Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

Sunday, 29 April 2018

Brexit: All stick and no carrot

"Travel," as Johnny Morris said in his Around the World in 25 Years, "not only, broadens the mind, but stretches it out and rolls it up like a chelsea bun until you don't know who you are, or what you are."

It also gives you jet lag, which means plenty of time to think about what you are too tired to write; until at last you reduce it so such simple points you have to write them.

In the matter of Brexit, remainers still have it so backwards that they keep shooting chunks out of their own foot under the delusion that it is someone else's foot. Their attempts to convert always lead the other way.

If we want home rule and self sovereignty then they offer even more sovereignty (over other countries) via the EU. Apparently sovereignty can be pooled, and in the EU there should be enough to satisfy our thirst for it.

If we want Britain to be ruled by the British, it isn't because we are worried about the race or nationality of the parliament that implements the final legislation to enact the will of the EU commission; and so no, we aren't easily satisfied that our own elected parliament will have the final say on the form of words used to bind us.

We want to be ruled by our own countrymen because they are like us, and they live within marching distance for an angry mob with pitchforks and flaming torches. It keeps them more honest.

But what about unity? What about international cooperation? What about friends and allies? We can't expect other European nations to co-operate in a true spirit of international friendship if we don't pay the EU to permit it.

Think of the hungry golden curly haired European children whose parents pharmaceutical businesses are failing because the EU won't permit the sale of life saving medicines to the suffering sick British golden curly haired children, and all because we wouldn't pay the yearly fee! Wouldn't we pay any amount of money to save those lives? (You can almost see an accounting with an adding machine).

But that argument hardly deserves an answer.; it portrays an EU that can grant nothing but the removal of barriers which it will otherwise enforce.

Then come the veiled threats: Perhaps we wish to avoid war? They suggest: think of all the wars in Europe to defend ourselves from foreign rule (since world war two) that the EU has avoided through the simple expedience of having member states surrender (I mean pool) national sovereignty in advance without need for battle!

Except for the EU army that is suddenly needed...

Stick and Carrot

Their problem is that EU Membership is all they have as carrot, and it having been rejected, they having nothing better to offer but stick.

In fact the EU is in a very hard and woody carrot, in fact pretty much all stick anyway, but it's all they have.

Blasting the Foot

So in what way are the repeatedly blasting their own foot?

The EU can only be made to look attractive in comparison to it's worst parts, and so remainers actually select and identify the worst parts of the EU and present them as some kind of potential exit deal or indefinite transition arrangement, along with larger ongoing fees.

The basis for this is their strategy to argue that if we can't get unity on what the initial leave arrangement should be, we should stay by default. But this is backwards, as I have written before. Our membership of the EU was never assented to and is illegitimate, and so it rather goes like this: if we can't agree on a way to stay, we should leave. It is the remain terms that need unity for us to remain; we already have a mandate to leave without compromise.

But, under their delusion, and in an effort to make remain look attractive, they start drawing attention to the woodier parts of their carrot in the form of various horror bad deals.

If we don't stay, we might leave but remain as part of the customs union (for the good of the economy, so we don't get thrown into the streets and starve). In the customs union we will have much of the obligations and duties but none of the voice - a condition that has been referred to as a vassal state. But the actual choice is to leave, entirely, in comparison to which their vassal-state deal looks absolutely stupid.

"How terrible, " we say, "we don't like that deal" (after all, it is a least carroty part of the stick), but they can't work out why we don't follow up with "so let's stay".

If we leave we will be required to put up a hard border between Eire and Northern Ireland and cause a shooting match. Required by who? The Irish don't want a hard border, the British don't want a hard border, it looks like the EU is making the problems here. The sooner we leave the better.

So now remainers are almost unaware pointing out the bad parts of the EU, are they close to converting?

Monday, 1 September 2014

Corollary to Hanlons Razor

Hanlon's razor is an eponymous adage that allows the elimination of unlikely explanations for a phenomenon. It reads:
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

The corollary is: The malicious will hire stupid fools to do their bidding.

Which then leads to: The first rule of choosing a a good stooge is to find one who for reasons of his own already wanted to do whatever it is you were to ask.

