics. The risk is that if more than 13 million voters that supported Javier Milei come to see Parliament as a sedicious force that stands on the way preventing changes then Parliament itself will be in trouble. Could government by decree become an alternative from the very beginning?</p><p><b>Argentinian Constitution extract</b></p><p>CHAPTER III
Powers of the Executive Branch
Section 99.- The President of the Nation has the following powers:
1.- He is the supreme head of the Nation, head of the government and he is
politically responsible for the general administration of the country.
2.- He issues the instructions and rules necessary for the enforcement of the
16
laws of the nation, without altering their spirit with regulatory exceptions.
3.- He takes part in the making of laws according to the Constitution,
promulgates them and has them published.
<b><i>The Executive Power shall in no event issue provisions of legislative nature,
in which case they shall be absolutely and irreparably null and void.
Only when due to exceptional circumstances the ordinary procedures
foreseen by this Constitution for the enactment of laws are impossible to be
followed, and when rules are not referred to criminal issues, taxation,
electoral matters, or the system of political parties, he shall issue decrees on
grounds of necessity and urgency, which shall be decided by a general
agreement of ministers who shall countersign them together with the Chief
of the Ministerial Cabinet.</i></b></p><p>The Constitution seems to indicate that only in exceptional circumstances the President can issue decrees and that 'The Executive Power shall in no event issue provisions of legislative nature, in wichi case they shall be absolutely and irreparably null and void.'. </p><p>It is explicitly clear that the last and final word on legislative matters lies in Parliament and it is a Parliament in which the political party supporting the President directly will have 38 representatives in the House of Reprentatives of a total of 257 and in the Senate the number of Senators directly supporting the President will be 6 out of 72. Unavoidably, the President will have to seek support of other political parties to be able to pass any bills.</p><p>Given these numbers, all the scaremongering promoted by opponents of Javier Milei is totally unjustified. It is most probable that Mauricio Macri (Former President) and Patricia Bullrich (Former Minister under Mauricio Macri) of Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change) will have a major say. </p><p>The bone of contention will be that Javier Milei's electoral allies will have the seats that Javier Milei needs to govern and Javier Milei will be able to say that despite not having enough seats he has the popular mandate and that people supported his electoral platform.</p><p>If the President can manage to transform an electoral coalition into a governing coalition then there will be a peaceful working political transition. If the President does not manage to transform an electoral coaliton into a governing coalition then there will be political upheaval leading to dangerous political uncertainties.</p><p>In Uruguay, there are divisions in terms of supporting or not supporting Javier Milei. For example, Frente Amplio (Broadfront) in opposition was more inclined to support the losing candidate Sergio Massa. In Brazil, President Lula came openly in support of Sergio Massa. Javier Milei for starters indicated that he wanted to get rid of Mercosur - something he might not achieve given the fact that he will be effectively in coalition with Mauricio Macri and Patricia Bullrich.</p><p>Uruguay has expressed that it wants ever closer trade relations with China, independently of its membership of Mercosur. Argentina itself has plans to incorporate Chinese communications technology. Brazil is seeking a new alignement having become a supporter of new trade arrangements that will bring the country closer to economies linked to the Russian Federation and China.</p><p>In spite of the fact that there are other Latin American economies linked to Mercosur, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are the core of the trading block.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-75134232854277908242023-11-21T12:45:00.006+00:002023-11-21T12:45:41.476+00:00Argentina: Dollarization or exactly the opposite to Dollarization<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-GOzyJ-hJKD8vvSomURdl_FNZDiquguUmTAdRb4zjDUDtiF514Ti5vP1Byq4_J0z1Fp2riLZK9w3mlk9pcoingdiAlLi_JhQgKBJLoN0j5BVYrbCNlwAijv4uzGZa5KNcgC17d7u9_t61krNuWEW7Xe3EMAt9T8UKpA0E4o_mNBI80exCYrjR5asEPc/s504/President%20Javier%20Milei.