DSK; WHO PROFITS FROM THIS CASE ?

Without going into the merits of the pleas and counter pleas concerning the accusations DSK is facing in the court in New York, one thing is very clear.  The case is becoming a goldmine for his lawyers and other people like detectives and investigators !!!  Every time a hearing is delayed for a week or two, the fees and other costs rise.

Of course the reputation of DSK's lawyers will benefit in this extraordinary case due to the cost free prime-time publicity this case has brought them !!!  This could even justify a reduction of the fees which DSK pays to his lawyers !!!

The DSK case also provides huge profits for the Newspapers, Television and Radio broadcasters. The public, not only in the USA but in France and throughout the whole world, want to hear the latest news.  The public buy newspapers and watch Television and there is still enough time to slot in some publicity !!!  The DSK case makes them money !!! 

Finally, when all is said and done, when the case is all over, Journalists and Lawyers will write books and make money for themselves.  Producers will make a few films, that is almost certain.

In the very end, Professors of Law will use the DSK case as a perfect example of how to defend a client !!!  Every aspect of the case will be highlighted and thoroughly discussed for at least the next 100 years !!!  Will they also question whether a Chambermaid has any Human Rights in a case like this ? 

The names and characters of all the leading actors in this case will also be part of the story.       

EU JUNK BONDS TO SOLVE GREEK CRISIS ?

Creating "Junk Bonds" by reducing the interest rates and lengthening the repayment periods of loans to up to 30 years, does nothing to solve the Greek economy.  Neither does it do anything to protect the EURO itself !!!

The first thing politicians should ask themselves is how did the Greeks get into this mess in the first place. The very simple answer is that previous Greek governments overspent. The economic structure of Greece is wrong.

In fact 25% of employees work in the "civil" service !!! Civil servants are highly paid, overpaid in fact.  They also benefit from indexed pension schemes and early retirement !!!  Added to this there is unemployment in Greece. 

This situation guarantees two things.  Inspite of huge loans at low interest rates, Greece cannot become profitable and will need more loans next year !  There will be social unrest again in the near future.

Added to this the EURO will be downgraded on the financial markets, which is exactly what President Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel did not want, and why ?  Both are facing elections in their country and want to avoid unpopular reactions !!!

Finally, the basic reason for their actions can be put down to the absence of any rules concerning EURO countries which become "insolvent".  That is the problem which all the EU burocrats have never imagined !!!  That is also the first problem which must be solved.

Mr Barroso, the president of the European Commission, should have been alerted to this gross omission in the EU treaty when his country, Portugal, had to be rescued  last year !!!

MILIBAND HACKS AT CAMERON !!!

Ed Miliband, with limitless ferveur, attacks David Cameron everytime he gets the chance.  The object of almost everything he criticises ends with the question of whether David Cameron will resign or explain something !!!

Ed Miliband always attacks events which happened after the Socialists lost the last election last year after 13 years in power.  Ed Miliband is somewhat naïve if he thinks that one of these days he will not be put in his place !!!  Even Gordon Brown no longer dares to participate in debates in the House of Commons !!!   Tony Blair will never be tempted to come back into the fray !!! 

Every month or two another serious problem from the Socialist past comes into the public domain, and this will continue for the next two or three years without any doubt !!! 

When the next election comes around, the now unseen and unheard "leaders" of the Socialist party of the past, will certainly come to the fore and give dear "Ed" the shove !!!  He will be hacked by his own party !!!   

GREEK EURO CRISIS = MORE TAXES ?

I would like to express a personal feeling I have about politicians when they face a problem. What is their first reaction ?  There are two in fact !!!  I am not responsible, we will have to increase taxes !!!  The other reaction is:  Let's not talk about the past, the only way out of the problem is to increase taxes !!!

We now have the Greek Euro Crisis !!!  Have any of the European Politicians or the Leaders of the 17 EURO countries, or indeed the leaders of countries not implicated in the euro crisis, ever studied, or analized, why the Greek economy came to the point where it faced bankruptcy last year and again this year, 2011 ?

