Friday, May 14, 2010

Could France leave the Euro ?

Guardian: Reports on the threat by France to leave the Euro if the Euro countries did not back Greece, the threat was seen as pressure on Germany to back the bailout of Greece. At the end of the day folks the Euro can’t survive because of political faith, the banking bailout could be the warning to bell to more serious problems of Sovereign Debt, in this case countries like Greece who cant pay back debt to the money markets. This issue goes back to the creation of a welfare state structure in Europe and the UK, the costs are getting out of hand, the point of the welfare state was to create a cushion for those that didn’t make it in the wider Western system, but that cushion has become the norm, Greece is an over top example of that, public sector works paid a bonus for turning up on time, that is mad folks. Thus we see that Spain could be the next country to fall folks, at the end of the day folks the peoples of Europe have to wake up to the fact that the era that the government would look after you from birth to death is over, its going to get cold out there folks, people have to develop the fact that they have to look after themselves not expect the State to look after them, the State is broke folks. Lets see if Spain goes like Greece, 60/40 that Spain will need a bailout folks.

Unbreakable Alliance - UK Foreign Secretary

BBC News: Reports on the first visit by the new Foreign Secretary William Hague to the United States. This first visit by the Foreign Secretary was not to Europe but to our closes ally the United States, a Conservative Government will not allow the Anti - American views of the Lib Dems its coalition partner to have much sway over UK Foreign Policy. Thus don't expect UK Foreign Policy to change much when it comes to Afghanistan and Iran, at the end of the day as Gordon Brown stated to Nick Clegg during the PM Debate that he should " Get Real " over Iran, the Lib Dems are not going to cross swords with Obama should he take independent action over Iran. It should be noted that France has been more critical of Iran than Obama, thus the Lib Dems will just have to swallow what the US wants as France will support Obama. As to the Obama policy over Iran expect military action sooner or late, Israel will not wait forever, at the end of the day its their security that is at stake, they don't trust President Obama thus either the US takes action or Israel will start a regional War in the Middle East by attacking Iran.

US, UK = Greece

Telegraph: Reports on the comments by the Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King that the US and the UK are in the same debt boat as Greece. In other words folks the new Lib Dem / Conservative Government will have to make deep cuts in public spending, Wales and Scotland that had a good time in the economic boom years will have to make drastic cuts to spending, the problems in these countries is that the public sector has gone fat on Labour spending, thus the effects will really hurt in Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland. But in less the UK wants to return to the IMF years of the 1970s these cuts in public spending will really have to hurt, the Conservative in their manifesto promised a reform of welfare, people have to take jobs that they don't want, the system can not afford the gravy years of Labour with the UK in the red, that red debts stands at around 160 Billion. The UK can not become Greece, thus the new government will be hated by next year, that is why a fixed term Parliament is a good idea, also the idea that for the Government to lose power it would need 55% of the House of Commons to vote for its removal, these public spending cuts will hurt folks, it needs time, thus lets hope the Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg have the backbone to do whats in the national interest.

Obama's New PR Strategy for Afghanistan



Politics Daily: Reports on the Obama's Administration charm offensive with President Karzai of Afghanistan. After the early cold relationship with President Karzai of Afghanistan the Obama Administration has gotten the fact that Karzai is the only game in town in Kabul, in other words President Obama has his own Diem of South Vietnam, he cant get rid of Karzai as the Kennedy Administration got rid of Diem of South of Vietnam, no infamous August nod for a coup when it comes to Karzai. The question is can Karzai be trusted or more to the point can US policy win in Afghanistan, the Obama Surge will take years to work, thus deadline for next year will become more symbolic, Obama can not afford to lose Iraq and Afghanistan with the Mid Term Congressional election in the US on the horizon, thus one can postulate that the hot war in Afghanistan will go on for years and the the US presence in Iraq will last well beyond the 2011 cut off date. The Liberal left in the US will not be happy, thus still keeping my prediction that Obama will either not run or will lose by 49 states aka Walter Mondale.

NYT on President Karzai of Afghanistan

The New York Times: Has the following to say on President Karzai of Afghanistan, " He has refused to root out corruption. He prefers cronies to competent managers. He has wasted far too much time railing at his American protectors. ". As stated in this blog the Liberal NYT is following its Iraq playbook, it is down on Afghanistan from its news to its editorial front, the extreme liberal NYT wants out of Afghanistan, Bush 43 faced constant attacks from the NYT over Iraq, now the President Obama has to face constant attacks for his Afghan Policy. In the eyes of NYT, Afghanistan = Vietnam, lets not forget that the US did not lose in Vietnam as much as it lost public support at home, the elite media then and now sees the US as the threat not the enemies of the US, in the case of South Vietnam the Viet Cong, in the case of Afghanistan the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Lets be clear Afghanistan is a mess, will the Obama surges help in the long term? that is a open question, but the US will lose in Afghanistan if the elite US media from print to press are on the attack, this blog has been critical of US and UK policy in Afghanistan but at least this blog wants the West to win in Afghanistan, that can not be said of the liberal NYT.