Obvallated oakus: oppignorating ourselves...

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2.5 trillion. Two point five TRILLION. That is now the UK national debt. No matter that we see chronic wastage everywhere: on Net Zero (Milliband brothers clown show), IT failures, Quantative Easing, Bank bailouts, HS2, Furlough (yes, we won't forget), Track and Trace, (is Hancock in gaol?), more levels of government, more expenses, more overpaid shysters, etc, etc...etc (and NO it has nothing to do with Liz ousted-in-a-soft-coup Truss). [edit: Every WEEK the interest is 100 billion...Every. Week. ] Sorry: Last year debt interest was 100 billion. 

"In the time it takes you to read this sentence, the national debt has increased by more than £20,000."

Or almost 16 million quid per HOUR. The UK debt clock can be see HERE and I recall when it passed one trillion; yes, at 16 minutes past five in the afternoon of 17th Jan 2011 to be exact; how can I be so sure? Because I blogged an update back then. 

The Tax Payer's Alliance have relaunched their "ticking debt clock! 15 years after our original ground breaking campaign publicising the extent of the UK’s national debt." Yippee! 

Searching through the archives it isn't hard to see where the problem began to skyrocket, although to be clear it is decades of red and blue and all governments are to blame. It is just a shame The Guardian have removed all the comments (OK, it is 11 years ago - ahem - but I would have liked to have reread an Old Ows opinion and my 'highly recommended' points: presumably NOT as petty as this: 

"What irritated me was that in the image [...] they had squeezed the picture of [Gordon] Brown far to the left making him appear over only those 'good' years of surplus (which was when, as we all know, he followed Conservative spending plans) and have the picture of Darling spread over most of the Crash Gordon years and we ALL now know, and it isn't hard to see, that Britain's debt soared from 2000 and Brown was to blame. It is petty things like the positioning of the Chancellors' pictures that annoy me (yes, yes, OK, I'm small minded and petty when it comes to Gordon Brown). 

Yes, despite the Conservatives not helping (Blue Labour) I still blame New Labour (Blair, Brown et el...) and you won't change my mind.

Anyway, you may have heard of the Big Mac Index, well the UK national debt (at this moment in time...on no, now it's gone up...and using the World Population Clock) could buy 72 Big Macs, for each and every single living person on the planet...yes, that's the reason for the image above :-) 

Oscar organisation...

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Another 'backlash', another hoo-ha; would anyone - apart from from those taking part and their guests - actually remember the Oscars was on if there wasn't this annual pre-event outrage at something? "The organisers of the Oscars have reversed an earlier decision to hand out four awards during ad breaks after facing a major backlash." [BBC]



Anyhooo, these two have a point:

In the history of CINEMA, masterpieces have existed without sound, without color, without a story, without actors and without music. No one single film has ever existed without CINEMAtography and without editing.

— Alfonso Cuaron (@alfonsocuaron) February 12, 2019

"[Cinematography & Editing] are not inherited from a theatrical or literary tradition: they are cinema itself." Guillermo del Toro, also on Twitter.



Anyway, on the subject of films and actors: sad news that Iffland-Ring holder Bruno Ganz, who played Hitler in the 2004 film Downfall, has died aged 77. The bunker scene must be the most played segment of a film ever having been a meme for years (my favourites were about Gordon Brown e.g. get me my ginger wig)

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Oscar organisation...

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Another 'backlash', another hoo-ha; would anyone - apart from from those taking part and their guests - actually remember the Oscars was on if there wasn't this annual pre-event outrage at something? "The organisers of the Oscars have reversed an earlier decision to hand out four awards during ad breaks after facing a major backlash." [BBC]

Anyhooo, these two have a point:

In the history of CINEMA, masterpieces have existed without sound, without color, without a story, without actors and without music. No one single film has ever existed without CINEMAtography and without editing.

— Alfonso Cuaron (@alfonsocuaron) February 12, 2019

"[Cinematography & Editing] are not inherited from a theatrical or literary tradition: they are cinema itself." Guillermo del Toro, also on Twitter.

Anyway, on the subject of films and actors: sad news that Iffland-Ring holder Bruno Ganz, who played Hitler in the 2004 film Downfall, has died aged 77. The bunker scene must be the most played segment of a film ever having been a meme for years (my favourites were about Gordon Brown e.g. get me my ginger wig)
.

