A time of worry and concern

It's a strange time make no mistake.

Secret Courts
We now have the drive to secret courts in the UK. A court where you can be tried without knowing what you are being accused of or what the evidence is against you. If this was in China we would be berating the country but here? Most people barely seem aware of what is going on.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21885811


The drive to war.
Our Government seem intent on furthering a war in which we have no interest. In this case it's in Syria (but Mali also applies). The UK has supplied training, bullet proof vests, armoured vehicles and now potentially guns too. Yet this is plainly a jihadist war; Muslin fundamentalists from around the world fighting to 'free' Syria. From what for whom are the questions that should be answered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21763345


Freedom of the press ends.
Many newspapers did completely disgusting things by invading the privacy of people to write headlines. The Leveson enquiry has now turned into the Leveson stitch up. In a late night deal promoted by the group 'Hacked Off',   a new set of draconian press rules are to be put into place not with new laws but with Royal  Charter.

These new rules say that if you opt into the regulations any fines for press transgressions will be limited but if you don't opt in, they could bankrupt you. The trouble is no one seems to know if this applies to blogs or Facebook updates or Twitter messages or personal web sites. It's a bloody mess concocted in a hurry by people with lots of vested interest.

Again the UK has become a model for how not to do things in the free world; because we are no longer free. No more can we admonish other countries for their restrictive press laws when ours have become the most controlled of all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21833462

Your money does not really belong to you.
I know you thought that once NI and PAYE had been deducted from your pay packet the rest of the cash (or virtual cash) was yours; but you were wrong.

As the people of Cyprus found out this week, a bank does not hold your deposit for safekeeping. No. Because of our fractional reserve banking system where money is lent and re-lent continuously there is only about 3-4% of real cash in a bank. The other 96-97% is out on loan or in bonds. You actually LOAN your money to a bank. Normally they promise to keep it safe, sometimes to pay interest on it. Now however it becomes clear that as your money was only LOANED to the bank, a Government or other organisation (ECB) can simply take what it wants, call it a tax and you lose 10% or more of your capital. Hard luck.

If they can do it in Cyprus (and Italy in 1992), they can do it anywhere. How is your pension pot looking? That may well be the next juicy morsel to be grabbed.

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/bank_loan.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/cyprus-deposit-tax-eurogroup-chief_n_2922327.html?1363874423

It's snowing!
We are about to enter British Summertime and Easter is nearly here so of course we have.............snow drifts.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/interactive/2013/mar/11/uk-snow-your-pictures

It sure is a time of concern.