Showing posts with label insane economics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label insane economics. Show all posts

Wednesday 17 January 2024

Class War.

 


            The poor get poorer and the rich get richer, and it is not by accident or act of some god. It is because the system is built to ensure that's the way it goes. You can put it under several titles, a cull on the poor, class war, plundering of the poor, re-capitalising the corporate system, but no matter the label, the result is poverty and deprivation for the many and opulence for the few. What that entails for the vast majority on this planet is early avoidable deaths, ill health, stunted youth, lack of social service for the needy and a daily struggle for a half decent life. It is not that there isn't enough to go round, it is the fact that money and profit determine distribution, human need doesn't appear on the radar screen. This economic system of insanity is a human devised system and it is up to the majority of humanity to dismantle it as rapidly as possible, or our future generations will sink further into the mire of deprivation, ill health and early death. 


Visit ann arky at https://spiritofrevolt.info  

Wednesday 6 December 2023

Memories.

 


   
              One thing the political ballerinas that frequent those Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption, seem to forget, is that old people have memories, the older, the more memories. As I approach my 90th birthday, I was born in a room and kitchen, 294 Charles street in 1934, in the slum then known as Garngad, or "the good and the bad". I don't remember much about the Garngad, I left when I was 5 and we were moved to what was know as the "slum clearances". However I remember my mother's stories of those days in the 30s. How the word would go round the district the the "Means Test" men were in the area. As soon as she heard that, if she had a loaf of bread she would half it and hide half and some other bits of food, or she could be questioned as to how she could have a loaf of bread mid week, was she as poor as she was claiming. Her brother, my uncle Willie, long term unemployed, would visit her for a chat and a cup of tea. As soon as it was know the "Means Test" men were in the area, she would usher him out the door, wash his cup and put it away. Otherwise the questioning would be, "was he paying as a lodger" if she could feed him, was she as poor as she was claiming and her benefit could be cut. The deprivation and injustice of the 30s are well documented.

                                                         Image courtesy of BBC


            One of my earliest memories from our new home top flat in a tenement in Avonspark Street, is from the early 40s, I remember looking out our "living room" window, which over looked the large estate called Barronhill, it was run as a poorshouse for men. I would watch as individuals in their conspicuous grey parish suit, yes we used to give the homeless men a suit, a rough course material not meant for comfort or style, but to last, and that was during WW2. as they walked aimlessly round the path which surrounded a large green, never in pairs, always individually. They moved slowly, never moved their arms, they just hung by their sides or in their pocket, the head was usually dropped forward. Perhaps trying to remember, or trying to forget. I felt it a very sad sight.

Image courtesy of Guardian.

         They closed the poorhouses but they didn't get rid of the poor. they abandoned them to charities. Charities are always a sign that society has failed. I would ask any of those hypocritical political ballerinas to state a year when we had no rough sleepers, no homelessness, no child poverty, no families blow the poverty line, and they would need to lie or admit there were no such years. I know that the Braveman faction of the fascist wing of the Tory party, refer to rough sleeping as a life choice, with their usual callous indifference to other people's suffering.

                                                    Image courtesy of Guardian.

            Here we are in 2023, and child poverty is rising, homelessness is rising, rough sleeping is rising, families living in poverty is rising. Anyone with a grain if rationalism, or even a shred of humanity, must come to the conclusion that the present system of economics has been an abysmal failure to see to the needs of the ordinary people. 

 

                                                        Image courtesy of Digg.

           Further proof of this disregard for the ordinary people, if it was needed, would be the so called "Autumn Statement", Where the political charlatans spoke of growing the economy to make us all well-off. So they plundered the public purse of billions of our tax payers money and handed it to big businesses, to "grow the economy". The only growth we will see is in shareholders bonuses, CEO bonuses and salaries and business profits, it may create a few more jobs. Of course luxury yacht makers and makers of large limousines will also do very well. That was a political choice, they could have chosen to put those billions of tax payers money into social service, NHS and education, in this insane economic illusion, that according to the right wing political ballerinas would have been creating a nanny state, much better it give our money to their cronies in big business, of course don't expect anything different from the so called Labour side of this con-trick. Why do we tolerate this continual shafting of the ordinary people by a small minority for the benefit of the very rich and powerful few. Perhaps we should remember that we the ordinary people create every nut and bolt, every piece of wealth on the planet, and we have the power to change this economic insanity to a fair and just system that see to the needs of all our people. But when? Rebel, resist, think anarchism.

