It’s an interesting time to be in the UK, where the Mother of All Parliaments, the House of Commons, has been roiled by infighting and discouraging economic news.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer ignited a firestorm of protest last week: see Chancellor Alistair Darling warns slump could be the worst for 60 years, precipitating a slump in the Pound Sterling and a furious debate over whether he acted irresponsibly or not. In many ways the entire thing -including debating whether government ministers ought to be blunt or Pollyanna-like in their official statements, the reliability or unreliability of official statistics, the question of whether the chief executive should take the fall to prevent the decimation of the party- sounds eerily familiar and because of that, oddly comforting.
The Brits are working through issues not very different from our own and it seems to be there isn’t all that much of a difference between the way British and Filipino politicians are trying to do damage control: orare ignoring public opinion altogether while politicizing previously relatively partisan-free civil service institutions.
The Times in a recent editorial (which came at the heels of the paper’s report that a sacking was in the offing), The twilight of Sir Ian Blair, looked at the controversial head of Scotland Yard and took him to task in all-too-familiar (for Filipinos) terms:
His responses are by now well practised. He believes that near-constant pressure to quit is an occupational hazard to be shrugged off if not actually ignored. And he believes mutinous disloyalty from senior colleagues is an inevitable result of radical reforms of which he is fiercely proud.
The trouble for Sir Ian is that his reforms have not made him indispensable. Nor can he be sanguine any longer about the calls for him to go. His support from the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office has crumbled: his contract will not be renewed in 2010. This makes him a lame duck not only in the view of his many critics, but in fact. If his record were spectacular, this newspaper would back his bid to stay in office until the 2012 Olympics and beyond. Unfortunately, it is not.
What sets the British media apart from our own is the deeper sense of memory, whether institutional, national, and personal, that the media, the politicians, and commentators have. For example, Libby Purves in Why did Alistair Darling choose 1948? points out a fascinating detail, concerning 1948 as a watershed year for Britain despite postwar austerity:
The disreputable anomaly of plural voting was abolished – previously university graduates could vote in two places, and business owners had an extra vote at their place of work.
The odd thing of course being that there are frustrated middle and upper class Filipinos who continue to think plural voting might be a good thing.
The business and finance media, too, write clearly and informatively, something hardly ever seen at home. The Business Editor of The Times pens an analysis: This slowdown has a long way to go yet — so just look forward to the sales. And there are short, but richly informative reports that contextualize the economic news. An article Is the party over for pubs? points out British pubs are closing at the rate of four per day and also ties in the various economic trends (crashing property prices, increasing food and labor costs, etc.) into the uncertain future of a British institution.
In Britain 2028: we need ten new cities, please, Camilla Cavendish looks at the immigration policies of the UK, something that ought to be of interest to Filipinos living and working here.
Just today, Gordon Brown to increase Holyrood’s tax powers focuses on the great Labour project of restoring the Scottish Parliament and increasing its powers over taxation and budgeting: again, this ia a debate erupting in Britain which should be interesting to proponents of Federalism.
Update: Only Blair could save Labour now provides an insight into how more “mature” democracies factor surveys into the political situation, and how past and present leaders can add and detract from their party’s future prospects.
A great pleasure is reading the obituaries published in the British papers. See K.K. Birla: industrial tycoon and philanthropist.
“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the only two Fortune 500 companies that are not required to inform the public about any financial difficulties that they may be having. In the event that there was some sort of financial collapse within either of these companies, U.S. taxpayers could be held responsible for hundreds of billions of dollars in outstanding debts.”
Another proof of lunacy trying hard to appear relevant. The market has savaged their stock price and that is why the implied guarantee will have to be called in for FM and FrMc.
God said to be charitable to all creatures of creation.
Maybe one should talk about something else.
“democrats are known to cut healthcare budget. what will happen to OF workers in the US with income decreasing and taxes increasing? how would it affect OF remittances to Philippines?â€Â
leytenian,
wala dapat ako masyado pakialam sa us election But Lytenian you have feeding us false information.
mahilig ka din naman magpaulan ng links:
http://www.democrats.org/a/national/affordable_health_care/
”
In the wealthiest, most powerful nation on earth, no one should have to choose between taking their child to a doctor and paying the rent. Democrats are committed to making sure every single American has access to affordable, effective health care coverage. We want to fix the disastrous Medicare Part D and ensure our seniors can afford their prescription drugs.”
