13 September 2011

The gods have been smiling on me. It was a beautiful day if a little blustery. With all this appalling weather we’ve been having, one is thankful for a fine day. Most of the usual geriatric gang were at Worlington today, playing in a five club competition (won by Somerset Gibbs). I had a new carer today, Michael Locke, he wasn’t actually playing himself so I hijacked him to feed me.

No one could accuse me of being a pessimist or a Jonah but I express once more my deep concern about the economic state, not only of this country but most of the Western, or perhaps more accurately Europe and America. Yesterday we were treated to the unbelievable sight of the leader of the Labour Party, Ed Milliband, addressing the Labour Party’s Annual Conference, and bravely telling them that he considered the recent strike by public service workers over their pensions, whilst the negotiations were proceeding with the government, was a mistake. As one might have expected there were howls of derision from the floor. (Incidentally, ,of those of you who saw how many of you noticed how cleverly Milliiband worked in the warning that, when they are returned to power, they would not be able to reverse any of the decisions, presumably over pensions, taken by this government.) This speech came only two days before another ballot is to be taken which would create a much more disruptive strike, if the members vote for it. What they don’t seem to realise is that they are very lucky to have a job at all and if they have to pay a small percentage more into their pension pot and work a few of years then longer before retiring,then that is probably one of the most important steps we can take to repairing our economy.

We have the anomalous position today of spending millions and millions of pounds, as humanity demands, not only saving the lives of untold numbers of the Third World countries population but also thousands of our own elderly people, many of whom would probably prefer to be dead. Once they are in the state owned elderly accommodation their lives are taken over and having got them up washed and dressed them many of whom are then seated, in a tall plastic chair, where they asleep most of the day in front of an unwatched television set. Of course this may well be an exaggeration in a number of care homes but nevertheless it is quite clear that we are keeping a large number of elderly population alive for years longer than would have been the case had they not been so heavily medicated. In doing so we are exacerbating the pension problem in a few years time. The working population who will be contributing to pensions fund is shrinking and the number of recipients is expanding , so there must come a point when the government will find it very difficult to pay the pensions at all. Of course, we can continue with our policy of’ quantitative easing (just printing more money and putting it in circulation) but eventually if this does not kickstart the economy then the whole thing will collapse like a pack of cards..

At this point I’m going to refer you to a short slideshow of the fate of Argentina which, in 1902 was one of the richest countries in the world and now slumped to one of the poorest (click on the highlighted word Argentina above). If you read the text under each photograph there will be a horrid familiar ring about what the Argentinian government did at the time. Ignoring the late anti-Democrat message towards the end, take note of the situation in 1984 and see if you cannot recognise a parallel to some of the things which are happening in this country today.((Remember the riots and lootingwhich took place overthree days recently)

I believe that, Mr Cameron and his government understand the situation only too well, as indeed possibly does the leader of the Labour Party as evidenced by his speech yesterday. Unless the measures which this government are putting into place to attempt to balance our books is allowed to take its course and not bee sabotaged by the possibility of a pointless national strike, which could be the straw that broke the camel’s back and take this country into deep recession what price then the state pension!? In my humble opinion, and accepting that I am no economist, it seems to me that it is touch and go whether we will survive economically. I’m sorry to be so pessimistic but take note of the message contained in the Argentinian slides. Having said that I have no doubt that there are eminent economists who could refute the similarity, but when did economists ever agree with each other!?

Have a good day!!

(the patient, this large file takes a few minutes to upload)