Visit ann arky at https://spiritofrevolt.info      

Wednesday 4 October 2023

Plunder.


        The interest the government pays on national debt is a staggering 5.05% a 20 year high. This is more than double that we saw from 1980 to the 2008 financial crash (corporate plundering). The total amount of the UK's national debt is £2.59 trillion, what does this mean to you and I? Well it means that the chancellor will have to take £23 billion of your tax money and pay it to the sharks in the financial Mafia in interest payments. Last year the government paid the financial Mafia a whopping £111 billion in interest, this is more than it spent on education. What do you think is more important, the education of future generations or sharks of the financial Mafia?
 
       Because of this debt and high interest rate, no doubt our "prudent" chancellor will decide to spend less on health, education and public services, so that he can keep happy those sharks of the financial Mafia. What kind of society is it that can see the people of a country produce all the wealth of a country and then syphon it off a massive chunks to their billionaire/millionaire buddies. They label this insanity "the economy", which is just a misnomer for a system of plundering the poor to fatten the rich. There is alternatives, it is possible to build society on mutual aid, co-operation, fairness and justice that sees to the needs of all our people. We have the numbers, the skills, the imagination, all that is lacking is the will and solidarity to take control of our lives. The choice is ours, we can knuckle down and get on with this grinding never ending daily struggle, or we can take control of our communities, our workplaces and create that better world we all hold in our hearts, we owe it to our future generations.



Visit ann arky at https://spiritofrevolt.info  

Monday 18 September 2023

Milked!!


            The troubles and struggles we have in our daily life are all down to our Lords and Masters saying, "there isn't enough money" not enough to sort out the health workers with a decent wage increase, Not enough money to recruit more staff. There is not enough money to sort out the education system that is falling apart, just like our NHS. However, when one of their corporate buddies throws down a veiled threat of pulling out of the UK because their antiquated furnaces are costing them money, as the Tata billionaires have done, then our impoverished Lords and Master find £500 million to help them out, to update their antiquated furnaces. It's there business and they boast about putting in £700 million of their own money. They claimed to be losing money, but fail to mention the billions they made rather than update the ageing furnaces. We are being milked by the usual billionaire parasite class, with the co-operation of our political ballerinas, and they are all getting fat on salaries we pay them. Our £500 million will cost a lot of families distress and poverty as the deal comes with 3,000 redundancies. That's the corporate way of saying thanks to the UK tax payers.
           When do we finally take control of our workplaces and our communities and run our affairs for the benefit of all our people, instead of feeding bloated billionaires and their cronies. We have the skills, we have the power, we have the imagination, we have the numbers, all we require is the will and solidarity. Our sweat and labour fashioned and made everything in this world.




WE THE LABOURING MASSES.

We the people have, every brick laid,
have fed the world with sweat and spade,
every instrument played in every band
created by the skill of the craftsman's hand.
We made every truck and every load,
our toil our effort every winding road,
every ship that ever sailed the sea,
our power our imagination made it be.
Cities and towns large and small,
our labouring hands fashioned them all,
every home, every spire,
luxury mansion or humble byre.
No matter what dreams the mind might spawn
without labour's hand, never see the light of dawn,
without labour's strength and labour's skill,
we would be foraging beasts in a jungle still.


Visit ann arky at https://spiritofrevolt.info  

Sunday 20 August 2023

It's a Con.

