Turning Point - Eurozone Crisis

Guardian Live - Euro: Reports that with the 1st round success of Francois Hollande in France, the fall of the Coalition Government in the Netherlands and demonstrations in the Czech Republic, the EU faces “ …three separate events illustrate a major turning point is the eurozone crisis. ”.

Lets Get Real:

At its most basic folks the EU Elite have tried to keep the Euro at the cost of eye watering austerity that hits people, the problem for the elite of the EU is the fact that Europe is a Democracy, people are the final judges, if they will not accept the tough austerity packages of their Governments they can VOTE them OUT or the Governments fall due to internal problems, this has happened to the PIIGS, France, now Netherlands. Sooner or later folks a brave EU politicians is going to put his career first not that of the EU. Lets see if its President Sarkozy.

UK Losses Today - Market Meltdown

Telegraph Live - Euro: Reports in its 5.25pm post that 27.6 billion pounds was wiped off the value of Shares today in the UK.

Lets Get Real:

Folks this up and down in the Market wont stop in till the EU has major reform of the Euro and the Welfare State. As for the Euro the PIIGS have to get out, they are like a cancer, they are eating the system form inside, and there is no cure. When it comes to the Welfare State the old post 1945 model has to be reformed, the left has to grow up, the UK and the rest of the EU with the exception of Germany is broke. The Welfare bill, and that includes heath never goes down, just up and up. The population is aging, there are not enough young people working to fund the system, the reforms by the EU to prevent people being forced to retire means that the young have even a less chance of getting a job. Thus the Euro and the Welfare State will kill the Euro, if EU politicians are not careful it will also kill off the EU.

Markets Meltdown

BBC News: Reports on the tumbling Stock Markets in the US,UK and Europe.

Lets Get Real:

The reason the Markets have gone down between 1% and 3% is the fact that Francois Hollande won the 1st round of the French Presidential Election, his promise to spend if he gets elected has spooked the markets, France will become the next target of the bond market. In the Netherlands the PM and Cabinet have resigned because the Coalition Government could not agree a plan for austerity. Also European indications show that Europe is in recession. Thus folks we have seen the Governments fall in the PIIGS, now France and the Netherlands can be added. It is simple folks, the Welfare State is killing civic government in Europe.

Decision Points by George W. Bush

Have just finished the memoirs of Bush 43, it’s a great read folks, direct and to the point, also the President keeps to major areas of his Administration. Unlike Bill Clinton its not a endless discussion of meetings, by the time you finish the Clinton book you feel if you have read a very boring travel book, this is not the case with Bush 43. The President deals with his decision to give up drink, the ramifications of 9/11 and then the War in Iraq. The financial crisis of 2008 shows how a right wing President can end up giving bailouts due to the threat that the US economy is going to go over a cliff. The Bush 43 memoir has the gift that Blair’s book had, you feel that the President is there in the room with you, telling his story from his perspective. The President admits his mistakes in Iraq and Katrina. If you read one political memoir this year folks, read the memoirs of Bush 43.

French Election 1st Round - France

Guardian Live - France: Reports on the latest results from 1st round of the French Presidential Election, with actual votes in Francois Hollande is on 27.5%, while President Sarkozy is on 26.6%.

Lets Get Real:

Thus it can be postulated that Sarkozy will move to the right, he might toughen up the rules for immigration in to France, start to make the EU a target, all EU politicians must be getting the fact that those politicians that have supported the EU have found themselves out of office, it’s a long list folks, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Spain and Greece, being a friend of the EU does not get you elected, the attack on the EU was one of the platforms of the extreme right wing Party of Le Pen, thus its standing of around 20%. The left has a problem, if Hollande moves more to the left he unites the right and centre right, if he does not get the total left vote he does not chance of winning. The next two weeks will be interesting in France.

French Election 1st Round - France

BBC News: Reports that the Socialist Francois Hollande has topped he ballot in the 1st round of the French Presidential Election, in 2nd place is the current President, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Lets Get Real:

The general opinion is that after the 2nd round that Francois Hollande will be the next President of France, one would have to question that after this result, at present an exit poll has Hollande on 28.6% and Sarkozy on 27%, what is interesting is the result for the extreme right, they are on between 19% and 20%, are these voters really going to vote for a left candidate, one has doubts, will they stay home, that is a possibility, or will President Sarkozy move to the right, when politicians are faced with being out in the cold they can move when they have too, also lets recall this is a two man race, the 1st round had 9 candidates, thus two weeks is an age in politics, Spain could go belly up, might need a bailout, the Syrian low scale civil war might lead to Western action, as in Libya. Its not over till its over, and as they say in Chicago, its not over in till you stuff the ballot box. Fun and games ahead folks.

Democrats and ObamaCare

The Hill: Reports that Democrats leaving Congress in 2012 are now saying that ObamaCare was a mistake. The question that has to be asked folks of these BRAVE politicians is why they didn’t open their mouths when Obama was pushing through ObamaCare when it was opposed by a majority of the US voters. Its easy to be HONEST when you nearly out of the door, real leadership is saying NO when you have something to lose. What ever you think of POTUS, at least he still defends it, might be crazy in political terms but it shows a kind of leadership.