Read this one too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillarycare
as to taxes:
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2008/08/tax-planks-in-d.html
“# We must reform our tax code. It’s thousands of pages long, a monstrosity that high-priced lobbyists have rigged with page after page of special interest loopholes and tax shelters. We will shut down the corporate loopholes and tax havens and use the money so that we can provide an immediate middle-class tax cut that will offer relief to workers and their families. We’ll eliminate federal income taxes for millions of retirees, because all seniors deserve to live out their lives with dignity and respect. We will not increase taxes on any family earning under $250,000 and we will offer additional tax cuts for middle class families. For families making more than $250,000, we’ll ask them to give back a portion of the Bush tax cuts to invest in health care and other key priorities. We will end the penalty within the current Social Security system for public service that exists in several states. We will expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, and dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans can do their taxes in less than five minutes..
# [W]e will eliminate all income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 per year. Lower and middle income seniors already have to worry about high health care and energy costs; they should not have to worry about tax burdens as well.
# [W]e will … increase the Earned Income Tax Credit so that workers can support themselves and their families.
# We will expand the childcare tax credit ….
# We will invest in women-owned small businesses and remove the capital gains tax on start-up small businesses.
# We will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit to ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans. In exchange for the credit, students will be expected to perform community service. … We will enable families to apply for financial aid simply by checking a box on their tax form.
# We will … make the Research and Development Tax Credit permanent.
# We will invest in American jobs and finally end the tax breaks that ship jobs overseas.
# We will exempt all start-up companies from capital gains taxes and provide them a tax credit for health insurance. We will provide a new tax credit for small businesses that offer quality health insurance to their employees.
# We will end tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas, and provide incentives for companies that keep and maintain good jobs here in the U.S.
# We will not raise taxes on people making less than $250,000, and will eliminate all income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000. We recognize that Social Security is not in crisis and we should do everything we can to strengthen this vital program, including asking those making over $250,000 to pay a bit more.
# And if you invest in America, America will invest in you: we will … establish tax incentives for college students who serve, and create scholarships for students who pledge to become teachers.
# We will support fathers by … removing tax penalties on married families…”
Maybe that was not false information,but uninformed opinions.
so let me rephrase that: You have been feeding us uninformed opinions.
buti na lang di ako na brainwash.
HRVDS,
Your argument is typically liberal in style. Would easily call all other liars, and would self-promote yourself as the only fountain where light and truth freely flow in reckless abundance.
Here is the link, from liberal website that says Hillary won the popular votes in the primaries. Your interpretation of obama withdrawing from Florida and Michigan and therefore those two states do not count is simply misleading.
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/5/21/15333/6616
here is what is says if you would be lazy enough not to visit the site:
Popular Vote Totals: Hillary’s Still Ahead
By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Wed May 21, 2008 at 02:03:33 PM EST
Tags: Hillary Clinton, 2008 (all tags) Share This: Digg! TwitThis
Via Real Clear Politics:
Hillary won Florida by 294,772 votes.
Hillary won Michigan by 328,309 votes
Hillary won 150,000 more votes than Obama last night in Kentucky and Oregon. She won Kentucky by 249,224 votes while Obama won Oregon by 102,144 votes.
Let’s add it all up:
Popular Vote Totals (w/FL & MI)Hillary leads by 174,047 votes (.48%.)
Popular Vote Totals (w/FL & MI and Estimate w/IA, NV, ME, WA): Hillary leads by 63,825 votes (.18%)
Regardless of what the DNC does on May 31 with FL and MI delegates, the popular votes were certified by the states. Their numbers are real and they must be added to her popular vote total. Obama removed himself from the ballot by choice, not requirement. This is a consequence of that decision. He needs to accept it. [More…]
On a related note, for the primaries held in April and May, Hillary won four while Obama won three, including his 7 vote win in Guam.
Memo to superdelegates: Put on your thinking caps. Obama leads in pledged delegates, Hillary leads in the popular vote. Who is better able to win the battleground states like Ohio, PA, FL and MI? Who might bring home W.Va, Kentucky and Arkansas?
Assume either one will win the 15 safe states for Democrats. Who is more likely to put a Democrat back in the White House by winning the toss-ups?
Hint: She’d make a great President.
Your other post about me being clueless and therefore need not be answered is not entirely correct. If it is a non-issue and should be ignored, you would have done just like and not to repeat it in your post.. But liberals were pained that the electoral college set-up gave the Presidency to Bush though Gore won the popular votes.
btw hvrds,
you keep posting links of liberal websites to prove your point. here i led you to a liberal website to prove you wrong.
and btw, you call these liberal websites and video upload of pro-democrat commentators as comments of popular pundits but you call their counter-parts with conservative bias as “attack-dogs” and rabid at that, and then you self-promote yourself as the only truthful blogger in this site. …
susmaryosep, maghunos-dili ka. 🙂
Healthcare:
Every time the economy catches a cold, the state budget catches pneumonia. And then we have a period of political paralysis.
