Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall; And universal Darkness buries All.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Mission creep - US bombing consolidates in AFPAK with O'Bomber's new plan - with no end in sight
President Obama gave a speech this morning outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, (AFPAK) as a taster for a (slightly) more detailed white paper [PDF].
The plan outlined what O'Bomber cals "realistic and achievable objectives."
- Disrupting terrorist networks in Afghanistan and especially Pakistan to degrade any ability they have to plan and launch international terrorist attacks.
- Promoting a more capable, accountable, and effective government in Afghanistan that serves the Afghan people and can eventually function, especially regarding internal security, with limited international support.
- Developing increasingly self-reliant Afghan security forces that can lead the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism fight with reduced U.S. assistance.
- Assisting efforts to enhance civilian control and stable constitutional government in Pakistan and a vibrant economy that provides opportunity for the people of Pakistan.
- Involving the international community to actively assist in addressing these objectives for Afghanistan and Pakistan, with an important leadership role for the UN.
Friday, March 27, 2009
US has 12 months stock of new homes for sale.
The median sales price of new houses sold in February 2009 was US $200,900; the average sales price was US$251,000. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of February was 330,000. This represents a supply of 12.2 months in the market at the current sales rate.
More Predator strikes by US in Pakistan - More rewards for Justice bonuses for Taliban / al Quaeda phantom leaders
The US conducted another 2 Predator airstrikes with Helfire misiles in Pakistan's tribal areas in the last 2 days.
Five people were reported killed and four wounded hitting what is said to be a Taliban compound in North Waziristan - a compund run by Malik Gulab Khan in the Sokhel region just outside Mir Ali.
Unusually the CIA did not report any senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders killed.
Mir Ali is a known stronghold of al Qaeda leader Abu Kasha al Iraqi said at one time to have links both with al Qaeda and the Taliban. Kasha is said to be an Iraqi national who operates in the Mir Ali region and serves as the key link between al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or executive council, and the Taliban.
Abu Kasha was thought to have been killed in an attack in North Waziristan in October 2008, but survives yet.
Kasha commands two local Pakistani commanders, Imanullah and Haq Nawaz Dawar. These men administer al Qaeda's network in Mir Ali. Kasha has a working relationship and close communication with the Uzbek terror groups, including the Islamic Jihad Group run by Najimuddin al Uzbeki, who also operates out of North Waziristan.
The last attack that targeted Abu Kasha's network took place on Feb. 23, 2009. Ten Taliban and al Qaeda fighters were killed after Predators targeted a compound run by a local named Khalil.
Second strike in 24 hours signals an end to a brief pause in attacks
A further Predator attack today is the eleventh inside Pakistan this calendar year and follows yesterday's strike against a Taliban convoy in South Waziristan. Eight were killed, including "foreigners,"( CIA speak al Qaeda operatives). The attack took place in Makeen, the hometown (?) of Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. On New years day Taliban kidnapped four Pakistani paramilitary soldiers of the South Waziristan Scouts after the Taliban attacked the Ladha Fort near the town of Makeen.
These latest attacks coincided with the US Department of State's placing a bounty on the heads of two senior Pakistan-based Taliban leaders. Up to US$5 Mn dollars has been offered "for information leading to the location and/or capture" of Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud (Pakistani authorities believe that the January 2007 suicide attack against the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad was staged by militants loyal to Mehsud. Press reports also have linked Mehsud to the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the deaths of other innocent civilians.) and al Qaeda ally Sirajuddin Haqqani.
Additionally, a US $1 MN. bounty has been offered for information leading to the capture or conviction of al Qaeda propagandist and ideologue Abu Yahya al Libi.
More information about all three is located on the Rewards for Justice website (www.rewardsforjustice.net/abuyahya).
Barclays - it's Double your money time Folks!
Lord Patel invested last Monday in Barclays at 82 p and sold out on Wednesday am @ 118p.
As we speak the shares are trading at 162.9 (and rising) with 107 MN shares changing hands.
That means those who got in at the right time and hung on have doubled their money in 2 weeks. This rise is attributed to the news that Barclays is set to receive bids for iShares, its exchange traded funds business, over this weekend, and will agree a deal by Monday, in a move that could further appease its shareholders, who were today reassured by the financial regulator about the UK bank's capital position.
So no question of any insider trading going on there then as the shares rose strongly ahead of the announcement today about iShares.
