When we were little kids we used to play a game whereby one of us would shadow an unsuspecting adult along the street, pretending we were following a spy. Having ascertained where they lived we would then report back to “HQ” (usually a kid’s bedroom) with all the imaginary stuff we’d discovered.
I was reminded of this game by an article on the BBC website this morning:
A British frigate shadowed a Russian warship through the North Sea near UK waters on Christmas Day, the Royal Navy has revealed.
HMS St Albans monitored the Admiral Gorshkov’s “activity in areas of national interest”, it said.
The Admiral Gorshkov, a new guided-missile frigate, is still undergoing trials, Russian media report.
The Royal Navy reports a recent “upsurge in Russian units transiting UK waters”.
HMS St Albans was sent on Saturday to “keep watch on the new Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov as it passed close to UK territorial waters”, the Royal Navy said.
The British frigate remained at sea on Monday, monitoring the Russian vessel, and was due to return to Portsmouth on Tuesday.
“I will not hesitate in defending our waters or tolerate any form of aggression,” Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said.
“Britain will never be intimidated when it comes to protecting our country, our people, and our national interests.”
The Admiral Gorshkov, the first of a new class of multi-role blue-water frigates, has still to complete missile tests before entering service with the Russian navy next year, Russian media report.
It has reportedly been sailing regularly between the White Sea off Russia’s northern coast and the Baltic.[1]
I suppose there are still some in Britain who would feel a thrill of nationalistic pride at the drivel put forth by Gavin Williamson – a swift snap to attention with Alf Garnett-style salute, but in reality the whole episode is no more worthy of BBC headlines than were our childhood escapades of all those years ago. The Russian vessel was merely going about its business, in international waters close to its home country.
Isn’t it time we grew up and stopped playing these childhood games?”
A BRIEF APOLOGY: Posting on Sparrow Chat has been sparse of late due to certain health issues that are, hopefully, being resolved. It is anticipated that, to coin a phrase from vintage BBC TV: “Normal Service will be resumed as soon as possible.”
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In 1381 the poor people of England rose up against a tyrannical regime of wealthy lords and landowners who passed laws that kept the general populace on the edge of starvation. It was known as the “Peasants’ Revolt,” or, “Wat Tyler’s Rebellion,” Tyler being one of the ringleaders. The people, armed mostly with no more than pitchforks, took on the might of the English army led by Richard II. Over 1,500 ‘peasants’ lost their lives and the ringleaders were executed. Nevertheless, this revolt against the power of the wealthy and their disdain for ordinary people, shook England to its core. Although experts disagree on the long-term effects of the Peasants’ Revolt, there can be little doubt it helped change the course of English social and economic history.
‘Tis the season of “peace and goodwill towards men,” at least according to St Luke 2.14. It’s interesting to note that this wording occurs only in the King James version of the Bible. All later ‘translations’ refer not to ‘men’ or ‘all men’, but merely, “…to those with whom He is pleased,” or, “…to those on whom His favor rests.”
One thing is certain, there’s little goodwill towards men emanating from either the U.S. White House or the British government this Christmastide. Donald Trump’s latest, and possibly his worst action since taking office, was to attempt bribery, blackmail, and serious coercion towards the rest of the world over his appalling announcement recently that the U.S. would be formally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Nikki Hayley, acting less like a U.N. representative and more like a spoiled child demanding its own way, took pains to denounce all those nations who voted for the U.N. resolution. She has since issued invitations to all nations that voted against, abstained, or absented themselves from the proceedings, to a “reception” (presumably at the White House) on January 3rd, where they’ll be thanked for their friendship to America. [1]
it should prove a colourful event, given the list of invitees:
Reject: Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo and United States. (9)
Abstain: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Haiti, Hungary, Jamaica, Kiribati, Latvia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda and Vanuatu. (35)
Absent: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, East Timor, El Salvador, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mongolia, Myanmar, Moldova, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Zambia. (31)
With the possible exception of Australia, Canada, (are these the latest ‘Cowards of the Commonwealth’?), and, of course, Israel, it’s doubtful the rest of this motley contingent could muster more than a few rusty cannon and the odd musket between them, should Mister Trump call on his new allies to attack the rest of the world.
Guinea-Bissau, Samoa, East Timor? And will Aung San Suu Kyi be part of the Myanmar contingent, accompanied possibly by a few of her Rohingya victims still capable of walking?
There is no peace or goodwill emanating from the U.S. White House this Christmas. Like some crazed Roman emperor extracted from an old Cecil B DeMille epic, the sick, narcissistic, sociopath presently in charge of America adds his spiky signature to a tax bill that will impoverish even more of his citizens, render Obamacare null and void, and hand billions more dollars to the wealthy and powerful to whom he panders.