And therefore: Watch out for those who appoint stupid fools without a sound justification

Monday, 27 January 2014

A Plea for Social Equality

True democratic wealth is time: everybody has 24 hours of it a day.

The significant social inequality of the day is that some peoples time is not exchangeable for much value, while other peoples time is very much in demand and exchangeable at a high rate.

I simplify somewhat, for a person can sometimes exert control over their exchange rate by means of how much effort they put in; but even at maximum effort there is still a large disparity between the exchangeable values of the time of different people, or in different locations.

In the corrupt imperial west there is a notion that 8 hours of effort per day should be exchangeable for necessities of life (and some discretionary comforts) but the opportunity to make this exchange is not granted equally to all people (and nor is the standard of life).

In the name of social conscience and humanity, this inequality is often reasonably addressed by moving a surfeit of value from those who found favourable exchange, to those who who found a poor rate of exchange.

Yet paradoxically, the extreme inequality of those who found no exchange is addressed by an attempt to provide the value of life necessities with no exchange required.

This does not introduce equality but instead introduces further inequality for in transferring the surfeit of value to those who find no exchange, it leaves them with a surfeit of time. It reduces them to the status of beggar and provides no way to contribute.

It would be more equitable to provide opportunity of exchange to those who found no exchange, making all equal contributors to society from the universal and collective wealth of time, and condemning none to the status of beggar.

TLDR: Or in other words, why in the UK when taxes are going up, and public works are going down, why, are we paying people to do nothing?

It is no socialist triumph to lose the working class and gain another idle class (however unwilling).

Let the time of each be valued equally - sufficient for life, and let all contribute.

And here's hoping for a shorter working day for all, enough time for dancing and singing.

Friday, 18 January 2013

A word on Technicalities

I read a comment from a chap who didn't care at all about technicalities but just thought people should pay their share of tax.

He didn't understand that it is the technicalities that make it possible to know what one's share of tax is so that one can pay it.

I think he felt like a benevolent dictator who could whip people into paying their share, but didn't realise the chaos that would ensue when the dictator next to him did the same thing but with a slightly different idea of what the share should be.

It was a sad case of the dangerous liberal dictators which goes like this: "If only everyone would do it my way it would all be so much better and we'd all get along so nicely."

It also reminds me of the more rabid US anti-gun folk who steam away thinking: If only we could MAKE them give up their guns, the country would be more safe and more peaceful; but without realising that they would have to MAKE them like it too, which is no more possible than making the anti-gun chaps like guns.

In other words: We only have these hard conversations because agreement is hard. Yet another attempt to sweep away disagreement isn't going to work.

Technicalities bring peace and order to confusion and disagreement without the need for full agreement.

It is sometimes easier to agree on technicalities than on principle; and that is what politics is, although in politics often the principle is not so much at stake as is who will get the bigger slice of pie.

Thursday, 10 May 2012

Why we have a recession:


When you borrow money to spend, you are spending tomorrows money today and agreeing that you will therefore not be able to spend it tomorrow.

It's now tomorrow.

Today's money was spent by the labour government along with yesterdays money.

While cutting back spending won't "recover the economy" right now, there isn't actually much left to spend. Borrowing even more will just rob our children of even more of their future.

If you think spending is important to maintain the economy, then don't spend tomorrows money today - or you can expect a bleak tomorrow.

Did I mention that it is tomorrow?

Labour have been very generous to you and your friends by maxing out your credit card.

Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Dolphins and Discrimination

I wrote this allegory to capture observations on discrimination that would not be safe to utter plainly. There are at least three lessons here.

Dolphins - an allegory on discrimination

(C) Sam Liddicott 2012
sam@liddicott.com

There were some Dolphins on the windward side of an Island. Like most dolphins, they sometimes behaved aggressively toward each-other.

There were some Dolphins on the leeward side of the Island. Like most dolphins, they sometimes behaved aggressively toward each-other.

In time, some of the windward dolphins became particularly aggressive towards the leeward Dolphins, for no other reason than that they were leeward dolphins, and often hunted them out, or ganged up to attack lone dolphins. This became a particular concern for the leeward Dolphins who began to question their own aggressiveness between each-other.