Oxfam overload...

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Some defence of Oxfam...and some not. First the defence: despite Guido's post today on the official Oxfam staff training guide on sexual exploitation, Oxfam do make it very clear - on pages 126 and 135 of the guide that most important of their non-negotiable principles in the Sexual Conduct guidelines Code of conduct are the following:

"To clarify: you must not demand or accept sex or sexual contact in return for goods or services from you or Oxfam." Clear. So, as Guido asks, is it really impossible to have a no tolerance policy for this?



Chez Stumbling and Mumbling believes that there are certain mechanisms at work in this and similar situations: ego-depletion, moral self-licensing and - whereby organisations can 'drift away from their original purposes' - the iron law of oligarchy.



Of course, much of the hoo-ha is political (of course!) but we've known for decades that Oxfam is "Leftist, anti-British, anti-capitalist and corrupt".[Conservative Woman]** It turns out that the Oxfam trustee Caroline Thomson, who made a 'full and unqualified apology' is an ex-BBC grandee who received - only 6 years ago - a nigh-on 1 million dollar pay-off when her bid to become director general floundered as 'she was dragged into the controversy over the cover-up of the activities of paedophile Jimmy Savile...and hence - of course - into a row over excessive pay-offs for BBC executives! [Daily Mail].



It's the all-too-common merry-go-round of BBC-quango-charidee-New Labour-EU gravy train once again! Her father was a Labour MP (then SDP), later made a Lord. She joined the BBC; husband political activist and very close friend of Peter Mandelson; he co-authored The Blair Revolution; a policy adviser to Blair and aide in No 10 for seven years; embroiled in Lobbygate [remember that? Only one year into the New Labour disaster but still several years before any UK MSM really took them to task] ; later an adviser to European Commission and now "having been ennobled for long service as a Blairite ultra is a key figure in the Lords in the battle against Brexit." They are an archetype couple of the New Labour stay-behind army that has the nation so blighted, the Civil Service is also full of the same.



Finally, to add injury to insult, the chairman of the charity Oxfam International, Juan Alberto Fuentes, has been arrested as part of an investigation into a corruption scandal although, as is made clear, "his arrest is not related to his role at Oxfam"; just unfortunate timing.



** please read the excellent responses there on this subject, especially from Mike, now probably a long way down the comment thread. 

Oxfam overload...

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Some defence of Oxfam...and some not. First the defence: despite Guido's post today on the official Oxfam staff training guide on sexual exploitation, Oxfam do make it very clear - on pages 126 and 135 of the guide that most important of their non-negotiable principles in the Sexual Conduct guidelines Code of conduct are the following:

"To clarify: you must not demand or accept sex or sexual contact in return for goods or services from you or Oxfam." Clear. So, as Guido asks, is it really impossible to have a no tolerance policy for this?

Chez Stumbling and Mumbling believes that there are certain mechanisms at work in this and similar situations: ego-depletion, moral self-licensing and - whereby organisations can 'drift away from their original purposes' - the iron law of oligarchy.

Of course, much of the hoo-ha is political (of course!) but we've known for decades that Oxfam is "Leftist, anti-British, anti-capitalist and corrupt".[Conservative Woman]** It turns out that the Oxfam trustee Caroline Thomson, who made a 'full and unqualified apology' is an ex-BBC grandee who received - only 6 years ago - a nigh-on 1 million dollar pay-off when her bid to become director general floundered as 'she was dragged into the controversy over the cover-up of the activities of paedophile Jimmy Savile...and hence - of course - into a row over excessive pay-offs for BBC executives! [Daily Mail].

It's the all-too-common merry-go-round of BBC-quango-charidee-New Labour-EU gravy train once again! Her father was a Labour MP (then SDP), later made a Lord. She joined the BBC; husband political activist and very close friend of Peter Mandelson; he co-authored The Blair Revolution; a policy adviser to Blair and aide in No 10 for seven years; embroiled in Lobbygate [remember that? Only one year into the New Labour disaster but still several years before any UK MSM really took them to task] ; later an adviser to European Commission and now "having been ennobled for long service as a Blairite ultra is a key figure in the Lords in the battle against Brexit." They are an archetype couple of the New Labour stay-behind army that has the nation so blighted, the Civil Service is also full of the same.

