The open hand
Obama first fortnight has been undiluted joy.
Bush’s next craziest idea after the Iraq War was to station new missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic on the Russian borders. The insane excuse was that it would a defence against nukes from Iran and North Korea. Even though Iran has not got any nukes and North Korea cannot accurately lob theirs to South Korea. The Russians felt threatened and retaliated with their own fresh weapons building programme.
The last thing our world needs is another wasteful arms race. The wars against global warming, hunger and disease and the ones worth fighting. Vladimir Putin held out an olive branch to the new US Administration by promising to turn his back on the confrontations of the past and saying that militarisation would not solve the world’s problems.
The Russian Prime Minister’s comments came hours after the Kremlin halted a deployment of missiles in Europe that threatened a new freeze in relations between the two nuclear powers. Defence Ministry officials said that the decision had been taken in response to signals from Mr Obama that he was reconsidering US plans for a missile defence shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The war-mongering moron has departed. Welcome the intelligent president.
Trident
Field Marshal Lord Bramall, General Lord Ramsbotham and General Sir Hugh Beach have sounded off on Trident. The commitment to spend upwards of £20 billion capital cost on the replacement of the Trident missile system is foolish; particularly as the Vanguard class submarines, which carry the missiles, supplied from America, will remain usable until 2024. There is no need of the present premature commitment. A rising tide of sense from unexpected quarters is demanding an end to the useless, suicidal, toys for the boys.
De-nuclearisation
Senator Hillary Clinton in her confirmation identified the Non-Proliferation Treaty as the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime. She asserted that the gravest threat faced by America is the danger that weapons of mass destruction will fall into the hands of terrorists. Anticipating Obamas' open hand against an unclenched fist policy, she urged that the spread and use of those weapons must be curbed and prevented.
Her other priority is to get America back in the business of engaging other nations to reduce nuclear stockpiles. Bush neglected to push for the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Obama has announced his `long-term goal of achieving a world free of all nuclear weapons’ Where Obama and Clinton leads, Brown and other European heads will follow.
A Century of dignity
This year is the centenary anniversary of the state pension. In 1909 half a million people over 70 years were awarded their five shillings a week. Now over 12 million are eligible, with 700,000 more people due to reach pensionable age in 2009. This year the basics single pension will be worth £95. That’s four times more in real terms the amount received in 1909 and a great deal more than the £30 that the LibDem leader thought it was. The present Government get little credit for the extra help offered to today's pensioners in Pension Credit, free bus travel, the winter fuel payment and the £60 payment paid this month.
On Monday in the Commons I will asked for the basic pension to be raised to the level of the Minimum Income Guarantee. That will help the poorest pensioners who refuse to claim what they judge to be the handout of Income Support to top up their pension.
That would be a great hundreth birthday present.
As far as I am concerned Paul, it would be at least 27 years before I would benefit from such a provision, which matters not one jot to me.
If we can get it, Paul, it would be a great birthday present.
I believe that it should not stop there but in the short term it would be an excellent step in the right direction.
Those in receipt of the old age pension,
should not be in a position of having to seek extra help just to get to that level, as it is now.
The complications and expense of running a top up scheme would be unnecessary with your proposal.
But what are the actual chances of getting agreement on this?
Posted by: Huw | January 29, 2009 at 11:15 PM
It's a good thing that there is good news from the States, because there seems to be none here. Each week, quite frankly, Brown seems top drag us down a bit further. This week he has allowed Mandelson to throw 2.5 billion at the car industry - just so they can stockpile cars that nobody can afford to buy, or wants, we have had that terrible IMF forecast, the threat of the third runway, and God knows how many more jobs have gone. Sure a supermarket and a snadwich bar have announced "jobs" for the future, but they are hardly careers - a downmarket supermarket is highly likely to pay top wages and the same goes for sandwiches - and, of course, many of these jobs will be part-time. It reminds me of the early 80s when people thought unemployment would be solved because there were numerous companies making small home computers starting up.
What a country. At least Hutton has been proved right in just one regard: he is on record as saying that "Brown would be a ******* terrible Prime Minister".
If Labour want to avoid a thrashing at the next election they should get rid of him now: there is a place for bone-headed stubborness and incompetence, but that place is in a Will Hay film, not in the office of Prime Minister
Posted by: Graham Marlowe | January 30, 2009 at 06:46 AM
Graham
the main worry is that the recent two political crises in Government were self-inflicted. They were 42 days and Heathrow.
Posted by: Paul Flynn | January 30, 2009 at 08:23 AM
Yes that is true, Paul, and all credit to those of you who spoke out against and voted against these things. My worry is that though Cameron and Osborne will be no better, they could win an election by default, because almost anybody would look slightly more competent than Gordon Brown. With all due respect, I think he has now proved beyond doubt that he just hasn't got what it takes
I would suggest Alan Johnson would probably be the best bet for leader, since he is not so tainted as some other candidates and looks more credible. He is also relatively experienced, and his working class credentials would actually be much more acceptable to Labour voters and might even encourage some former labour voters to return to the fold.
Posted by: Graham Marlowe | January 30, 2009 at 08:46 AM
"That would be a great hundreth birthday present"
You mean I'll have to wait until I'm 100 ? Typical politician !
Posted by: Gerontius | January 30, 2009 at 06:16 PM