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="504" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-GOzyJ-hJKD8vvSomURdl_FNZDiquguUmTAdRb4zjDUDtiF514Ti5vP1Byq4_J0z1Fp2riLZK9w3mlk9pcoingdiAlLi_JhQgKBJLoN0j5BVYrbCNlwAijv4uzGZa5KNcgC17d7u9_t61krNuWEW7Xe3EMAt9T8UKpA0E4o_mNBI80exCYrjR5asEPc/s320/President%20Javier%20Milei.png" width="320" /></a></div>Headlines in Uruguay indicate that Argentinian President Elect Javier Milei will ban adverts with prices in US Dollars. For example, when it comes to adverts offering properties for renting, prices will have to be in the Argentinian national currency and will no longer be allowed to be published in US currency.<p></p><p>The newly elected President promised to apply a chainsaw to cut the state structure to bits getting rid of much of it as a way to cut down waste. No longer a Minister for Culture, no longer a Minister for Diversity, no longer participation of the state in areas that are better served by the private sector.</p><p>Radical measures to deal with radical problems that have been destroying Argentina and have dramatically increased the numbers of those living under poverty lines. To sum up: no more politicking. The newly elected President will be inaugurated on December 10th 2023, but he has been making waves since long before there was a prospect of him even being a candidate for President. What he says is very much what he believes and this will certainly put many people on short notice. The attitude seems to be: change or else.</p><p>It has been noted that most of those classed as younger generations who supported Javier Milei did so as a last resort as they are absolutely disappointed with democracy, a democracy that has only led to waste, corruption and mismanagement. The duality Peronismo/Radicalismo has been nefarious for Argentina as it has only helped to preserve the vicious cycle of indebtedness. Argentina is still fighting in American courts to deal with debts created more than 30 years ago and no government - either Peronista or Radical - has been able/willing/competent to sort out Argentina's massive problems. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-82697277256454646222023-11-20T00:37:00.001+00:002023-11-20T00:39:03.739+00:00Javier Milei: New President for Argentina<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWU4d07CvRBD3X42tHWzguBh0edGIb6ZzYhbeVstEDV7TaivJcxF8bwJ5LWpgZdzR8Qa5t61JQvn-WrOQC4f0NIlgWv9X7AnpcwNAYBpoKqF8EIlkc2XO_xl932RuayRxMIX9hRZuYwld61BefjbThGinPhHeRT1RrrJp9SHG_YlFM8ID0CXKKCYYmGRs/s243/Javier%20Milei.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="208" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWU4d07CvRBD3X42tHWzguBh0edGIb6ZzYhbeVstEDV7TaivJcxF8bwJ5LWpgZdzR8Qa5t61JQvn-WrOQC4f0NIlgWv9X7AnpcwNAYBpoKqF8EIlkc2XO_xl932RuayRxMIX9hRZuYwld61BefjbThGinPhHeRT1RrrJp9SHG_YlFM8ID0CXKKCYYmGRs/s1600/Javier%20Milei.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><h1 style="text-align: left;">Javier Milei: New President for Argentina</h1><div>The electoral success of Javier Milei was such that Sergio Massa - the Justicialista contender - spoke before official data was published to concede.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was essential for Sergio Massa to make vows for a peaceful and proper transition indicating that dialogue and peaceful coexistence are the rule in a country with extraordinary high inflation rates.</div><div>The key word is change. 'We need change. We cannot expect improvements if we keep implementing the same policies over and over again'. </div><div><br /></div><div>On December 10th, 2023, the new President will be officially, formally, inaugurated. Time to have a look at the new Argentinian Parliament. Javier Milei was successful in most Argentinian provinces and this includes Buenos Aires where he was successful in areas that had traditionally supported Justicialismo (Peronismo).</div><div><br /></div><div>It is foreseen that from this evening within Justicialismo a leadership struggle is just beginning and that former President and now also former Vice President Cristina Fernandez will lead Justicialismo once Sergio Massa lost the Presidential Election.</div><div><br /></div><div>There will also be a new balance of forces within the Union Civica Radical that divided itself. Some chose to support Sergio Massa and most of them chose to support Javier Milei. It is also said that, in spite of getting 56% of the votes, given the need to reach agreements in Parliament to be able to govern, the new President will have to be more moderate than he appeared to be during the electoral campaign.