Having missed the extra profit on Barclays the shares Lord Patel bought in Lloyds have risen from 57p on Tuesday. They have traded as high as 78 today and setled down at about 73p (up 28%).
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Kissinger still giving orders
Obama National Security Advisor says he takes marching orders from Henry Kissinger
March 26, 2009 — Stefan Fobes
Remarks by National Security Adviser Jones at 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy
From CFR.org
U.S. National Security Adviser Jones gave these remarks at the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof on February 8, 2009.
“Thank you for that wonderful tribute to Henry Kissinger yesterday. Congratulations. As the most recent National Security Advisor of the United States, I take my daily orders from Dr. Kissinger, filtered down through Generaal Brent Scowcroft and Sandy Berger, who is also here. We have a chain of command in the National Security Council that exists today.
IBM continue outsourcing and "letting" US staff go"
A bird whispers in Lord Patel's transatlantic listening post that report IBM is planning to layff 6,000 U.S. employees. THis will lead to transferring jobs and functions to India. Wat is calld the global business-services unit is the core of the change , and is a major part of IBM's efforts to steadily build up their foreign based workforce.
Figures supplied show that foreign based employes accounted for 71% of IBM's employees at the start of the year, up from 65% in 2006.
It's already started see memo ..
“Starting next week several Hartford delivery teams will be working directly with fellow IBM team members from India to begin the second phase of our Global delivery solution planned for the Hartford account. The teams will be engaged in a multi-week effort to facilitate knowledge transfer to prepare for migration of specific work activities to global delivery counterparts later in 2009. Your continued support and leadership is critical to ensure our overall success and to ensure we continue to deliver high quality cost effective solutions that IBM committed to the Hartford. Please ensure you and your teams actively support this effort.”
Computer World in January had a report , "IBM won't disclose plan, but union fears as many as 16,000 may lose their jobs"
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
UK Gilts auction fails - ther IS a limit to what the market will buy .....
Storms can be presaged by the blowing of straw in the wind"of . Well the market landed a hefty bale of the stuff on Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling's desk today.
Today, in the normal way of things the Treasury Debt Management Office - auctioned £1.75bn of a 40 year bond ( of interest principally to annuity issuers - insueres pensions etc.,).
The market picked up 93% or only £163 Mn. of the issue.
The Debt Management Office has a Herculean task of borrowing at least £147.9bn of gilts in the next 12 months - there are many who say uncontrolled public expenditure might mean they could be looking for £200Bn.
There must be some sweaty palms in the Treasury this evening.
Repairing the old wallet.
Stock picking is gambling so Lord Patel to salve his financial wounds invested last Monday in Barclays at 82 p and sold out this am @ 118p. (UPDATE Wed opnend at 127 )A modest return relying on the venality of bankers / hedge funds etc., who have been ramping the share to buggary. (Ditto LLoyds)
This is going into ING (now with sensible management in place and clear stated goals) which he confidently expects to run up to 10 Euros from the current 4.74 Euros (closd at 4.89)
Some is also going (counter cyclical and prolly very unwise) into Lloyds Bank at 57p which has run from 40 p in the last 2 weeks.(closed at 61.7) UPDATE Wed opened at 64.5
The proceeds will eventually ne used to swallow up some more Drax and Tesco.
To err is human ...
John Kennedy was a charmer but his halting delivery "The .er...er...President ..err...err.of..er..The...United ...er....States ...err" brought out the above riposte.
He lived in an age without teleprompters and the apparatus of Hollywood technology which helps bolster O'Bomber' s facile delivery and shallow thoughts. eg "It took many years and many failures to lead us here. And it will take many months and many different solutions to lead us out." .well hey, Mr Prez Elect as was , why didn't you tell us when it was all happening ?
"They're assuming a growth rate of 2.2 %; we're assuming a growth rate of 2.6%. Those small differences end up adding up to a lot of money." Doh ! Zat so !
Listening to his limp, slow, awkwards response about his role as the first Black (?) President he came across as a dumb, tongue tied, non reflexive person.Worthy, maybe. Dull yes.
He is after all the glove puppet of the Zionist cabal and the Old Establishment and has, as predicted here been consigend to out of down, and downtown Palookaville.
What with his unscripted performance yesterday (text) and his dodgy jokes about cripples he had better watch it before he is seen as the Bush Redux.
US Unemployment swells claimants as Government payrolls soar.
America's heartlands are hurting, figures for Ohio show how the trend is steadily downwards for employment - but as ever, Government employment increases.