Finally, to add injury to insult, the chairman of the charity Oxfam International, Juan Alberto Fuentes, has been arrested as part of an investigation into a corruption scandal although, as is made clear, "his arrest is not related to his role at Oxfam"; just unfortunate timing.

** please read the excellent responses there on this subject, especially from Mike, now probably a long way down the comment thread. 

Obit overshadows Osborne's optimistic outlook...

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No disrespect to Mandela but enough is being said elsewhere... everywhere, so I'll keep schtum [edit: 9pm] although if you have had enough of the fawning pap being spewed out in most media please read this from Charles Crawford. Yesterday had other news: the UK Chancellor George Osborne gave his Autumn Statement (Link: PDF) to Parliament on the state of the UK economy and the Coalition government's future plans. At a glance things are looking good despite BBC Peston's ludicrously negative report (and coordinated comments); he was presumably one of those BBC journalists prepared in advance (Link: PDF) by the assumed lefty (pinch of salt) IFS; (no doubt more from them on the BBC later ([edit]...later: haha, told you). The Taxpayers' Alliance briefing is broadly supportive (Link:PDF) but think Osborne 'must do more'; a key is the continued cutting the number and complexity of taxes: they say Tolley’s Tax Guide is now over 17,000 pages long. Particularly interesting is the TPA tax tracker: "Since the Coalition Government came to power in 2010, 509 tax hikes and 209 tax cuts have been announced". Two articles that IMHO are worth reading: Kamal Ahmed in the DT ("Be grateful that George Osborne did not unveil a Brownite master plan") and I also liked Rafael Behr's article in the NS: "...the macroeconomic indicators fuelling Conservative levity conceal real pain that will cost the government votes".

Obit overshadows Osborne's optimistic outlook...

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No disrespect to Mandela but enough is being said elsewhere... everywhere, so I'll keep schtum [edit: 9pm] although if you have had enough of the fawning pap being spewed out in most media please read this from Charles Crawford. Yesterday had other news: the UK Chancellor George Osborne gave his Autumn Statement (Link: PDF) to Parliament on the state of the UK economy and the Coalition government's future plans. At a glance things are looking good despite BBC Peston's ludicrously negative report (and coordinated comments); he was presumably one of those BBC journalists prepared in advance (Link: PDF) by the assumed lefty (pinch of salt) IFS; (no doubt more from them on the BBC later ([edit]...later: haha, told you). The Taxpayers' Alliance briefing is broadly supportive (Link:PDF) but think Osborne 'must do more'; a key is the continued cutting the number and complexity of taxes: they say Tolley’s Tax Guide is now over 17,000 pages long. Particularly interesting is the TPA tax tracker: "Since the Coalition Government came to power in 2010, 509 tax hikes and 209 tax cuts have been announced". Two articles that IMHO are worth reading: Kamal Ahmed in the DT ("Be grateful that George Osborne did not unveil a Brownite master plan") and I also liked Rafael Behr's article in the NS: "...the macroeconomic indicators fuelling Conservative levity conceal real pain that will cost the government votes".

Opus on olid octet...

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Finally, writes Fraser Nelson, "the Labour confession we've been waiting for". And indeed an opus no doubt although the dirt flinging spin cycle certainly won't be washing the dirty laundry that much whiter because by McBride's own confession the vast majority of the lies, deceit and mud-raking remains crusted and ingrained in his head. However, there is one glaring error: FN says "He hardly ever turned his formidable firepower on Tories. His battles were red-on-red." hmmm, what about the infamous Smeargate, which led to his downfall and when, hilariously, a spokesman for Number 10 (with Crash Gordon) said: "Neither the prime minister nor anybody else in Downing Street, except the author, knew anything about any of these private emails." PAH! Linked from the article above (the 'writes' link) is another piece by FN seven years ago (!!!) about 'The eight who know Britain’s future' (the octet of this blog-post title): "get ready for a government in which Cabinet truly has been replaced by cabal." Ed Miliband and Balls (£) et al will no doubt have a more interesting conference season now: how much was known by whom of this evil, snide, lethal, bastard, focused, loyal, Machiavelian, vile, thuggishness, McPoison, McPrick palaver? [delete as applicable]...it started with Blairites but it finished with Brownites. Cunts. "I am reckless what I do to spite the world." [Independent]. 

Opus on olid octet...