</div><div><br /></div><div>The size and role of the state will be at stake. The general philosophy is to reduce the Welfare State to promote employment, to stop paying people not to work. There will be both ideological and financial changes. With three digit inflation rates, a huge effort will have to be made to generate enough jobs to be able to cut the Welfare State without a major upheaval and this indicates that any changes will have to be gradual in a country in which a very high percentage of its population lives below poverty levels.</div><div><br /></div><div>Javier Milei indicated that he has in mind a different idea regarding Mercosur, but this will have to wait while the new President tries to sort out the internal situation in Argentina.</div><div><br /></div><div>Commentators define Javier Milei as a charismatic leader and that charisma is based on success and that the electorate chose Javier Milei because they expect miracles and that to be able to produce miracles the new President will soon be in a collision course with traditional political forces that chose to support him to defeat Justicialismo. </div><div><br /></div><div>Argentina is a country in which both Cristina Fernandez and Mauricio Macri (one Justicialista and another Radical) have still a strong power base. Regardless of the electoral success (56%), the new President will have to navigate in a country in which he will have to deal with powerful foes and friends that have their own political agendas. It has been said that younger generations belonging to the upper middle class are leaving the country and that a high number of the younger generations that belong to the lower middle class no longer believe in democracy.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-23741630972490938092023-11-18T10:15:00.001+00:002023-11-18T10:15:12.559+00:00Immigration Changes: changing national legislation and adherence to international treaties?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuS9M4pvIcuDsUI971d24b8lnz989bWOgtuzz3QWC2zaZApONtK3soYGT0bVeYQ3phkunIwIebPSBeS77od_zAaFl1Ed_5q8bBeoMnnuPx0V1TNmgSko4olWki28mdb-J7TBS3Jyy4xp_ATBFqR0NDrv1VDc_N20WAVdyW7mMfao3xk4OWk_B3YBz2_8/s711/Map.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuS9M4pvIcuDsUI971d24b8lnz989bWOgtuzz3QWC2zaZApONtK3soYGT0bVeYQ3phkunIwIebPSBeS77od_zAaFl1Ed_5q8bBeoMnnuPx0V1TNmgSko4olWki28mdb-J7TBS3Jyy4xp_ATBFqR0NDrv1VDc_N20WAVdyW7mMfao3xk4OWk_B3YBz2_8/s320/Map.jpeg" width="254" /></a></div>Changing national legislation and adherence to international treaties?<p></p><p>Statements have been made: legislation is going to be changed to allow Britain to overcome legal obstacles to deal with migration.</p><p>After the judgement issued by the Supreme Court regarding government agreements with Rwanda about migration management, questions have been raised in terms of how the British government is going to manage to overcome legal obstacles.</p><p>We await the texts of new bills that will have to be produced by Parliament to achieve declared aims so that the idea of sending migrants to Rwanda does not become a kind of round trip with people sent to Rwanda being returned by Rwanda to the United Kingdom in order to comply with legislation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Declaring that Rwanda is a safe country might not be nearly enough if for any reason Rwanda decides to deport migrants back to the United Kingdom. What would be the point of accepting migrants back in Britain? Is this yet another plan destined to fail?</p><p>Can anybody come up with a viable plan, instead of proposing yet another gimmick?</p><p>In past months, hotels and recreational facilities have been filled up with illegal migrants. Even a barge was acquired to accommodate illegal migrants. Monies were paid to Rwanda for a plan that the Supreme Court declared illegal.</p><p>Another political embarrassment? We await with impatience the text of legislation promised by the government that will have to deal with the issue of illegal migration effectively. </p><p>Failure to deliver in this particular scenario when the Prime Minister and Cabinet members have committed themselves so publicly is political suicide.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-28034179153354890802023-11-15T21:57:00.000+00:002023-11-15T21:57:08.411+00:00Rishi Sunak: Whatever it takes, we are going to deliver<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXlGD9ulj9VEI5nUvgD9-dK-rXCpK1Jh2WNebjiuMc_c4jLWEmLm9OPpNTTf5zoYPU3DcttHqIUmu0s4hZDxFaL-JESGiHHupwq18NG432UGuOlYQofbjVIU5fevlj9LeWAwFWMkNETT0eUEY_pjcaYGqUDzD0aKRhgr7mRehDvp57lbftodcW63h0LI/s522/Rishi%20Sunak.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="522" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXlGD9ulj9VEI5nUvgD9-dK-rXCpK1Jh2WNebjiuMc_c4jLWEmLm9OPpNTTf5zoYPU3DcttHqIUmu0s4hZDxFaL-JESGiHHupwq18NG432UGuOlYQofbjVIU5fevlj9LeWAwFWMkNETT0eUEY_pjcaYGqUDzD0aKRhgr7mRehDvp57lbftodcW63h0LI/s320/Rishi%20Sunak.png" width="320" /></a></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">Today, I saw Rishi Sunak acting Prime Ministerial. We are going to deliver whatever it takes</h1><div>Firstly, he was respectful and accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court acted within its remit according to existing legislation and international agreements.