In time, the attacks of the windward dolphins became so aggressive that the leeward dolphins would often be severely wounded or killed. Sometimes the leeward Dolphins would respond with violent attacks of their own but these did little to change the persistent behaviour of some of the windward dolphins.

When the continual violence of the windward dolphins became too much to bear, the great dolphin sent an Orca to deliver this message:

That although they were all brothers, the windward dolphins would in future be reborn as leeward dolphins, both to experience the effects of their behaviour and perhaps in time to temper the violence of the windward dolphins to their own reborn brothers.

The leeward dolphins were horrified when they heard this. They idea of living with and sharing life and love with those who had so badly treated them - and not be able to recognise them - was repugnant to them and made light of their injuries (they said).

Don't worry, said the orca, they will continue to behave violently towards those who do not appear the same as themselves, and so you will know who they are. Don't hate them, or you may become like them; love them because they will also protect you from the windward dolphins.

I count at least three morals in this tale.

Thursday, 3 November 2011

There are no human rights

There are no human rights, only obligations.

If I strip a human of his rights and abuse him, it is me that becomes inhuman and a brute, not him.

If, therefore, the removal of rights changes me and not him, then the rights are really vested in me as an obligation.

It is my obligation to act as a human, and (dare I say it) to treat others as I would be treated.

It is sad to see that close on the heels of worldwide recognition of human rights comes the terms under which humans can be denied those rights; certain classes of felony, enemy combatants, terrorist suspect, and so on.

I wonder if the talk of human rights is merely a precursor to wider defined abuses which are legally justified and now morally acceptable.

Once we see that the rights do not exist, only as an obligation, we are free to wonder how inhuman brutes obtain positions of authority in a political democracy.

Saturday, 9 April 2011

What a tangled web

What a tangled web, etc, I wouldn't be surprised...
In related news, why don't we all stop work, it'll be our turn to be bailed out by germany soon, we may as well just take it easy till then.

Thursday, 7 April 2011

The Foolish Fight For Efficiency

This is why I fear efficiency savings in the NHS. The efficiency drive may cost more than the savings but reduce the "inefficient" spare capacity in the NHS. I don't want an efficient NHS, I want one with the capacity when it's needed. I don't want to spend in reducing the spare capacity the same that has been saved by reducing that capacity.


MPs have given the BBC a kicking over its Digital Media Initiative, a technology development programme that was meant to deliver a "benefit" of £17.9m but ended up costing it a net £38.2m.

Thursday, 31 March 2011

My letter to John Trickett, MP

Please forward to ministers Ed Vaizey and Jeremy Hunt my concerns at their plans to allow businesses to decide on a motive of profit the parts of the Internet that should be accessible to British citizens, and which British Citizens should be permitted to use the internet.

There are no shortage of "Pharoah's Magicians" in the lobby's of government selling the idea that there is always a technical solution for whatever problem ails us - even though this has never yet been the case.

Government censorship has a long and fine tradition, practised across the world from the USA to China, but it is dignified in some way by the fact that it is done in the name of preserving the stability of the government and nation.

Auctioning off the right of censorship to non-natural persons (companies) to wield for their own profit is laughable and an indication as to who the real masters-in-government are; i.e. not the elected members of parliament at all.

If the copyright holders can't turn a profit then they need to look at how they do their business and not diversify into nation-oppression. They should make use of legal remedies that do exist instead of seeking authority that allows them to sidestep the judiciary and elected members of parliament.

If my freedom of speech is to be suppressed it will be by Her Majesty's Government and not some temporary conglomerate of national and foreign entertainment industries.

If propping up the failing entertainment industry is the best that ministers Ed Vaizey and Jeremy Hunt have got to work on, they should step aside.

Thanks

Sam Liddicott

Blah sexist feminists

I recently heard a famous feminist and comedienne complain about two men whose recently publicised private conversation used sexist terms when discussing a woman.

I felt that she had missed that the conversation was discussing the woman as a woman and not generally as a person, and that therefore sexist terms that apply only to a woman would be used.

One of my general rules in life is: never talk to a feminist - because they are always looking to pick a fight; and this one was.

