Halfapenguin.com
politicalmusings

wish i was in london this weekend

20:21, 03 Apr 2008

I wish i could be one of those standing in the path of the torch in London.

Failing that, i'm hoping that either an impromptu drizzle puts out the flame, or some brave soul manages to use a fire extinguisher to put it out.

We should not be offering support or help to China, if the flame is meant to make it through London, then let it do without the police protection.

Idiotic people from Pennsylvania

15:08, 23 Apr 2008

Apparently Obama speaking some hard truths seems to be a bad thing to the people of Pennsylvania.

I have to say i do like Hilary Clinton, i just prefer Obama. However the spin machine of fox and friends seems to have convinced the majority of democrats in the state that he'd be a bad choice for president.

I'm just rolling my eyes really.

55% Clinton,
45% Obama,
With 99% of the votes counted,

Source AP

I'm not an economist but..

10:43, 24 Apr 2008

This credit crunch has got me thinking about mismanagement of the economy. I don't know enough about the American system, beyond the base principles that it is corrupt on a level that would disgust the Saudi Royal Family. I'm particularly interested in is the British economy, and i like to think that i'm a little bit better informed about it.

Being a temporary ex-pat, i do intend on returning one home day and if I could avoid returning to a financial leper colony would be just wonderful.

To me it is very clear that the banks are guilty of severe misconduct and incompetence, while they may have generated huge profits, the situation we are in now is a direct result of them making bad decisions. I know that I am not an economist, but my limited understanding of the economy caused me to realise that a credit crunch was inevitable given the situation.

That said, destroying banks is generally bad for people's financial well-being, so i would hope the government does its supporting maneuvers to get these banks back on their feet. That said the boards of these banks should be held criminally and financially liable for their mismanagement. I think about 30 years in prison should be a suitable punishment.

I am getting sick of every labour minion spouting how the economy is stronger than ever, despite it obviously having huge and dangerous flaws that are being exposed on a daily basis.

House prices have been rising, nobody is saying otherwise, however i find it difficult to believe that nobody saw it coming. How did Gordon Brown fail to see that the housing prices would eventually collapse? It makes me wonder whether he knew it would collapse, but hoped that it would collapse after the fall of the Labour government.

I know admitting a mistake from a politician is less likely than them doing the right thing, but if a labour minister admitted that Gordon has screwed up on his handling of the economy i might actually start to respect them.