British Conservatives: No leader? Until when?

 

Now former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also former Conservative Party Leader.

Some say that the General Election was premature, but the manner of his resignation as Party Leader was certainly premature.

Next week when elected MPs assemble in the House of Commons to choose the next Speaker of the House of Commons, the Conservative Party will be headless.

Despite comments made by David Cameron and George Osborne about delays the election of the next Conservative Party Leader, it is self-evident that the Conservative Party cannot be leaderless for long. Who is going to face Keir Starmer as Shadow Prime Minister? Who is going to give the Conservative Party a sense of direction?

In debating chamber of the House of Commons will be three powerful figures: Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Lee Anderson that speaking for Reform and the door is open for more disertions from the Conservative Party if no one stands to lead the Conservative Party. We are dealing with the survival of the Conservative Party. 

So, any delay can only increase present dangers for the Conservative Party. Those who were on the brink of leaving the Conservative Party before the General Election could be tempted to join Reform or other political forces if the issue of leadership is not resolved.

In the selection process that led to his appointment as Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak lost to Liz Truss because party members voted mostly for Liz Truss. When Liz Truss was forced to resign, then Rishi Sunak was chosen but only by Conservative MPs without the support of Conservative Party members.

Therefore, the question is absolutely relevant. Who is going to choose the next Conservative Party Leader? Will Conservative Party Members be given the chance to vote or will the next Conservative Party Leader be chosen by Conservative Party MPs?

Britain: What happens after the General Election? The package of promises falls apart when confronted with reality.

 

A few days ago came the news that life for 4 million people in the UK will turn into a nightmare if they don´t manage to regularize their visas turning paper visas into digital visas. 4 million people? How much can the state apparatus do from now until 31 December 2024? 

How many people are needed to locate and process 4 millon visas in such a short period? But this is a minute dot in terms of things that will need to be done. Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has formally committed a new Labour government to increase salaries across the entire public sector and Unions are already on a war footing to keep the now Shadow Chacellor of the Exchequer accountable.

The promise about getting rid of Zero Hour Contracts might erode even more public services in an attempt to improve working conditions in the UK and the effect in the private sector must not be underestimated. Faced with the prospect of having to issue regular contracts with all legal requirements, both the public sector and the private sector will struggle.

Grant Shapps as Defence Secretary has been struggling to explain where he is going to find more than 70 billion Pound to beef up the Armed Forces. The same questions will be asked to a new Defense Secretary since Grant Shapps has publicly acknowledged that he believes that the Conservative Party will lose the General Election.

The clock is ticking and many of the faces we see today as symbols of power and decision making will vanish and probably soon to be forgotten. Should announcements made about critical issues be postponed until we know who is going to be in command? Whatever the present authorities say today could be absolutely irrelevant in a few days time. It is a tradition that a new Parliament is not bound to follow what the outgoing Parliament decides.

With a new Parliament, today´s points of reference will vanish. There will be a new political reality. Rachel Reeves has already announced that there will be a new relationship with the European Union. Does this mean the end of Brexit? Reform´s campaign might have a lot to do not with destroying the Conservative Party but with assurances regarding the present relationship with the European Union. the irony is that freedom from any budgetary restrictions gives Britain the necessary flexibility to increase public deficits. We known what happened with the ERM, precursor of the EURO. Will a government headed by Keir Starmer want to fall into the same trap John Major and his government were in before finally deciding to step out of the ERM? What did Tony Blair and Gordon Brown avoid joining the EURO? Precisely because of what happened with the ERM?  

  

The Truth shall set you free: You cannot promise salary increases and all kinds of improvements without putting up taxes, borrowing or both borrowing and putting up taxes

 

As July 4th 2024 approaches, both of the main contenders in the UK General Election are promising cakes and promising that you can eat your cake, and that you will have the same cake after eating it. They will have to put up taxes and borrow ever more and most probably print monies in what has been known as 'quantitative easing'. 

The Unions are already making noises and saying that they will request that promises made by Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves are delivered. She has already spoken about salary increases in the public sector and this includes the most fundamental services like the NHS, the biggest employer in Europe and possibly the biggest employer in the world.