Across the pond in Britain there is also little cause for celebration this Christmas. The hard right-wing Tory government is still hellbent on dragging out Brexit to its sorry conclusion. The U.K. pound flounders against the euro and the dollar, causing price rises across the board and making Christmas a financial nightmare for many.
Throughout the U.K. 300,000 people are homeless (1 in every 200 of its citizens). In London it’s 1 in 59. In Nottingham the first ‘vending machine for the homeless’ has been installed in a local shopping mall.[2]
The housing charity, “Shelter,” states:
1.6 million children in Britain live in housing that is overcrowded, temporary, or run-down. Some live in housing that’s making them ill. Many are missing out on a decent education. Others suffer chronic insecurity, shuffled from place to place in temporary accommodation. [3]
Inflation is rising, jobs are hard to come by, and the longterm forecasts for the economy are dire.
Yet the U.K., and London in particular, is a haven for billionaires from all over the world. There are probably more billionaires per capita in the U.K. than in the United States, because the Brexit economy is working for them.
From the Guardian:
The Equality Trust said the £83bn increase in wealth among the richest 1,000 people over the past year could pay the energy bills of all UK households for two and a half years and would be enough for the grocery bills for all food bank users for 56 years.
Wanda Wyporska, the executive director of the trust, said that an elite was sitting on mountains of wealth in the fifth largest economy of the world. “The super-rich continue to streak away from the rest of us, while the poorest see their wealth shrink. This is an economy working for the few, not the many,” she said.
“Record numbers of people visited food banks last year, millions are locked out of a decent home and two-thirds of children in poverty are in working households. [4]
Apparently the ordinary people are destined to become peasants once more. They are not those “…on whom His favor rests.”
That divine ‘favor’ is only for the wealthy and powerful, for whom our governments diligently slave, and are richly rewarded financially.
Perhaps the one present from Santa we should all hope for this Christmas – is a pitchfork.
“BREXIT” ~ the act of leaving the European Union by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has been a major topic on U.K. news channels ever since the vote to leave in June 2016. In every other nation on earth, including the member nations of the E.U., the news coverage has been slim indeed. In fact, Brexit is considered something of a bore to most Europeans, who see Britain’s departure as no big deal. After all, they got along very nicely without Britain from 1958 until 1973, and are happy to do so again.
The British media takes a different view altogether. Theresa May and her cabinet frequently announce how vital it is for Europe to maintain good trade relations with the U.K., far more so for Europe it seems, than Britain itself. This attitude of “how are you going to manage without us?” has created an impasse every time the two sides come together to try and discuss a future relationship. Not surprisingly, European leaders are becoming fed up to the back teeth with British arrogance and intransigence.
The latest outpourings from the Tory government, via the BBC and other government mouthpieces, is that the European car industry will fall apart unless the E.U. accepts a trade deal favoured by Britain, one without import duties on imported goods into Britain. Such farcical nonsense becomes obvious when it’s noted that 90% of the luxury cars using Britain’s motorways are Mercedes, BMW’s, Audi’s – all European models. The British car market is now virtually non-existent, and there is no British luxury car in the class of the above models. If import duty increases the price of E.U. cars substantially, what are the big corporations going to give their executives to drive about in – a British Mini Minor?
The latest spat to surface concerns the “European Capital of Culture.”
The BBC tells us:
The European Commission has cancelled the UK’s turn to host the European Capital of Culture after Brexit, disappointing the bidding cities.
Five places have already bid to hold the title in 2023 – Dundee, Nottingham, Leeds, Milton Keynes and Belfast/Derry.
But the commission has said the UK will no longer be eligible to have a host city after it leaves the EU in 2019.
The Creative Industries Federation said it was “gutted”, while arts minister John Glen called it a “crazy decision”.
Plans for the UK to host a Capital of Culture in 2023 were announced in 2014 – before the EU referendum.
In December 2016, the UK Government said the competition would “run as normal”, but did warn bidders that it “may be subject to” the Brexit negotiations.
Liverpool was the last British city to be a European Capital of Culture, in 2008, following Glasgow in 1990.
The title of European Capital of Culture rotates around eligible countries.
Cities from non-EU countries have held the title before – but if a country isn’t in the EU, it must be a candidate to join or must be in the European Free Trade Association or European Economic Area. [1]
And there you have it: after March 2019 Britain won’t be in the EFTA or EEA, and it’s unlikely to be rushing to rejoin the E.U., so it won’t be eligible to host a “European Capital of Culture.” Whether it’s actually “leaving Europe,” or not, is totally irrelevant. But, not so far as the U.K. government is concerned. Its minister described the decision as “crazy,” which is yet another example of a British government that considers itself above all rules and laws and believes it has some God-given right to always be a “special case.” Well, sorry Brit-land, but you’re not. Perhaps, after March 2019 you could apply to be considered to host an, “American Capital of Culture.” After all, as the newly-assigned ’51st State’ you should be eligible.
