How much more money do we throw to the bankers and financiers. Do they run the earth? Is the appetite for more insatiable? How many more troops do we throw at Afghanistan, a conflict which never looked winnable and now has an insatiable appetite for lives. How many more young British soldiers will be fed to the so-called Taliban?
A senior British officer spoke out for Harry Patch, the last survivor of the trenches, who said that wars were a very bad way of solving issues. Harry never mentioned the war until past his 100th birthday because he regarded them as unspeakable. The British officer knows better, however, and assured us that Harry would have approved this one. Harry was in no position to reply as he was given the official funeral which he would very likely have deplored.

Daily we endure news of decisions being made without regard to the interests of ordinary people, people like Harry Patch who expressed his views and feelings in the end. Nevertheless his memory was sullied by someone else with a privileged, official position who presumed to know better.
As we face the next General Election we are being offered no fundamental choice as politicians sound off their superior knowledge,
David Milliband wants less involvement of Labour Party members with deciding who runs for New Labour. More Blairism it seems as we lurch to emulating US primaries. David actually the membership has not been deciding its candidates for a long time now. This is done by paid employees under instruction by people like yourself. We now have an apolitical bunch who don’t seem to stand for anything but self-interest. The kind of people who introduced the National Health Service, pensions, support for unemployment and started to move towards fairer education are kept well away from power in New Labour. While Cameron might be making soothing noises left of New Labour his party aren’t going to do much for most of us. Lib-Dems? They are inseparable from the Tories here in Birmingham who employ accountants to run their affairs. Costs a lot of money when the accountants told them they would save a fortune. Who pays? Well many council employees who lose their jobs and many citizens who lose their public services.