Yet Another Fatcat In Smash And Grab Raid.

You might be forgiven for believing that the rise in the value of stocks and shares means that the economy is finally beginning to heal. Forgiven, but given no prizes for common sense. The truth is that the economic system that pauperised the vast majority in order to benefit a small elite is struggling to survive a fatal wound after being treated with a sticking plaster. The fatcats who inflicted untold misery on hundreds of millions in order to line their own pockets are still out there, counting their ill-gotten gains and figuring out their latest confidence trick. One such is Sir David Nicholson whose tick-box approach to the NHS led to the death of several hundred people and a knighthood for himself. Revealed as an unimaginative an immoral money-grubber of the worst kind he has finally decided to leave his post as the Chief Executive of the NHS before a lynch mob catches up with him. Having earned over £200,000 a year for turning the NHS into a circus he is now set to walk away with a pension pot totalling nearly £2 million. Just another corporate pirate then, except this one put at risk thousands of lives in order to line his own pockets and many patients, such as those at Stafford Hospital, paid the ultimate price to assure his comfortable retirement. It is a stark as that. Criminals have been in charge of the corporate world for over 30 years now and, after being found out, are avoiding punishment to enjoy their stolen millions in the lap of luxury. We, on the other hand, have been handed the bill for their greed and dishonesty and are now expected to meekly accept austerity as a price worth paying to save an economic system that didn't benefit us in the first place.

Unreported Europe.

Something strange is happening to Europe. During the 19th century Africa was known as the "Dark Continent" because it was largely unexplored and unknown. No one knew what went on there because it was hidden from view. Now, at the beggining of the 21st century and in an age of global commiunications, the same thing is happening in Europe. For the last two weeks Spain has been convulsed by some of the bloodiest riots the continent has ever experienced and yet news coverage has been almost non-existant. The BBC seems to have been in a self-imposed purdah on the subject but have gone into overdrive to report a lone killer in Colorado and are positively orgasmic over the Olympics. There have been dozens of riots across Europe during the last two years yet, if you listened only to the BBC, you would get the impression that the continent, with the possible exception of Greece, is entirely at peace. It is not and resentment and resistence to an elitist programme of austerity continues to build. In Germany demonstrators were escorted by a police force who spontaneously took off their riot helmets in a display of solidarity with the protestors while the French have uncerimoniously ditched those who sought to punish them for the crimes of others. In Britain the Tories have undertaken a programme of austerity, if only for the poor, without a majority or a mandate by deliberately fixing the rules to delay a democratic election until 2015. But the truth is that Neoliberalism is clinging onto power by its fingertips across the globe and a real revolution is sweeping the world whether the BBC reports it or not.

Germany Sucks The Blood Out Of Europe.

To be honest you can't blame Germany for taking the stance it has. Always productive, always efficient and always hard working, why should they pauperise themselves to save feckless countries such as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy? There's no reason why they should except, of course, they allowed these countries to join the Euro for purely "political" reasons knowing that they were a disaster just waiting to happen. Now, in order to save the European banking system and their own economic future, they have no choice but to force austerity down everyone else's throat. If they don't the Euro will fall apart, European banks will either fail or have to be rescued by Germany alone and the German economy will go the way of all flesh. For the French, waking up to the realisation that the austerity strategy only gives them minimal protection, the temptation to jump ship is becoming overwhelming. Which leaves Britain. Why is it persuing austerity? For the narrow ideological interests of a tiny elite intent on protecting their money while the rest of us go under. In Britain the neoliberal economic thesis is being allowed to run its course to ultimate disaster, while Germany is forcing its neighbours down the same route even as it runs for the hills itself. For the German government it is a cold equation, for Britain it is the pure vindictiveness of Tory party that has no interest other than maintaining privilege for the wealthy. Unfortunately for Angela Merkel and David Cameron the ordinary people in Europe are not content to roll over and play dead. The message is clear. They said "We're all in this together." The people have said, "OK, then you can crash and burn with the rest of us."

The Credibility Of The Incredible.

When, exactly, did the neoliberal economic thesis become the only "credible alternative?" Ed Milliband has thrown his lot in with this idea, citing the need for "credibility" in embracing austerity for the majority and ever-increasing wealth for the few. Neoliberalism is a new orthodoxy it seems, while Europe has effectively outlawed Keynsian economics in its new political settlement. So where is the evidence that neoliberalism can save us all? In the last 30 years this economic alibi has enshrined greed as the only guide to the behaviour of the wealthy minority, while it has saddled the increasingly poor majority with rising unemployment, higher taxes, lower expectations and life chances and fewer services. How, exactly, has transferring wealth and therefore buying power from the majority to a minority been good for us? How does "trickle down" work when the wealthy hoard their money in tax free banking havens? How does deregulation help when it only seems to encourage irrational thought and makes a virtue of theft, lying and the art of the confidence trick? Are these people telling us that neoliberalism is the only alternative because the human race is selfish, irrational, greedy and beyond all redemption? And, even if this is true, why do our leaders not even try to lead by example or to inspire us by telling us we could be better? If they are no better than us why should we vote for them in the first place? When did the politics of despair overwhelm the politics of hope? I suspect it was around 1979.