“The Financial Jigsaw” has been serialised here and now is replaced by this weekly “Letter from Great Britain.”
NOTE – If anyone would like an electronic copy of the complete book, I should be pleased to email a free PDF on request to: [email protected]. Also a hardcopy of the book, “The Financial Jigsaw” is available priced at £25 GBP plus P&P in A4, workbook format, bound with clear plastic covers, printed locally on demand.
My eyes have been opened and I’ve seen the Lord! – His name is “McDonalds!” Whilst shopping in the city of Bath last week (a rare occurrence instigated by my wife for her need of clothes) the call of nature came upon us at 11 am with some urgency (being of that age), so we darted into a McDonalds for the first time in our lives. (British public toilets are mainly closed due to limited resources to expunge the dreaded virus).
Whilst celebrating our timely relief we stayed for two coffees and a bacon sandwich which cost £4. I couldn’t believe my eyes at this amazing bargain. OK, so the bacon sandwich was a rather flaccid ‘bun’ and not the normal ½ inch doorstep, but nevertheless, it was edible; something I believed to be rare in McDonalds.
We were so impressed that we returned for lunch and enjoyed yet another bacon sandwich (with chicken this time), a chicken chilli wrap and 2 soft drinks for an amazing £5.08. Our world has now changed for good due to the advent of CV19 and we praise the Lord for our divine revelation.
And, by the way, I was looking, but found nobody NOT wearing a face-diaper (as Eric says). It is stunning how cowed the British public have become, which leads me on to the next article.
COVID – why terminology really, really matters. This is probably the most important article on this virus that you will ever read:
“Since the start of the COVID pandemic I have watched almost everyone get mission critical things wrong. In some ways this is not surprising. Medical terminology is horribly imprecise, and often poorly understood. Every day we are informed of a worrying rise in COVID cases in country after country, region after region, city after city.
But what does this actually mean? Just to keep the focus on France for a moment. On March 26th, just before their deaths peaked, there were 3,900 ‘cases’. Fourteen days later, there were 1,400 deaths. So, using a widely accepted figure, which is a delay of around two weeks between diagnoses and death, 36% of cases died. In stark contrast, on August 16th, there were 3,000 cases. Fourteen days later there were 26 deaths. This means that, in March, 36% of ‘cases’ died. In August 0.8% of ‘cases’ died. This, in turn, means that COVID was 45 times as deadly in March, than it was in August?”
https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2020/09/04/covid-why-terminology-really-matters/
The pro-lockdown cheerleaders in the mainstream media have been following No.10’s orders and wrongly branding all lockdown sceptics as nutty conspiracy theorists – but the tide is turning. More and more people are coming round to realise lockdown has been a catastrophic mistake. Yet newspapers and TV, here in the UK at least, are still loyally hounding down dissenters and tarring each one as some sort of lunatic who needs, well, locking up.
Those sceptics who it was hard to place in a loony bin, such as Lord Sumption, one of the most brilliant minds in Britain, were simply ignored. When the former Supreme Court head wrote in The Times on March 31 that the UK was “sliding into a police state” after Parliament was granted unprecedented powers in the Coronavirus Bill (which was rubber-stamped with no debate in the Commons), did this liberal-minded intellect get heaps of press attention? No, of course not; it was palpably quiet. The mainstream media was simply not interested in any other narrative than the official, exaggerated danger of the virus.
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/500189-lockdown-mainstream-media-covid/
Welcome to the ‘Stasi’ in UK 2020 (‘Stasi’, is the official name of: “Ministerium für Staatsicherheit” (German for: “Ministry for State Security”), the secret police agency of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The Stasi was one of the most hated and feared institutions of the East German communist government.)
I never thought that Britain would stoop so low, but here, sure enough, it has arrived with a vengeance. I for one will be opposing it every step of the way: “The rise in COVID-19 cases has been blamed on young people gathering for social events. This will be tackled by newly empowered ‘Marshals’ and ‘Environmental Health Officers’ who will roam the streets looking for people violating social distancing rules.
“We will launch a register of newly qualified and recently retired Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) so that Local Authorities can recruit more quickly and fill any gaps. In addition, we will introduce COVID-19 Secure Marshals to help local authorities support social distancing in towns and city centres,” a statement said.” Read more:
https://summit.news/2020/09/09/corona-marshals-to-patrol-uk-cities-to-enforce-social-distancing/ “Businesses will also now be mandated to enter customers into NHS ‘track and trace’ databases and keep the data for 21 days.“ AND:
“The government has been on the back foot about the law introduced last Monday that bans more than six people meeting in one place – with many commentators deriding the “Covid marshals” who are supposed to break up large gatherings, and report any wrongdoing. Ministers have warned that those found in groups of seven or more face on-the-spot fines of £100, which will double on repeat offences up to £3,200. The home secretary stirred the debate some more on Tuesday when she told broadcasters she would have little compunction in calling in the authorities if she caught anyone flouting the rules.
Asked if she would call them out, Patel told Sky News: “I’m rarely at home but if I saw something that I thought was inappropriate then, quite frankly, I would call the police.” Another of her neighbours, who did not want to be named, was complimentary about Patel on a personal level. But telling tales on a neighbour? “It’s just not in my nature.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLbtzz4xxBc&feature=youtu.be
No, it’s not mate, and it’s yet another example of Britain descending to the level of a Police State!
