Sunday 31 January 2016

I was asked what Socialism was ...

 This is it













Sunday 24 January 2016

Begging email from the tories ~ Brilliant Reply by Billy J Wells

On the 22nd of January 2016 I received this email from the Tories. I was thinking of responding but decided it wasn't worth my time as they would take no notice anyway and just continue pumping out Lie after Lie after Lie. Then I came across someone who had responded and in a far better way than I ever could and not just because he's ex forces but because its accurate on all points that the Tories continue to lie about.

Do we really want to elect a political party based on whether it can lie better than the rest? Because if you voted Conservative that's what you voted for ... THE BEST LIER.

Just for clarity, I've posted the email sent to me, Billy will have received one in his name and replied to that.... so now that's cleared up.

The [LIE1] etc comments I have added, please check a video to see what was actually said, dont believe the Tory press which is 95% of newspapers. Everything they say is misquoted.

So Tory email at top and below is Mr Wells eloquent reply, Bravo Mr Wells who can be found here ... https://www.facebook.com/billyjwells



Dear Gary,
This week, we had yet another warning that the Labour Party are a threat to our national security.
Labour have said they would weaken Britain's defences by having a nuclear deterrent without any nuclear weapons [LIE1], they would negotiate with Daesh terrorists [LIE2], and they want to end the Falkland Islanders' right to self-determination [LIE3].
Gary, it may be Labour's defence policy to have no defence, but we must make sure that it will never be Britain's.
It’s clearer than ever that Labour are a threat to our national and economic security. And with their candidates standing for election up and down the country this May, we need your help to stop them.
Donate today to ensure that we can deliver national and economic security for the working people of Britain.
Best wishes,

Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP
Secretary of State for Defence


The below is by Mr Billy Wells and all credits to him for it.

Dear Mr Fallon,
It's the Conservative party who I fear not to protect us. Recently Cameron took us to Syria putting this country under threat of street massacres of the kind we have seen in France. You have cut our forces, subs without nuclear weapons is no more ridiculous than aircraft carriers without aircraft only Mr Corbyns plan is to have an alternative weapon on board those subs. May I ask what you have on board those aircraft carriers instead of aircraft?

Wasn't it Margaret Thatcher who refused to negotiate with terrorists in the form of the IRA? Wasn't it negotiations that brought about peace and stopped the killing? I wonder how many deaths could have been avoided had Mrs Thatcher done the right thing and I can't help wondering if Mr Corbyn has a point when talking of back door negotiations with Deash. Fighting fire with fire just creates a bigger fire and haven't we already done enough damage in the Middle East already? Has it made the world a safer place? Maybe just maybe it's time to try something else, maybe it's time we did what's right and stay out of wars.

As an ex soldier I see moral in the forces at an all time low, a smaller armed forces and a poorly equipped one at that. We are no longer a world power and I for one have had enough of our politicians voting to kill and putting our lives in danger. Bombing another country is not defending our shores which, is what our defence forces should be there for and no more.

It's you the conservatives I do not trust.

You take from people like me then have the audacity to ask me to donate money to your cause. How much are putting in out of your own pocket? I would sooner burn my money than support a heartless lying bunch of elitist privileged fools who have no idea what it is to struggle to feed, clothe and stay warm. Nothing this government has done has helped me, I had a nice little business but thanks to the lie of austerity that both you and I know is only about shrinking the state, I am now struggling to keep a roof over my head. You are destroying the NHS, selling assets owned by me and other tax payers at knock down prices, stealing from the poor and giving to the wealthy. How dare you ask me to support the conservatives.

I could go on but I have wasted enough time on your begging letter but just to make it clear. I AM A MEMBER OF THE LABOUR PARTY I DO NOT WANT EMAILS BEGGING ME FOR MONEY TO HELP YOUR CAUSE. STOP SENDING ME EMAILS.

Your sincerely B. Wells

Thursday 7 January 2016

Did the last Labour Govenment cause the financial crisis

NO THEY DID NOT, BANKS THE WORLD OVER CAUSED THE GLOBAL CRASH


Banks the world over were investing in riskier and riskier investments hoping to make bigger and bigger profits, because they felt they couldnt fail. That in a nut shell is the reason for the global crash. The crash of Lehman Brothers was a big factor in this again a greedy bank overstretching itself. [More here]

Its amazing how this one just seems to perpetuate despite being absolutely incorrect.


Probably caused by Labour's insistence on not dealing with the public belief, installed by the Tories, that the crash was caused by Labour. The fact is its just not true and they should have all have fought against the Tory propaganda.

But lets stick to facts and not what Labour should have done.

