Old-fashioned Surfing

No internet browsing this weekend. I'm doing a different type of surfing in Croyde, North Devon. The weather forecast looks atrocious and this is my first experience, so it should be fun. I've also thrown the keys to this website to another politico, so keep checking in... It could be fun.

Grauniad Commissions Crap

Croydonian alerted me to a terrible article in the Grauniad. I don't like doing long pieces but this article was full of c*** so I had to nitpick.

Blinded by the cold war - Neil Clark Tuesday August 29, 2006 The Guardian

We can no longer deny the link between the eastern Europe exodus and economic 'reform'

Who's we? Is Mr Clark a xenophobe?

As the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the European Union edges closer, condescension towards eastern Europeans and their countries of origin grows into a crescendo.

Condescension growing into a crescendo!?!!!

The double standards could not be more glaring.

Err...

Both Bulgaria and Romania are routinely portrayed as backward, mafia-ridden hell-holes that will infect the rest of the continent come January 1. But is the political system in either country so much more corrupt than in Berlusconi-tainted Italy or cash-for-honours Britain?

You ask the questions... Independent research in this field says the answer is yes and yes. Romania is placed 85th just behind Rwanda and Lebanon who are tied in 83rd. UK is 11th. By the way, whilst I agree it stinks, nobody has been convicted of selling honours in Britain. Neil should be careful throwing such charges about.

We can also witness this unappealing chauvinism in the way eastern European migration is covered in the tabloid press.

Ahh... so you've answered your own question differently. Any basis for that?

Eastern Europeans are castigated for flooding into Britain,

Never heard of that at all! This isn't the experience of new EU migrants. What are you talking about?

yet very few people stop to ask why so many people (427,000 have left for Britain since 2004) are leaving the region

No I think that does happen. Are you just making this up? Also, that figure is very specific. It's also low.

where they grew up and have friends and family.

very emotive, but they are hardly cutting all ties with home.

On the rare occasions they do, the "pernicious legacy" of 40 years of communism is usually held responsible.

This is the main reason that they are poorer in general. It might be useful to compare East and West Germany in the post-war period if Neil remains unsure.

But communist rule ended more than 16 years ago - can it really still be blamed for the problems of today?

Anyone over 30 grew up under Communism. It's hardly ancient history. Western employers often comment that they can't employ anyone over 35 because of their old mindset.

What the people of the region are in fact escaping from are the consequences of the neoliberal economic policies of the early 90s, which led to what economist Laszlo Andor has called "Europe's great depression", the biggest economic slump in the continent since the 30s.

Most of these countries are pursuing much more "neoliberal" policies now than in the early 90s.

Away from the glitzy, globalised centres of Budapest, Prague and Warsaw, millions face poverty and hardship in the former communist bloc. GDP in the region fell between 20% and 40% in the decade after 1989,

Factually incorrect and poor, poor, poor analysis. Does this man not "get" the concept of hidden unemployment/wasteful production and how that artificially boosted GDP pre 1989? End of communism leads to price liberalisation leads to reduction in wasteful output leads to short-term (recorded) GDP falls. By 1993 the initial (inevitable) GDP dips had ended and signs of strong growth were seen in all countries which had taken reform seriously.

and, while a minority have seen real wages rise since the millennium, for the majority the "transition" process has witnessed a spectacular fall in living standards and a massive rise in unemployment and inequality.

Balderdash. I could do a whole separate piece on this.

Western politicians laud the countries of "new" Europe for their "dynamic, flat-rate tax" economies, but deny there is any link between the economic reforms and the massive exodus.

Certain right-wingers do laud these policies. More typical is the ex-German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, who accused Slovakia of unfair competition for "dumping" tax rates.

The condescension shown towards eastern European migrants is, in many ways, the real, lasting legacy of the cold war.

If that's it, then I suppose we'll live with it.

It is essential for western neoliberals to deny any achievements of the system that half of Europe lived under: hence the vogue for equating the 40 years of postwar eastern European socialism with the horrors of Nazi Germany.

It needn't - and shouldn't - have happened like this. Had the eastern countries not thrown out the baby with the bathwater in the early 90s by adopting the massively deflationary IMF/EU prescription, their economies would now be in better shape and much of the current wave of migration could have been avoided.

And it could have been avoided if they still shot people at the border. NB - the above analysis is also rubbish.

The large-scale labour exodus we are witnessing may benefit the CBI and western multinationals but certainly not most western workers, who are seeing their wage rates depressed.

Hang on, stop being so condescending.

But the biggest losers are the eastern countries, deprived of so many young, talented and productive people.

So whose fault is it again - the IMF, the EU, the migrants, us?

The irony is that far from being backward, eastern Europe, thanks to the residual effects of 40 years of socialism,

I think you mean Communism - you know food queues, secret police, shooting of dissidents.

still puts much of western Europe (particularly Britain) to shame when it comes to the quality of its education, public transport and healthcare. Children of the former socialist countries regularly come top of European studies of comparative education systems: in the latest International Maths Organisation competition, Bulgaria finished fifth, Hungary seventh and Romania 10th.

The people of the east have been bombarded by more than 15 years of relentless propaganda extolling the need for further "reforms" and "modernisation".

And then voted for those reforms!

The view that "west is best" and "there is no alternative", encouraged by political leaders with one eye on an EU commissioner's job or World Bank posting, has proved disastrous.

I think that most Eastern European politicians have one eye on their bank balance, but sure, hypothesise away.

In Britain we are told ad infinitum that "our way" is the best and the east irredeemably backward. Why, then, do we need to import railway engineers from Romania?

