UK Money Laundering networks- More than a billion Pound via small shops in UK

 

More than a billion Pound money laundering scheme using Vape shops, hairdresser shops, barber shops, and a wide range of small firms like corner shops. 

Given the costs of running a company in the United Kingdom, I have always wondered how many so called small shops manage to survive given operational costs that would not be justified given the revenues that the said companies can get. Remarkably many would be making losses every single day. Now, researchers seem to have found that the said companies that on average remain open for up to 6 months have unsuspected sources of income.

The six months cycle allows those using the said companies for money laundering to move under the radar, before the state has had the time to have a look at what is actually going on. More than a billion Pound is a sizeable number, monies that could be used by drug Cartels and other criminal organizations, including terrorist networks. British borders are not just porous. They are wide open. You could pay and maintain a small army with that amount of money, an army that could demolish Britain from within.

Britain is a Paradise for those wanting to acquire all kinds of weaponry. It is not a matter of lack of supply. If you have got buying power, you will certainly be a very satisfied customer, able to bring down Britain to its knees. While politicians are used to focus on geopolitics and external enemies, something is going on inside Britain. The number of illegal migrants coming from certain countries are mainly males of fighting age, combined with a vast supply of resources, including weaponry, is the stuff nightmares are made of. 

Governments in Britain are more interested in protecting "the rights of illegal migrants" than in making sure that Britain is not destroyed from within.  Such levels of carelessness indicate how corrupt and how inept UK politicians have become. 

USA vs Canada: allies in war and enemies when it comes to trade? How does this work?

 

Twice, when Donald Trump campaigned the motto was "Make America great again.". The obvious questions should have been how and at what cost?

On the one hand, President Trump stated that he wanted NATO countries to pay more for their Defense but, on the other hand, he set out to make things extremely difficult by waging trade wars against USA allies. Not only that. Military actions undertaken by the USA have made extremely difficult for USA allies to have access to energy at affordable prices. In fact, with few exceptions, energy costs  had led to borrowing at increasingly high levels. We still do not know how is President Trump going to make America great again, but we do know that even for the USA things are reaching critical levels.

One particular angle that has not gone amiss is the fact the the USA military, regardless of all expressions of optimism, are not going through a brilliant time in their lives. Sailors have being going through very bad circumstances. When you hear about low morale leading to suicide attempts, somebody has to listen. When you hear about ships that malfunction while loaded with deadly weapons, somebody has to listen. Words like Fantastic and Fabulous do not cut any ice. When you hear that a major superpower has to stop military operations because it is running out of ammunition, somebody has to listen. Reality calls. If USA cannot win when fighting a country that is a little better than Iraq, somebody has to listen and somebody is both looking and listening.

The mutual protection alliance between Pakistan (a nuclear power), Turkey (a military power) and Saudi Arabia (an energy power) - all Muslim countries - did not come out of nowhere. Those who were under the protection of the USA are now wondering if the life insurance they were sold is actually going to protect them. Israel is closely associated to India as Modi´s India provides Israel with a substantial amount of military hardware. Middle East is starting to look like 1914´s Europe. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated very clearly that Israel will attack anybody that Israel sees as a threat. Regional countries are taking notice. Oman, usually a middleman between USA and Iran has been threatened by the USA. President Trump has made explicit threats to Oman. So how many Middle-Eastern countries still see the USA as a protector? Many no longer see USA as an allie and are rushing to maker their own arrangements.

Turkey is supposed to be a NATO country, but its alliances with countries outside NATO tell a different story. The moment of truth will come when NATO countries will have to make hard choices and it will come the time when NATO membership will be a hindrance.

UK: Inflation up 2.9%, oil and gas up, national debt up

 

UK inflation up = 2.9% and oil and gas prices up and this means growth of national debt accelerates.

Whatever numbers are given, the said numbers are totally outdated 24 hours later. The image just explains what happens when inflation goes up. Indexed debt is adjusted using as reference inflation rates.

This is Britain today. How has the British economy being affected by President Trump´s military adventures? Pretty baddly. First the talk about tariffs, but that was nothing compared to the uncertainty created by military conflicts created by USA geopolitical stances.

And United Kingdom is not alone. Countries that were supposed to be allies of the USA have been extremely negatively impacted. This can hurt more than bombs and missiles as countries become politically and socially unstable. When governments and politicians become detached from reality on the ground and in so doing become detached from the peoples that get them elected, peoples who are increasingly allienated, this cannot lead to peaceful coexistence. Inflation means that peoples´incomes are constantly devalued and for many this means not being able to pay for the basics of human life. 

