Monetarism; Global v Local/National

Thatcherism/Monetarism and my questioning of the 'wisdom' has been at the heart of my writings since the idea for Sheep No More first came to mind more than a decade ago. Some people don't like my criticism of the 'Iron Lady' and point out that she took on and defeated the unions when they were out of control and behaving irresponsibly, the dead being left unburied immediately prior to her coming to power often being sited. Quite so and disgusting that was, but also true is that the monetarism she was happy to lend her name to back in the day, is still the only game in town where todays politicians are concerned, meaning that thirty-five unbroken years of it is responsible for the condition of the country now. Deindustrialised, deskilled, bust, under the control of overseas politicians, bureaucrats and business interests, asset stripped, public services in meltdown, and the social fabric in tatters, she and her cronies legacy; FACT!

If we compare Britain now to how it was pre-monetarism and before the circumstances that propelled Thatcher into Downing Street came to dominate, the dead left unburied etc, the difference is startling. In the mid 1960's Britain was highly creative, we had full employment, millions of high quality jobs, no benefits culture, no reason to fear the country was insecure, migration was controlled with criminals denied entry, no dictation from Europe, and those are just some of the features that helped make the country feel safe and stable. No one is claiming heaven on earth, of course not, but if the happiness and contentment of the population then could be measured and compared to that of today, there would be no comparison. Put it this way; had Alex Salmond tried to play the separatist card fifty years ago, Scots would have told him what to do with it and that is an undeniable truth.

It has been suggested that fighting globalisation is undoable, prices regarding the likes of grain, oil, platinum, plutonium etc being set on world markets and there being precious little we can do about it. Maybe so, but, what's to stop you buying your daily loaf of bread, pint of milk, potatoes and cabbages from your local farm and artisan baker rather than Tesco? Nothing! If you want to fight globalisation at that level at least, you can.

If we can fight back at the base level why not take the fight a stage further? The picture at the top of this blog depicts what is quite frankly a perversity of monetarism we should be questioning and demanding an end to forthwith. What is criminality? Is it a social disease we need to find a cure for or is it a money making opportunity to be exploited by businessmen? Plainly it is a victim creating social disease to which treatment/cure must be striven for. Make crooks into business assets instead, and we are guaranteed the problem will grow and grow because it is in the interest of boards of directors that it should be so. What is the mantra of the business model we live under? Growth, which in this case is sick.

If we concentrate on the globalised model it is easy to be daunted and become defeated. However; at the most local level we can fight back and if we refuse to accept such a perversity as crooks treated as business assets and the stealthy way in which the NHS is being privatised, the fight is very definitely on!  



       

Sigh of relief following the Scottish referendum

Sunday September 21st, three days on from Scotland's referendum and boy, has it been manic! Social media has been in meltdown and the airways buzzing with the aftermath of this historic event. My view is the correct side won and thank goodness for it, though I must comment on the nature of the win which was not as it should have been.

The word 'no' on its own is negative when compared to the 'yes' of the separatists and implied holding back versus going forward which gave Salmond an immediate advantage. Had the words been 'unity' versus 'division' or 'separatism' maybe his 44.7% could have been knocked back somewhat? Who knows, it's all history now anyway and the UK has a stay of execution that must not go to waste.

Amongst the vocal and often quite militant whose side didn't win, plenty have claimed the election was rigged and that dodgy dealings were employed. Video of supposedly underhand counting has been posted on FB, which purports to be genuine but may be staged by those who're just sore losers. I myself stood as an independent candidate at the last general election and recall that at the count, photography was strictly banned so how come this footage? I'm not convinced, but if there is genuine evidence, lets have it fully investigated.

Bizarrely and unjustly, those who voted 'no' and who thankfully won the day, have been portrayed as 'stupid or gullible' by the militant 'yes' lot. The accusation is that they swallowed the establishment's line and behaved as if sheep and by doing so have propped up the government. Many of those who voted no will have done so out of fear of a future adrift from the UK with King Alex at the helm, which to my mind would be a truly frightening prospect. If I was resident in Scotland and had been able to vote on Thursday, I would have voted 'no' not out of fear, but in the name of unity with my countrymen UK wide and because I ultimately expect to see significant change in the peoples best interest in the years ahead. It would not have been a vote to prop up the establishment, but to refuse to be separated from those who are my English, Welsh and Irish first cousins and who must stand together in order to rid us all of the brand of politics Cameron, Miliband and Clegg represent. Divide and Rule is a nasty devise that has been used very successfully against the peoples of the UK for decades too long already.