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But then he rose as Prime Minister and stated loud and clear that he would put through Parliament legislation to ensure that Britain can protect its borders and protect national interests. Basically, he stated that the country must never give up its sovereignty.</div><div><br /></div><div>James Cleverly as a former Foreign Secretary and new Home Secretary stated that the boats will be stopped and the new Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister David Cameron was there to emphasize exactly the same message. Michael Howard, former Party Leader, was also fast to support the Prime Minister and his determination to deliver regarding one of the hottest issues of the political agenda.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is almost as if events of recent days and months have generated a transformation. Preventing Illegal migration might become the defining moment of a new Conservative Administration. This is the ultimate test of his political career. Defeat is not an option. He must deliver.</div><p></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-91235327023941282072023-11-13T22:08:00.004+00:002023-11-13T22:08:58.579+00:00Conservative government: What next?<p> Conservative Government: What next?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqybNlM16zgYrRlDYT0sBA0MZHbsb_LBFnkWG97rtQkznyE7WY3MSuO9Vpdf8ozHhfovNct9gT3rWtzlx4Y5Gb8CRHF68gFQc92E9mgXem7gA3-OKzQF3qXhRHRCRYYT-lDiS8rnputMkt7Nm6YtM5D0UgwmMBp2BUrwVlaH3suubRt9caTvj1WW75oQ/s650/Rishi%20Sunak%20Realism.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="650" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqybNlM16zgYrRlDYT0sBA0MZHbsb_LBFnkWG97rtQkznyE7WY3MSuO9Vpdf8ozHhfovNct9gT3rWtzlx4Y5Gb8CRHF68gFQc92E9mgXem7gA3-OKzQF3qXhRHRCRYYT-lDiS8rnputMkt7Nm6YtM5D0UgwmMBp2BUrwVlaH3suubRt9caTvj1WW75oQ/s320/Rishi%20Sunak%20Realism.png" width="320" /></a></div>Since the days of Boris Johnson and in spite of then then 80 seat majority, the Conservative Administration has been plagued by both issues that they could not possible foresee and control and by situations that arose because of measures they took that turned into yet another crisis.<div><br /></div><div>The Covid Pandemic declared in March 2020 put everybody to the test and lockdown measures adopted to apparently tackle the pandemic generated a whole new series of issues, increasing divisions within the Conservative Government. It was about 'Lockdown or no Lockdown'. </div><div><br /></div><div>The start of declared hostilities in Ukraine was yet another test. Sanctions against the Russian Federation backfired and produced an energy crisis that destabilized the British Economy. The long standing stability with low prices and low interest rates gave way to higher interest rates and higher prices that in turn produced a series of strikes and forced the government to add more protection measures on top of the protective measures adopted during Lockdown to prevent a sudden rise in unemployment due to lack of economic activity.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once the government started to regain control the crisis in Palestine opened a whole new can of worms. The fact that people immediately took sides reflects the tribal nature of Britain and this, unavoidably, led to yet another reshuffle to try and have some kind of equilibrium both in national terms and in terms of geopolitics.</div><div><br /></div><div>All the way, from Covid, going through Lockdown, sanctions against the Russian Federation that led to rising inflation and the present issues involving Palestine, fractures within political parties became fairly visible. It is like walking on a high rope without a balancing pole. As the saying goes, 'keep your friends close and your foes even closer'. Loyalties are being tested to destruction. If Britain were to be involved in a real war tomorrow morning, this is a government that is struggling to survive until the next General Election due to take place in May 2024 and that will not be capable of dealing with war at home and war abroad. What would a General Election in 2024 achieve? For starters, it could be change, even if it is change for change sake. Having said that, when you look at what is happening across the home nations, political realities are much too complex to be able to foresee what the outcome of a General Election would be. </div><div><br /></div><div>North of the border, at times it looks like the SNP will collapse. At times it looks like any expectations about the demise of the SNP are very much an exaggeration. In Wales, the Labour administration might be unpopular, but then people might decide to stick to what they have got for fear of worse political realities. In Northern Ireland, political paralysis is a reality with Sinn Fein winning spaces and without a cross party agreement to return to the Northern Ireland Assembly. In England, the mainstream political parties are fragmented depending on what are the most important issues according to regions.