July 4th, 2024 happens to be Independence Day in the USA, but in Britain it might become Dependence Day if prices get out of control and people end up seeing the buying power of their income reduced. The Covid Pandemic and the energy crise generated by geopolitical decisions kicked in inflation and force the Bank of England to put up interest rates, but in spite of interest rate rises prices paid for basic items of the family basket are high and rising. How much people need to earn to have a roof over their heads? How much do they need to earn to feed themselves properly?

Funny to see on the pages of The Guardian comments about working families and pensioners as if they were part of different species. The reality is that more and more people already retired are returning to work to make ends meet and therefore they are part of working families. Most people could not possibly survive if their sole income was a pension.

Rishi Sunak vs Keir Starmer?

Recent years in Britain has been the scene of a political catastrophe, from David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to the soon to be Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Is this a fait accompli or could there be other developments in the making?

Looking at the teams - and this is about teams - what are the major differences between the two teams?

This is a specially tricky time both in national affairs and in international affairs. There are major concerns in terms of international events that could send countries over the edge. We need to look in both directions - across the Atlantic to see what is happening in the USA and across the Channel to see what is happening in France. If the unthinkable happens, whoever is Prime Minister in Britain might be dealing with Donald Trump in the USA and with Marine Le Pen in France.

Could we end up with a hung Parliament? Could the unthinkable happen leading to a Conservative win, whatever tight it might be?

If anything, apart from mass media reactions and the fact that not less than 73 Conservative MPs announced that they will not be standing for re-election, there is widespread apathy. Could the Labout Party be divided along national borders, ethnic differences and ideological differences to the point that an easy victory can turn out to be not just a tight victory but also a tight defeat?

Who can we believe? Can we believe mass media? Both major parties are losing membership support and voters are crossing new boundaries. Both Greens and Reform did pretty well all things considered and this in local elections - particularly in London. Could disaffected voters look for other alternatives?

London Elections: Labour won, but... big advances for other political parties

 

Although Sadiq Khan won another term as Mayor, there have been major changes in London's political environment.

Greens, Lib Dems and Reform are winning spaces. People who used to vote Labour are now switching allegiances and turning out to vote Green.

The turnout, compared to previous elections, was lower and 6 out of 10 registered voters did not vote.

What will happen in a General Election? The results announced in May are only half of the picture due to a lower turnout. What will happen in a General Election?

This is just the end of the beginning. How will the two major political parties deal with discontent and division in their ranks? Will their be yet another leadership contest in the Conservative Party? Is this the reason why the planned October General Election might actually be run earlier than expected? The month of July has been mentioned. Will there be any more defections from now until the date of the General Election?

When it comes to geopolitical agendas, the Secretary for Defense, Grant Shapps MP, made a grandiose announcement in terms of investment in Defense, investment that he might not be able to deliver if as many predict the Conservative government comes to an end at the next General Election. By then, a winning Labour Party will be under pressure to deliver on many other priorities not to be drowned by a series of industrial disputes. For Labour voters and trade unions, national issues have a lot more weight than geopolitical issues. Health, Education and Transport - to name three key areas - are much more relevant than militaristic issues.

Who wins in France and who wins in the USA also matters. With Macron out of the way, Marine Le Pen could take the reins and it remains to be seen who will be the winner in the USA in November. If Biden wins in November, could he last another four years? Lets look at those chosen as VicePresidential Candidates.

Immigration Changes: changing national legislation and adherence to international treaties?

 

Changing national legislation and adherence to international treaties?

Statements have been made: legislation is going to be changed to allow Britain to overcome legal obstacles to deal with migration.

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.

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.

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?

Can anybody come up with a viable plan, instead of proposing yet another gimmick?

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.

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.  

Failure to deliver in this particular scenario when the Prime Minister and Cabinet members have committed themselves so publicly is political suicide.