Ohio and U.S. Employment Services in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Labor released numbers today for uneployment at end Februarywhich show rates at 9.4% ( a 25 yesar high - March 1984 ) up from 8.8 %ercent in January. Ohio's nonfarm wage and salary employment decreased 7,600 over the month, from 5,208,000 in January, to 5,200,400 in February.
The U.S. total unemployment rate for February was 8.1 %, up from 7.6 % in January.
The manufacturing, retail, professional services and financial sectors all fell, while government services was the only major sector to climb.
Big Job cuts take their toll in Ohio.
The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly report for Ohio shows 91 companies cut 50 or more workers in February, up from 42 companies in February 2008. The figures are seasonally unadjusted.
Resulting first-time unemployment claims from those cuts more than doubled in turn, hitting 9,065 filings compared with 4,387 a year earlier.
That’s the seventh-highest share of unemployment insurance filings in the nation, with California topping the list with 45,557 filings last month.
Nationally In February, employers took 2,769 mass layoff actions involving 295,477 workers. Mass layoff events increased by 542 (20%) from January, and initial claims increased by 57,575. Layoff events for all industries and for the manufacturing sector rose to their highest levels on record.
(Press release)
Thirteen of the 19 major industry sectors reported program (ie since 1996) highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of February--mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; professional and technical services; management of companies and enterprises; educational services; accommodation and food services; and other services, (surpise , surprise) except public administration.
Louisiana and Mississippi were the only states to experience over-the-year decreases in initial claimants.
These figures must give some bankers niht sweats - who the hell are they going to stuff with loans now ?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Southwark, London SE15 3BT Google Street view etc.,
Some 60,000 people, from shopping centre security guards to hotel workers, are being trained to respond to the threat of terrorism, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said.
Her comments came two days ahead of the publication of a counter-terrorism strategy which ministers are billing as the most comprehensive approach to tackling the threat issued by any government in the world.
Google Earth Street view
Nearly EX PM Gorfom Brown Observer today "We know that terrorists will keep on trying to strike and that protecting Britain against this threat remains our most important job."
The Sunday Telegraph "Around 60,000 British workers, from shop staff to hotel employees, are being trained to spot the terror threat and respond to attacks, under Government plans. "
Dead Palestinian babies and bombed mosques - IDF fashion 2009
"Dead babies, mothers weeping on their children's graves, a gun aimed at a child and bombed-out mosques - these are a few examples of the images Israel Defense Forces soldiers design these days to print on shirts they order to mark the end of training, or of field duty. The slogans accompanying the drawings are not exactly anemic either: A T-shirt for infantry snipers bears the inscription "Better use Durex," next to a picture of a dead Palestinian baby, with his weeping mother and a teddy bear beside him....."
More at Haaretz ...
Dead Palestinian babies and bombed mosques - IDF fashion 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Pig Sick - Our Pigs, Our Food, Our Health - MRSA ST398 - the new community health problem ?
'Sick as a pig' is a campaigning film produced and filmed in Holland and commissioned by the Soil Association in conjunction with Compassion in World Farming. This exposes the rise of a new strain of MRSA in pigs (called ST398), and links its with the overuse of antibiotics on intensive pig farms throughout Europe. (Press release)
Amongst other claims the producers say 40% of Dutch pigs and up to 50% of Dutch pig farmers are now carrying this new and virulent strain which is spreading into the wider population. First detected in Holland in 2003 it now causes almost one in three cases of MRSA treated in Dutch hospitals, the programme makers said. In Dutch hospitals farmers are no longer permitted in general wards without prior screening.
The widespread use of antibiotics in intensive pig farming is claimed to be the cause for rapid spread of farm-animal MRSA.The Soil association claim some 60-70% of British farmers regularly use large doses of antibiotics in pig production. Organic standards, prohibit the routine use of antibiotics.
A spokesman for British Pig Exporters (BPEX) said: "MRSA has not been detected in farmed livestock in the UK and there is no current evidence that food producing animals form a reservoir in the UK.
Sixty percent of the pork meat the UK consumes is imported. 87% of imported bacon comes from the Netherlands or Denmark. 63% of imported pork and 57% of imported processed pig meat comes from Denmark, the Netherlands or Germany.
"The European Food Safety Authority is undertaking studies, looking at the issue of MRSA in food-producing animals and considering what surveillance and other actions would be most appropriate for monitoring use of antibiotics - which the UK are helping with.
