UK and Afghanistan

BBC News: Reports on a visit to Afghanistan by the UK Coalition PM David Cameron, the PM stated that there would be a moderate withdrawal of UK troops next year, the expect plan is for the UK to withdraw around five hundred troops in 2012. This is a wise move by the PM, the NATO Allies can not afford to give a PR victory to the Taliban/ Al Qaeda, on the whole on the strategic level the Allies are winning against the Taliban, thus this is not the time to take the pressure off, its not in the interest of the West for the Taliban to claim that they have pulled off another Vietnam type defeat for the US and its Allies.

Death in Afghanistan

MOD: Reports that a Soldier was killed today in Afghanistan, the Soldier was from the “ The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS) ”. Thus since 2001 the UK has lost 375 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan, of that total it has lost 331 in combat action and 44 due to illness, accidents or other incidents.

Balls Negative influence = Blair/Brown Feud

Daily Mail: Reports more on the Campbell Diaries, the present Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Ed Balls was seen as a destructive influence by Tony Blair. No wonder Ed Miliband wants to change the rules when it comes to the election of the Shadow Cabinet, the new plan is for the leader to chose his own Shadow Cabinet, one can postulate that Ed Miliband will find a way to get rid of Ed Balls, it can be argued that the greatest threat to the Miliband leadership comes not from the Coalition but from Balls, lets be clear Ed Balls wants to be leader of the Labour Party, one former leadership candidate when asked about Balls political back stabbing stated that if it was not him it was his Evil Twin brother. Lets see if Ball is still there by 2015, have my doubts folks.

Writing off Greek Debts by Banks ? = Default

Telegraph: Reports that the Standard & Poor's a credit agency has stated that if the Greek Government follows the French plan to in essence write off its debt, it will be in default. This blog has already stated that Greece is in default, it cant pay back its debt, the austerity package will throw more people out of work, thus more welfare, the EU is thinking about French and German banks, once they are secure against a Greek default the Greeks will be thrown to the wolves. The bailouts by the EU/IMF does not go to the Greek Government it goes to the bankers, one can wonder why they bother with the postage stamp, just give the banks the money. Greece is bust folks, that simple and brutal, the Greek Parliament has sold Greece down the river with its austerity package.

4th July = Reagan Statue in the UK

BBC News: Reports that a Statue to honour the late US President Ronald Reagan has been unveiled in London. One has to wonder will President Obama even get a statue, is he Liberal Reagan or a Carter Mark 2. Thus far he is no Gipper, the US and the UK need another Reagan, with Reagan and Thatcher the West had real leadership, one has doubts that Tony Blair will get a statue in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Blair/Brown Feud and World Politic

Guardian: Reports that the French and German Governments wanted to use the feud between Blair and Brown to their benefit. When internal party feuds become a benefit to foreign governments then the PM of the day has to act, but reading volume 1,2, of the Campbell diaries one can say that Tony Blair was very weak when it came to Gordon Brown. The idea that he thought Brown was brilliant and thus put up with his sulks, his political games through most of the Campbell diaries volume 1 and 2 is hard to see if you look at the Brown record as Chancellor of the Exchequer, the mess that the Coalition Government has to clean up comes form the time that Brown was Chancellor. But considering we are dealing with history, it says something about the lack of clarity at the present in the Miliband Labour Party that this story makes page 1 in the Guardian.