But I wonder if my rule is a bad one - if all men follow it then feminists will only speak to boisterous men which not doubt inflames and justifies their distorted view.

In any case this particular feminist (who I had never heard of and whose name I forget) was hardly even paying attention to the conversation and seemed to be just taking an opportunity to speak and interrupt as much as she could.

So I'm anti-feminist - because they hate all men anyway.

Saturday, 5 February 2011

Religion teaches obedience to laws

Religion teaches obedience to laws which are important to society but unenforceable.


In a landmark address today to the Chapman University School of Law, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirmed the importance of the free exercise of religion and called for people to work together to protect this First Amendment right. “It is imperative that those of us who believe in God and in the reality of right and wrong unite more effectively to protect our religious freedom to preach and practice our faith in God,” he said.
 [Transcript http://newsroom.lds.org/article/interview-with-elder-dallin-h-oaks-regarding-chapman-university-speech-on-religious-freedomhttp://newsroom.lds.org/article/interview-with-elder-dallin-h-oaks-regarding-chapman-university-speech-on-religious-freedom]

Monday, 31 January 2011

Stupid tax arguments

"We cannot justify taxing the poorest to pay benefits such as tax credits and child benefit to higher earners”

- why don't you pay the tax credits and child benefit of higher earners out of the tax of the higher earners then? They are paying more tax than the lower-earners after all, so it should be easier to manage...

Or, at least don't make stupid arguments.


Three-quarters of a million more people are set to become higher rate taxpayers in April, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Striking terror somewhere

Read the story. Read the boot-note. Go back to bed.


Parliamentary Ombudsman Ann Abraham today slammed bungling government departments for a series of systemic failures that left one of their clients distressed, fearful and out of pocket.

A good friend from Ireland tells me that at some point he realised that the public in England had no idea what was going on in Ireland - and why would they - and so there is no sense in blowing them up.

So when terrorists want to cause terror in a country, do they take political thought where to aim? Do they blow up civilians who also don't like the government? Do they blow up the government (including the opposition). I wonder how hard it is for them to "aim".

Saturday, 30 October 2010

Citizens can use lobbyists too

http://wiki.openrightsgroup.or​g/wiki/Main_Page

It is re-assuring to know, when reading the details of these campaigns that folk with more time and experience than me are on the case.

I'm a founding member of the open rights group.


The Open Rights Group is a fast-growing NGO focused on raising awareness of issues such as privacy, identity, data protection, access to knowledge and copyright reform.

Privatisation of Politicis

Is the privatisation of politics a good thing?
Is voting still enough?

You can now pick your own pressure groups and lobbyists to "educate" your elected leaders who are too busy to understand all the implications of the subtle plans of the other pressure groups and lobbyists.

You should vote, and you should also consider financially supporting groups who will watch out for your interests and fight for them on your behalf.

It can be easier to pay £5 per month than read all the new legislation and track the debates. And also more effective.

I'm a founding member of the open rights group, and I recommend all my friends to join.

www.openrightsgroup.org
We really need your support in our fight against threats like Mandelson’s disconnection proposals, Intercept Modernisation and Phorm. We depend on people like you: click here to join us as a supporter today.

Tuesday, 26 October 2010

This is a stupid campaign. I polluted it by signing the petition with a comment to the effect that I disagreed with it. Only a fool pays taxes that don't need to pay. Osborne even has to pay an accountant to find out what he needs to pay and what he doesn't. The solution is to SIMPLIFY TAX LAW not pay extra tax voluntarily!

We KNOW Osborne pays his tax cos his accountant makes sure. You DON'T know if you pay yours! Simplify taxes! A witch hunt will get you too!

BTW I didn't mean to pollute the campaign with a negative signature, I just couldn't find any other outlet. (I since found their blog page and I posted on that)


www.38degrees.org.uk
‎38 Degrees brings you together with other people to take action on the issues that matter to you and bring about real change.

Monday, 25 October 2010

Stop government snooping on email and Facebook

I'm also a founding member of the Open Rights Group

The government has announced that it will be spending up to £2 billion pounds into new ways to snoop on email and web traffic.