Labour Tax: More and more tax as an alternative to less and less economic activity?

Lord Kinnock, former Labour Leader, tells Andy Burnham to get 12 Billiion Pound more by increasing tax. The former Leader, known for having celebrated electoral victory on the very evening when the Labour Party was crashed on the polls, is now suggesting that increasing the burden on wealth creators is the solution for a battered economy and exhauted Treasury. So Mr Kinnock´s solution to cure the patient: Kill the patient.

Britons have less and less disposable incoe or afraid to spend whatever they have left. Caution when it comes to spending is justifiable, especially when more and more people are losing their jobs or can hardly get a new job.

When businesses scale down their operations is not due to increased optimism, but to growing uncertainty. With so many unsolved conflicts and more conflicts on the horizon. When Autum comes, energy consumption will go up at a time when energy prices go up and down. How can you foresee what is happening next? 

We heard the headlines about "we are gong to do this, we are going to do that". Can the new Labour government deliver? Right at the time when Andy Burnham was appointed Prime Minister, pundits were saying "He is Labour´s last chance." Having obtanined a historical majority in 2024 with a lower percentage of the votes, Labour appeared to be an invincible force. A series of mishaps and bad decisions, brought down Keir Starmer, the leader that got the said historical majority. Andy Burnham will be touring across Britain in an effort to gather support, but he is starting from a very low point. He was not chosen by the Electorate in a General Election. He was appointed after winnng a local election. 

The Autumn Budget could prove to be the downfall of the Labour government. With limited options, under pressure from a very demanding and impatient Labour Party, every decision the newly appinted Prime Minister takes is bound to be controversial. 

 

 

The Axe Pakistan-Turkey-Saudi Arabia. Muslim countries get together.

 

Just a few weeks ago, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Nuclear Deal. This was long before President Trump mentioned the possibility of a Nuclear Deal with Saudi Arabia on condition that Saudi Arabia recognized Israel. It did not go through for obvious reasons, at a time when Israel is taking over Muslim Holy sites in Jerusalem. 

Turkey is also a NATO country. Would Article 5 of the NATO agreement be implemented. This can have potentially catastrophic consequences. There are two ways to prevent a disaster. One - getting Turkey out of NATO or two - creating a new agreement for Europe without Turkey by breaking away from NATO.

Whatever happens will have to happen very fast to avoid another World War. The present deal draws the lines between Friends and Foes. We still have to hear from non aligned regional countries that will be massively affected should such a war happen.

BBC: Far from former glories, BBC is fighting for its own survival as audiences move away

 

The British Broadcasting Corporation BBC is fighting for survival

When a formerly reputable mass media organization contracts the services of a 26 year old "business prodigy" to save a mass media patient that has been in Intensive Care for a very long time, the announcement speaks for itself.

There was a time when "I heard it on the BBC" was more than enough to inspire respect. Those were the days when accuracy was more important than speed, when the BBC used to report news, not make news, when real content was more important than agenda, when balance was more important than partisan views. The public broadcaster was financed with what we call in the United Kingdom the TV License. TV License is a tax for all intents and purposes, but the BBC counts on the income produced by its commercial branch. In the era of big mass media organisations, it has often been said that BBC has had unfair advantage. But despite any financial advantage, the fact remains that the BBC has been losing audiences in both television and radio networks.

Some years ago, the BBC World Service ceased to exist for all intents and purposes. Its flagship headquarters at Bush House were left behind and whatever was left of the BBCWorld Service after the closure of one language service after another was transferred to Broacasting House in Central London. The BBC World Service used to have its own budget. After the transfer to Broadcasting House, budgets were amalgamated. And we cannot forget other BBC services like the ones operated from Caversham, a monitoring service that kept track of whatever was said or printed across the world. 

From time to time, BBC staff numbers were reduced. More and more was not actually made by the BBC, but for the BBC by private companies. So staff numbers, including presenters, editors, producers, have been coming down. 

At one point, the idea came of moving operational resources from London to other locations within the United Kingdom and part of the operation is done from Miami, Florida ie satellite rebrodcasting. A series of scandals, both political and due to sexual issues, did not help. There has also been a generational change and this has made the BBC less and less relevant. Would the BBC survive without a national tax called TV License? How much can the BBC rely on its commercial branch? Many well known BBC stars moved out or were thrown out.

The BBC is now seemingly looking for miracles, but how far is too far? BBC, like much of Britain, lives in the past. Jo Redfern, a former BBC insider and digital media expert talks about a sence of urgency, about audience participation.

The reputation of the BBC was built on accuracy and quality. Gimmicks will not do. If this turns out to be yet another gimmick then the prospects are not very encouraging.

President Trump vs BBC: Do we laugh or do we cry?

 

The Headline is: US federal judge halts order for President Trump to turn over financial records to BBC.

How did we get to this point? President Trump at one point indicated that the way the BBC manipulated reports had affected his business interest. 

The BBC counter-attacked asking for President Trump full financial records. Last month, a judge based in Miami, Florida, ordered President Trump to release information about all his business interest. 

Legal counsel acting on behalf of President Trump argued that the order should be temporarily suspended because the release of vast amounts of information motivated because of clear political motivations. The BBC indicated that demands against the BBC for ten billion US Dollar would be difficult to sustain if all were to be based on reputational harm. In spite of all that, the BBC apologized for an edit of a broadcast made by the BBC.

While the world suffers the consequences of American military adventures, the conflict between the BBC and President Trump is very much a sideshow, but not so much for President Trump himself as any revelations about his personal finances and his family finances would be highly inconvenient. Especially taking into account that USA is just a few months away from Mid-Term Elections. Up to now, Muslim politicians are making inroads in American politics. In American politics and in American geopolitics, nothing is clear cut. Changes in the Senate and in the House of Representatives will be keys to determine what will happen during President Trump´s remaining time in Office.

UKRAINE Today and they not even bother to hide it

 

This is Ukraine, real Ukraine.

Britain is in debt to the hilt: 105% of GDP and borrowing to pay interest on debt

Every time we hear the debate about British Foreign Aid, we need to think that any amount of Foreign Aid is.... borrowing with rising interest rates. It is not about helping the poorest as much of the so call Forein Aid aid goes to Pakistan - a nuclear power - and to China. To China? How is this possible or even logical?

In the meantime British business have been becoming non competitive as rising taxes are part of the equation of runnnig costs and to this we need to add rising cost of utilities driven by energy prices.

Let put it this way. The British interest payments on public debt are higher that the Defense Budget. Not only that. Britain is borrowing to make interest payments. The economy is heading towards the rocks and devaluation might be the only option left and creditors will not like it as the monies that they are owed will be therefore devalued. Do you think that Britain owes you 1 million US Dollars by comparing the value of the Pound to the value of the US Dollar? Think again. Whatever you think that you are owed will be automatically reduced by devaluation and you will be lucky if you get your monies back. 

Ukrainian government wants to honour UPA that joined German SS

 

Poland is angry and with good reasons. Ukrainian UPA joined the German SS and killed Jews, Poles and other Ukrainians. Now, Zelensky wants to honour UPA. No wonder then that Ukraine is creating more and more enemies in Europe.

German prosecutors have identified Ukrainians that damaged the NordStream Pipeline following direct orders of the Ukrainian government.