Is it not that the first "bail-out" did not cover the internal national overspending of the Greek Government ? 

If this is true, why should the EU now have to double its "loans" to keep Greece solvent ?  Lending money to a Bankrupt is like throwing money at drunk beggars !!!

Why should EU taxpayers fund political dreams ? Why do politicians in the EU not want to recognise the basic rule that giving "loans" to EU countries in great difficulty is the same as financing a company facing bankruptcy ? 

Why should taxpayers have to pay to save the skins of politicians who want to save their bacon !!!  

   

DEADLINE DATE FOR THE EURO

This coming week will be historic because the moment of truth will come when European Politicians decide the future of the EURO !!!

When the EURO was created the idea which prevailed was that it could consolidate E U countries which would then form the United States of Europe.

Everything happened so quickly that no rules were laid down on how the EURO would be controlled !!!  Not even the recent Lisbon Treaty covered this omission.  Idealists do not like too much detail anyway !!!

The fact that two small countries like Ireland and Portugal needed propping up did not ring any alarm bells. The loans required were small.  Now there is Greece, a country which was probably already insolvant when it adopted the EURO but which was "rescued" with loans of 110 Billion euros and which a year later needs another loan of the same amount. 

Suddenly politicians in Europe are trembling in their boots, not only about Greece, but because Italy and Spain are also in trouble !!! That means that 5 countries out of 17 which adopted the EURO are on the verge of bankruptcy !!!

The real problem is that no politician wants to admit that an insolvent country should be declared bankrupt and quit the EURO !!!  Unpaid debts should be suffered by creditors just as in a normal winding-up !!!  However this is the kind of decision that can be expected this coming week.

Other problems could also surface.  Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor would not be against readopting the old German Mark !!!  Other smaller countries too, have also regretted abandoning their old currencies !!!

If nothing else, we can only hope that the European Central Bank will make a serious effort to establish central financial controls, and create liquidation rules when a country gets into trouble !!!    

   

DOES THE EU WANT TO SAVE THE EURO AT ALL COSTS ?

The turmoil in the EU concerning its problem child, the EURO, not to speak about how the Greek bankruptcy has been handled up to now, clearly illustrates how unprepared our highly paid EU Politicians were when faced with the Irish and Portuguese "bankruptcies".

Some EU Politicians want to save the EURO at all costs, others want to do it by funding bankrupt countries at all costs if the EURO is their currency. 

In the meantime Greece is awaiting a decision, and SPAIN and ITALY are closely watching how the Greek problem will be settled. These two countries are both on the verge of bankruptcy and will study their options !!!

Both countries want the best deal for their countries, which is normal, but will the EU be sucked into further problems ? 

The Portuguese President of the European Commission, Manuel Barroso, staunchly supports bail-out help from the EU !!!  I have already asked him to make a speech to explain how he envisages that bankrupt countries will be able to recover and repay the bail-out loans to the EU within  a foreseeable future !!! 

The only thing I have heard since is that he thinks the members of the EU should pay an additional 1% of their turnover tax to cover costs in the EU !!!  He therefore wants to have the right to increase directly the tax which the EU can levy on its members !!! 

This has nothing to do with how bail-out aid will be recovered and which Barroso so favours.  Mr Barroso must now also explain why an increased levy is now necessary.  Does the EUROPEAN COMMISSION not control EU running costs ?  All EU member countries are obliged to control any increase in costs !!!  Why not the EU Commission ?

In the British Press questions are regularly asked whether the UK would not be better off out of the EU !!!

Manuel Barroso will face many questions in the coming months and must respond !!!  His actions weigh heavily  on the fortunes of member states !!!

When will he explain why he is so certain about his policies ?

FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: THE SOCIALIST CANDIDATES

Six candidates have published their wish to participate in the Primary Debates, to be held on the 9th and 16th October, 2011 to determine the Official and Sponsored Socialist Candidate for the Presidential Election to be held in April/MAY 2012.  They are:

                          Martine Aubry
                          François Hollande
                          Ségoléne Royal

                          Arnaud Montebourg
                          Manuel Valls

                          Jean-Michel Baylet

The first three candidates have all been active leaders in the Socialist Party for a long time and have a great deal of experience.  They all worked with the former Socialist President, Francois Mitterand. it is generally expected one of these three will ultimately become the chosen candidate.

The next two candidates, Arnaud Montebourg and Manuel Valls are two young Socialists who will probably be leading challengers in the next ten to twenty years. 

As for Jean-Michel Baylet, he is President of the Radical Party of the Left, a very small Party.

To put it quite simply, it is expected that the first three candidates will get approximately 80% of the votes. The last three candidates will not get more than 20% of the total votes.  One should remember that Ségoléne Royal was the Socialist Candidate the last time but lost against Nicolas Sarkozy who became President. She may be eliminated early this time as it expected that the run-off will be between Martine Aubry and François Hollande.

Just over two months ago all the Socialist voters expected that DSK would be nominated as the Socialist Candidate, but his sudden legal problems in New York and now also in France, have put paid to any hopes he had.  Things change rapidly in the political world !!!

GORDON BROWN FAILED THE PUBLIC IN NEWS of the WORLD CASE !!!

The plea Gordon Brown made to the Commons to absolve himself for his inaction in the News of the World Hacking Scandal, was lamentable !!!   Quite succinctly, he blamed a civil servant for the advice he was given and on which he acted !!!


In fact it transpires that part of the advice that he received indicated that it would not be in the interests of the Labour Party if the scandal broke before the next General Election. This is a critical point when one remembers that a Coalition was finally necessary if the Conservatives were to form a Government !!!


This is just one more problem for David Cameron to correct and which should have been covered by the Socialists, or to be more precise, by Gordon Brown or Tony Blair !!!   

REBEKAH BROOKS RESIGNS !!!

For someone who knew nothing, as I reported in this Blog on July 10, in resigning Rebekah Brooks has done the right thing, even if one cannot be sure that the honourable thing has been done !!!


She will certainly get an honourable pay-off from the Murdoch Group, or be conveniently employed somewhere else in the Group, but she will not be able to escape a summons from the enquieries which are now on-going in the United Kingdom !!!


Reporting ethics appear to have been infringed for a long time in the Murdoch Group and to such an extent, that one wonders whether in the Press in Great Britain there were any defined ethics at all. Who in Great Britain had the responsibility to act if ethics were contravened ?  What did he do ?


Another question which needs to be addressed is the action, or inaction, of the police.  Did no one from the public ever complain of hacking or other types of interference ?


A fundamental enquiery is the only way to discover the truth behind the cover up of all those who were involved.  Afterwards we may get some rules to prevent a repetition in the future.    

ITALY AND BERLUSCONI, IS REALITY FINALLY IN SIGHT ?

One cannot deny that ITALY, or "ITALIA", is not facing a major crisis!!!  It will in fact be the 4th country in EU history of the 17 countries that adopted the EURO as its currency, to be filing for "bankruptcy", i.e. "requesting "aid" !!!   Just to be quite clear, the next country which is studying its "options" is SPAIN !!!  For some time Spain has been biding its time !!!


BERLUSCONI, following his last court case (there are others to come) was ordered to pay a hefty settlement of 570 Million euros of damages !!!  As Prime Minister of his country, finally stripped of his immunity from prosecution, a short term future political carreer can be predicted.


On a philosophical basis, how often has one seen recently the abuses which set in when Presidents or Prime Ministers are re-elected after a second term in office ?  This observation concerns not only E U countries but former communist states, Arab States, and African Countries. In fact what will happen in Russia next, and for that matter in other less important countries ?