Lets not have rose tinted glasses on either because no government is going to be perfect and Labour wern't, but they were much, much better than they have been painted by the Tories and the economy the Tories were handed in 2010 was already in recovery. Unfortunately the austerity policies stopped the recovery in its tracks and instead we had the longest period of stagnation ever. [More here]

  1. On the eve of the crash, U.K. government debt was 28 percent of gross domestic product, compared with 48 percent in the U.S. and an average of 43 percent in the euro area.
  2. One of the biggest things that Brown did was kept us out of the Euro that shielded the UK when the crash came in 2008. [More Here]
  3. At the start of 2007, there were few economists expressing concern at government borrowing running at 36% of GDP. By post-war standards, UK government debt was low and the government appeared to be meeting its own reasonable fiscal targets. [More Here]
  4. Given the period of strong economic growth, it is unsurprising that Labour wished to increase spending on health care and education. If the financial crisis hadn’t materialised, we may have looked back on the great moderation with kinder eyes. [More Here
  5. By 2007 Labour had reduced public sector borrowing slightly below the level it inherited from the  Conservatives. And  more  of that  borrowing  was  being  used  to  finance  investment rather than the day to day running costs of the public sector. Labour had also reduced public sector debt below the level it had inherited.  [Source Institute for Fiscal Studies]
  6. Brown handed over the power to set interest rates to the Bank of England. This contributed hugely to economic stability. [More Here]
  7. In 1997 national debt was £352bil in 2010 it was £902bil = £550bill so over 15 years Labour increased debt by £550 billion and most of that debt was caused by the the subprime crash.
  8. In 2010 national debt was £902bil in 2015 its £1,637bil = £735bill so far in 5 years the Tories have increased debt by £735 billion, and there is no world crash happening and no banks to bail out that was all done under Labour.


THE Letter how could we not mention the letter.

Much was made over the letter or rather note left by Liam Byrne for the incoming Chief Secretary which turned out to be Liberal Democrat David Laws. The Joke note similar to one left by outgoing Tory chancellor Reggie Maudling in 1968 read. [More Here]

“Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid that there is no money. Kind regards and good luck! Liam.”

The note was disclosed at a press conference with one word changed by Osbourne and Laws that made all the difference. They added 'left' ... I’m afraid that there is no money left.

In 1964, outgoing Tory chancellor Reggie Maudling left a note for his Labour successor, Jim Callaghan:

“Good luck, old cock. Sorry to leave it in such a mess.”

Callaghan reportedly thought he was talking about the state of his office at first, before he looked at the books. [More Here]

The note was nothing more than a Joke but made into oh so much more by Laws and Osbourne who claimed they had no idea of the attention it would receive. Sorry, I'm not falling for that one, the pair of you knew exactly what you were doing from changing the word, to not releasing the actual letter. Everyone could have seen much earlier what was actually written if the letter was released sooner but that few days made all the difference.

CONCLUSION

With hindsight, Labour prior to 2007 could have reduced spending and paid down some of the debt. At the time things were going well and an election was coming up. Would the Tories have done any different? Any goverment likes to get some good feel out there towards the end of their term. Noone was complaining about investment in Schools and Hospitals and the Finacial crash would have required someone with a crystal ball to foresee. Brown was a long way from perfect but the two main things he did keeping us out of the Euro and giving the Bank of England control of setting interest rates, have done unmeasurable good for the UK economy.

Its also noteable that the Conservatives backed all of Labours spending plans in the commons prior to 2008. Why didnt they oppose them if they were that bad?

Did Labour cause the Finacial crisis, NO. 

In 2007 when Lehman Brothers went bust Labour was left with some hard decisions like bailing out Northern Rock and RBS. Had Brown not kept us out or the Euro things would have been much worse.

The question people should be asking is why, with all the Conservative austerity, has the debt risen by more than 70% to over £1.6 trillion?

Why?  Where is the money going? 

Why with the debt increasing did Osbourne in 2014 give £93billion away in tax concessions to big companies? [More here]



    Sources

    Government debt under labour 1997-2010
     
    Jeremy Corbyn is right to blame the banks, not Labour, for the financial crisis

    Labour overspending did not trigger financial crash, says senior civil servant

    Government borrowing, debt and debt interest: statistics

    A way forward for the centre left on deficits

    United Kingdom national debt

    United Kingdom Government Debt to GDP

    Gordon Brown's U.K. Economic Record: A Reassessment

    The origins of the financial crisis

    Subprime Mortgage

    Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers

    Case Study: The Collapse of Lehman Brothers

    The Death Of Lehman Brothers: What Went Wrong, Who Paid The Price And Who Remained Unscathed Through The Eyes Of Former Vice-President

    How One Hastily Scrawled Note Came To Haunt Labour In The Tightest Election In A Generation

    Treasury chief's note to successor: There's no money

    Labour Anger Over Ed Miliband's BBC Question Time Interrogator, Catherine Shuttleworth

    Financial Crisis & Recessions

    Hopes for UK economy

    The myth of record debt

    The £93bn handshake: businesses pocket huge subsidies and tax breaks

    How big is the problem?

    What’s the best way to reduce the deficit?

    So, how was it for you, Gordon?

    David Cameron and the national debt monster in three charts