SCOTLAND AND SALMOND UNREADY FOR INDEPENDENCE VOTE

There seem to be too many unresolved political and economic issues to convince the electorate to vote for Scottish Independence on September 22, 2014 !

Typical important issues which Alex Salmond needs to evaluate to convince the voters are;

   -  Scotland cannot use the Pound Sterling as its currency.  If it adopts the its old currency of the "Thistle", what will the cost effect be on current calculations ?
   -  When will the new Scottish constitution be ready ?
   -  Have all the shared costs and benefits been agreed with the UK ?
   -  Does every Scottish voter know by how much his pocket will be hit by Independence ?

Voting against Independence now does not preclude the possibility of organising another Vote in the future if life with the Southerners becomes unbearable !   Tolerance now might be better than jumping into an unknown future.

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THE "ISLAMIC STATE" : BARBARIC TERRORISTS

The " Islamic State" has installed itself in Iraq after acts of barbarity and not respecting any principles of war.
 Civilians have been obliged to abandon their homes and possessions where they have lived for generations.
Now refugees, they have fled to neighbouring countries hoping to save their lives.

In the name of Islam,  these extremist Musulman want to introduce charia laws by using advanced  military weapons.

The USA has moved quickly and unexpectedly ( without setting foot in Iraq) by bombing selected  arsenals and parachuting food and medecine to refugees in dessert areas wih temperature of more than 40 degrees and where there is no water!

When will the  EU ( including Germany) and UNO follow the example of  the USA. The Kurds in Iraq want weapons to defend themselves and to attack the barbarous, extreme Islamists.

The " Islamic State " does not respect Human Rights,but like all terrorists will claim their rights if they need help! Is this acceptable?

Finally one must understand that terrorists like these can only be stopped  with all-out military action.

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GAZA CONFlICT : WHO IS AT FAULT ?

Is Israel at fault for bombarding tunnels secretly built by Palestinians? Are they not right to defend themselves ?

Are Palestine Muslims at fault for hating Israel for the bombings?

Or are Muslim Extremists fighting a war in Gaza like in other countries to impose a Muslim Extremist State and Charia law ?

So who is really at fault ? Is it not all the international Organisations with very talkative Diplomats, representing all the countries and their leaders, who do nothing individually to declare outright war on Hamas and similar extremist Muslim Organisations?

Should the United Nations Organisation not stop talking but "act "?

Should extremist Muslims who kill not lose their Human Rights protection?

Hamas is fighting a "bloody war" , not preaching acceptable Islamic principles!


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CORRUPTION IN FIFA WILL CONTINUE, UNTIL.....

When the present Statutes of FIFA are modified after a carefull study by Professional "business" Consultants free to interview key people in football or elsewhere, even the corruption in FIFA could be eliminated.

Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA for the last 16 years, has investigated the corruption in FIFA ;  currently the Ethics Committee is preparing its Report on the same subject.  For months anyone interested in football is already convinced that there was some corruption !

What everyone wants now is "ACTION" !    

Sepp Blatter has been President for four terms of four years and now at the ripe old age of 78 still wants to serve another term !  Alas, nothing in the Statutes prevents him from standing for another election to again become the next President, if he is elected !  This is because he has done nothing to change the Statutes !

Gary Lineker lamented the current inaction in a BBC interview.   There are many others as well who would like to help, participate in a reorganisation of FIFA !

Instead of electing a new (or old !) President of FIFA, it would seem a 3 or 5 man Steering Committee to work with the Professional Outside Consultants would perhaps be a more practical solution to move forward.  

There are perhaps better ideas, but who could get something going ?

There is just this one little problem.  Will Football kill Blatter, or will Blatter kill Football ?  No one really wants to go to a funeral, do they ?

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2014 BRITISH COMMONWEALTH (OLYMPIC) GAMES IN GLASGOW

It would seem that the Commonwealth Games at present being held in Glasgow, Scotland, do not get the coverage in the international press which it merits.  One can cite the French Sports Paper "L'EQUIPE" which has consecrated just 10 centimeters of one back page column to a report on the Games yesterday.

The Games are due to close to-day, Sunday August 3, 2014 and the closing Ceremony is due to be televised in 71 Commonwealth Nations and Territories.  The Medals table indicates that 37 participating Members of the Commonwealth have won at least one Medal.

Leading, well known sportsmen and women from all over the world are competing and the next Games will be held in 2018 in Queensland, Australia !  This is no small Sporting Event ! 

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JOHN VINE, THE IMMIGRATION WATCHDOG, RESIGNS !

All Professional Accountants, in Britain or elsewhere, have encountered the problems which have driven John Vine to resign his post as Chief Inspector of Immigration and Border Controls in Great Britain.

Identifying the weaknesses in systems and procedures  is the first step.  Then reports generally suggest the solutions required and the financial cost or savings of implementing recommendations.

Audit Reports or Operational Reports, are then frequently mislaid, forgotten or buried !   Why ?  The real problem is "who is at fault ?" and "who will get the credit for correcting something ?", which should have been corrected long ago !  Will someone get the sack ?

Whether this is at Ministerial Government level, or at the top level in Companies or Groups, this becomes a very thorny and political issue.  Everyone wants the credit for improving controls, no one wants to hear that the solution should have been introduced a long time ago !

From reports in the Press, John Vine has done a remarkable and competent job in a difficult area.  One can only hope that his next assignment will yield more straight forward, no nonsense reports !

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ALARM BELLS ARE RINGING IN FRANCE !

This very weekend, when millions in France are either coming back from, or leaving for, their annual summer holidays, the Prime Minister Manuel Valls "leaks" in a speech that the next unemployment figures will be bad and that tough times are ahead ! 

The expected upswing in trade has not materialised in the EU or in France.  Official figures are expected on August 14, 2014. The timing of this bad news, since most Politicians are now away from their desks, means one can only speculate on the financial consequences with which "holiday makers" will be confronted in September 2014 !

However, there are other purely French problems which explain that President Holland fettered and cannot do what is expected and needed.  Trade Unions hold the Whip.  They never yield when it means modernising old habits that would make work a harder or less profitable task, even if France afterwards could become more competitive worldwide.

Where has President Hollande failed ?

   -  He has failed to control Trade Unions,
   -  He has not streamlined the Civil Service,
   -  He has not made massive State Investments, to galvanise industries and sub-contractors,   
   -  Trade Unions accuse him of favouring only   private industries. 
   -  Can he now still tax the Middle Classes even more  for the benefit of the deprived Lower Classes ? 

The alternatives facing President Hollande are;

   -  France risks infringing the Golden Rules of the EU and the EUROZONE by increasing borrowings,
   -  Increasing taxes and/or cutting benefits to cover current shortfalls in State revenues could quickly lead to Social Unrest !

There is one hidden upside for the Socialists in this ongoing saga.  The Opposition is in a state of complete confusion.  All possible "Leaders" are fighting to position themselves for the next Presidential Elections !  Younger unblemished candidates are watching and holding themselves back !
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