A sign of things to come (2) ... ?

As Christmas draws closer and the New Year fast approaches are we starting to see the writing on the wall ... and sign of things to come ...? 

Sterling devalued 25% (e.g. even against collapsing currencies like the dollar!), inflation running way above target (e.g. with petrol now heading towards £6/gallon!), interest rates set to go up, unemployment starting to increase again (before the real cuts start to bite), VAT set to rise to 20%, and the top civil servant (Sir Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Secretary) quietly drawing up a "Plan B" for if/when the UK falls into recession again next year ...

Yet bankers (whose self interest/greed created this crisis) are celebrating and pocketing their Christmas 'bonuses', as a result of debt slavery (e.g. Fractional Reserve Banking) and corrupt profiteering/gambling using your money (where they take all the profit and you/taxpayers take all the losses) ... nb they are not focused on helping/investing in businesses, but continuing to speculate on the stock exchange, commodities, currencies and bonds instead ... forcing countries to the brink financially (e.g. Ireland) and pushing up food prices around the world so millions of people can no longer afford to eat (nb the same bankers also want to be able to speculate/trade in fresh water in the future too)!

Whilst the European Union is trying (and failing) to fiddle around with bankers pay (restricting bonuses will only elevate their basic pay), it has done nothing to stop Fractional Reserve Banking or Casino banks (investment banks) from speculating gambling using your/taxpayers money (commercial banks) ... much of this crisis was brought on by repealing the Glass-Steagall act (which was brought in after the last Great Depression) and nothing is being done to reverse this!

The banks have stolen the future from future generations, through high levels of tax needed to service (and eventually pay off) all the bailouts/debt, through the removal of EMA and the tripling of tuition fees, doubling of youth unemployment and further debt slavery as young people try to pay for a roof over their head (nb the bankers are aided and abetted here by a few very wealthy landowners who profit heavily from restricting the use of land ... instead of being taxed for the land they own)! 

If we really want to get out of this mess, we need to i) stop the corrupt practices of banks, ii) invest in education, innovation, enterprise and business, and iii) introduce a Land Value Tax, to replace the current Property Tax and to reduce the tax on jobs (income tax/national insurance) ... 

As the toxic mixture of ignorance and apathy continues to reduce ... Poweromics will be increasing exposed and challenged.

A sign of things to come ...?

Police lines created to ensure tuition fees are tripled (despite all the protests)

The "Royals" - caught out, caught up, and looking at the road ahead ... ?

As the Government voted to triple student tuition fees, anger amongst the young bubbled up, a fellow blogger pointed out ...

"I reckon that most students protesting don’t really understand how the system works.

With all money (notes and coins excepted) being created as debt bearing interest, and more debt being needed to satisfy repayment of existing debt + interest, either there has to be more debt or deflation and debt default must occur.

The system is inflationary and requires an increasing level of debt to survive in its present form, but there’s a problem:

1. The hopelessly indebted will borrow till the cows come home, but can’t pay it back.

2. The modestly indebted could borrow, but are nervous of their economic future.

3. And the prudent won’t borrow per-se because they see it as the road to ruin.

Enter the poor student ... The system needs new debtors, and what better way to get them than sucking in the young with student loans. And if the system needs more money (debt), then raise tuition fees."

The banks created the crisis (and debt), were bailed out by the taxpayer, and continue to reward themselves billions in bonuses.  To generate more debt, the banks need more victims (and ones more likely to be able to pay it back) ... so the Government slash University teaching budgets by nearly 80% (over 3-4x the level of cuts to other public services), remove EMA for 16-18 year olds, and force students (the future generation) into becoming those debtors (to the tune of £40-80k)!  

Future generations will not forgive the perpetrators of this crime ... or those who renege on their election promises - so IMHO we will now see the Liberal Democrats heading towards the wastelands, along with any chance of real electoral reform  ... and for all the conspiracy theorists this will appear to be a cunning Conservative plan successfully completed!