The EU has lost any control it ever had of the EURO since its introduction in 2000 !!!  What can you expect if a currency is not centrally controled ?    This Blog has repeated this same criticism many times !!! 


The only solution is to permit countries, which can no longer honour their obligations, is to withdraw from the EURO !!!  Those countries must then adopt a new local currency, convert EURO Debts and other debts expressed in a foreign currency into the new local currtency, and then devalue the local currency !!!   At that point in time the country concerned could start anew !!!


When ex-EURO countries want to rejoin the "NEW EURO" perhaps the EU experts will have had enough time to set up a centralised system of control of the NEW EURO !!!  Because there were no real systems of control in place, European Leaders do not want to accept the inevitable solution that a EURO member in difficulty must abandon the EURO.  The same EURO leaders do not realize that throwing good money after bad is like a boomerang !!!  It comes back with twice the impact !!!  Taxpayers bear the brunt of the cost !!!


Some current Leaders hope the problem will go away !!!  Many leaders already realize that in the next 12 months they will lose their re-election !!! 

REBECCA BROOKS KNEW NOTHING !!!

 

In the press this morning one reads that Rebecca Brooks told a commitee of MPs that she had "no knowledge whatsoever" of Phone Hacking while she was editor of the News of the World.

Let's be clear, one has the impression that in the News of the World there were only Saints and Virgins, but no Sinners !!!

If there were any Sinners, they were the object of a thorough investigation, like in a Scoop !!!

What in fact, was Rebecca Brooks paid for ? Just to protect her Hierarchy ?

 

                                                                                                                                        .

N of the W - R.I.P. !!! LONG LIVE THE SCOOPS !!!

At the time when the News of the World was commonly known as the Barmaids Bible, there were few "Scoops" compared with what we are used to nowadays. There were no Mobile Phones and there was little "Investigative Journalism".

What the N of the W did was to publish detailed reports of court cases which revealed the consequences when young ladies strayed from the straight and narrow path. Victorian principles were still the fashion and the moral standard in an era when "The Pill", or anti natal pill, had not yet been produced.

Just as preachers were moralizing their flocks, each Sunday morning,  the News of the World was also published for its readers; they were hungry for more stories.

Television coverage, "The Pill", Mobile Phones and other modern means of communication, increased competition for "Scoops" which also led to Investigative Journalism where no holds were barred. This was also visible in other countries, not just in Great Britain.  In some cases judges were encouraged, not to say obliged, to impose reporting restrictions. In fact what is really required is a code of conduct for reporting with stiff penalties (fines and/or imprisonment) for Journalists and Editors who abusively invade the privacy of others.

Today the N of the W publishes its last edition.  Surely a sister newspaper will try to recover its millions of abandoned readers !!!  Scoops will still be required in future, they do sell a lot of newspapers, but the winding up costs may be heavy.  

DSK HAS A DOUBLE EDGED METHOD OF DEFENCE

In his current case in the NY court, where DSK is accused of sexually attacking a chambermaid in his SOFITEL hotel room,  the DSK lawyers have undermined the credibility of the chambermaid by proving that she made fraudulent statements when she applied for immigration to the USA many years ago !!!  As a result her accusations and evidence must be viewed with reserves.

Now Madame Tristane Banon has filed a case against DSK in the French courts in Paris for Attempted Rape eight years ago. A preliminary investigation has been started.  Lawyers for DSK have entered a plea by saying that the events referred to by Mme Banon are imaginary. They have countered by suing for Libellous Accusations !!!

If DSK is proved to have lied in the case by Mme Banon, would he be discredited in the same way as the SOFITEL chambermaid ?

DSK:A DOUBLE TRANCHANT

Le parquet de Paris a décidé l'ouverture d'une enquête préliminaire dans le cadre de la plainte déposée par Tristane Banon contre DSK pour tentative de viol. DSK a toujours affirmé que les faits évoqués par madame Banon étaient imaginaires.Ses avocats ont même déposé une plainte pour dénonciation calomnieuse...