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are far too many issues that generate divisions both in terms of national politics and of international politics. You cannot promise one thing to please one side without alienating another side and you don't have the luxury of being vague in terms of where you stand politically.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-3518541981041561202023-11-13T11:57:00.003+00:002023-11-13T11:57:54.258+00:00Gone with the wind: Where shall I go? What shall I do? Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSbdhDKoIYnU2b0Zu_Buo2oEK-rmweYRSjCDkUkA7Fw7K18r21VpUL4uDdmtTctVbEc77sHZYp6LzCPPHMNBGFbaobo8htJV3Eh63YKQRQi_JaQajATTJXAq0Ym9jQl-W5z_M5mfkPy8ENoUZkN5w1QxIEAkOi8yiBLozKmX-RRugkJdhVwl6_wQkuJE/s2048/Suella%20Braverman.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSbdhDKoIYnU2b0Zu_Buo2oEK-rmweYRSjCDkUkA7Fw7K18r21VpUL4uDdmtTctVbEc77sHZYp6LzCPPHMNBGFbaobo8htJV3Eh63YKQRQi_JaQajATTJXAq0Ym9jQl-W5z_M5mfkPy8ENoUZkN5w1QxIEAkOi8yiBLozKmX-RRugkJdhVwl6_wQkuJE/s320/Suella%20Braverman.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The now former Home Office Secretaty was expressly asked by the Prime Minister not to make a certain statement and she, ignoring the concerns of the Prime Minister, went ahead and made the statement.<p></p><p>Direct consequence? She is now out of a job. She left Rishi Sunak with no choice. She had to be sacked because she was underming the authority of the Prime Minister.</p><p>Now, as a backbencher, she can say whatever she pleases as long as she does not get herself in any other mess that could lead her to lose the party whip for bringing the Conservative Party into disrepute. After her dismissal she stated that in coming days she will have something to say. Well, it will depend on what she says and the way in which she says what she says. She is desperately to be controversial in order to raise her profile, but she is managing to raise her profile for the wrong reasons. Saying outrageous things that promote violence is not the right course of action. Ignoring the authority of the Prime Minister is not the right course of action. She aligned herself with those who are on a collision course with the Conservative Party.</p><p>The arrival of David Cameron in difficult times when it comes to geopolitical issues sends a clear signal. Rishi Sunak is now trying to surround himself with heavyweights and the former Prime Minister David Cameron might be invigorated after a necessary vacation after the battles that he himself had to fight to keep the Conservative Party together during the Brexit war. Let's see what David Cameron can put on the table to salvage a struggling Conservative Party.</p><p>It is an interesting time with David Cameron as Foreign Secretary and Boris Johnson as GB News presenter. What will Boris Johnson have to say about the new Cabinet?</p><p> </p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-28394549489719927622023-11-11T11:56:00.000+00:002023-11-11T11:56:44.545+00:00Conservative Party: 40,000 teachers left the profession. NHS is bleeding professionals that are leaving even for other countries<p>Conservative Party is in a crisis with MPs no longer willing to stand for re-election and even members of the Cabinet announcing that they will not be standing for re-election. In the meantime, problems are being piled up at all levels. </p><p>In education, more than 40,000 teachers are no longer teaching. They have had more than enough. When asked, a school teacher said 'I could not take it any more. It was not just about 35 pupils in the classroom. It was also about dealing with children with mental health issues that made teaching impossible.' It is not about remuneration. It is about working conditions. Teacher are supposed to teach. They are not supposed to deal with psychiatric problems thrown in the classroom.</p><p>What has changed about the operation of Police stations in the UK. Politicians including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak make promises in the House of Commons that he really and truly knows that cannot be delivered. Police stations are not even receiving reports regarding property stolen, let alone theft of mobile phones. They are understaff and they don't have the resources to deal with that kind of crime.