The UK has decided not to publish any British results from the EU survey of pigs for MRSA before November 2009.(Perhaps the problem will disappear if it is ignored - like Blue Tongue in cattle)
The first concete evidence that pigs could infect people with MRSA came in the Netherlands in 2004, when a young woman tested positive for a new strain of MRSA, called ST398. The family lived on a farm, public health authorities moved in in — and found that three family members, three co-workers and 8 of 10 pigs tested all carried MRSA. See Pigs to humans: alert over new MRSA strain Guradian 25th June 2007
A small Dutch study found pig farmers there were 760 times more likely than the general population to carry MRSA (without necessarily showing symptoms), and Scientific American reports that this strain of MRSA has turned up in 12 percent of Dutch retail pork samples.Now this same strain of MRSA has also been found in the United States. A new study by Tara Smith, a University of Iowa epidemiologist, found that 45 % of pig farmers she sampled carried MRSA, as did 49 % of the hogs tested.
Farming UK has a story 2 weeks ago that (MRSA) has been found at several farms in Switzerland by the the Swiss federal veterinary office (BVET).
The bacteria was found in one pig and two cows on farms in the West of Switzerland. In addition, three producers have been contaminated.
The infections were discovered through research by the University of Lausanne and the Institute Galli-Valerio, that investigated over 100 farms on MRSA. They discovered the prevalence of the MRSA strain ST398.
The report says that MRSA in pigs has also recently been established in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Canada and the USA.
To arrive at some understanding of the scale ofthe problem - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 94,000 Americans get serious, invasive MRSA infections each year and nearly 19,000 die. Treatment costs between $3 and $4 billion a year, according to an estimate by Dr. Larry Liu of Pfizer Inc. One study(2006 Morbidity and cost burden of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in early onset ventilator-associated pneumonia) shows Attributable excess costs ) of MRSA amounted to approximately US$8000 per case after controlling for case mix and severity.
Note : 'Sick as a pig' can be viewed online at http://www.theecologist.org/etv/
and http://www.green.tv/ecologist_sick_as_a_pig1 (from 13.30, 20 th March)
It is a new documentary made by the Ecologist Film Unit based on an investigation by Ecostorm for the Soil Association / Compassion in World Farming and the Soil Association report, 'MRSA in farm animals and meat: a new threat to human health'
Friday, March 20, 2009
Massive wave of Anti-Semitism terrorises Northern Ireland - Zionists organise
David Amess (Southend West, Conservative and raised as Roman Catholic - also Parliamentary Adviser to the Caravan Club) was busy worrying Paul Goggins (Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office) yesterday and asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reports he has received on levels of anti-Semitism in Northern Ireland since December 2008 Hansard
The estimable Goggins (also raised as a Roman Catholic) explained this was really a matter for the First Minister (Peter Robinson ) and deputy First Minister (Gerry Adams - never knowlingly assassinated a Jew) who are responsible for issues surrounding anti-Semitism.
In a written reply Goggins said he was advised that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) record crimes or incidents that have a religious motivation, however these are not routinely broken down into different faiths (which is odd in this deeply divided part of the Kingdom where they are still shooting police and soldiers).
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PNSI) he explained said there been five such crimes or incidents since December 2008, including at least one of an anti-Semitic nature.
This concen about an illusory wave of Jew baiting, and vile and violent asssaults on the blameless Jews in Northern Ireland has coincided with a very odd public meeting.
More than 200 people attended, including Northern Ireland government ministers, British MPs, and members of the Northern Ireland Assembly met at the Great Hall Stormont on March 12th to hear REvPaisley launch the Northern Ireland Friends of Israel.
According to a Lawyer and a Jew ,Steven Jaffe, principal organizer of the launch, who represents Belfast on the Board of Deputies of British Jews there has been "There has been a upswing in anti-Israel activity in Northern Ireland recently".
According to him “Three local authorities passed resolutions boycotting Israel, as did the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.”
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU -600000 members in 55 unions) launched a report on Israel and Palestine (10th Feb 2009) compiled by senior members who visited the region.
Predictably the DUP dismissed the report as unbalanced and urged unions to concentrate on local economic issues, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams who hosted the report’s launch in Stormont’s Long Gallery commended the trade unionists.
Protestant trade unionist Terry McCorran co-organized the event. He is a member of UNISON - The Public Service Union, the second largest trade union in the United Kingdom, with more than 1.3 million members.How he consulted embers about their collective stance is unknown - you may wish to visit the Trade Union Friends of Israel website.
