In the first few days of the referendum the UK has gone histrionic paranoid. The pound has dropped against the dollar and euro, shares have dropped and it is like a green card out is for the racists of the world to go and vent their opinion. Doing racist things, graffiti, hate language and prejudice. Yet, this is the surface which the media is quick to jump on. Showing the worst things of society sells papers and gets high news viewing figures. In the mean time listening to radio and TV the voice of EU immigrants who work in the UK are not just concerned about racism but also about their status, these are people who do hard work and contribute to society. They don't know whether they have to leave the UK and they look around in suspicion looking at British people in a different way. As thought hey have been betrayed. The situation is complete madness fuelled by those who react and don't think first. Even the renown Mr Junker wants to punish the UK and petulantly shows his disdain by publicly ensuring no EU top ranking officials will be allowed to have back room conversations with British representatives. Factually this is the kettle calling the pot black. Corporations already know the EU is the biggested lobbying place in the world. An example is the in secret disaster looming behind the doors of TTIP negotiations. There is madness and it is going to take a moment of high intensity candle burning before it wears out and calm descends. Be assured though calm and rational thought will arrive. Providing the news is not given too much weight especially the tabloids.
The stock-market roller coaster reaction is exactly what traders love. It makes quick millionaires and billionaires. They love it and like fanatic football fans jump for joy, it's the best thing in the world. Except of course if it is your particular shares happen to be the ones dropping like a stone, or your pension is affected because the pension fund manager is not quick enough off the mark. It is the little man who's affected not the rich man. And this point is true of the artificial recession which has been here for a decade ever since the banking disaster. Bought on by buying toxic American mortgages. In addition the recession is an result of exceedingly poor judgement from ruling political parties. A tory party who took on a coalition with power hungry Liberal Democrats who are now guaranteed never to have a political voice for at least another 70 years. This was the biggest mistake they have made in their entire political history. A mistake that ensured Tory power and ensured the further entrenchment of the UKs recession.
The fact is we do not know what the future holds, and am fed up with the pessimism of doom and catastrophe. The fact is the UK needs trading agreements it does not need covert ruling from an undemocratically nominated set of 5 presidents in the EU. We can have trading agreements with other countries, we can have agreements with the EU and it is in both the favour of the EU and the UK to continue trading. It is trade which builds bridges, it is trade which also brings peace. In weeks from now there may be calm. If there is then this frenzied rage of stupidly raging will be seen for what it is just fear and scape-goating. The UK now needs a strong and decisive government, but one which listens to the people and doesn't follow the faction from which it comes. For it is a thing which affects all citizens not just the elite rich kids, we all have a say in this country and the result of this referendum is the voice of the people.
The UK will not be leaving the EU until article 50 has been engaged by the prime minister. Fortunately the current worst prime minister in history Cameron will no longer be here, the same should be fore Gideon Osborne who freely confessed he had no plan for the UK if it voted out. He was explicit and this is a man we can not tolerate in the cabinet, he must go. There is a way forward and it begins by having a calm head and looking at the facts. Gently moving, being diplomatic and fostering friendships, which should be on both sides of the house. We are still in a recession and the need is not just to raise us out of the recession but to raise the entire country to a equality
Tuesday 28 June 2016
Wednesday 15 June 2016
Phillip Green and the British Home Stores debacle
Well it seems Sir Phillip Green, likes to dodge the bullet by not answering questions and looking pretty pathetic. He sat there on his own, maybe looking a little vulernable, yet immediately behind him the first row of seats appeared to be occupied primarily by suited and booted men. I wondered whether these were part of Green's gang. They had not been called up, but they were there to witness and their presence to provide moral support. Indeed it might of been better had he a few additional supporters sat with him. Maybe there would of been some answers then. Or perhaps his wife should of been present, given she has
her name inscribed on most documentation. And she is being paid £20 million every
year from BHS, in something difficult to grasp, considering she has
likely not stepped in a BHS store in her life. With another £108 million yet to be paid to her. Of course it doesn't take a genius to know his wife's involvement is only for tax dodging purposes.
The Commons Select Committee tried desperately to get answers from Green but he just held his hands up saying in terms a market trader would, accepting the buck but at the same time saying it wasn't me. Deferring responsibly for as much as he possibly could. This behaviour was clearly contradictory. You could tell he was been rattled for he kept answering and ending with the word "right" as if to emphasise a point. Just like a drunk would do in the pub. He failed to answer what his responsibility or liability for the BHS pension scheme. He knew a contribution had to be made but just didn't bother while the company was in his ownership. The little he would do was far too small and far too late. Many times in answering questions Green tried to direct the committee to where he wanted them to go to give his point, to say he'd done his best and repeatedly read from some papers the balance sheet of BHS. Green didn't know the answers or if he did was not going to admit to them. Green's memory was conveniently failing him and when one MP said were they in a position of having to attend a committee they would of done their homework first. But Green was impervious to this preferring not to answer why. Yet he must of been watching every second of earlier select committee meetings because he referred to them.