The impact of Cutting cost is negligible. Although a lot of press and debate will be devoted to these plans, and a lot of lives will be affected by the outcome, the proposals will not affect the economy one way or the other in the SHORT-TERM.
In California alone, lawmakers already have cut more than $1 billion in payments to physicians caring for 6.5 million people who rely on the state for health care. The move will push untold numbers from doctors’ offices to overcrowded clinics and emergency rooms.
In Arizona, primary care funding for community clinics would be cut by a third, or roughly 41,000 patient visits a year. In Hawaii, care for Alzheimer’s patients would be cut.
In South Carolina, 70,000 poor children could be denied regular checkups and more than 5,000 would lose meal deliveries as the state considers cutting nearly 5 percent from its current-year budget.
In Ohio, the state’s job and family services agency faces cuts. In Rhode Island, one in 10 elderly patients eligible for nursing home care could be pushed to cheaper settings, forced to rely on visiting nurses or family members for care.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/03/17/states_budget_crises_will_hurt_millions/?page=2
With all the budget savings and cutting, the balance of quality health care is very impossible. The incentives for healthcare professional will decrease.
Majority of middle income earner have health insurance paid in part by its employer. Most elderly over 65 years of age have medicare part a, b and d. To those who have not contributed to the system or without employment can avail the government program Medicaid.
Obama’s proposal must be very specific. He will make the baby boomer’s unhappy. Quality service cannot be sacrificed.
Most people who are working and healthy do not rely on government subsidies. The retirees have paid for it already when they were employed… medicare, medicaid and ssn ( FICA) are automatic income deductions.
The Cash to balance the deficit… is in medicare and medicaid. The propose cut is not a guarantee of service but to fix the budget deficit… It’s not healthcare. It’s the economy , stupid.
“The Cash to balance the deficit… is in medicare and medicaid. The propose cut is not a guarantee of service but to fix the budget deficit… It’s not healthcare. It’s the economy , stupid.” – Leyetenian
But pray tell me,my dear, who squandered the budget surplus from the Clinton years, by going to an unnecessary war in Iraq, with all sorts of justifications, until finally deciding the U.S. wants a regime change???
Singson qualified as deputy nat’l security adviser – Palace
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/118730/Singson-qualified-as-deputy-natl-security-adviser—Palace
Now RP has a known jueteng lord as deputy intelligence chief. Well, what else is new?
A gambling lord was almost elected governor of Pampanga. An actor is anti-drugs czar. Well, I almost forgot, we had an actor as head of state/government for two years. Before him, a general, and before that, a housewife.
It doesn’t take much smarts to run a country to the ground. All you need are lords-of-something.
The Budget deficit is happening now.Healthcare cuts are happening now!
In California,Arnold Swarzenegger is a republican.
There is a mixture of democratic and republican legislators.
Arizona is McCain state,of course is a Republican.
South Carolina has republican senators
and Ohio is also dominated by republican senators.
And ….It’s the Economy stupid is a DNC campaign gimick!
Tama na nga suko na ako sayo Leytenian.
About Singson.
Ano ba qualification nya sa national security.
siguro ang pag iwas nya sa ambush kahit saang sulok ng pilipinas sya sumuot.
Jueteng was or is nationwide and in involves cooperation of the Police and the Military,kung nagawa nyang smooth ang operations ng jueteng ,kaya rin siguro nya ang national security.
madami pa.
kaya kung marami kang pera takbo ka na lang sa senado ;kung olats ka me trabahong naghihintay sa iyo.
medyo di ko namonitor ang nagyari ke Pichay. Nasaan sya ngayon?
KG,
Pichay was named to head the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA). I heard he refused as he wanted DND, Bureau of Customs, PAGCOR, OWWA, etc. instead. Can’t blame him, konti yata kita sa LWUA.
how is PICHAY qualified for this post?
and people clain GMA is an intelligent economist…eh mga appointees niya puro boplaks at corrupt.
That doesn’t seem like good economics to me.
at ang kapal (and super pangit) ng mukha ni Pichay ha to demand and pick these appointments. ano yan, kumakain sa buffet???
really, 80 million filipinos and Pichay is even being considered for government posts of which he knows nil?
@jcc
I hope you are using the term ‘liberal’ in the pejorative USA definition kasi it’s a positive term elsewhere.
cheers,
and if I may make a humble suggestion.
suggestion lang naman.
parang awa, tama na yang kaha-hyperlink niyo ng mga google search results niyo. i think people can do that for themselves.
do you go to a bar, start a conversation, but then open your textbook in the middle to prove a point?
read, digest, DISTILL, share.
let’s continue with the semi-original punditry hokey.