Henry Grunwald, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, addressed the launch meeting, leaving “no doubt as to the nature of Hamas and its desire to destroy Israel.”
“Clearly Hamas would have to change greatly before it could be admitted into the peace process,” he said. Presumanly beimg the democratically elected government of Palestine / Gaza isn't enough for this Jeffersonian liberal.
More of this at Jerusalem Post
Sir Ronald Storrs, the first British military governor of Jerusalem, explained that the Zionist “enterprise was one that blessed him that gave as well as him that took, by forming for England ‘a little loyal Jewish Ulster’ in a sea of potentially hostile Arabism.” The Zionists would be the Orangemen of Palestine.
Are you siting comfortably ? Well the Defence Chiefs certainly are.
This entertaining exchange took place yesterday in the House of Commons- the evidently underemployed Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent, Independent) Hansard asked the Secretary of State for Defence .. " how much his Department has spent on the purchase of new chairs for its main building in the last two years; what the unit cost was of each type of chair purchased; and what best value criteria were applied.
Up strode Kevan Jones (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Defence; North Durham, Labour) and failed to tell him ..
In the last two years, the MOD has spent £17,687 on new chairs. I am withholding the unit costs of the individual items as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests. The terms of the contract require the contractor, Modus Services Ltd., to seek to obtain best value for money in its purchasing.
The MOD haveType45 destroyers but no missiles, Aircraft carriers have been delayed, Tranche 3 of Typhoon is shortly to be cancelled, FRES is a dead duck, troops are desperately short of helicopters in Afghanistan, MOD housing is a costly decaying shambles, Chinook purchase is till a confusd and confusing miasma , Bowman radio , overweight, over budget ....
.... and the MOD HQ spent £740 per month on new chairs.
Glad to see we are getting our spending priorities right.
Nothing new here though the Daily Mail had a story - "
Fears of Government over-spending have been fuelled today as a row broke out - over the cost of new chairs billed to be the most comfortable seats in the world.
The Ministry of Defence bought 3,000 Aeron chairs, billed as the most comfortable seats in the world, as part of a £350 million refurbishment plan.
That was 5 years ago on 12 July 2004 and the Telegraph took the story up as well.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Final Solution (Endlosung) for the Palestinian people
From War in Context ..
Hillary Clinton met Pesident elect Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem during her recent visit to Israel. When they entered his office 20 year veteran Mossad appartchik Uzi Arad was at Bibi's" side. Arad’s involvement in the “AIPAC case” and the Franklin spy case (The Pentagon analysts pleaded guilty in 2005 to providing classified information about Iran in a conversation with two employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) - this resulted in Arad being barred from entry into the US.
Arad has been denied a U.S. visa since June 2007 under section 212 3(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Consular officers and the Justice Department authority can bar people who may seek "to violate any law of the United States relating to espionage or sabotage" from entering the country.
As soon as Secretary Clinton and her advisers realized Arad was standing next to Netanyahu in the meeting room, they tried to discreetly avoid diplomatic complications by requesting that “only three participants from each side stay in the meeting”. It was an indirect way of requesting that Mr Arad leave the room. But the US delegation was stunned when Israel’s Prime Minister-Designate kept the former Mosad agent present, choosing instead to kick out Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Sallai Meridor. Clinton’s delegation did not say a word about the Netanyahu’s diplomatic slap-in-the-face, hoping the incident would not make headlines. Ambassador Meridor was not so insensitive about the affair. He was so put off that he announced his resignation soon afterwards.
Netanyahu’s office later explained that Arad’s presence was required in the meeting “because of the Iranian issue,” and furthermore don't give a flying fuck what the US Secretary of State thinks
Arad is an advocate of “maximum deterrence” towards Iran and has said Israel should threaten to strike ‘everything and anything of value.’ He has said Israel should threaten to hit the Iranian leadership and their holiest sites and that they should hit everything together. This comes from the man tipped to become Netanyahu’s national security adviser.
Arad has distinctive vies on the Palestinian people. During an interview on Israel National News TV (Arutz Sheva is a media network based in the West Bank and is seen as the voice of the Jewish settler movement), Arad was asked whether the time has come to abandon the two-state solution. This is how he responded:
Haaretz report today that Israel rounded up 10 Hamas leaders in the West Bank early today , two days after indirect talks between Israel and the Islamic militant group on a deal to secure Gilad Shalit's release broke down.I don’t think that one has to go that far because at the end of the day, I don’t think the majority of Israelis want to see themselves responsible for the Palestinians. We do not want to control the Palestinian population. It’s unnecessary. What we do want is to care for our borders, for the Jewish settlements and for areas which are unpopulated and to have our security interests served well. But also to take under our responsibility these populations which, believe me, are not the most productive on earth, would become a burden. We want to relieve ourselves of the burden of the Palestinian populations - not territories. It is territory we want to preserve, but populations we want to rid ourselves of.