 

Rishi Sunak: Whatever it takes, we are going to deliver

 

Today, I saw Rishi Sunak acting Prime Ministerial. We are going to deliver whatever it takes

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gone with the wind: Where shall I go? What shall I do? Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

  

Conservative Party: 40,000 teachers left the profession. NHS is bleeding professionals that are leaving even for other countries

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

Suella Braverman: Asset or Liability? There are profiles and profiles

 

Suella Braverman: Asset or Liability? Never try to outshine your boss.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

 

The Money Bubble: Why politicians are completely out of touch with peoples' everyday realities

When peoples are more familiar with spreadsheets that they are familiar with ordinary people bad things happen. Look around the cabinet. What do you see? They don't have a clue about what it takes to live the life of ordinary individuals that always have be chasing rabbits, always living with the uncertainty of being able or not being able to pay bills.

Because they are totally out of touch with realities of John Smith and Mrs Smith they go around talking about policies that are good for posturing and self-adulation instead of getting to grip with the real needs of those they supposedly stand to represent. By elections will be lost, local elections will be lost and ultimately a General Election will be lost. If you trully believe that falling into desperate situations and having to live on the streets is a 'lifestyle choice' then nothing else needs to be said about how out of touch you are.

Housing lists for social accommodation get longer and longer, the cost of rented accommodation is beyond most peoples' means as are unaffordable mortgages. Then you decide to throw people a few bones to supposedly allow them to cope with rising utility bills and consider that by doing so you are some kind of Robin Hood. No wonder qualified and newly qualified teachers are leaving the profession. They are supposed to be employed to teach and end up having to cope with worsening social situations in the classroom.

I can't wait to see a new General Election. I want everybody to get in touch with reality. As I have stated in many articles, I keep asking about the Dream. What is the Dream? All we get is procrastination, posturing, self-adulation and false promises.

Coming to the issue of migration and processing of applications, is there a backlog when dealing with applications that leads to all kind of irregularities? Don't have enough staff working at the Home Office? What are you waiting for? When will you employ enough staff to deal with the backlog when things get worse and worse? If you don't have the will to do what needs to be done, step aside and allow somebody else to do it.

Conservative Party: When a company goes into administration, we know the final chapter

 

The banner does not reflect reality. In fact, recent decisions made by Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister point in exactly the opposite direction.

There are no long-term decisions. In fact, you cannot trust that what is announced as a long-term decision will last long enough. In terms of a brighter future, all the promises about a brighter future cannot balance what is a disastrous present.

The country is pawned to the hilt and we worry about the day when investors will stop buying bonds if the rates paid for bonds are not dramatically raised, thus making public borrowing practically unpayable.

In fact, every indicator signals impending doom. Can you trust the promises made by what is a de-facto caretaker unelected Prime Minister? At this point in time, Rishi Sunak shares with the Liberal Democrats one fundamental characteristic. He can promise anything because he will not be around to deliver whatever he promises. In the present state of affairs, May 2024 seems - painfully - to be a long way away. His Chancellor of the Exchequer - Jeremy Hunt MP - will no longer be around either since he himself has said that he will not be standing in 2024. Investors will surely take notice of what is happening in British politics since a change of managers will surely mean a change of management style.

Britain needs clarity. Britain needs to know where it stands. Rather late, the Prime Minister is now talking about implementing the same kind of tax measures that he rejected when he was competing with now former Prime Minister Liz Truss. One could see that there were two Party Conferences. One was the official Party Conference and the other was the Fringe Party Conference. Some did not bother to attend either of them. Such is the state of disarray. 

In more than one way, seeking some kind of relevance in geopolitics has been a diversion. Foreign powers - friends and foes - who follow very closely what is happening in the United Kingdom know better. Whatever is agreed today accounts for very little. Long-term decisions? The UK political cycle is pretty short and makes practically impossible to have long term policies since the next Parliament can choose at will not to implement what the previous Parliament approved or supported.

The UK goverment that he presides spoke about foreign deals with huge markets and promised a brilliant future for the British economy. It is like writing on water. There are no guarantees whatsoever that colourful and impressive speeches will be followed by real achievements. May 2024, an important month on the British political calendar. If what happened in a series of by-elections is translated into a real General Election, not even a space in Madame Tussauds could be guaranteed.