A New York,la femme de chambre du SOFITEL  qui prétend avoir été victime d'une agression sexuelle par DSK est décrédibilisée pour avoir menti sur les conditions de son entrée aux Etats Unis...

S'il s'avérait que DSK a menti dans l 'affaire Banon , sera -t -il pour autant décrédibilisé dans  l' affaire qui l'oppose à la femme de chambre du SOFITEL?

BARROSO MUST EXPLAIN HOW EURO WILL SURVIVE

When MOODY'S downgraded the Portugal debt rating to the "junk bond" level, the President of the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Manuel Barroso, himself a Portuguese  national, became very critical of MOODY'S.

The downgrading was decided because there were fears that a second bail-out will be required for Portugal, just like the second bail-out which is imminent for Greece !!!

Greece is facing bankruptcy and the citizens know this.  They are suffering and all the signs are that they want to overturn the current government and also all their previous leaders.  The accumulated debts of what happened in the past cannot be paid for by increased taxes and measures of thrift by the suffering current majority !!! 

To put it quite simply, the Greek Political Leaders of the past feathered their nests with increased pensions and salaries not only for themselves but also for civil servants. They had no consideration for the private sector !!!  That is also why there is no quick fix available for Greece to solve its current problems.  Greece needs to go bankrupt in order then to be able to recover.

Mr Barroso wants Greece to be bailed out, and, to be even more clear, Portugal as well if and when the question arises !!!

Mr Barroso finds himself in the unenviable situation of someone who has a conflict of interests:  as President of the European Commission he expounds, lectures others, on the problem of the EURO, the same problem currently being faced by Portugal !!!

Does he have the solution for Greece, Portugal and also the E U  ?  What many people would like to see and hear is Mr Barroso explain how he sees the evolution of current problems and where the costs will fall, and when !!!

If Mr Barroso does not explain, any future utterances must be taken with a pinch of salt !!!          

IS DSK REALLY FREE ?

Socialists in France are really in a quandry !!!  They watch the latest news concerning DSK, each and everyone watches the official Primary Candidates and their comments, yet nobody wants to condemn the possibility of DSK joining the fray, i.e. will he join the battle to be the Official Candidate of the Socialist Party at the 2012 Presidential Elections ?

The legal mess in which DSK finds himself at present is ridiculous for a candidate who desires to be the next President of France !!!   Later today, the USA will decide whether the action of the Chambermaid, covered in semen from DSK, will continue !!!  She is now portrayed as a liar, but the semen needs to be explained !!!

In the meantime another Accusation of a sexual nature has been launched against DSK in France !!!  This will certainly occupy the Press during the coming days, if not weeks !!!   The simple question now is to know if there are other likely accusations which will come to the fore ?

Will the Socialist friends of DSK have the benevolence to wait ?  Or will they quickly realise that whatever the outcome of his problems, he has already lost the confidence an electorate he must have, if he is to become the next Socialist President of France !!! 

We must watch the next few days carefully. Which of the other candidates in the Primary Elections will have the courage to publicly abandon the idea that DSK could still be a credible Candidate ?   Other non socialist parties are also intrigued and watching very closely.

THE NEWS OF THE WORLD WANTS TO BE WHAT ?

I remember quite clearly late in 1955,  I was a student at Nottingham University, studying law, when one Sunday morning I was with my girlfriend and I wanted to buy a newspaper.

"Which one do you want to buy", she asked ?  I replied  "The Barmaid's Bible" !!!  "What's that ?", she asked and added it doesn't exist !!! "    "OK," I said !!! " Follow me" !!!  We went to the newspaper seller and I asked him for the "Barmaid's Bible".  He gave me the News of the World without a blink !!!

Now that the News of the World wants to be an investigative, journalistic newspaper, it should redefine its objectives.  A no holds barred attitude is not fair to the "whitnesses" which are interviewed without the protection of a lawyer !!! 

