Banks and Lending I am beginning to suspect something. There is a mis-match between the exhortations of politicians to banks to lend, the banks’ excuses, anecdotal evidence of businesses starved of funds and general reports of improvements in the economy overall. This may be (or may not be, this is a rather early day shot) because […]
Banks in Profit This week the Banks will be announcing their first half profits which are predicted to be much higher than more recent figures. HSBC, which did not directly involve itself in taxpayer loans, though benefited indirectly from the whole industry wide rescue package, is first up with a big jump. This has provoked the […]
Home Truths Whatever the hoohaa over Cameron and Pakistan the essential truth remains and we have to face it. It is not unusual for intellgence services to be split on ideological issues. We had some problems of our own during the cold war and there is powerful evidence of large scale betrayal during WWII of […]
Backlash David Cameron should be unfazed by Pakistani reaction to his remarks and the cancellation of a visit by the ISI. A robust foreign policy is based on telling it as we see it and following British national interests which are clearly defined. We see a stable and economically powerful India as a better partner […]
Iran Reports from Iran tell a story of an increasing crackdown by what has become a repressive and nervous regime. Its nuclear ambitions demonstrate a technological sophistication which presents a curious irony. More and more of the educated young are turning against the Ayatollah’s State, their common purpose given momentum by the communications potential of the […]
Pakistan Following David Cameron’s strong words on Pakistan, commentators have been reviewing its situation. This reveals ever more clearly the sheer destructive lunacy of the Bush/Blair foreign policy. It also shows that the idiotic War on Terror has actually stoked up the threat from terrorism as well as terrorist attacks. Pakistan itself has suffered more […]
David Miliband David Miliband has described David Cameron as a loudmouth because he disagrees with the Prime Minister’s directness over Gaza and Pakistan. Not only is this a truly absurd description of the smoothest talker in British politics, but it says a great deal about Miliband’s rotten judgement. It also tells us why he was such a […]
Melting Pot There is a lot going on with this new government and we are beginning to see a major shift of emphasis right across the spectrum. Not all of it is yet in effect, but it is quite a list. There is an edgier approach to foreign policy as discussed recently in this Blog, which recognises […]
House Prices The National Institute of Economic and Social Research, a respected think tank, predicts that house prices will start to fall again, perhaps up to 30% over the next few years, after adjusting for inflation. It argues that prices are still too expensive and must continue to adjust downwards. Sensibly priced housing, which performs […]