UK: Arming a country that is at war with another country is asking for retaliation

 

Russian Federation is not threatening United Kingdom. Russian Federation only makes announcements.

For several years, United Kingdom has been providing resources to kill Russians and to cause damage to Russian infra-structure. So, understandably, if the war has been declared or not is totally irrelevant.

So from now on, anything could happen in the United Kingdom. And, most importantly, United Kingdom is totally incapable or not willing to control its own borders.

Britain is a country in crisis. Whatever you touch, you discover quite a few things that are wrong. Britain is only kept alive borrowing increasing amounts of money with higher and higher interest rates. In spite of that, there seem to be no limits in terms of mismanagement and waste. An oversized budget is a problem, but cutting down could create even more problems. So, it is effectively a catch 22 situation. A country with little or no manufacturing is not a fit country. We could do well stepping away from warmongering. But, unfortunately, politicians of whichever political colours seem to be reading the same disastrous score.

 

Andy Burnham: UK General Election in October or November 2026?

The talk about a General Election in October or November 2026 might be just talk or there could be justifiable reasons to mention the possibility of such election taking place. Andy Burnham inherited a historic majority from Keir Starmer but it is still Keir Starmer´s majority. 

If the idea is to introduce measures in the Autumn Budget that many in the Labour Party might not like or would be tempted to vote against, then the threat of a General Election in which they could lose their seats might make many Labour MPs reconsider any kind of opposition to the Autumn Budget. What does the Labour Cabinet think about it? Being a Member of the Cabinet is not only about prestige and about the challenges of the job. It is also about financial issues. If you are a Member of the Cabinet, you often get paid both as Member of Parliament and as a Secretary of State. A General Election means taking the risk of losing both positions at once. 

How ready are political parties to fight a General Election? By-Elections are one thing, but a General Election is a different cup of tea.

How will Britain be able to cope with rationing?

 

This is an image or rationing during World War Two. If crops fail and if importing foodstuff from other parts of the world is incrreasingly difficult, how will more than 70 million people in the United Kingdom be able to cope with rationing?

Britain is by far not the same country. So called Diversity will not allow the authorities to control mass disorder if the struggle to get foodstuff becomes tribal. Britain is already divided along racial and religious lines, with people that see each other as declared enemies. In normal circumstances it is all hush-hush. In extreme circumstances when the need to survive is on the table, it is not going to be nice.

The fields are burning hot. There is not enough water to protect crops. So what is the choice? Water for irrigation or water for human consumption? Entire blocks of appartments with families with children living in them have had serious difficulties to have water supplies to meet the most basic needs. Once crops fail, there is not much point in spreading water resources around, but then comes the need to distribute foodstuff.

Shop-lifting is already at record levels. It does not take too much to understand what will happen when foodstuff runs out. Big food chains like Marks and Spencer have asked Police for support and Police has denied support. If in normal circumstances, workers working for big supply chains are on their own to deal with violence and widespread theft, what will happen in extreme circumstances?

How much it costs to rent a one bedroom flat in London? A British pensioner cannot afford it.

 

Today´s state pension can be about 1,000 Pound a month. The rental price of a one bedroom flat is about 1200 Pound, minimum. Then you have to account for other expenses apart from rental payments. So, really, the state pension does not allow pensioners to rent a one bedroom flat anywhere in London, capital city of the United Kingdom,

It usually assumed that by the time somebody retires the said person would own his or her own accommodation. This is not the case and it will increasingly not be the case as more and more people cannot afford to buy property and would have virtually no assets. This a ticking bomb. It is not by chance and/or by choice that more and more adults do not leave the home of their parents. Marriage as an institution if vanishing. Today, more and more parents are not married. It is also the case that vegetatve growth is below replacement rates. There are less and less children. Coupled with unemployment is the fact that there are less and less active workers and more and more people depending on welfare payments.

Monies to pay for pensions are disappearing and pension payments are not enough to have proper living standards. Once again, the clock is ticking. A consumer market that does not have spending power, combined with businesses that do make enough to manage to stay afloat with increasing taxation and other rising operational costs is not the way to Paradise. In spite of annual adjustments, retirees are getting a lot less in terms of that whey need to keep living standards.

Everybody should be talking about these issues, but most people live in cuckooland, oblivious in terms of what lies ahead.