Dead cat announcement of pointless defence spending

In a rare moment of recognition of the need for equitable distribution of wealth Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson matched the billions of pounds given to Tories’ business friends as part of the Covid-19 contracts scandal by promising similar for Tory friends in the arms industry – an “extra” £16,500,000,000 characterised as “defence spending.” 

There will be cash for a Trident replacement and for “RAF Space Command.”  Both are useless as deterrents – the first doesn’t deter non-nuclear (that is, all) military assaults and the second is fantasy. 

Johnson said shipbuilding would create new jobs.  Everyone building warships could use the same skills to do something beneficial.  The jobs-benefit argument in favour of war machinery is always invalid.

There will be some uses for a centre for artificial intelligence and a cyber force because disruptive attacks on British society and infrastructure are much more likely to be online rather than with a gun but the Tories’ recent record of digital disasters – the Serco track and trace programme for Covid-19 and the unusability of a tracking system for hauliers when the border with the EU is erected on January 1st 2021 – showed they have neither the will nor the aptitude to ensure their cyber warfare plans are not calamitous.

Backbench Tory MP Simon Clarke pretended to try to justify an increase in defence spending. 

“To those tweeting me saying we don’t need strong defence, have a look China (training with models of the Taiwanese President’s compound & imprisoning Uighurs in camps), Putin’s Russia (occupying Ukraine and Georgia, waging cyberwar), or Iran & North Korea (illegal nuclear bombs).” – Simon Clarke, November 19th

What is Clarke’s differentiation between “legal” and “illegal” nuclear bombs?  The only country ever to use nuclear weapons in combat was USA.  What does Russia’s relationship with Crimea have to do with the UK?  What does a decades-long dispute between China and Taiwan have to do with the UK?

The careful performance of stupidity by Clarke exposed a flaw in the propaganda of warmongers: It is difficult to find enemies.  There are enemies – terrorism – but they are not state-related; military power required to defeat terrorists is not ships, space command or artificial intelligence. 

To justify handover of money to the arms industry the government needs “enemies” whose “threats” need the response of expensive weaponry but Iran, North Korea, China and Russia are not military threats to Britain. 

Labour’s rapid disappearance as an opposition party was displayed by MP Stephen Morgan who relegated healthcare, welfare, housing, education and every other necessity of life beneath an abstract concept of “national security.” 

“National Security is Labour’s first priority and today we welcome the PM’s statement on the long-overdue upgrade in defence spending.  As of 1 April 2020, the full-time trained strength of the UK Armed Forces was 132K, a shortfall of just under 12K (8%) below the govt’s own target.  High tech systems are essential to keep us and our allies safe, but our troops are indispensable.  This decade of decline [2010-2020] poses a risk to our security and our Forces personnel.  It must end now and we await further details if the govt will provide the MoD with a fully-resourced spending plan that meets our capability needs for the future and keeps our Armed Forces at its heart.” – Stephen Morgan, November 19th

Phrases similar to “national security” or “our security” are used to create a visceral fear of an unspecified threat that lingers ready to pounce if there is any pause in provision of the welfare system for the arms industry.  

The Tories’ announcement of military funding was a clunky temporary distraction from its current destruction of Britain via Brexit and was part of its ongoing promotion of flag-waving pseudo patriotic xenophobia.  Expect more of the same nonsense to interrupt coverage of Brexit’s ill effects.

 

BBC political hacks swooned at Tory Brexit deal

Boris Johnson’s inept Brexit deal has no positive effects for British people and it does not prevent the Tories from destroying society, human rights and public services including the NHS.  The deal is yet another distraction by Johnson and another con trick.

Displaying an abject lack of shame, some centrist client journalists chose to welcome the deal as if it was a successful consequence of magnificently clever negotiation.  BBC’s ‘political correspondent’ Chris Mason expressed his veneration for Boris Johnson.

“Today is a moment of triumph for Boris Johnson.  When he became prime minister, he had no majority, no mandate to call his own, an angry country and an angry Parliament.  Eighteen months, a pandemic and nothing less than a brush with death later, he has won a big majority, got the UK out of the European Union, and now done a deal with Brussels.”  Chris Mason, December 24th 2020

Mason’s colleague Laura Kuenssberg was similarly obsequious.

