| Author | Message | | DanielDives | | Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 1:58 pm Post subject: |
| Hi KT,
That sounds all pretty depressive. Your words mirror those of my buddy in Vegas and I'm not proud to say, much of what I see [or don't see] happening around me here in Japan. Finally we've a way to connect the whole world for a relatively small amount of money and what do we get/achieve? Porn and penis enlargements. One woman advised me to, with my crown jewels, seriously consider entertaining midgets. I mentioned this before, but I believe solemnly in small numbers and people who're able to live with one another based on shared values and not bother anyone who has a different opinion, religion or values. Small and simple. Political bodies remind me of a floater. Bloated and of no particular use to anyone. | |  | | Diceros | | Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:48 pm Post subject: |
| | Quote: | Most people are generally too dumb to realise what's at stake and happy for the corporate government to act as mummy and daddy. Meanwhile choices are rapidly going down the drain with each passing day. -----
The whole 'Expenses Scandal' has only ever been of interest as it might have altered the rankings of the movers and shakers in the bigger game. It still might......but it's a very small might as it looks pretty definite that Ireland will be bought off, thus giving our most interesting mouthpiece of the moment a licence to renege on his promises.
|
Tut Tut , What a poor opinion you have of yr fellow countrymen/women. 
If they so wish, why should'nt the news of Real Madrid's £80 m, bid for Manchester United's Ronoldo mean more to them than the machinations of the so-called "movers + shakers " ?.
Re : Ireland, The irish are far to astute not to know that their recent prosperity and continued future progress depends on them remaining an equal member within the European Union.
cheers. | | | | Diceros | | Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:16 pm Post subject: |
| | Quote: | | Yes, someone could blow up the EU Parliament, Commision, Council of Ministers and the Houses of Parliament. |
Are you volunteering to carry out that deed ?
Remember, remember, the 5th of November, Are you ready for the same fate as Guy who was said to have been " tarred + feathered " before being barbecued. ?
HAHAHA.
cheers. | | | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:44 pm Post subject: |
| Gordon Brown includes leadership rivals in new strategy 'group of eight'
Gordon Brown has been forced to set up an "inner cabinet" of his most senior ministers to plot the government's future strategy, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.
By Patrick Hennessy
Published: 9:30PM BST 13 Jun 2009
The so-called "group of eight" – which is set to meet every Monday at 10 Downing Street – includes the two ministers seen as potential challengers to Mr Brown – David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, and Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary.
Lord Mandelson, the all-powerful Business Secretary, is also a member, as is Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, who is the Prime Minister's closest political ally.
However, a number of Mr Brown's most trusted ministerial supporters are not in the group – already nicknamed the G8 – a clear sign that he is having to end his reliance on a small core of long-time friends and supporters.
The move forms part of Mr Brown's "fightback" strategy following the spate of ministerial resignations that came close to ending his premiership last week.
This weekend there were further signs that the Prime Minister's position remains precarious.
Lord Mandelson forecast Mr Brown will face another attempt to force him out – probably in around the time of Labour's annual conference, in Brighton in September – by a "small group" of MPs who "won't be reconciled to the Prime Minister's leadership."
And in what was being seen as a show of bravado, Mr Miliband declared he had considered following James Purnell, the former work and pensions secretary, in resigning from the government but had decided not to at the last minute.
Last night Mr Miliband's declaration – in a newspaper interview- drew a sharp rebuke from John Prescott, who said the Foreign Secretary's motives "had to be questioned."
Sources said the decision to set up the group of eight was further evidence of the sway held by Lord Mandelson, who was rewarded with the title First Secretary of State after effectively saving Mr Brown 10 days ago.
The full membership is: Mr Brown, Lord Mandelson, Mr Balls, Mr Johnson, David Miliband, Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, Harriet Harman, the deputy Labour leader, and Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary.
However, three senior ministers – Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, Ed Miliband, the Climate Change Secretary, and Nick Brown, the Chief Whip – who are among Mr Brown's most trusted allies – are not included.
The absence of Mr Alexander, in particular, is raising eyebrows as he is in charge of strategy for Labour's general election campaign.
A Labour source said: "Gordon has had to bind in his potential challengers – Alan and David – while there are currently no places for Douglas, Ed and Nick. It's a sign of weakness rather than strength."
The move to create a slimmed-down inner cabinet comes after Mr Brown faced criticism over the unwieldy structure of his post-reshuffle government.
As well as 23 full Cabinet ministers – a traditional number dictated by salaried posts – nine more ministers are allowed to attend cabinet meetings under some circumstances.
Part of the reason for the complicated structure and extra ministerial bodies is because three full Cabinet ministers are peers – Lord Mandelson, Baroness Royal, the leader of the House of Lords, and Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary.
Mr Brown also created a number of new peers in the reshuffle – including Sir Alan Sugar, who will be an enterprise tsar and Glenys Kinnock, the Europe minister.
Civil service numbers have increased – while the structure of Whitehall has become more complex.
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, which began life only two years ago, was this month merged into the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform – creating a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
That department, headed by Lord Mandelson, contains an extraordinary 11 ministers – six of whom are peers.
Under previous prime ministers, including Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair, while the number of full cabinet ministers remained largely the same, there were typically only one or two further ministers allowed to attend cabinet meetings.