 
 
           While our planet goes through a man made catastrophe of monumental proportions that risks the demise of most of the species on the planet, including our own, our political ballerinas pump out a mixture of bullshit and garbage. We are told it is our life style, that of you and I, the ordinary people have to change. We are offered advice on how to safe the planet, from taking shorter showers, shallower baths and only boiling the water we need in the kettle. This might be good advice in saving on energy bills as we all live in or on the edge of poverty, brought about by the economic system that is destroying the planet. However this advice will not save the planet nor make much of an impact. The only way to save the planet from this threatening doom, is go after the ones with the biggest carbon footprints. Instead of taking a short time in the shower, how about demanding that those in the billionaire/millionaire parasite class get rid of their co2 pumping massive luxury yachts, their gas guzzling limousines and private jets, and their several luxury mansions dotted around the planet. The carbon footprint of one of these greedy thoughtless parasites is probably equal to a small village and all its inhabitants.
 
       Then of course their is the one that must not be mentioned, the largest carbon 
footprint on the planet, wars and the military industrial complex. States will take no measure to ban wars but will ban non electric cars and replace them with electric vehicles which still produce all the co2 in the production of the internal combustion car, plus their insatiable requirements of lithium for their enormous batteries. Of course lithium comes with a massive carbon footprint in its mining and refining and shipping around the planet and massive distribution centres. The disaster of climate change we are all facing will not be solved by you and I changing a few things in our lifestyle. It will take root and branch destruction of the present economic system which is based on perpetual growth for profit for the few and poverty for the many. A system that allows a select few to amass unimaginable wealth at the expense of the planet and our civilisation, and who stand unaccountable. What sane mind would accept this unnecessary mad suicide dash because of a greedy thoughtless few. 
 

Wednesday 14 June 2023

Inflation.

 


 
                                                 Image courtesy of MR Online.

              It always amazes me how those privileged parasites' minds work, those wrapped up in their bubble of opulence, the pundits of the capitalist system. Our own Chancellor of the Exchequer, one Hunt, states that the Bank of England has no alternative but to raise the bank rate yet again. The theory behind this is that this will make thing more expensive and so discourage people from spending then inflation should start to fall. This plan, when people are struggling to pay for the necessities of life, is to discourage them from spending. What is it that we have to stop spending on? Is basic food items, kids breakfasts, washing powder, toilet rolls, heating. Their thinking shows a complete disregard for the life and well-being of the public at large, a total misunderstanding of how we are struggling for a decent life as things are at the moment. The point they ignore or sweep under the carpet is that inflation is not driven by wage increases but is driven by corporate greed. Rather than making their corporate buddies pay for the inflation they place the burden on you and I. Capitalism is insane economics that favours the few at the expense of the many and the few will do their damnedest to make sure it stays that way, no matter the pain, poverty and anxiety that this places on the many.
        We know there is a fairer way of organising society, we have imagination, the ability and the power to create that better fairer society. All we need is the will to come together in solidarity and dismantle this crushing burden of privileged parasites grasping all the wealth we create, and start organising our communities in co-operation, to see to the needs of all our people, freed from the greed driven profit motive. Let's place capitalism in the dustbin of history under the label of humanity's darkest hour.

 Image courtesy of Robert Reich.

 