The Conservative Party has broken a new record. A bit more than a decade in power and at least 5 Prime Ministers.     

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt not standing as MP in 2024?

 

The political life of an administration is directly linked to two people: The Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The role played by Jeremy Hunt in the Conservative administration is a major role. We are a few months away of a crucial General Election and the role of the Chancellor of the Exchequer as main actor when it comes to implement economic policy can make or break a government long before a General Election. When Jeremy Hunt indicates that he might leave the Cabinet even before the General Election and/or that he will not be standing as Member of Parliament in 2024 sends shockwaves. He is basically cutting the branch of the tree on which British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is standing. Jeremy Hunt's calculations about not wanting to end his career with an electoral defeat show how little he trusts his own position and most importantly shows that he does not believe that there is going to be a Conservative government after the General Election. This is devastating. 

It must be said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has of recent spent a lot of time trying to fix the rest of the world and paying little attention to what is happening in Britain. Money is flocking away from Britain and when it came to a major project the word 'cancellation' was supposed to be countered with veiled announcement about hypothetical transport projects that have not even been considered. The Prime Minister cancelled a project that was already underway and all the work done at a cost of billions of Pound is therefore abandoned. All the monies already invested and all the jobs that were generated are going to be thrown into the bin to be classified as yet more waste. We tried to sweeten the pill by promising a Paradise made up of new transport projects that he knows that he will not be able to deliver because he might not be able to stay as Prime Minister beyond the next General Election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak put an end to something real and promised thin air in exchange.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has disarmed Britain by sending abroad equipment and resources that cannot be easily replaced. For many years, the British Armed Forces have been disadvantaged and even when it came to pay in the public budget the British Armed Force came last. On the one hand, you see speeches full of aggressive language and on the other hand you see the realities of the British Armed Forces. 

Education? Transport? Health? Public Safety? Immigration? When we should see improvements we see undeliverable promises and scandals of all sorts. 

But one has to be fair and in fairness he could not do more because of the realities of the Conservative Party that ended up with a Prime Minister that was not elected by the Electorate and was not even elected by voting members of the Conservative Party. He couldn't possibly be a strong Prime Minister because he has no power base apart from the support he got as Member of Parliament. The fact that none other than his own Chancellor of the Exchequer is throwing the towel tells you that it is game over. In the end, where are the heavyweights of the Conservative Party?

We have got a Secretary for Defence - Grant Shapps - that believes that being the descendant of people who suffered persecution in Europe 70 or so years ago is a crucially important qualification to be Secretary for Defence. Never mind if he does not possess any specific qualification for the post as man in charge of dealing with the defense of the Realm. Where are the heavyweights? The real knower - Ben Wallace MP - not only resigned his post as Secretary for Defence. Ben Wallace MP also announced that he will not be standing for re-election in 2024.

We see cancellations, resignations and lack of expertise that blended with a profound lack of self-confidence are a perfect recipe for disaster.

   

Devolution: has it worked?

In 1997, Tony Blair and the New Labour Administration came up with Devolution. The solution to all problems ended in nightmare. The Welsh Assembly controlled by Labour has made a mess of things. The Scottish Parliament has been the source of a never ending series of scandals and bad governance. 

Standards in terms health and education have fallen steadily and division within the ruling SNP have led to the SNP losing support and even to SNP MPs tempted to change sides to the point that just a few days ago a SNP MP joined the Conservative Party.

In Northern Ireland, things are not better. Once again, the Northern Ireland Assembly seem destined to be non operational with Westminster have to exercise what to all effects is direct rule, something that the Good Friday Agreement involving shared power sought to avoid.

We now face various sets of elections in coming May 2024. General Election in the United Kingdom, London Assembly Election and elections involved the so called Devolved Authorities, apart from other local elections.

May 2024 could be a whole set of changes within the United Kingdom, but the political realities might be somewhat different of what many have come to expect. In spite of the fact that many will still be voting on the basis of their political allegiances, many will be willing to change sides and vote for parties that they have never supported before.