Source..... | | | | Jefferson Davis | | Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 9:22 pm Post subject: |
| | Where have you gone Guy Fawkes? | | | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 7:21 am Post subject: |
| HMRC set to investigate MPs expenses
Saturday 13th June 2009
The tax authorities in the UK have announced the opening of an investigation into all MPs expenses in relation to property and potential capital gains tax issues. This is a problem which has been ongoing for some time, where MPs have been "flipping" the location of their first and second homes in order to maximise their MPs allowances while giving contradictory information to the tax authorities. There are allegations that many MPs have made hundreds of thousands of pounds in property gains, often facilitated by the MP's expenses system which is ultimately funded by the UK taxpayer.
This is the first time that HMRC has openly admitted that investigations are underway and there could potentially be high-profile prosecutions between now and the next general election. As we saw in the recent local and European elections, voters have been leaving the main parties, often in a vote of protest, and transferring to some of the more radical fringe parties. If we see high-profile tax prosecutions ahead of the next general election there are concerns that we could see a similar path trodden over the next 12 months.
Despite attempts by the UK government and parliament in general, the MPs expenses scandal appear set to roll on for many more months and could cause significant damage to both the government and opposition parties.
Source... | | | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 7:31 am Post subject: |
| Mandelson to get own 'question time' in Lords
Gaby Hinsliff, political editor
The Observer, Sunday 14 June 2009
Peter Mandelson is set to get his own regular "question time" session in the Lords, reflecting his new status as Gordon Brown's most powerful minister.
The proposal follows complaints that the man Tories call "the real prime minister" cannot be held properly accountable to parliament for his vast new empire, created by merging two cabinet posts in a new "superdepartment", and his role as de facto deputy to Brown.
The prime minister faces a weekly grilling at prime minister's questions - known as PMQs - when any MP can ask him about any subject, and cabinet ministers also face regular departmental question times in the Commons. But as a peer operating only in the House of Lords, Mandelson has no such obligations, raising concerns that he may wield far greater power than his cabinet colleagues with far less scrutiny.
Senior Labour figures confirmed that plans for Mandelson to have a question and answer session were now being seriously considered in the wake of the reshuffle. "You could call it PMQs - but it would be Peter Mandelson's questions," said one well-placed source. He said there were "good grounds" for a wider overhaul that could also see other senior peers in government, such as the new transport secretary, Lord Adonis, undertaking similar sessions.
However, an audience with Mandelson would prove the major draw, potentially risking unfavourable comparisons with Brown's often rather less-polished performances in the Commons. "I think Lord Mandelson might rather like it. It would give him the opportunity to shine," said Lord Strathclyde, the Conservative leader in the Lords who has criticised the current lack of scrutiny.
It would also allow opposition peers to interrogate the new first secretary of state and lord president of council - titles that essentially give Mandelson the right to roam across government - about his broader activities behind the scenes. Last week William Hague dubbed him "the most powerful unelected deputy since Henry VIII appointed Cardinal Wolsey", while Labour MPs nicknamed his new department "the empire of Mandelsonia".
"I am quite pleased with having serious cabinet ministers in the Lords but I do think that parliamentary accountability and scrutiny are important," Strathclyde added.
Source.... | | | | funglefoot | | Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:13 am Post subject: Nulla lex sine poena -- there is no law without a penalty. |
| Nulla lex sine poena -- no law without a penalty.
This is an old Roman Law principle. The Romans probably knew more about law than any other nation in history. There could have been no Pax Romana without the Lex Romana to enforce it. The Pax Romana was at its time a far greater accomplishment than the British Empire, achieved without the latter's benefit of steam and oil.
Recently, on this thread, a lot of fuss was made about bringing Gordon Brown to justice for the illegal invasion of Iraq. I'm not so sure of this. I think Gordon Brown might enter a plea of he was merely doing what his boss, Tony Blair, was telling him to do. But that apart, I asked Anglo Thug what reparitions he invisaged Britain might have to pay to Iraq for this crime. Anglo stripped a few predictable cogs and unwound his spring on a whole lot of irrelevant tangential concerns which can be viewed HERE (bottom half of the page).
You see there is no point in striving to do justice if you have no idea what that justice will consist of. So once again I ask my question. "What can we do for Iraq, or what can we give to Iraq, that will pay for this terrible crime?" Scholars of International Law will know what reparitions have been paid in the past and what a reasonable figure would be to settle our debt with Iraq, presuming that such debt is proved to be owing.
So once again, with limited confidence, I ask Anglo Thug to kindly advise the quantity of reparitions payable to Iraq for the illegal invasion. As America is a co-accused what should its contribution be? How will the money be raised? Might it not be cheaper simply to surrender Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown, and all those who voted for the war, to the Iraqis for them to exact their own justice?
If you cannot answer these questions Anglo then Gordon, Tony and all their co-conspirators must be immune from prosecution on the basis of
Nulla lex sine poena. | | | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:16 am Post subject: continuous brainwashing of the masses here too |
| 'Life here is all about continuous brainwashing of the masses, and sadly, most of the masses wantonly suck it all up.'
Yep I'm afraid that is the way it is - what can we do about it - only talk to friends family etc and blog - and never get depressed about it - the awake people are growing gradually in numbers.
Always keep strong and keep positive - something will hit the fan in the near future and make a lot of people wake up. | | | | funglefoot | | Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:29 am Post subject: |
| | As a prefix to my above post Nulla lex sine poena -- no law without a penalty, it stands to reason and is blatantly obvious that there can be no conviction without law and that the accused is innocent of the crime until proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt. If you join up all the dots you will see that there can be no conviction if there is no prescribed punishment. | | | | | ©2002-2009 WarWithoutEnd.co.uk |