I have personally had grief from those who expected and wanted the Union to collapse on Thursday and are furious that it didn't. My answer to those people is this; I want rid of the Westminster establishment and the coming of a new, inclusive and constructive political philosophy based upon enterprise and family values. The best way to get that, is to unite the diverse peoples of Britain in a common cause. Retaining the ability of the UK to come together and work towards a set of worthwhile prospects, has to be the foundation upon which a better future is built. Unity amongst the ordinary populous is a million times more important that how corrupt the political establishment is. There is already a huge amount of disunity which benefits those taking advantage, of that there can be no doubt. I though believe the damage can be repaired, and it has to be.

Ask yourself a simple question in order to determine which is the more important issue. Who has most to gain from the disunity of the people? Answer: THE ESTABLISHMENT. Alternatively, who has most to fear from the unity of the people and attention becoming focused on just how bloody useless and corrupt leadership is? Answer: THE ESTABLISHMENT. So to those banging on about how stupid the no voters were, you are wrong, if that is you want real change in this country.

This blog was originally intended to be about monetarism/globalisation as I have been questioned about my view on the matter regarding the referendum. As this particular blog is already more than long enough, I'll post it, grab a cup of rosy, and set about a second one on that topic. Two in one day; not much painting and gardening getting done around here!

Thursday 18th September 2014 will be the day the UK dies or is left hanging by a thread.

We're days away from Scotland's referendum on 'independence' and the result is going to be close. Those for the tearing apart of the UK have become offensively shouty-shouty; as illustrated by SNP old timer Jim Sillars throwing his dollies out of his pram as he boiled over with aggression during a Radio 4 interview concerning BP and North Sea Oil over the weekend. As for the 'better together' establishment responsible for 'A' letting the country degrade to the point whereby breaking up isn't just possible, but likely, and 'B' being in charge of the 'no' campaign; they've been pathetic. If the Union does survive the vote, it won't be thanks to a great campaign mounted by Alistair Darling and his clique of all-party establishment cronies, because they have failed entirely to give Scots positive reasons to vote no.

Regardless of the result on Thursday 18th, there has to follow a Political Inquiry in order to understand how Britain was destabilised and the people become so disillusioned and unhappy that the Union itself ceased to be valued. If the worst happens and the separatists get to uncork their undeserved crate of bubbly, that Inquiry must become a Political Autopsy as well, to determine exactly how the UK was allowed to die.

Whether an Inquiry alone, or a combined Inquiry/Autopsy, the Conservative, New Labour and Liberal Democrat establishment must answer to the people for the disaster that is entirely of their making.

From my perspective, I know where and when the rot set in, it was 1979 and the coming of Thatcherism/Monetarism, a corrupt and lazy philosophy and economic model that has in the thirty-five years since, generated a deeply unhappy and unstable country in which the 'glue' that used to bind our nation together became neglected as if of no importance and ultimately failed.

As to what the most poisonous elements are, that have since the coming of monetarism killed our nation's spirit and sense of 'togetherness'...
An economy run exclusively to suit 'Big Business' and which ignores ordinary families and communities:
Full scale deindustrialisation and the resultant benefits culture that inevitably followed:
Loss of national creativity also commercial and industrial diversity:
Asset Stripping each and every element of our once rich treasure trove of state assets, formerly owned by us all but since handed over to businessmen on a plate for a one-off payment:
Uncontrolled migration with no requirement to integrate, and no bulwark against crooks and terrorists applied:
Decimated public services:
Crooks and the vulnerable viewed as 'business assets' to be exploited by ruthless businesspeople:
Ineffective education:
Student debt:
No jobs:
'Internships' for no wage for the educated and minimum wages amounting to slave labour for the bulk of the workforce.
Political sovereignty surrendered to foreign politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen:
Our much loved and valued NHS being privatised by stealth:
And they are by no means all of the poisonous elements responsible for what has gone wrong, there are plenty more.

From day 1 the monetarists actively set out to achieve one goal, and that was to aid the rich to get richer. However; all those by-products as listed above have been the consequence of lazy thinking generated by those in control. We all need respite and a fresh start; not just the Scots.

The autopsy when it begins is going to be a messy affair for sure. Monetarism has killed Britain and now those responsible must answer for it from Friday the 19th onwards.