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Finally, writes Fraser Nelson, "the Labour confession we've been waiting for". And indeed an opus no doubt although the dirt flinging spin cycle certainly won't be washing the dirty laundry that much whiter because by McBride's own confession the vast majority of the lies, deceit and mud-raking remains crusted and ingrained in his head. However, there is one glaring error: FN says "He hardly ever turned his formidable firepower on Tories. His battles were red-on-red." hmmm, what about the infamous Smeargate, which led to his downfall and when, hilariously, a spokesman for Number 10 (with Crash Gordon) said: "Neither the prime minister nor anybody else in Downing Street, except the author, knew anything about any of these private emails." PAH! Linked from the article above (the 'writes' link) is another piece by FN seven years ago (!!!) about 'The eight who know Britain’s future' (the octet of this blog-post title): "get ready for a government in which Cabinet truly has been replaced by cabal." Ed Miliband and Balls (£) et al will no doubt have a more interesting conference season now: how much was known by whom of this evil, snide, lethal, bastard, focused, loyal, Machiavelian, vile, thuggishness, McPoison, McPrick palaver? [delete as applicable]...it started with Blairites but it finished with Brownites. Cunts. "I am reckless what I do to spite the world." [Independent]. 

Ouch! III...

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The Times tells us that voters trust Gordon Brown more than Ed Miliband! Even worse when you consider that at least Red Ed has some benefit of the doubt as he hasn't been tried and tested (and failed) like Crash Gordon has: "Ed Miliband is viewed by voters as less trustworthy, decisive or competent than Gordon Brown, according to a new poll." [Link £££]. And there's still the question of Balls.



Guido has done the favour of making it all very clear in graph form.

Ouch! III...

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The Times tells us that voters trust Gordon Brown more than Ed Miliband! Even worse when you consider that at least Red Ed has some benefit of the doubt as he hasn't been tried and tested (and failed) like Crash Gordon has: "Ed Miliband is viewed by voters as less trustworthy, decisive or competent than Gordon Brown, according to a new poll." [Link £££]. And there's still the question of Balls.

Guido has done the favour of making it all very clear in graph form.

Ólafur's outing...

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He's trying to get in my good books now! Will there be a bun-fight at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland where Iceland's longest-serving president president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is going to speak...and where Gordon Brown will also be a guest speaker? The bun-fight could ensure because, as the Reykjavik Grapevine reports, Ólafur told Sky News yesterday:

"The Gordon Brown government decided, to its eternal shame, to put the Icelandic government on a list of terrorist states and terrorist phenomena. We were there together with Al Qaeda and the Taliban on that list."

He added that Crash Gordon would be remembered in Iceland "long after he has been completely forgotten in Britain", hmmm, I doubt that; as Guido says, "Not sure Gordon will ever be 'completely forgotten'"!

Ólafur's outing...

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He's trying to get in my good books now! Will there be a bun-fight at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland where Iceland's longest-serving president president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is going to speak...and where Gordon Brown will also be a guest speaker? The bun-fight could ensure because, as the Reykjavik Grapevine reports, Ólafur told Sky News yesterday:

"The Gordon Brown government decided, to its eternal shame, to put the Icelandic government on a list of terrorist states and terrorist phenomena. We were there together with Al Qaeda and the Taliban on that list."

He added that Crash Gordon would be remembered in Iceland "long after he has been completely forgotten in Britain", hmmm, I doubt that; as Guido says, "Not sure Gordon will ever be 'completely forgotten'"!

Old Ows opinion...

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Many City economists were surprised to see that Government borrowing is down; don't worry, I'm not going to praise GO or say it's all as planned but I did like the info HERE at Guardian data blog. What irritated me was that in the image (click to enlarge) they had squeezed the picture of Brown far to the left making him appear over only those 'good' years of surplus (which was when, as we all know, he followed Conservative spending plans) and have the picture of Darling spread over most of the Crash Gordon years and we ALL now know, and it isn't hard to see, that Britain's debt soared from 2000 and Brown was to blame. It is petty things like the positioning of the Chancellors' pictures that annoy me (yes, yes, OK, I'm small minded and petty when it comes to Gordon Brown). Anyway, taking time before another day 'at the office' here in Guadalajara, I popped in to comment and decided to read what was being said...and there I got a surprise to see I had already commented several times on the first page (highly recommended too); no, not hacked, just comments on the original article back in May 2010. It is still interesting to read and of course I write that to clear-up Labour's mess will take a few years.