Likewise  the Law needs to be changed !!!  Simple, unprotected citizens need to be protected from investigative "journalists" !!! 

In the USA they used to have a law called the "Invasion of Privacy".  Does this still exist ?  Even if not, it could inspire lawyers to draft a law which protects the civil liberties of honest citizens!!!      

DSK - NOW A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ?

In political circles things move quickly !!!  Sometimes too quickly !!!

While DSK was locked away in NEW  YORK, Socialists in FRANCE were all regretting his absence in the forthcoming Party Primaries to elect the Official Socialist Candidate for the 2012 Presidential Election.  Before his sudden indictment in N Y for sexually assaulting a chambermaid, he was generally considered to be the best Socialist candidate to unseat President Sarkozy.

Suddenly, yesterday, July 1, 2011 at a court meeting, it transpires that the chambermaid was not a totally reliable witness !!!  The case goes on but explanations are still required to explain the presence of DSK semen on the chambermaid's clothing.

Socialists have been taken aback.  DSK has risen from the dead !!!  Nobody really wants to be heard saying that it is too late for him to stand.  Some consider that the deadline to register for the Primary Election should be extended. 

Things really have changed, because when he was still the IMF Managing Director, in order to stand he had to resign his post before he could take part in the Socialist Primaries !!!  This is an IMF rule.  He did in fact resign when he was indicted because he could no longer fulfill his functions from prison !!!

Socialist politicians are in a quandry. Several want to be chosen as the Official Socialist Candidate but are wary to exclude the possibility of a DSK candidacy.  A return of DSK at a late date haunts them !!!

Some socialist politicians in fact imagine that all the problems of DSK are behind him !!!  This is not yet the case.

The problems women have faced when in contact with DSK have been openly and widely debated recently in France.  Some clearly think that a President should be a better example than DSK has turned out to be. 

What happened in the Hotel room 2806 with the Chambermaid, consensuel or not, will never restore the honorability of any man who aspires to be President of France. If DSK loses the votes of women on that score, another Socialist Candidate may be a better option !!!    

TOUR DE FRANCE, DRUGS and CONTADOR ?

How can an International Cycling Organisation, which is supposed to have the controle of International Cyling events, like THE TOUR de FRANCE, THE  TOUR de SPAIN and others, not publish the results of the accusations concerning Contador ?

What holds them back ?  Is Contador guilty or not ?  Also, should they not now be obliged to explain why these Cycling Organisations are not publishing the verdict of what they have found ?  Will they only disqualify Contador if he wins ?  Or perhps if he loses ?

This is not acceptable justice !!!  Either someone is accused or not !!!  If he is accused then he must enter a plea and to defend himself !!!  An accused has the right to expect prompt action !!!   He has the right, like all his competitors, not to be punished AFTER the next competition !!! 
  

DSK: WAS HE DOUBBLE-CROSSED BY AN ANGEL ?

Everyone by now has his personal opinion of DSK. He stands accused of a sexual assault on a chambermaid in his hotelroom in Manhattan. With the help of his advocates, he has pleaded not guilty.

Since that plea the whole past of DSK has been openly discussed in the Medias in France and his reputation has not been enhanced !!!  Now, today, 1 July 2011, one learns that the chambermaid has also been investigated, but in the USA,  and apparantly she is not a wholly white Angel !!!

The immediate question that springs to the minds of normal thinking Europeans is ;  Can anyone who is not a 100% angel ever prosecute anyone in the USA for sexual aggression ?  Will this case now ever go to trial ?  Will a jury now ever be reconvoked in this case ?  

A French Presidential Candidate has been destroyed.  He has lost his Job at the IMF !!!  Prosecuting and Defence lawyers in the USA are getting rich and preserving their reputations !!!   The Chambermaid was an angel but no longer seems to be that. Has a jury heard the evidence ?

It has been announced there will be something new in the court in a few hours !!!  We can only hold our breath !!!