World in shock

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn America, New articlesLeave a comment

An unsubtle change overtook the world recently.  The president of the USA lost any sign of trust his electorate and the rest of the world had, which was already thin.  

There appears to be a peculiar silence.  The incredulity that followed Trump’s declared love for a dictator who starves his people, the position he has taken on climate instability and the environment, his behaviour regarding the investigation of foreign meddling in their democratic institutions, these were all accepted by his country.  

There is a sense that the swearing in of person who has no real respect for the truth and the way Trump bullied the witnesses who testified before the senate, under oath, and supported his SCOTUS nominee who was lying obviously with a thin investigation worthy of a banana republic.  

The world is in shock that this man should fool everyone for far too much of the time and is now removing any vestige of fair play in American Democracy.  

The world realises that the uncertain future he creates is not in anyone’s interest.  The world has realised what is happening to America.  

China’s economy

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn China, New articlesLeave a comment

It occurred to me that China’s economic growth success followed after several things.  One of those is population control.

Economics is the driver of human destruction of nature. There has to be a better way to protect our environment. Green capitalism? If we can do it for energy by the provision of free alternatives, we can reduce the human footprint only if we can change our economic model.

China’s attempt at population control preceded its unusually strong run of economic growth.  Conventional “wisdom” is that huge populations are the engine of economic growth.  This is the logic of slavery and feudalism.  The logic of Capitalism follows: the pressure of population growth provides the engine that demands economic growth.  And when we have too much wealth, Socialism can follow.  According to Marx.

Another idea is that population decline could provide an energy which results in more wealth for sharing with everybody.  The domination of a single species eventually would make life impossible as resources are burned out.

China’s single child policy and lurch into capitalism has altered its destiny from one of extreme poverty and environmental destruction to it having a conscience that the world is under threat and rapidly becoming an economic threat to American domination.

America is failing to look after its environment and Trump has accelerated this process.  American economics seem to be doing well as people go back to work in polluting industries, shoot their guns and eat themselves to death.

There must be a better way – and economic motivators such as tariffs and sanctions are not going to stop the progress toward mass extinction.

A proposed answer is Green Capitalism.  Instead of a culture that creates too many children, how about one that cares for its children.  People who contribute to society that do not have children still may need full lives, perhaps they can help fund families that have too many children.  Tax religions that encourage population growth as a recruitment tactic.

If we take a very different approach to ecology, perhaps we can reverse the direction.  If we do not, our grandchildren will inherit a hell on Earth.  And we are to blame.

Brexit is just the beginning

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Brexit, UKLeave a comment

The Government, led by a woman who really can not dance, is making sure that Brexit goes ahead, come what may.  Why?

It is not good for the EU, it is bound to break the United part of the UK.  

Meantime, Trump lies to his power-base.  He belittles women and there they are in the audience applauding him.  He could be saying anything and they would support him, in fact, the more outrageous he is, the more they applaud.

And it is the same in the ranks of the Conservative party.  Theresa May throws scraps to the power hungry and they lap it up while plotting to take power.  Her razor thin grasp of power perversely protects her grip.  But her deal with the DUP threatens to undo it, so watch out for more compromised positioning that can only mean a united Ireland in the EU.  And the DUP are beginning to realise this is the result of May’s terrible negotiations.

What the UK really faces is becoming a branch of Trump-land.  After Brexit, the UK will have to replace the international trade agreements of the EU with the rest of the world, with their own.  This will logically cause a recession as businesses relocate to the EU.  Japan has already said that they see the UK as their gateway to Europe.  No more.  Notwithstanding the fact that the UK has proven itself an unreliable business partner, it has demonstrated how awful they are at negotiating.

Brexit is the start of something far worse.  It will enable the Tories to indulge themselves in their awful, rotten and detrimental “solutions” like their treatment of the Windrush generation, the Grenfell tower calamity, the hostile environment policy May invented, the weak and ridiculous environmental policies of culling badgers and increasing the price of plastic bags instead of removing plastic (there is far more in food packaging than bags). 