One of the most astounding things was to learn the extent of the dividends BHS had paid out to share holders. So large it was no doubt a contributor to the downfall of the company. Oh yes he says he invested in BHS, but certainly not enough. You could conclude to keep the business running profitably he was not doing enough with the possibility it was intentional. But who is to know what his intentions were, perhaps not even Green because his memory of events is worse than a third hand sieve at a car boot sale.
Does Green give a toss about the pensioners? As Shakespeare said, this is the question, to be or not to be? Why did he not be involved in this part of his business? Green was not going to answer this. He states there was an agreement where he would put additional monies into the pensions fund, it was like he had made an undocumented hand shake agreement. He had deliberately delayed contributing to Project Thor, because it would of effected the business. Green had sold BHS to Dominic Chappel for the poultry sum of £1 but during the committee hearing Green talked as though he still owned BHS and he would still seek a solution to the pension crisis. If only he would be allowed a phone call. In persistent questions from an MP on the question of pensions Green pleaded with the chair such questions should not be asked because of his ongoing intention to do something. Like a small boy who was guilty of stealing biscuits before his dinner, Green again did his best to avoid any conclusion to the committee. Chappel expected BHS to be debt free and pension free, but of course from a previous committee session Chappel was clearly in the business just for himself and didn't give an iota while he to was taking millions out of the business.
Perhaps at the end of this Green might of done something concrete to help those employees in the BHS pension scheme, however given his history any solution would likely be meaningless. It is a sad state of affairs and you may conclude these business people have shown how negligence works and how it is the innocent who are affected not the decision makers.
The Commons Select Committee tried desperately to get answers from Green but he just held his hands up saying in terms a market trader would, accepting the buck but at the same time saying it wasn't me. Deferring responsibly for as much as he possibly could. This behaviour was clearly contradictory. You could tell he was been rattled for he kept answering and ending with the word "right" as if to emphasise a point. Just like a drunk would do in the pub. He failed to answer what his responsibility or liability for the BHS pension scheme. He knew a contribution had to be made but just didn't bother while the company was in his ownership. The little he would do was far too small and far too late. Many times in answering questions Green tried to direct the committee to where he wanted them to go to give his point, to say he'd done his best and repeatedly read from some papers the balance sheet of BHS. Green didn't know the answers or if he did was not going to admit to them. Green's memory was conveniently failing him and when one MP said were they in a position of having to attend a committee they would of done their homework first. But Green was impervious to this preferring not to answer why. Yet he must of been watching every second of earlier select committee meetings because he referred to them.
One of the most astounding things was to learn the extent of the dividends BHS had paid out to share holders. So large it was no doubt a contributor to the downfall of the company. Oh yes he says he invested in BHS, but certainly not enough. You could conclude to keep the business running profitably he was not doing enough with the possibility it was intentional. But who is to know what his intentions were, perhaps not even Green because his memory of events is worse than a third hand sieve at a car boot sale.
Does Green give a toss about the pensioners? As Shakespeare said, this is the question, to be or not to be? Why did he not be involved in this part of his business? Green was not going to answer this. He states there was an agreement where he would put additional monies into the pensions fund, it was like he had made an undocumented hand shake agreement. He had deliberately delayed contributing to Project Thor, because it would of effected the business. Green had sold BHS to Dominic Chappel for the poultry sum of £1 but during the committee hearing Green talked as though he still owned BHS and he would still seek a solution to the pension crisis. If only he would be allowed a phone call. In persistent questions from an MP on the question of pensions Green pleaded with the chair such questions should not be asked because of his ongoing intention to do something. Like a small boy who was guilty of stealing biscuits before his dinner, Green again did his best to avoid any conclusion to the committee. Chappel expected BHS to be debt free and pension free, but of course from a previous committee session Chappel was clearly in the business just for himself and didn't give an iota while he to was taking millions out of the business.
Perhaps at the end of this Green might of done something concrete to help those employees in the BHS pension scheme, however given his history any solution would likely be meaningless. It is a sad state of affairs and you may conclude these business people have shown how negligence works and how it is the innocent who are affected not the decision makers.
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