There is dissent between parties, but also dissent within political parties. The purge carried out by Keir Starmer may come to haunt him. Many traditional Labour voters do not like Keir Starmer at all. In fact, they seem him as the enemy within. For certain regions, certain issues will take priority and they have proven that they are more than willing to vote for a specific issue and against the political party that they used to support. Immigration will be a huge factor in the coming elections. Anybody promoting open borders will find herself or himself cut off from public opinion.

Environment: Rishi Sunak - politics and realism - what we would like to do, what we can do

 

As people walk away from religion, new cults arise and the environment has become a cult and the messiahs of such cult don't have to be in charge of making hard decisions that need to be made to keep countries going.

I would like to have a mansion in Monaco, a very big yatcht, round the year vacations around the world in picturesque places while staying in six star hotels. Can I do it? Can you do it? The vast majority of us cannot.

As Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has the duty to bring us down to earth, to stop dreaming impossible dreams, to deal with reality and reality tells that that the mount of electricity and infra-structure needed for a radical transformation of society to get rid of all fossil fuel consumption is beyond our means. The National Grid with all the additional energy supplies proved by existing sources cannot cope because electricity demands vastly surpass whatever we can produce. Not even nuclear energy can provide such enormous supply of energy and what ordinary people should become aware of is the fact that having an electric car will increase your taxes and your electricity bills since in vast majority of cases you will have to plug your vehicles to the same energy infrastructure used to provide electricity to your homes. Taxes on electric vehicles and on the use of electric vehicles are already rising for a very simple reason. The taxes applied to fossil fuel vehicles will be applied to electric vehicles. In London of all places, consumers have been hit by a whole package of new taxes. They were paying Congestion Charge, parking costs, added to the costs of running vehicles and now they will have to pay for ULEZ, and to park cars in front of their own homes. On top of that, the parking costs paid by private companies to provide services to other companies and residential properties are going to be added to bills for delivery, house refurbishments, and other basic services. So it is a never ending cycle of paying tax, tax and more tax that will exhaust consumers. Regardless of any income increases, taxes are eating away private incomes and this includes pension payments that people receive when they retire.

So delaying the implementation of measures that are beyond the scope of reality is a very sensible thing to do and this is exactly what the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has just announced. The messiahs of the new environment cult can say whatever they want. They don't have to make harsh decisions. They don't have to be accountable. Some like to constantly talk about impending doom and live in a world of their own. They constantly talk about what they would like to do, but they never talk about the economic and social costs of what they are proposing.

 

Automation will not just kill the high street. It will kill local communities.

Trying to maximise earnings for shareholders killing local communities is bad economics and the beginning of a social experiment that will lead to violence.

From banks, pubs, local supermarkets, et cetera, there is a trend to eliminate humans to replace them with robots. Big companies ignore at their peril that local branches are inextricably linked to the local community that is only possible when there are local jobs.

Why do I still visit a certain area? Because I see a vibrant community. I don't visit a given area to be received by holes in the walls - the image created by shops that are no more and all is left is signs indicating that what used to be an integral part of the area is no more.

The more empty spaces the less the appeal to visit a certain area. Too many parts of London - and not just London - look like areas that have been hit by a tornado. It is reported that looting and shoplifting are going up. Well, rundown areas are a magnet for crime.

To me uncontrolled automation is the way to Hell. I do remember the Encyclical Rerum Novarum about the social importance of work. Robots do not create nor sustain local communities. People employed locally constitute local communities. When jobs disappear locally, communities disappear and entire areas become ghost towns. Haven't we learnt anything?

Why do people leave the areas where they live? The lack of a viable local economy. It has been happening across the United Kingdom. Suddenly, you end up with empty high streets and empty houses rotting away. Local infrastructure is wiped out. No banks, no post offices, no pubs, no schools, no healthcare, no jobs. There is no even a reason to have public transport because the number of those needing to use public transport has fallen dramatically and maintaining public transport is no longer a viable proposition. In far too many areas of Britain, schools are closing down. Why? There are not enough children.