</p><p>How much times does a consultant in the NHS have to deal with patients? Not much. There are not enough consultants and not enough specialised staff. There is so much that can be done with lack of human resources and with lack of equipment.</p><p>And what happens in Job Centres? Unqualified staff and insufficient staff are leading to DWP staff quitting their jobs because they cannot deal with the workload they are forced to deal with. </p><p>And what happens at the Home Office? Not enough staff to deal with mountains of applications and the natural consequence is that everything gets delayed and this has social consequences. A rising number of people are wandering around in limbo and more often than not local authorities, schools and social services have to deal with the outcome having to find non existing accommodation for families with children, many of which are facing mental health problems and situations of abuse including domestic violence.</p><p>This is a tale of massive government incompetence. Government secretaries of state and ministers spend an awful amount of time making political statements and seem absolutely oblivious to reality. What is the point of spending millions of Pound every ten years to carry out Censuses? Save the money spent on Censuses and spend it to really try to solve the myriad of problems Britain is facing. Whatever data can be gathered in censuses are completely unreliable.</p><p>You will never be able to keep up with inflation when trying to support families via the welfare state. Look at the cost of buying and look at the cost of renting. Private renting is a total waste of resources. The private market is not supposed to meet the needs of those in need. Private letting is a business. What is needed is the sort of letting that can be controlled by the state. If you have social housing, the monies can be kept by the state and re-invested in social services. Private renting should be left for those who can afford to rent without state support. The state should be both landlord and service provider.</p><p>Do you know what happens to families with children that are forced to be constantly on the move from one area to another, from one city to another? Do you know what happens when it comes to education, health, work, family cohesion and mental health? Instability, uncertainty, mental health problems, domestic violence, constant financial struggle and dependency and the list goes on.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-28450922457106812762023-11-09T21:28:00.004+00:002023-11-09T21:29:44.830+00:00Suella Braverman: Asset or Liability? There are profiles and profiles<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKlr0WP9aScTLxwUP55dnY6qZhYsFvQKOmIx7ryT4RdGRF5kJIo1rJM0aQbvQpP-bya4hi4QmZR_U7YDCxstd-qIe_1re0tfY5FtVtVTgXzXw-oU-rculqSy4XKXBuUmX500Sm3WoaxBA6BlibTAhznnlWF1O1D9cXW5Z7Pl5WDF49FYb_9sKO3sZ1wI/s300/Suella%20Braverman.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKlr0WP9aScTLxwUP55dnY6qZhYsFvQKOmIx7ryT4RdGRF5kJIo1rJM0aQbvQpP-bya4hi4QmZR_U7YDCxstd-qIe_1re0tfY5FtVtVTgXzXw-oU-rculqSy4XKXBuUmX500Sm3WoaxBA6BlibTAhznnlWF1O1D9cXW5Z7Pl5WDF49FYb_9sKO3sZ1wI/s1600/Suella%20Braverman.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">Suella Braverman: Asset or Liability? Never try to outshine your boss.</h1><div>The news that 10 Downing Street has not supported what was said by the Home Secretary in a controversial article might tell you that the clock is ticking for Suella Braverman. And the word 'controversial' perfectly describes Suella Braverman that has over-stepped the mark not once, but several times. The role of Home Secretary can be a poison chalice for many reasons, without adding what Suella Braverman has been adding in recent days. Her remarks about 'homelessness being a lifestyle choice' left many, from all political persuasions, scratching their heads in disbelief. She has appeared as insensitive, careless and extremely divisive. Not the ingredients for a country that faces enormous divisions caused by external events and not the ingredients for a country in which a growing number of people are struggling to make ends meet.</div><div><br /></div><div>This happens at a time when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing an uphill struggle to inspire confidence and hope not just across the country, but also inside his own Cabinet and his own political party, with cabinet ministers resigning and saying that they will not be standing at the next General Election and others not willing to stand because they feel that they will face a disastrous defeat, with MPs being forced to resign and/or being deprived of the party whip due to wide range of scandals, the Conservative Party is not in good shape. You can try to raise your profile, but you might not be doing it for the right reasons and/or in the right way.