This is nothing short of a Right Wing revolution.  People, it is time to rise up!

Russian Spy poisonings

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Russia, terrorism, UKLeave a comment

It is hard to trust the word of either government.

Britain has a government that pursues an extreme agenda saying it is the “will of the people” when that is clearly untrue. The accusation against Russia, in this case, does appear logical but the photos of two men is hardly enough evidence to take Putin to the Hague or for reparations. It could feasibly be a “false flag” incident.

Putin’s statement that they are civilians is not very well supported by the two men’s story, which sounds rather silly, especially their statement that men would not carry women’s perfume on a plane without arousing suspicion. Who else would target enemies of the Russian state?

The UK has already spent millions on this. Due process is expensive. Russia has lost far more due to sanctions.

You got to ask, who benefits? Who are enemies of both states?

See also: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/13/skripals-russia-putin-salisbury-poisoning-suspects-interview

Problems with Russia

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Russia, WorldLeave a comment

Which problem is it? 

If the Russian government is absolutely innocent in the Novichok poisoning even if nobody believes them, it implies their criminal community must own some dreadful weapons.  Seems horribly possible.

Or, Putin is lying.  Also horribly possible.  Or even a coup could be forming.  Good lordy.

The world needs to step-up in the recovery of illegal stocks of chemical weapons that Russia obviously is or has been a source of, from Governments and criminals before they end up in the hands of insane terrorists.

It is a reminder that there is a reason for political stability.  Reagan may have broken the USSR, but a new form of Empire may now rebuild around a stronger Russia.  If the Government can build trust where America may be failing to do so.  These poisonings are very damaging to Putin, the need to exterminate a spy only appeared to have value as punishment, but who knows?  

Now that Britain seems determined to deconstruct their best defense from Russia.  The EU with Britain is stronger as a reason for the growth of what we understand as “democracy” (if only we could live up to it ourselves!).

Britain leaving the EU could mean Russia taking back some Eastern European allegiances because the power balance shift will create a vacuum and Russia could evolve into a very competent democracy overnight.  Volatility has consequences.

British Human Rights Abuses

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn America, Brexit, UK, UK PoliticsLeave a comment

The UK government has not done enough to prevent another Grenfell style disaster.  They appear to leave this in the not as important as Brexit basket, and unfortunately for the citizens of this once proud country can expect the same kind of disregard for Human Rights in all (in)actions by this horribly ineffective Government.  They have demonstrated how they have no concern for the citizens they rule over, except where it comes to removing human rights by not only departure from the executive functions of the EU (the British contribution is a UKiP majority in the EU Government – in other words, intellectual pollution, a spoiler, a non-contribution) but to leave the economically stabilising single market and the good sense of trading within the rules of the Customs Union so we can become subject to American demands.  This America that does not want a world to prosper to any degree if it means that 350 million people can not lord it over the rest of the planet.  

Guardian article
The commission said it was concerned that the consultation omits any reference to the government’s duty to protect lives under article 2 of the European convention on human rights and schedule 1 to the Human Rights Act 1998. “This paramount duty requires the state to take appropriate steps within its power to effectively protect the lives of individuals and groups in situations where there is a known real risk to life, or where the authorities ought to have known that,” the commision said in its response to the consultation, shared with the Observer. The response continues: “Unfortunately, over a year after the catastrophic loss of more than 70 residents’ lives, many of the very systemic failings that led to the Grenfell Tower fire still exist now, giving rise, in our view, to an ongoing violation of article 2 ECHR/HRA by the state.”

Lack of infrastructure

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Dangers, DemocracyLeave a comment

Locking children in cages and separation of young children from their families is inhuman behaviour. And now, abrupt about-turns by Donald Trump does not signify that the President of the US would seriously contemplate discussing ideas and or listen to objections before enforcing sweeping Executive Orders that appear to be rapidly pushing the USA towards a police-state apparatus not dissimilar to a South American dictatorship. The internment of children and tearing apart of families is not just symbolic of evil, but an utterly inhumane form of torture as “a deterrent”.