Old Ows opinion...

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Many City economists were surprised to see that Government borrowing is down; don't worry, I'm not going to praise GO or say it's all as planned but I did like the info HERE at Guardian data blog. What irritated me was that in the image (click to enlarge) they had squeezed the picture of Brown far to the left making him appear over only those 'good' years of surplus (which was when, as we all know, he followed Conservative spending plans) and have the picture of Darling spread over most of the Crash Gordon years and we ALL now know, and it isn't hard to see, that Britain's debt soared from 2000 and Brown was to blame. It is petty things like the positioning of the Chancellors' pictures that annoy me (yes, yes, OK, I'm small minded and petty when it comes to Gordon Brown). Anyway, taking time before another day 'at the office' here in Guadalajara, I popped in to comment and decided to read what was being said...and there I got a surprise to see I had already commented several times on the first page (highly recommended too); no, not hacked, just comments on the original article back in May 2010. It is still interesting to read and of course I write that to clear-up Labour's mess will take a few years.

Obvious objurgation...

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LOL! Guido reports on how the 'rare Midas touch' of Crash Gordon mentioned on Tuesday lasted very little time indeed - no surprise. There will be no 'tranquillity': "Europe and Spain will continue down this autopista of economic tears until they are both willing to make the tough sacrifices that come with establishing a more coherent political and economic union." [Link]



Talking about tranquil Spain (NOT!) "When things go wrong, they really go wrong. Cuidado, Querida España", [Link] Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the Telegraph, hat-tip Raedwald; while your there Raedwald has had several interesting things to say about Spain recently.

Obvious objurgation...

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LOL! Guido reports on how the 'rare Midas touch' of Crash Gordon mentioned on Tuesday lasted very little time indeed - no surprise. There will be no 'tranquillity': "Europe and Spain will continue down this autopista of economic tears until they are both willing to make the tough sacrifices that come with establishing a more coherent political and economic union." [Link]

Talking about tranquil Spain (NOT!) "When things go wrong, they really go wrong. Cuidado, Querida España", [Link] Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the Telegraph, hat-tip Raedwald; while your there Raedwald has had several interesting things to say about Spain recently.

Ormolu occamy...

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"There is much discussion these days as to whether the price of gold is being manipulated. The answer is simply 'yes.'" Says Jeff Thomas, International Man [Link]. If you have it, not on paper, if you have physical gold, hide it. The same greedy disaster that has befallen the money market is happening to gold as well (and probably everything else) much as banks never have cash anywhere near the amount of money they lend, so too bullion banks hold only a tiny proportion of the gold they sell.

"Of course, this charade cannot go on forever. Eventually, the buyers realise what is being done and will then demand delivery of their gold. This will bring about two major events: a crash in the paper gold market and a dramatic increase in the price of physical gold."

By coincidence, the UK's famous alchemist and instigator of the Brown Bottom was visiting the New York Stock Exchange today: "He showed a rare Midas touch", a new habit that would be: golden Brown texture like sun...

Ormolu occamy...

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"There is much discussion these days as to whether the price of gold is being manipulated. The answer is simply 'yes.'" Says Jeff Thomas, International Man [Link]. If you have it, not on paper, if you have physical gold, hide it. The same greedy disaster that has befallen the money market is happening to gold as well (and probably everything else) much as banks never have cash anywhere near the amount of money they lend, so too bullion banks hold only a tiny proportion of the gold they sell.

"Of course, this charade cannot go on forever. Eventually, the buyers realise what is being done and will then demand delivery of their gold. This will bring about two major events: a crash in the paper gold market and a dramatic increase in the price of physical gold."

By coincidence, the UK's famous alchemist and instigator of the Brown Bottom was visiting the New York Stock Exchange today: "He showed a rare Midas touch", a new habit that would be: golden Brown texture like sun...

Outside operator...

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[Edited: 'dead' image/video removed]
I presume Gordon Brown must be working 24/7 for his constituents, no time for debate or parliamentary work...that must be the reason...hat-tip Guido: "The jet-setting former Prime Mentalist claims eighteen times the amount of expenses asked for by value-for-money lowest claiming MP, despite the fact that he never turns up for work"...what are his expenses going on? (don't forget the 50 grand per month he's been getting outside either)