</div><div><br /></div><div>When it comes to the media, it feels that a growing number of MPs and former MPs have been joining GB News and this includes a former Prime Minister, a former Cabinet Minister and the present Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. Is there enough space to include Suella Braverman as television presenter? With her statements, she has even surpassed Nigel Farage and this is an act hard to follow. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thirteen years is perhaps too long a time for a political party to stay in power without suffering the natural consequences. Too many excesses, too many scandals, too much division. Too much contempt for ordinary people and for ordinary peoples' needs and realities.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next year, there are major electoral contests: the General Election and the Greater London Assembly Elections, elections of the devolved authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The outcome of these elections is by no means guaranteed. The two major political parties have crisis of their own to deal with. Life has not been easy for a growing number of ordinary people and political uncertainties threaten to make life even harder. The time of moderate prices and predictability is over. </div><p></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-33530577867186243832023-11-07T19:56:00.002+00:002023-11-07T19:56:31.139+00:00Second Round of Elections in Argentina: Radical Bullrich endorses Milei against Peronista Massa<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhkwPEbPImlioSiH2Fhhm15gVEdCRaXa3CUCioyrrrjdSNR0zel3aB_1AaBvmcmoHa1Op0t3LIIOwtQ2dUAlE-DQtvT98vmBrVegUfxOQsirx8mAfd8_EaeCR7ms6wlSrL2rfQ3edhxknGQoChIb2xT7-gVF3bTTmsAEdno7cPfeK2af2xw1SF8RJi50/s976/Massa%20Bulrich%20Milei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhkwPEbPImlioSiH2Fhhm15gVEdCRaXa3CUCioyrrrjdSNR0zel3aB_1AaBvmcmoHa1Op0t3LIIOwtQ2dUAlE-DQtvT98vmBrVegUfxOQsirx8mAfd8_EaeCR7ms6wlSrL2rfQ3edhxknGQoChIb2xT7-gVF3bTTmsAEdno7cPfeK2af2xw1SF8RJi50/s320/Massa%20Bulrich%20Milei.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lider Radical Patricia Bullrich distances herself from two sectors of the alliance that supported her candidacy in the first round of elections to reject Peronista (Justicialista) candidate Sergio Massa (Argentinian Economics Minister) and support Javier Milei. <p></p><p>Cristina Bullrich said she could not possible support Sergio Massa that she responsabilizes for the state of the economy in Argentina.</p><p><br /></p><p>Her support for Javier Milei keeps the contest wide open. She got 24% of the vote in the first round of elections. Other political leaders have shown their allegiance of one of the two remaining Presidential Candidates. Divisions in Argentina spread across national borders and Argentina is one of two most powerful players in Mercosur. It is usually said that if Argentina sneezes Uruguay catches a cold.</p><p>In Uruguay, the political crisis surrounding the award of a Uruguayan passport to a well known drug trafficker is rocking the ruling coalition headed by President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou of the Partido National - one of the two conservative parties that make up the ruling coalition. The Opposition represented by Frente Amplio (Broad Front) plans to focus the heat on President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou to reveal how he knew about the affair. At this moment in time, Cabildo Abierto - member of the ruling coalition - has expressed doubts about remaing as member of the coalition.</p><p>Everything in Argentina and in Uruguay is touch and go. A return of the Frente Amplio is not unthinkable if the ruling coalition falls apart. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has publicly endorsed Sergio Massa and is ideologically closer to Frente Amplio. It must be said that Javier Milei has stated that he wants Argentina to leave Mercosur. So this is more than a second round of a Presidential Election in Argentina. The survival of the Mercosur is at stake and relationships inside the bloc and outside the bloc could be affected by what happens in the next fews days in Argentina.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-86672454173936358882023-11-07T09:25:00.004+00:002023-11-07T09:25:33.702+00:00USA or Latin America: Migration will generate huge changes in the way see the American Continent<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4t9ILdXLwJlT2zUdGbBOamKh09QMXJusJgsSeOyWx8L71epzsm_9wyr13ypgUjDc5n3C5XwJHTibF5VtZm4Etuc90sg5Lx68ZHFZinb8vyQdyFjyf9pVPNePYAsenTAJfYqf9qnNahRhaH233W8UtZ0wpVEHj2Ibkw1xKuTTvZUnwLzg8n29DMEQxBqE/s3016/Latin%20America.