Visit ann arky at https://spiritofrevolt.info  

Tuesday 14 March 2023

WW3


           Capitalism stutters from one crisis to another but people seem to forget, the capitalist system is always in crisis. Over production, inflation, labour shortage, lack of growth, its necessary ingredient, are just some of the inherent flaws in the insane economics of capitalism. The recent flutter of worries over the collapse of two Banks within a week is the least of their worries. Another unexploded bomb in their midst is the sudden mushrooming of "buy now pay later" loans. Even when times are hard, the system still wants you to continue buying all those little luxuries. hence the pie in the sky, there is a cost of living crisis, they still have to move all those luxuries, but there isn't the where-with-all to pay for them. So the magic wand of capitalism, "buy now and pay later" when the "good times" return. Of course the don't and all this millions of loans don't get paid, boom and other capitalist crisis.
        The capitalist system has never recovered from the 2008 banking collapse, they are desperate to re-capitalise the system, and despite enforcing years of austerity on millions and billions of tax payers bailout cash, they have still failed miserably. The Western oligarchs that form the American financial Mafia are desperate to get back to those glory days that America enjoyed after WW2, when the world paid homage to the dollar and the loot kept flowing into the U$A coffers. However emerging economies, like China, Russia, India etc. are making that difficult for the masters of the dollar.
        So our biggest worry should be the fact that these parasitic masters of the dollar will take desperate measures and play their big ace, war. War is also a great way of releasing tax payers money into the military industrial complex, and a way of destroying the opposition and grabbing their resources, in the insane hope of that illusion, "Make America Great Again"
      There is desperation among the big dollar owners and dollar lovers, and desperation leads to drastic consequences. We would do well to remember, WW2 caused the deaths of 100 million+ innocent individuals, with America the only nuclear nation then, and they used that power on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, WW3 would more devastating as several nations now have nuclear weapons. The result would be the complete devastation of the entire planet. The masters of capitalism don't worry too much about that, it is up to us, the ordinary people to take away that power and take control and create the society we want, freed from the insanity of capitalist economics. 
 
          Drone swarms. The Pentagon’s massive budget includes a new project, the Autonomous Multi-domain Adaptive Swarms-of-Swarms (AMASS), to launch automated, coordinated attacks by swarms of thousands of many types of drones that operate in the air, on the ground, and in the water.
    
The White House released its budget request for 2024. For the Pentagon, there is $824 billion. Adding armaments for military operations in Ukraine takes that figure to more than $950 billion.
            Add the $24 billion Department of Energy budget item, as the department maintains nuclear bombs and related armaments. Hidden are the budgets for the CIA and other secret military forces. Biden’s total budget for world war totals well over $1 trillion.
            The Biden administration has started a proxy war in Ukraine against Russia. At the same time, it is building up toward war on China, including a possible U.S. invasion of Taiwan under some wild pretext, such as a threat from weather balloons.
           Don’t laugh. That’s how every U.S. imperialist war started, like the sinking of the battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor — the Maine sank because of a coal-bunker fire next to the ship’s gunpowder storage, not from mines planted by Spain, as was reported at the time. “Remember the Maine” became the battle cry for launching the war with Spain in 1898.
        Like the “Gulf of Tonkin incident” in Vietnam, alleged attacks by the Vietnamese on U.S. ships that never happened but were used to authorize an all-out war on Vietnam. Like the “weapons of mass destruction” that never existed but were used to launch a war on Iraq.
            As history has shown, a country that prepares for war is likely to go to war. Washington is engaged in a military buildup against China, diplomatic hostility including sanctions and trade barriers, and multiple semi-unreported operations such as basing a fleet of U.S.-crewed nuclear-powered attack submarines in Australia.

Read the full article HERE: 

Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info    

Sunday 29 May 2022

Contrasts.

 

          Posted this some years ago on the thought of what if our world was a village of 100, and thought I would try to see what difference there has been since then, sadly not a lot and not to the benefit of the ordinary people of our village.

This is what I came up with, if our world was a 100 people village. Figures are for 2021.

25 would be aged 0-14
66 would be aged 15-64
9 would be aged 65+
6o would be Asian
16 would be Africa
10 would be European
9 Latin Americans
5 North Americans
86 would be able to read and write
14 would not
7 would get to university
93 would not
78 would have safe shelter
22 would not
91 would have clean drinking water
9 would not
82 would have electricty
18 would not
15 would always have enough to eat
15 would not
69 would be malnourished
1 would die from starvation
6 would own 59% of the wealth
74 would own 39%
20 would share 2% of the wealth

Aid in $ dollars.

21 would be living on $1.25 a day
$1.24 trillion would go on military spending
$100 billion would go on developement aid
$1.2 trillion would be spent on non-essentials
$30 billion to end world hunger.

        It looks like a real imbalance of the resources that the present insane economic system can't possible remedy. It calls for the demolishing of the present state/corporate system and the building of one based on mutual aid, co-operation, sustainability and that sees to the needs of all the people in our village.


Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info