Among those detained were four Hamas lawmakers, a university professor and a former Hamas deputy prime minister.
Also Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, on Thursday said two of its men died in a missile strike in central Gaza, close to the border fence with Israel - this was denied by the IDF.
Demand for illegal nannies booms in NY and Wall Street ahead of Geithner's resignation
O'Bomber allowed Geithner with his dodgy tax paying amnesial record onboard - others swept in have politely found they haven't paid taxes, etc.,
Anybody quaified to work in the US Treasury is running bckwards as fast as they can.
The rats aren't leaving the sinking ship - they just don't want to be aboard and take the blame.
Time is running out for War Criminal Jack Straw - the torturers apprentice
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has agreed to hear evidence on torture on Tuesday 28 April at 1.45pm from an expert witness . Craig Murray.
On his website with this welcome news he adds ..
"I will testify that as British Ambassador, I was told there is a very definite policy to accept intelligence from torture abroad, that the policy was instituted and approved by Jack Straw when Foreign Secretary. I will tell them that as Ambassador I protested formally three times in writing to Jack Straw, and that the Foreign Office told me in reply to my protests that this was perfectly legal.
I will prove my evidence with documentation."
Here is the written evidence he will speak to ...
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2009/03/trying_again_my.html#comments
| Member | Constituency | Party |
| Mr Andrew Dismore MP (Chair) | Hendon | Labour |
| Mr John Austin MP | Erith and Thamesmead | Labour |
| Dr Evan Harris MP | Oxford West & Abingdon | Liberal Democrats |
| Mr Virendra Sharma MP | Ealing Southall | Labour |
| Mr Richard Shepherd MP | Aldridge-Brownhills | Conservative |
| Mr Edward Timpson MP | Crewe and Nantwich | Conservative |
| Lord Bowness | Conservative | |
| Lord Dubs | Labour | |
| Lord Lester of Herne Hill | Liberal Democrats | |
| Lord Morris of Handsworth | Labour | |
| The Earl of Onslow | Conservative | |
| Baroness Prashar | Cross Bench |
Skipton Building Society to take over Dunfermline mutual after £28 Mn + loss
SO IT GOES ON ....
Because of the problems in the US, Scotlands biggest buildng society, the Dunfermline (profit last year £2Mn) is ready to unveil losses of £28 Mn +.
The mutual, now 130 years old, with some 240 staff and 34 branches and 38 agencies throughout Scotland, has bad exposure to the crumbling commercial property market and the results of a recent push into buy-to-let loans in recent years - all the fault of the US and not imprudent Scottish bankers.
The Dunfermline is said to have been one of the last in the market to pull out of the 100% plus loans market, while it also had a considerable (and fatal) exposure to buy-to-let loans and lending to commercial property borrowers.
Partners for a merger have been sounded out and Yorkshire Building Society former employer of Jim Willens, the Dunfermline's new CEO is considered a good fit, by those few bankers who understand a good fit when they see one.
Graeme Dalziel the former CEO made a "surprise departure" in December after a 20% workforce cost saving cut in September. He joined as Finance Director in 1998 and became Chief Executive in 2001. he was / is a member of Council of CBI Scotland, the Council of the Building Societies Association and Cooperative Scotland Advisory Board. He is a past member of the Executive Committee of Scottish Council Development and Industry and a past Chairman of the Northern Association of Building Societies.
Graeme Hardie joined as IT Director with previous experience including group IT director at BSkyB, systems manager for Scottish & Newcastle Breweries, and was a senior management consultant at Price Waterhouse.
In 2006, as these problems were brewing , Peter Craigie was voted Finance Diector of the Year by the Bank of Scotland.
A tight lipped , ashen, spokeswoman asked if the Dunfermline stood by a pledge by Mr Dalziel six months ago that the Dunfermline would remain "an independent mutual building society", she replied: "Graeme is no longer here. That was his statement back then, not now. We are committed to remaining a mutual."
Those damned Americans , destroying the savings of prudent Scottish savers.
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