“Tens of thousands of pubs, bars, nightclubs and gig venues will not survive increased coronavirus-prevention measures, such as local lockdowns and evening curfews, unless they receive fresh state support, the UK government has been warned. One in four of the 115,000 licensed premises in Britain still had not reopened by the end of August after restrictions were imposed to contain Covid-19, according to data from the analysis firm CGA and AlixPartners.
With concern growing about rising infection rates, a ban on gatherings of more than six people came into effect across England last Monday, while Scotland and Wales have their own amended restrictions. The measures, coupled with local lockdowns, have stoked fears that a fledgling recovery among businesses that have managed to trade will be nipped in the bud, particularly if rumours of a 10pm curfew in England – or even 9pm in Scotland – prove to be true.”
Some good news for small businesses in the UK who have suffered by being rejected on their business interruption insurance claims: “Many insurers had declined to pay out, arguing that the business interruption policies were not designed to cover a government-imposed lockdown. This prompted the Financial Conduct Authority to launch a test case in the courts to provide clarity on business interruption policy clauses, based on a sample of 21 policies from eight insurers: Arch Insurance; Argenta; Ecclesiastical Insurance Office; Hiscox; MS Amlin; QBE; Royal & Sun Alliance; and Zurich.
In the most significant insurance court case in years, the high court found in favour of the arguments advanced for policyholders by the FCA on the majority of the key issues, the watchdog said, although it cautioned that not all policies will pay out.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/15/uk-small-companies-covid-insurance-test-case
Now that UK has left EUROPE I will comment on relevant EU – UK events as they arise:
This is a stunning and detailed article laying out the conditions that will bring Britain to a No-deal and release all the energy pent up within its borders. Read on – it’s a great read:
“It’s clear that Boris Johnson as Prime Minister is a decidedly mixed bag. His response to the Coronapocalypse has been an unmitigated disaster, bowing to political winds he should have never exposed himself to. In doing so he’s squandered the significant goodwill his Brexit manoeuvres of 2019 garnered him and the Conservative party. So, it’s obvious by now that his lack of managerial/organizational skill is what is undermining his government.
At the same time, however, Johnson’s handling of Brexit has been nothing short of excellent, the valid criticisms of the Withdrawal Act by Nigel Farage notwithstanding. Johnson inherited a poison pill from Theresa May and in his zeal to fulfill a political promise agreed to a treaty with the EU that would bring his hardball negotiating stance to the current crossroads because of his compromises on the issue of Northern Ireland.
As I said earlier in the week so much of the Withdrawal Act is predicated on there being a Free Trade Agreement between the U.K. and the EU on New Year’s Eve. That looks unlikely and the introduction of the Internal Markets bill to parliament this week is meant to do far more than what Johnson is selling publicly — to clarify the parameters of the EU’s control over Northern Ireland with respect to British law and Parliament’s sovereignty.”
https://tomluongo.me/2020/09/11/market-friday-johnsons-big-week-on-the-way-to-the-covid-gallows/
Mike Shedlock (Mish) has a great take on this EU v UK battle:
“Forget the EU’s Bluff. We are here because the EU demanded fishing rights and interfered in UK internal policies on state aid. Boris Johnson responded in kind. If the EU will not compromise, the EU will shoot itself in the foot and Germany in the head.”
https://www.thestreet.com/mishtalk/economics/eu-is-to-blame-for-the-latest-brexit-crisis
UPDATE:
“Johnson’s sizeable majority meant the UK internal market bill passed with a comfortable cushion of 77 votes on Monday night, by 340 votes to 263. The real showdown is now set to be next week’s vote on an amendment by Bob Neill, the Conservative chair of the justice select committee.
MPs had urged the government to accept that amendment – rather than proceed with the internal market bill which breaches part of the Northern Ireland protocol as set out in the withdrawal agreement signed with the EU. After the vote, Gale said: “I believe very strongly we should obey international law. I believe the United Kingdom’s word is its bond and I think this is damaging our international reputation for honesty and straight-dealing.”
He added that there was “much to play for” when the Commons comes to consider amendments to the bill next week.”
It is said that a populace gets the government it deserves, and so it is true of Scotland. They are welcome to Nicola Sturgeon, a woman in body, but probably not in spirit. I applaud the succession of Scotland from the Kingdom – the sooner the better – they have no way of economically surviving on their own, and we in England (pop. 56m), will be better off for it:
To be continued next week.
If you think it is hard watching the end of the United States, just imagine how hard it is for a genuine Englishman to watch the end of the UK, then England. I have a feeling that in just another 100 years, there won’t be anything left of it except the language.
I have a feeling your are right Brian. It is sad that we have been betrayed by our rulers whose greed and hubris has devastated our society and economy – there is no going back, sadly.
AP- The question, what do we do? By we, I mean humanity.
Good question BL. My Friend Gerry has a solution involving a change to the money system which is the root of our problems IMHO – solve this and we can move forward with new technology properly financed and avoid all this fraud and Ponzi stuff.
It’s quite complicated, but I understand that central banks are looking at some options at present. Here is the article, hot off the press this evening:
AP- One thing for sure, if the same clowns/criminals are running the next fiat ponzi….. no thanks. I say, GOT GOLD/SILVER? Not convenient but will buy you a little fiat at a time to get you by.
Can’t disagree with that BL – PMs are the place to be; but I do hope that a new breed of ruler will appear after the chaos to come and a New Economy emerges.