@ KG,
As in the US, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), of which the Deputy National Security Adviser heads, submits a daily national security assessment.
In the case of Chavit Singson, baka malito siya at ang ma-submit niya kay presidente ay ang daily national jueteng collection.
nash,
I heard Pichay spent the most in the 2004 senatorial elections. Kailangan niyang bawiin ito big-time.
Customs, PAGCOR, and OWWA puwede pasar.!
Mali, should be:
“…2007 senatorial elections..”
Yes, and despite all that money spent (pang special effects to make him look handsome) the people clearly did not think he was fit enough to be senator.
Grabe na talaga, kawawa ang mga civil servants from the inside. How demoralising to know that even with your hardwork (and let us assume that a high percentage of government officials are indeed very hardworking) you will never ever reach the top because it’s always being filled by losers.
F***ing Hell!
I thought it was a metaphorical joke! Chavit is our SPY boss?????????????????????? He was really appointed?
GMA is really crazy.
I’m sorry, but only morons would appoint a felon, and a very VIOLENT one at that, to handle a very dangerous agency.
This is indefensible, I take it even the likes of Bencard will agree that GMA is super moronic with this appointment.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer — the most reliable and impartisan Philippine newspaper — reports :
Asked to comment on the resurging debate on US military presence here, Embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson reiterated earlier statements that American soldiers were “never involved†in combat operations in the south amid the Philippines’ campaign to rout rebel forces there.
“We don’t have US forces permanently in the Philippines, so they come and go. They are here at the invitation of the Philippines. We have no bases or plans to base in the Philippines,†Thompson told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday.
ayon naman pala, eh…….
KG,
“Healthcare cuts are happening now!”
you got that right… If obama will cut even more..what will happen to quality healthcare , deleivery of service, fees for services and the salary of healthcare professionals… previous post: OF remittances
i think you are only getting the fact but you have not really understood the consequences:
salary reduction and quality healthcare.
and you are right, it is only a DNC gimick . Republicans are now cost cutting at STATE level. Obama’s proposal is at FEDERAL level.
nash,
liberal and conservative are terms used to distinguish the two main political parties in the U.S. no perorative meaning is attached in either when i used the terms though to some partisan foot soldiers, the word liberal to one who is a republican foot soldier conjures the image of everything abominable and vice versa…. i am not a foot soldier. i believe that i am a republican sergeant, not a foot soldier.
Devolution: Gordon Brown
“Devolution is intended to preserve the unity of the United Kingdom  and developing devolution is intended to strengthen Scotland’s place within it.â€Â
Scotland is well placed to survive economic Armageddon.
The country will be more resilient than other parts of the
UK to a downturn:
“One reason for this is that the larger public sector in Scotland acts as an anchor. It’s a drag when things are going well, but it’s a benefit when things are going badly.â€Â
Dougie Adams, economic adviser to the Ernst & Young Scottish Item Club, said: “Scotland was much less affected than the rest of the UK in the 1990s downturn. Between 1990 and 1992 the Scottish economy expanded by nearly 0.5%, compared with no growth in the UK. There is evidence to suggest that the current episode will be similar.â€Â
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article4276301.ece
our pseduo nationalists continue hammerring down on the issue that the americans still covet the philippines despite the U.S. uprooting her bases in the country decades ago, we continue to entertain ourselves that the american has still that “pagnanasa” in our land. P.I. is no longer strategic in the maintenance of U.S. strategic interest in the Pacific. There is Okinawa that takes care of that plus the fact that modern warfare is no longer dependent on land-base structure as launch pad to conduct air strike against identified targets. there are highly-sophisticated carriers, huge but mobile that can be repositioned 24 hours a day to police the seas and put under seige any nation that is considered inimical to the best interest of the U.S.
we conveniently look at the U.S. as the strawman to vent our ire and cover-up our own failures as a people and as a nation… we should start working for our economic uplfitment and stop blaming others for our misery.. only then that we can progress as a nation and as a people.