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3016" data-original-width="2558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4t9ILdXLwJlT2zUdGbBOamKh09QMXJusJgsSeOyWx8L71epzsm_9wyr13ypgUjDc5n3C5XwJHTibF5VtZm4Etuc90sg5Lx68ZHFZinb8vyQdyFjyf9pVPNePYAsenTAJfYqf9qnNahRhaH233W8UtZ0wpVEHj2Ibkw1xKuTTvZUnwLzg8n29DMEQxBqE/s320/Latin%20America.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">USA or Latin America: Migration will generate huge changes in the way we see the American Continent</h1><div>It is just a matter of time and it cannot be reversed. USA and Canada will soon be part of Latin America. Financial and political crisis in Latin America, much of it owed to USA foreign policies regarding Latin America are turning the USA into Latin America as what started as a drip is now a flood that cannot be stopped. Latin American don't have to fly across the oceans. They are just walking into the USA and no closure of borders can prevent the exodus into the USA.</div><div>In demographic terms countries like Brazil are already competing with the USA and others are not far behind and this is also something to take into consideration.</div><div><br /></div><div>In more than one way, the USA is also importing social issues from Latin America that added to existing issues in the USA can turn the American Dream into a nightmare. Extreme wealth combined with extreme poverty is not a recipe for success. How can things be turned for the better for all concerned? The tragedy is that problems are not due to lack of resources, but to lack of human intelligence to use a massive amount of resources for the common good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Using Argentina as a example, Argentina's problems are not due to lack of resources. They are due to corruption and bad management. Argentina's enormous potential has been repeatedly wasted and the same can be said when talking about other countries including the USA.</div><p></p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537044954242163392.post-18385895979376777012023-11-06T18:39:00.004+00:002023-11-06T18:39:40.775+00:00Uruguay: None of the above and democracy in Latin America and the drugs trade<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCSINKQ6g-IeePETpP0XWfF_XCdTWjHTRsTdhcs8Ldf0OvCfxaJ_J-rCF8xv0TmF5Fb1DlSk-r6GUo-i7HbTdDySd0i2-e9r3ifkHnatQeWBjd6Cvn-T53Pa5IedJCKA7KtiAHmcInVGB7C81cLhOoDx1VIe3sY_7gPC4IzJDS2GGtTww3NY_VC0tN6g/s976/Uruguay.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCSINKQ6g-IeePETpP0XWfF_XCdTWjHTRsTdhcs8Ldf0OvCfxaJ_J-rCF8xv0TmF5Fb1DlSk-r6GUo-i7HbTdDySd0i2-e9r3ifkHnatQeWBjd6Cvn-T53Pa5IedJCKA7KtiAHmcInVGB7C81cLhOoDx1VIe3sY_7gPC4IzJDS2GGtTww3NY_VC0tN6g/s320/Uruguay.png" width="320" /></a></div>Uruguay: None of the above<p></p><p>Uruguay is facing a 'None of the above' moment when the country is heading towards a General Election. One in ten citizens qualified to vote do not want the present ruling coalition nor the Frente Amplio (Broad Front).</p><p>In spite of everything, Uruguay is in much better position that its neighbour Argentina that faces second round of elections this month having to decide between Justicialista Massa or Reformist Milei. There is a possibility that Radical supporters might vote for Justicialista Massa to prevent Reformist Milei from becoming President of Argentina. The formation of Parliament was decided in the first round of elections that took place in October.</p><p>The Coalition headed by President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou has made itself vulnerable and the recent round of scandals involved the resignation of major figures of the Coalition government including the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. The scandal is about the award of a Uruguayan passport to a leading drug trafficker. Uruguay, like other Latin American countries, is part of the international drugs trade. Some years ago, Chile's economic boom in the building sector was due to massive amount of investments of monies produced by the international drugs trade and Uruguay is no exception.</p><p>There are major social issues including the rise of violence perpetrated by minors that led to calls to lower the age of legal responsibility. Drugs and other social issues are driving a major wave of criminality. That ten per cent of voters have been without any options when it comes to elections is worrying.</p>London Regional Press Officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562172104831276275noreply@blogger.com0