Uncontrolled automation destroys local communities and once people leave a certain area and there is no one to use automation automation itself becomes redundant.

A visit to some local council headquarters is a clear image of what has been going on. Local authorities spent vast amounts of money in technology. In one hall alone there were more than 24 computer terminals, but there are only one or two people dealing with customers. So you have got 21 computers terminals that are seldom or never used.

Self-help kiosks installed in NHS hospitals have in most cases being withdrawn. The investment was made at huge expense. The idle pieces of equipment lie around creating confusion until they are finally removed.

Once again, uncontrolled automation does not solve problems. It creates problems and destroys lives.

    

United Kingdom: Prime Minister, what are you doing to prepare Britain for war?

 

Prime Minister, what are you doing to prepare Britain for war?

Never mind the speeches and the reschuffles. Never mind the change of faces in the Cabinet. What is the British Prime Minister actually doing to prepare Britain for war?

All we hear is about filling up Royal Air Force bases with illegal migrants caught in the Channel or setting up barges that might be a fire hazard.

All we hear is about sending equipment of dubious military value to a theatre of war that might be the Sarajevo of the Twenty-First Century. The last we heard from the British government was a minimal salary increase of about 5% for those serving in the British Armed Forces. We also heard about a Tank Project that resulted in failure after failure.

Rishi Sunak is an accountant. He is no war leader. He is not even a politician as he dropped into politics coming from the world of high finances without any military background or the capacity to understand what it means to lead a country at war. His counterpart, Keir Starmer, is no war leader either. He is a man who came from a legal background without any military background whatsoever. So even the presumed replacement does not know how to lead a country at war.

All we hear is bla, bla, bla at NATO meetings that are no more than social gatherings including some failed Secretaries of State ie Ursula von der Leyen, the enemy of the German Armed Forces. As Defense Secretary she was atrocious to the point that many in Germany celebrated the fact that she was appointed President of the European Commission. 

The one man that knew something about war left the Cabinet. Ben Wallace MP was a military man with a military career and he knew what he was talking about, but he was dismissed by an old man with diminishing intellectual capabilities called Joe Biden. In fact, when there was talk about considering possible candidates, Joe Biden personally dismissed Ben Wallace MP and he did not want him not even as a possible candidate. Who replaced Ben Wallace MP. Grant Shapps MP, a man whose profund knowledge can be summarized as 'my family escaped from National Socialist Germany'. Being the descendant of people persecuted by National Socialist Germany is no proven skill in military matters that involve preparing a country for war.

A Prime Minister must have the power of his/her convictions and strength of character

Worrying sings appear when we see Prime Ministers and potential Prime Ministers falter and hesitate very publicly because it generates uncertainty and this is especially dangerous in difficult times. Britain is not any country. Britain is constantly at the centre of very difficult circumstances that can lead to international disasters.

We have enormous obstacles to overcome both nationally and internationally. A Prime Minister must inspire respect and confidence. Financially, politically and militarily, Britain is in the eye of the storm. The world looks at who is the British Prime Minister, almost in the same manner the world looks at who is the President of the USA.

More than ever before we need reassurance and the biggest problem for all concerned is that at the moment no British Prime Minister and no potential British Prime Minister inspires confidence and respect. Short-termism, hesitation, no sense of direction with decisions made today replaced the following day with decisions that go in exactly the opposite direction does not inspire confidence. Ordinary people are asking what those who represent them and those who stand to represent actually stand for and we don't get any credible information about the state of the parties.

It is usually said that we get what we vote for, but at this point in time we not even know what we are voting for. When you ask all the logical questions and either you don't get answers or get soundbites or fabrications instead of proper answers, when you are given a description that is totally at odds with reality, you have every reason to be concerned.

