The ThunderDragon

Gordon Brown is calling for a cut in petrol prices.

If he does, then he can simply reduce the amount of tax he levies on it, which as I previously revealed is the highest in the G7, with 55% of of the price we pay at the pump going straight in to the government’s coffers.

So any case for a cut in fuel prices can go straight back to Brown and Darling themselves: cut the amount of tax we pay.

[Of course, the fuel companies should also cut their prices to reflect the crude oil price drop - but the government made extra money out of the higher fuel prices and the oil companies didn't, so it's only fair that they now give it back.]

Apple is threatening to shut down iTunes if the amount of royalties that they must pay is increased. American music publishers want rates to rise from 9 cents to 15 cents per downloded track, a 66% hike.

If this is passed by the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington DC, iTunes will shut down. This is the largest online music store in the world, and if this shuts down where will all those people who are buying their songs go? Almost certainly to illegal download sites.

The music industry is trying to get their claws into the download market and leech it of life. If they charge lots in royalties, people will not buy them, but download them illegally.

Music companies appear to have no understanding of the modern world, and are stuck with an out-moded view of the world. If they push this through, they will lose out in the end.

I’ve just seen an advert for Bradford and Binglry on TV. Their tagline was something like:

Your savings are safe with Bradford and Bingley

Rather ironic, considering today’s news.

One would have thought that the adverts would have been pulled already.

Following the collapse of major US investment banks Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch and others, compounded by the problems suffered by UK banking giant HBOS, the economic problems have now spread across to hit Japan.

In the last few days the famous Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and the Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.

Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song. Today shares in Kamikaze Bank was suspended after they nose-dived and 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop.

Analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that customers may get a raw deal.

Note: This is a edited version of the joke I previously published.

Today has been very nearly the 21st century equivalent of the Wall Street Crash in 1929.

Lehman Brothers has gone bankrupt and Merrill Lynch has been bought by Bank of America. This shows just how deep the problems really are, that three major investment banks have effectively folded.

The outcome of this is that the financial markets will significantly change. When the crisi is over, the financial markets will have changed massively, lacking a great number of firms. But what will also happen is that they will take fewer and smaller risks.

I don’t feel sorry for the bankers, who have been paying themselves huge bonuses when they bet right, but not taking any hit when they bet wrong. This time, they bet really wrong, and are finally paying for it.

However, some employees of Lehman’s certainly deserve our sympathy: the new graduates. They interviewed one poor sod on BBC News, who had started just one week ago, but was already out of a job through no fault of his own, but his overly greedy bosses.

Image: I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER

Gordon Brown accepts responsibility? Well, sorta.

Of course. I’m the person who is in charge and I have got to take responsibility for what happens.

And here’s the but…

But I am explaining to you that if you go around the world, you will see that every country is affected.

So it’s all the worlds fault, after all. Not Gordo’s - everyone elses.

The fact that Gordo was Chancellor for eleven years and systematically ensured that there was no leftover money should the economy falter is by no means his fault. Understand?

When the political parties agree it usually means you should look out for your wallet. - John Redwood.

Too true. The only thing political parties seem to have in common is a desire to get hold of our money.

via Matt Wardman:

From 1st September 2008, the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd has generously agreed to match, pound for pound, any *new* income that NO2ID receives. Which means that for every pound you give from 1st September NO2ID will receive TWO pounds to spend campaigning against the ID scheme and database state.

Please send your donation by cheque to our office (please mark your envelope ‘JRRT’):

The NO2ID Campaign
Box 412
19-21 Crawford Street
London W1H 1PJ

Or you can donate by credit card or via PayPal using the ‘Donate’ button on our website, http://www.no2id.net (left hand column)

Definitely something worthwhile. Please pass it on.

Just a few days ago I wrote about the rules under which donations are made to political parties, and now the amounts that parties received in donations in the last quarter has been revealed.

Between them they received £10.7m, split down as follows:

• Conservatives: £5.6m
• Labour: £3.8m
• Liberal Democrats: £945,192

This is up from £8.1m last quarter, with the Lib Dems having the largest percentage increase, doubling their previous income, and the Conservatives increasing their income by £1.4m.

However, all parties have huge debts:

• Conservatives: £12.1m
• Labour: £17.9m
• Liberal Democrats: £1.1m

The Lib Dems seem in by far the best financial health, but this is probably because they aren’t required to piss away money in the same way as the other parties as they aren’t considered serious contenders for forming a government.

But none of the parties are particularly financially secure, though Labour is by far the weakest with their massive debt and comparatively low incomings. So we as individuals must ensure that we donate to our political party of choice to keep democracy going.

This income, however, does not include Short money - which is provided from the State coffers primarily to allow opposition parties to examine and oppose government policy. Of Short money, the parties received:

• Conservatives: £1.3m
• Labour: £132,156
• Liberal Democrats: £637,625

Which, to be honest, is pennies in comparison with other governmental spending and waste.

We do get our politics on a shoestring in comparison with other countries, really. But we must ensure that it continues, through disallowing further State party funding and promoting voluntary donations.

Just imagine: You are Gordon Brown. You have spent £167 million on advertising, £29 million on PR and sponsorship and £12 million on “strategic consultancy”, totalling nearly £400m on spin in the past year.

What would you expect to be getting for it?

A positive personal rating? A poll boost? A donations rise?

Instead you get terrible poll results, called an electoral liability by a senior member of your own party, and have 76% of the electorate thiking that your government is being run badly.

Wouldn’t you think that you had got more than slightly fleeced? And you’d be right.

At times like this, I almost feel sorry for Gorden Brown. But then I remember that it’s our money he’s throwing away on spin.