“He has managed to keep perhaps his biggest commitment after taking us out of the European Union – securing a deal – a huge political and personal relief, perhaps, for the man whose name and reputation will be forever linked with the UK’s decision to leave the EU.”  Laura Kuenssberg, December 24th 2020

The behaviour of senior BBC reporters was more than blind support for the Tory government.  Their intent was deliberate misrepresentation and erasure of the awful consequences of the deal including faux positivity that was so unctuous it had exactly the same tone and structure as a news report in North Korea about Kim Jong-Un.

BBC news has declined, intellectually and factually, for a decade but Tim Davie’s appointment as Director-General accelerated the fall multi-exponentially.  It is dead.

Brexit: The most lucrative heist in the history of civilisation

When gormless Etonian swindler David Cameron called a referendum in 2016 on UK’s membership of EU he did so because he had promised it in the 2015 general election Tory manifesto in the absence of any cohesive meaningful objectives that the Tories could use to persuade a UKIP-tending subset of the electorate to vote for them. 
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Cameron did not care about the referendum.  His alleged campaigning in favour of staying in the EU was lacklustre, lazy and directionless.  As soon as the result was declared for departure Cameron scarpered from No.10 to the backbenches as cowardly as his upbringing and his schooling had nurtured him to be.
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Four and a half years after the referendum Brexit looms as a flock of vultures, each too fat to fly but still ravenously eager to feed.  For its wealthy supporters, whose interest in leaving the EU is decades old, the desire for Brexit is not for what follows when Britain is “independent” or “sovereign” but is driven by the benefit (for them) of immediate effects of a calamitous jolt of departure. 
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Brexit is an abrupt change of direction where the new direction is irrelevant but the disturbance caused by switching course rapidly, without any preparation, is an opportunity for scammers and racketeers whose financial gain from the losses for the majority could be the most profitable heist in the history of democratic nations.
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Hedge funds and currency gamblers love major ructions in the economy of a nation because, as a consequence of sudden changes, there is wealth to be acquired for those with the means and the will to seek it.  Boris Johnson’s good friend Crispin Odey (above) personifies inhuman profiteering from such scenarios.  He bets frequently on the exchange value of the pound against other currencies and always bets on the pound to lose value.  He places such bets just before actions or statements by the Tory government cause a loss of value of the pound.
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Former MEP Ben Habib, owner of First Property Group, joined The Brexit Party because he knew a cliff-fall Brexit would enrich the rich.  In 2016, before the referendum, he said “if we get a vote for Brexit and if the commentators are right that sterling will weaken and the markets will go into a degree of volatility, we [First Property Group] will be looking at that as a really great opportunity to buy assets in the UK.  Any volatility would only be an opportunity for small, opportunistic companies such as First Property.”  A year later he announced that “the UK’s decision to leave the EU has created opportunities on which we, as a niche fund manager, are well placed to capitalise.”
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Disaster Capitalists are wealthy racketeers who know a major change in political structure can provide them with billions of pounds of unearned income.  A branch of disaster capitalism is devoted to hoovering up public service infrastructure, at low (or no) cost to themselves, that is available because a government is (or claims to be) so short of money that everything must go in a massive fire-sale.  Assisted by the removal of workers’ rights, human rights and access to justice – all of which will be destroyed hurriedly by the Tories once free of EU’s limited protections – the post-Brexit giveaway of what remains of public services in Britain will be swift, reckless, relentless and vicious.
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Boris Johnson is an ignorant, heartless Etonian crook who was taught to work for whoever pays the most regardless of integrity, worth or humanity.  He is in the company of similar servants of organised crime.  Michael Gove, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab are experienced gofers for those who salivate at the prospect of how much cash and assets they can extract from the British people in 2021. 
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Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Aaron Banks, Ben Habib, Annunziata Rees-Mogg and the rest of The Brexit Party mob have a single aim: Con the public to support an act (Brexit) that will, because a Tory government is in power, feed the wealthy and destroy society.
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Ultra-conservative think-tanks, funded by recipients of the elite’s bounty from Brexit, focus on manipulation, obfuscation and extreme misrepresentation of what Brexit is and what it will lead to while inventing false benefits for the public.  Matthew Elliot, Shanker Singham, Fraser Nelson, Neil Record and their colleagues float around think-tanks keeping each group’s focus on a pro-Brexit agenda and making sure politicians’ actions and words are aligned similarly.  Slogans and public discussion points for politicians are devised in these think-tanks.
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Newspaper, radio and TV proprietors’ obedient hacks speak and write a tsunami of tripe, some of it regurgitation of think-tank propaganda and some of it wild and bizarre nonsense devised on the hoof.  There is no limit to how dishonest or how stupid a journalist or broadcaster behaves when expressing support for Brexit.  Xenophobia is rampant.
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Floating mendacious screaming heads Toby Young, Darren Grimes, Douglas Murray etc. are always ready to spout on any platform and broadcasters, think-tanks and newspapers are always willing to provide platforms.
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All characters named above are taking part in a heist.  They are the marketing team and the PR team for thieves and fraudsters.  Britain is being privatised.  We will rent our lives. 
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Notes
Dominic Raab’s paper on destroying workers’ rights: Escaping The Straitjacket
Board of Trade member Dan Hannan’s paper on destroying public services: The ideal U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement
Links for Ben Habib quotes: Great opportunity, Uncertainty peaks, Capitalise