For more than a year we have heard talk about all kinds of very serious potential confrontations but when we look at the state of preparedness to deal with the said confrontations, what do we see? Total British military manpower: 73,000. There is talk of reducing the British Armed Forces by ten percent. How can anybody trust that what we are told is the truth, all the truth and nothing but the truth? In plain language, we cannot trust and we instinctively know that speeches and reality do not fit in. You cannot expect any serious participation in any military conflict given the size of British Armed Forces. We are not fit to fight in any external conflict and we are not even fit to defend the realm. When you are forced to use big ships to patrol British coastal waters and you are failing to keep Britain safe, you are not fit to fight any kind of war. Protecting borders is a sine qua non requirement for any country and Britain is failing to protect its own borders.

Thousands upon thousands of undocumented men in fighting age are entering Britain every year and what do the powers that are do about it? In fact, the numbers of those entering the country illegally vastly surpass the total numbers of the British Armed Forces that for many years have been suffering recruitment difficulties. When you look at recent announcement in terms of working conditions for members of the Armed Forces with the smallest salary adjustments when compared to other branches of the adminstration and of the private sector, you can immediately understand that this leads to widespread demolization. To start with, you can only have accommodation as long as you are a serving member of the Armed Forces, accommodation that you will no longer have once your leave the British Armed Forces. Then you will have to procure your own accommodation at market prices and you will not be able to save enough to do so because a private, for example, earns less than half the monies earned by a bus driver. When leaving the Armed Forces you will be poorer and force to leave in much worse conditions.

Neither the government nor the Opposition seem to care about the state of the British Armed Forces. Ben Wallace MP, the now leaving Secretary State of Defense, talks about quality being more important than quantity as justification for a ten per cent reduction of manpower. Well, in an international conflict you will need both quality and quantity and the British Armed Forces are getting neither.

Russian Federation/Israel/SouthAfrica: Sanctions don't affect governments. Sanctions affect people

 

When politicians, mass media and activists call for sanctions against countries, they are actually calling for sanctions against ordinary people. Sanctions against Cuba are not just sanctions against the government of Cuba. They will affect ordinary Cubans. The same goes for the sanctions against South Africa in the days of Apartheid. 

When people talk about sanctions against Israel, they are actually talking about sanctions against ordinary israelis, and the same goes for sanctions against the Russian Federation that would affect ordinary citizens. 

 

In the case of sanctions against the Russian Federation, such sanctions have actually benefitted the Russian Federation leading to foreign companies leaving the Russian Federation and creating the space for local, national companies, to prosper. But even so, there is a point of principle. If you apply sanctions against the Russian Federation then the Russian Federation has every right to counterattack and part of the counterattack is the refusal of the Russian Federation to renew agreements regulating gains exports from Ukraine.

It is self-evident that the USA and its acolytes will willingly sacrifice Ukraine that is being used in a war by proxy. The USA does not want Ukraine membership of NATO for very obvious reasons. They know that such membership in application of article 5 of the treaty will engage every single NATO members in a war of unforeseeable consequences. Turkey is using its approval of such membership to blackmail the EU, to force the EU to open its door, and many EU countries are reluctant to open the door to mass Muslim migration into Europe. We already see what is happening across the EU with mass migration levels. France has just experienced yet another series of very harsh events involving lack of integration. Hundreds of millions of EURO lost in just a few days due to riots. Hungary, especially given Hungary's past, is openly reluctant to accept mass migration and accepting Turkey as EU member will open the floodgates. This is something that Hungary does not want.

Sanctions, migration, the threat of an all-out European war are some of the main subjects of the day. When you look at the State of Israel and what it takes to keep the State of Israel alive, you understand why mass migration is rejected vehemently and you can therefore understand Hungary reluctance to mass migration.

When you are fighting a war for survival, you will seek to deprive your enemy of every possible resource. If grains exports stop, so be it. USA and the so called West have been trying to starve the Russian Federation and the Russian Federation is therefore entitled to deprive its enemies of resources that will be used in a war against the Russian Federation.