Yesterday was “Budget Day” in Britain. It’s the day when the Chancellor of the Exchequer sets out his spending plans for the next twelve months. He says his government are going to build over 300,000 new homes for young, first time, buyers. He’s reducing the taxes (stamp duty) the government takes on each house purchase to zero on any property valued at less than 300,000 pounds ($399,000).
According to latest figures for last year from ‘Rightmove’:
Last year most property sales in London involved flats which sold for on average £539,332 ($717,473) Terraced properties sold for an average price of £675,172 ($898,181), while semi-detached properties fetched £658,562 ($876,085).[2]
“STOP PRESS: Stamp Duty Abolished On Garages, Garden Sheds, and ex-Air Raid Shelters in London Area. Buy NOW!”
The British people are constantly being told by their government that Brexit is well in hand and Britain is poised to become a great power again once freed from the shackles of Europe. All but the most ardent Tory nitwit must be realising by now their leaders are lying through their teeth.
From the Guardian today:
The UK is in danger of suffering two decades of zero earnings growth as it struggles to cope with Brexit uncertainty and a loss of productivity, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned.
The thinktank said a downgrade in productivity and average wages for the next five years by the Treasury’s official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), would lead to an unprecedented period of flat earnings growth.
Paul Johnson, the IFS director, warned that the impact on the public finances would be to extend the time the chancellor needs to take to bring the deficit down, and limit his scope to ease the pressure on welfare and public services…
“The immediate effects of all this on households are already being felt. Real earnings are falling this year as inflation has risen to 3%. The nascent recovery in earnings, which were growing through 2014 to the first half of 2016, has been choked off. That they might still be below their 2008 level in 2022 as the OBR forecast is truly astonishing. Let’s hope this forecast turns out to be too pessimistic,” Johnson said.
Earlier this month, the IFS said welfare cuts already in the pipeline affecting households with young families would mean the number of children living in poverty soaring by 1 million to a record 5.2 million over the next five years. [3]
In June 2016, 17,410,742 British people voted to leave the European Union. 16,141,241 voted to remain. Almost 13,000,000 U.K. voters failed to make it to the polling stations. Polls indicate the vast majority would have been ‘Remain’ voters. Many thousands of ex-pats, many living in Europe, were ineligible to vote due to a ‘disqualification’ law passed by parliament on all U.K. citizens living outside the country for fifteen years or longer (Theresa May has consistently said she would repeal this law, but has never done so).
As Adrian Low from the London School of Economics argues:
What has been largely ignored are the 12.9 million who did not vote. Had the democratic process been that of Australia where voting is compulsory, the polls indicate the result would have been to Remain from day zero, and would still be Remain (see no2brexit.com and businessinsider.com). Of course, there is a criticism of the non-voter but, for various very good reasons, some were reported as simply not able to vote.
Unexpected administrative, personal or employment circumstances disabled some members of the electorate on the day from voting. One Financial Times study pointed out that most university students would generally be encouraged by their university to register to vote in their university town and they may not have realised early enough that they would have to apply for a postal vote given that term would be finished by June 23rd. The non-voters were largely younger voters and all the parties agree that the younger vote was (and still is) far more likely to vote Remain than Leave by a factor of nearly 3:1.[4]
When Theresa May went to the polls in her post-Brexit general election of 8th June this year she did so confident she and her party would be returned to power with a greatly enhanced majority. She was sorely disappointed. Left in a minority position she was fortunate her allies, the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland (who had supported Brexit by funneling illegal funds from billionaire donors to the Leave campaign via Northern Ireland [5] ) held sufficient seats to prop her up. The result of that general election says way more about the British people’s view of Brexit than a contrived and politically manipulated E.U. referendum ever did.
If Brexit is allowed to proceed the years following will be bleak indeed for the British people. Wages have been stagnating since 2008, housing costs have soared way beyond the ability of ordinary folk to ever afford one, jobs are hard to come by and, if available, are poorly paid in service industries. There are more homeless people on the streets of the U.K. than immediately after the second world war, and the health services are falling apart.
Anyone who can still believe leaving the E.U. is a good choice really needs to seek counselling. So why is the British government hellbent on getting out? Simply, there’s a huge money bonanza for some if they can pull it off. American companies are poised to move in and take over. [6]
Certain government ministers have been scheming for years with their American business counterparts to make it happen. They’ll be well rewarded.
Will it be a good thing for the British people? Take a look at America today and you’ll find the answer.