Covid-related school closures in Eton and Greenwich revealed Tory bias

Eton College closed on December 11th until after the new year as a precaution due to positive Covid-19 test results for some pupils and teachers.

Greenwich Council asked all state schools within its administrative boundary to close after Monday December 14th until the new year due to a large rise of positive Covid-19 test results for people living in Greenwich.

The reactions of the Eton-led Tory government to the similar scenarios differed.  There was no comment at all from any government minister on Eton College’s decision to close.  However, Education secretary Gavin Williamson sent a cold letter to Greenwich Council that declared his intent to pursue legal action against the council if it did not reverse its advice.  

“I have always been clear that using legal powers is a last resort but continuity of education is a national priority.  That’s why I won’t hesitate to do what is right for young people and have issued a direction to Greenwich Council setting out that they must withdraw the letter issued to headteachers on Sunday.” – Gavin Williamson, December 14th

The contrast between two Tory government responses to two similar decisions (that were reactions to two similar events) displayed starkly and brazenly its blatant bias in favour of a small privileged elite.  The government showed its desire to allow the wealthiest to do whatever they want without interference but a council was prevented from making a reasoned, sensible decision that would have helped to protect lives of children and teachers.

Greenwich Council is an elected administration and the people who live in Greenwich expect the council to be able to make important decisions.  Williamson treated every voter in Greenwich with contempt.  Conversely, Eton College is privately-owned; its decision to close was made by appointed school administrators.  Prime Minister Boris Johnson and leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg are old-Etonians.

Williamson’s aggressive response to Greenwich Council was not driven by concern for the education of children.  His only motivation was an attempt to display who is boss.  The intrinsic anti-democratic philosophy of the Tories meant they were appalled that an elected council made a decision without asking for permission from the government and Williamson was determined to put a stop to that as unpleasantly as he was able.

The Tory government has relentlessly mismanaged the Covid-19 pandemic.  Its decisions on lockdown and restrictions continue to be random, contradictory and ineffective.  Its awards of contracts for services related to tackling Covid-19 were and are a multi-billion pound orgy of corruption where Tory friends’ businesses received huge contracts to supply equipment and services regardless of their capability to do so.  Many contracts produced useless equipment and all have been hugely over-priced.  For the Tories, Covid-19 is an opportunity for scams enabled by corruption.

It is absurd for Williamson to assume he is more capable than the council of deciding what is best for the children of Greenwich.  He doesn’t care.  His behaviour was childish posturing.  His silence on Eton College’s decision to close revealed his acquiescence to the elite.