What this reveals about Trump’s illogical diplomacy and flagrant snake-oil economics is a concern as it has created a lack of infrastructure. Trump thinks he knows everything but if he thought that this atrocity was acceptable behaviour toward refugees and immigrants he damages his case about making America great again as it makes America seem to be sadly introspective and confusing to the global order.

The fact remains that the creation of masses of debt by liberating the financial system has its ups and downs. Specifically, the scale of these reverberations increase, so this period of Western debt will result in a reflection where the West is in surplus. It seems inevitable, but if the West forever remained in debt, it would suffer in the future for the largess of the day.

That is the problem, America is being run by a person who is impatient and controlling and who appears to excerpt influence at every level of detail rather than having a machine that he trusts to implement his objectives. Trump even postponed a picnic for Congress in recognition of the seriousness of the result of his numerous directives being carried out.

States of War

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Democracy, Politics, WarLeave a comment

Why does war exist? As a philosophical question, we can explore all manner of motivations for warfare. Very few wars benefit anyone, but while it may be true that some make sense, at first, others clearly do not. Specifically, intimidation, tariffs and standover tactics appear more common measure in today’s world where power and primacy again matter much more than constructing a world that can be at peace.

If two sets of people have conflicting interests, it follows that skirmishes may develop and the organisation of governments invokes a structure that may amplify aggression. Who will speak out when the police may beat protesters to death? In a country that represses freedom of speech, the silence of protest deepens until it becomes a political body with veins of reasons to think a certain way.

Do democracies exist to stop society from descending into self-interested groups that then go to war? If a sense of democracy (UK and USA both have a political direction that was NOT voted for my a majority of people, i.e. 42.4% and 46.09% respectively) exists, it exists in the hearts of people. When politicians lose the hearts of people, they lose elections. When they do something illogical, their fortunes may not, in many cases, turn out badly. But let’s say that any sort of democratic control is better than none, so long as it can remove a dictator who is to say that people do not have a right to collectively support the general direction established by a majority vote. And a supermajority must be required if it is a constitutional change that could have more effect upon future generations.

A country is the political unit that may go to war with another, causing terrible consequences, human suffering, destruction, destitution and finally change.

War is romanticised for consumption.

Not only is there nothing good about war, it is sold to children, it is cheered on by the ignorant and is won by complete bastards. Our complete bastards beat theirs and now it is time for them to climb down and let the accountants take over. After the WWII horrors, the world has had a golden age which now appears to be over. The USA has had involvement in 14 wars since WWII (all without Congressional approval), Russia/USSR about 23. UK, 32 (some of these are fishing skirmishes with Iceland)

Denuclearisation

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn nuclearLeave a comment

In the opening minutes of the Trump-Kim summit it will become very obvious that Trump will withdraw because Kim does not immediately lie down and offer his entire nuclear arsenal in exchange for reunification with South Korea.

Kim has already achieved what he wants – a meeting with the US President. He will offer an exchange of denuclearisation – he will give up his weapons when the remaining nuclear powers give up their and he will then demand a set on the Security Council.

Trump will then depart. Kim will have made his point.

The Fall of Great Britain

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Democracy, UK PoliticsLeave a comment

The Government is failing. There seem to be two types of Government: overactive or inactive. The UK Government is inactive, devoid of progress and it is not evolving a better world but one that has progressively been failing.

The increase of violence in London, the increase of the homeless, the treatment of the victims of Grenfell, the Windrush scandal. The continuous nonsense of discussing how to inflict damage that could undo the Union that they want to protect, the complex degradation of Brexit.

The dull mediation of outrageous statements followed by calls for the resignation of front bench ministers for failure or ignorance – this government appears to teeter between mild offense and mild rebukes rather than create any real waves. Their own negotiations about Brexit seem to swim in ever decreasing circles, and then suddenly bad decisions pop up and the public is sick of the ineffective bickering so ignore the carefully worded statement of progress. Over time the tide turning appears incidental. This is mass mesmerism hiding the dysfunctional democracy.