In a non declared war, the USA, Britain and others are killing Russians. It is funny to see how disagreements within NATO are leading to national political crisis. It is well know that President Biden did not allow British Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace MP to stand as candidate to lead NATO. When Benn Wallace MP told Zelensky that Ukraine should be thankful for the support it has received and stated that 'Britain is not Amazon', Ben Wallce MP was expression the feeling of exasperation. USA has not been the greatest supporter of Ukraine. Britain has been the greatest supporter of Ukraine and to do so it has made huge sacrifices. As a consequence of his expressions of exasperation, Ben Wallace MP was chastised by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Ben Wallance MP then decided that he will not stay as Secretary of State for Defence, that he is leaving the cabinet in September 2023 and that he will not be standing for re-election in 2024. 

Lets not forget that this particular feud is the icing of the cake on top of several other internal feuds that have plagued the Conservative Party that is now facing at least three by-elections and it is early days. It is only July. A lot could happen before May 2024. The Prime Minister will have to appoint a successor in September 2023. There are rumous relating to an advanced General Election. With so many statements of Conservative MPs that have said that they will not stand for re-election and with the departure of key, very experienced Conservative politicians, Ben Wallace MP's departure combined with by-election losses could yet again trigger a leadership contest or an advanced General Election.

Once again, there is a link between what is happening concerning Ukraine and the state of British politics. There is no denying that after Covid the crisis in Ukraine led to an energy crisis that has severely affected not just Britain but Europe as a whole. The Bank of England has been forced to put up interests several times in a row to try to curb inflation and there have been periodical industrial action across the United Kingdom.

But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has failed to recognize the fact that when you are facing a potential European war you need to beef up the Armed Forces that have been badly treated for many years. The recent 5.5% salary rise is an insult, especially taking into account that some Members of the Armed Forces earn less than a London bus driver. There is a recruitment crisis. At one point, legislation was passed to invite members of the Commonweath to join the Armed Forces and this did not work. Now, the British government is invited retired members of the Armed Forces and resigning members of the Armed Forces to return to active service. The situation is desperate. Britain has barely 73,000 men and women under the flag and with the absurd conditions in which military personnel have to live in, you have to be an idiot to want to return to active service, and this especially taking into account the fiascos of Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

UK: Smaller parties will not stand aside, even if it means division

What has become ostensibly clear is that smaller parties will not stand aside even if it means taking away votes from the Conservative Party. In years past, they would abstain. Not anymore. They believe that the Conservative Party has turned its back on Conservative Values and that they deserve to be punished.

Is Northern Ireland an integral part of the United Kingdom? The agreements reached by the Conservative government mean a de-facto separation of Northern Ireland that will continue under EU rule.

Has the government dealt with illegal migration? Absolutely not. It has come to the point when legal applicants seem to have the same rights as illegal immigrants.

Has the government dealt with environmental issues effectively? Absolutely not. The green belts continue to be built over and square kilometres of the green belts will be covered with concrete.

Local economies in the most deprived areas - especially in coastal towns - have been decimated firstly by COVID measures and secondly now by illegal migrants housed in hotels and community centres. Even when the weather was fair and plenty of people were willing to visit coastal towns and invest in their economies, it would be impossible to visit because accommodation that could be used for visitors is now used to house male illegal migrants.

To all accounts, the Conservative Party has failed to deliver on the environment, on migration, and on sovereignty. UK is not longer a souvereign country. So this is why smaller parties that have a nationalist agenda will also be campaigning against the Conservative Party.

When it comes to choosing candidates for the London Assembly, the Conservative Party is as divided as ever and there are those who say that all candidates now on the shortlist don't have a political profile and don't have the political experience to step up to the challenge. Some say this is the equivalent of standing paper candidates and defeat is the only possible outome. As the remaining contenders themselves stated during a husting in Central London, winning London is very much needed to have a chance of winning the next General Election. If this is the case, the outcome of the 2024 General Election is a given and it means total defeat if the Conservative Party manages to lose more local elections (already lost quite a few authorities) and several Parliamentary seats. The present feud at national level is also influencing the choice of candidates for the London Elections. We hear talk about teams - Team Sunak, Team Johnson. 

Somebody suggested that there are good reasons to create two independent Conservative Parties so that people really know what the political party they choose really stands for.