But can the Conservatives be happy ... well no, not really ... as the politicians who are probably enjoying this the most are Labour, as they see themselves as the beneficiaries of all this at the next election, when both sides of the coalition are forced out of office for failing to deal with the mess (that Labour itself created)! This did not have to be the case, but the coalition are currently letting off/rewarding the guilty (i.e. the bankers) and punishing the innocent (i.e. future generations/hard-working people) ... which make previous comments by Mervyn King (referring to those voted into power in the 2010 election being subsequently out of power for a whole generation) more and more relevant!  

Whilst this may be the beginning of the end for the Liberal Democrats, IMHO it is not the beginning of the end to all the objections, protest and anger ... as the tuition fees debacle has a long way to run, and this is just one of numerous unfair, unjust and unpopular proposals/cuts the coalition are looking to force upon us ...

Wikileaks and the misuse of Power ... past, present and future

There are currently few stories exposing more Poweromics (i.e. the misuse of 'Power') than the saga surrounding Wikileaks ... from the leaked content itself ... through to the response of those in 'Power' ...

The hidden 'hands on power' have pressurised Governments to put in place international arrest/extradition warrants for its leader (Julian Assange) for an alleged and unrelated rape charge (nb not for releasing information), and subjected Wikileaks web sites/facilities to concerted cyber-attacks in an attempt to shut them down ... 

Assange has stated that website deserves protection and has not cost a single life despite the claims of critics.  Writing for The Australian newspaper, Mr Assange quoted its founder, Rupert Murdoch, as once saying the truth will inevitably win over secrecy.

He said: "Nearly a century later, WikiLeaks is also fearlessly publishing facts that need to be made public."  Mr Assange said WikiLeaks has coined "scientific journalism" that allows readers to study the original evidence for themselves.

He added: "Democratic societies need a strong media and WikiLeaks is part of that media. The media helps keep government honest.  "WikiLeaks has revealed some hard truths about the Iraq and Afghan wars, and broken stories about corporate corruption."

The campaigner denied he is anti-war, but said Governments must tell the truth about their reasons for fighting.  He claimed the United States, supported by its "acolytes", has attacked WikiLeaks instead of other media groups because it is "young and small".

Branding the website "underdogs", he accused Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard of "disgraceful pandering" to the Americans.  He said: "The Gillard government is trying to shoot the messenger because it doesn't want the truth revealed, including information about its own diplomatic and political dealings."

Mr Assange highlighted some of the most high-profile revelations made by his website over the last week.  He added: "The swirling storm around WikiLeaks today reinforces the need to defend the right of all media to reveal the truth."

Wikileaks has been operational for some time ... so why is it only now that it is fighting for survival ... ?

Well the some leaks have exposed the misuse of Power, to the embarrassment of those who wield 'Power' (e.g. politicians, corrupt 'leaders', bankers, landowners) but a number of people have been quick to point towards a different event ... when, at the tail-end of last month, Assange indicated to a journalist that he had information about a major US bank that would cause a scandal to rival Enron ... now every financial institution is severing the ability to finance Wikileaks in an attempt to stop it doing this (nb such relevations could indeed start to expose the real 'hands of power', as well as all the corrupt/unethical banking practices still operating in banks today).

For all the mirrors around the internet replicating Wikileaks's content, the organisation is going to find it difficult to continue without the financial resources necessary to sift through its vast repository of documents.  Corporate America has swung into action against Wikileaks, acting swiftly and brutally. PayPal and MasterCard have now withdrawn their services and Assange's Swiss bank account has been frozen. The cost to Wikileaks in lost donations is already significant, and while this isn't the first time Wikileaks has had its income threatened (nb Moneybookers, a British payments company, shut down its account back in October), this time the financial services companies are acting as one, which makes survival more difficult for a site that operates on donations from the public.

... the small minority in Power (and who misuse Power) want this to continue, and don't want anyone to see (or interfere with) what they are doing ... however the vast majority of people would like to see more openness, honesty, transparency and facts, to make sure that those in 'Power' act honorably and responsibly, and in their collective best interests (and not simply their own).

... which is what "Scientific Journalism" should be about ... 

Indeed given this definition, the world arguably needs much more "Scientific Journalism" and far less ignorance, apathy and "Popularist Journalism" (which is what prevails right now)! 

... and thanks to the internet this will continue to be the case - the Genie's out the Bottle and it will not be put back ... i.e. the internet will change everything - including the balance/nature of Power ...