“we continue to entertain ourselves that the american has still that “pagnanasa†in our land. P.I. is no longer strategic in the maintenance of U.S. strategic interest in the Pacific.” – jcc
OK, but would you please stop referring to the country as P.I. The official name is the Philippines, in case you have forgotten. I don’t know how long you have been in Tate, but you sound like one of those US navy types.
we continue to appoint criminals in high government positions and yet we blame the americans for our misery… 🙂
on the contrary the official designation of the Philippines is P.I. (meaning Philippine Island). you seem to have contempt towards Pinoy Navy sailors. These humble workers continue to remit part of their earnings to their relatives to the Philippines which collectively with all other remittancesof OF’s, U.S. immigrants and OFW ‘scmake the economy of P.I. afloat. 🙂
“on the contrary the official designation of the Philippines is P.I. (meaning Philippine Island). ”
If you could you show me anywhere that the official name of the country is P.I., well and good. ‘Contempt’, it was you who mentioned it.
I remember our host saying that he did not like the designation ‘P.I.’ as well.
“U.S. immigrants and OFW ’scmake the economy of P.I. afloat. ” – jcc
And don’t kid yourself that most remittances to the Philiipines come from the U.S. It’s only seems like that because many correspondent banks in the Middle East and Asia are American.
philman,
don’t bring the discussion to small time issue. “don’t sweat the small stuff”. USA for United States of America, U.N. for United Nations, CN for Canada,CA for California, MI for Michigan AU for Australia. P.I. for Philippines. No derogatory meaning is conveyed when one uses P.I. to mean the Philippines.
Read your post. The reference to navy sounding sailors connotes contempt towards those sailors.
ay diyos ko po ginoo. where did i say that most remittances are from the US? Please read before you respond. 🙂
what has manolo’s preference to do with one’s right to refer to the Philippines in its official designation in the international community as P.I.? Unless you want to pander to Manolo’s bias or wanted to show your psycophantine side… i don’t think manolo would consider this issue a big deal to fret about… he is not tight minded, i suppose. 🙂
jcc,
Did I say Filipinos in the US navy? I was referring to the GI Joes in ths Navy. I’ve heard them; because I was born and raised in Olongapo City.
You’re the one who is making the reference. So if there is no derogatory connection, why even mention the supposed ‘contempt.’
Unless, you yourself have it. Susmaryosep talaga!
jcc, unless i remembered wrongly, i think the reason Manolo objected to ‘P.I’ was precisely because it was not the proper name for the Republic of the Philippines.
jcc,
‘on the contrary the official designation of the Philippines is P.I. (meaning Philippine Island).’
You must be reading a very old book. Throw it away.
p.i. is the official designation of the philippines in the international community.. if you believe otherwise, that’s you prerogative. if i believe it otherwise, that’s my prerogative too. but does not make you more patriotic because you call the Philippines, Philippines and I may call Philippines, P.I. – does not at all indicate one’s level of love for country.
i could not believe that one’s reference to Philippines as P.I. could generate such acrimonious bebate in this blog. this really is our problem, we sweat on small stuff. 🙂
I like P.I. girls.
jcc,
I don’t see any country called Philippine Island (P.I.) in the UN list of member countries.
http://www.un.org/members/list.shtml
The old designation for the Philippines before July 4, 1946 was Philippine Commonwealth.
philman.
what’s your meaning when you said I sound like those US Navy Types?. Was not the meaning obvious that you were comparing me to US Navy you have contempt with? whether they are Pinoys or G.I. Joes is not an issue. your comparison of me as sounding like one of those NAvy G.I. joes in Olongapo is contemptous, unless you do not know how to read your post. 🙂
supremo,
i see also lists of countries where Philippines is referred as P.I. but we are missing the point. should we engaged ourselves in acrimonous debate on this issue? this is small stuff. 🙂
‘And don’t kid yourself that most remittances to the Philiipines come from the U.S. It’s only seems like that because many correspondent banks in the Middle East and Asia are American.’
I think most remitters are from the Middle East but the amount coming from the USA is still bigger. The problem with the BSP is it’s too dependent on local banks for statistics. The problem with local banks is it does not care where the money is coming from as long as they get paid for transferring it.
“p.i. is the official designation of the philippines in the international community.”
Prolly the sex tourism community, bro. How ya doing there in the P.I., btw?
jcc,
Nothing is too small for discussion in MLQ’s blog.
i liked to share cvj’s blog : I like the the money flow illustration… check it out…
http://cvjugo.blogspot.com/2008/08/framework-for-making-food-subsidies.html
jcc,
‘our pseduo nationalists continue hammerring down on the issue that the americans still covet the philippines’
Most of them have children with green cards.
Fannie and Freddie bailed out by Fed. Time to print more dollar bills.
KG,
Thanks for posting my piece. Now there’s hope for Lone Ranger to go Voltes V, then Dirty Dozen… Warning shots go unnoticed when Batman’s phantoms and Star Lies are on. Finding that misplaced can opener can wait as we match wits on the world’s puzzles.