I remember meeting a Brit rail expert in Sofia in Bulgaria. Cuts both ways.

Why, if our dental system is so superb, are we flying out to use the services of Hungarian dentists?

Who said our system was superb? We don't train enough dentists. Cost of living in London is very high so of course people may go abroad for cheaper treatment.

And why are English teacher-training establishments showing videos of Hungarian maths classes?

I don't know either. Sounds like a strange thing to do.

The east-west divide and the xenophobia that accompanies it (sorry I just don't see this xenophobia) will only end when there is a more honest, balanced appraisal of the legacy of communism and an acknowledgment that despite the lack of political freedoms there were also solid achievements.

Look, there are simply big cultural and economic differences that will not be bridged even in the medium-term. His solution (acknowledgement that ...blah blah) is bilge. Can the correspondent also explain when and how the North-South divide in England will end?

At the same time, we need to recognise that the economic "reform" process has created far more problems than it has solved.

So back to Communism then?

Global capital and its political spokes-people will of course do all they can to ensure that neither happens.

Sense may also prevail.

Rikki Clarke

I rate Rikki Clarke as a poor county player. I think the stats bear me out. Why oh why is he being picked for England? I despair of our ODI selections. Strauss and before him, Vaughan and Hussain can not score quickly enough for International limited overs. Why can't we use players like Darren Maddy, (top scorer in 20/20) who I saw take Australia apart on their first match of the last Ashes tour? Bowlers who can neither strike nor contain should not be picked. What is the matter with the selectors?

What Next?

I'm damned busy with paid work at the moment, so I decided to write a list setting a flavour of what I want to blog about next. Please feel free to make comments/suggestions;

Judgement Day - Reid's First 100 Days
My Bottom 5 Labour Blogs - who's poor and why.
The Constituency System - Why PR Doesn't Work for me.
Land Value Tax - A Great Idea
How To Reduce Car Crime
Too Many Building Regs
Fascists In Slovakia - tensions with Hungary
Life In A Border Town - a report from the EU's Ukrainian border
Blogger Anonymity - the pros and cons
Estonia & Latvia - The Right Way (bit of research needed for this one - it's about how these are the only two ex-Commie countries to consistently vote right)

When In Czech

5 Things Not To Do

1. Don't smile too much or suggest that you are happy or content
For example, to answer the question "Jak se mas?" (How are you?) the best answer is inevitably "Ujde to" which is equivalent to "considering how terrible everything is I suppose I'm surviving". If you do come across too happy, at best Czechs will think you are stupid, at worst they will hate you and choose every opportunity to wipe that smile off you silly Western face.
2. Don't get familiar immediately
Czechs don't expect personal questions immediately and take a while to warm up. Keep your powder dry.
3. When you receive a fresh pint, don't top up from your other glass
By all means drink from a chipped glass, but don't spoil your fresh pint with an old one. Also, don't leave any beer behind. Sacrilege.
4. Don't talk about how things are done in the West or elsewhere
At that moment the majority of Czechs will stop listening.
5. Don't indicate your real wealth unless you are very poor
I met a rather rich Serb who had this one figured out perfectly. He lived outside of Prague (probably in a mansion) suggesting to all who would listen that he couldn't afford to live in the city. If your flat is luxurious, lie by saying that it's paid by the company/you got it at a discount through a friend.

5 Things To Do

1. Speak freely
You can say what you like. You're in a non-PC world. You won't be litigated against, you won't be ostracised, you're free.
2. Get out of Prague
There are beautiful places to see outside of Prague (Telc, Cesky Krumlov, Karlovy Vary). I particularly recommend the Karlovy Vary Film Festival held in the first week of July each year.
3. Learn a bit of Czech language and history
Handy, for pubs, restaurants, taxis and a bit of off-the-cuff humour.
4. Be bossy
Czechs sort of expect it from Westerners so you might as well. I have found it has good results with taxi-drivers, colleagues, gfs etc.
5. Be wary on public transport.
There are some good pickpockets out there and some of them are dressed as tourists!!!

Bonus for men
Make the first move.
Don't be a loser. Most Czech women aren't going to jump you no matter how sexy you are! You've got to make the moves.

Any comments or ideas?

Lay Off Cherie

Everyone can have an off day. When the normally delightful Cherie Blair got doorstepped in her pyjamas , looking like she'd been pulled backwards through a hedge Labour's response was to spend £7,700 of Party funds on her hair. God knows how much they'll be budgeting this time based on the latest less-than-flattering photos over at Guido's blog.
Czech women are famed for their beauty so you'd imagine that top politicians have the pick of the crop. Allow me to introduce you to the delectable Zuzana Paroubkova wife of leading Socialist Jiri Paroubek (Czech PM 2005-2006). Zuzana is known for her unswerving support for her husband and unlike Cherie has little interest in using her position. Earlier this year Zuzana caused a bit of a to-do with her statement that women don’t belong in politics (’ženy do politiky nepatří’). Her reason was that women have too many other concerns in their lives and they could not be sufficiently impartial! I'm finding this hard to write, but I've probably got a bit more respect for Cherie than Zuzana.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, Labour bloggers such as Adele Reynolds and Bob Piper have been trying to monster James Cleverly for the following fairly uncontroversial and more pertinently, probably empirically true remark - "I am not convinced women, especially mothers, are as willing as men to put their families into second place to fight an election."

Anyway, over to you.

Hair Hung Out To Dry

Darrell Hair must have a strong case for breach of privacy following the actions of the ICC in revealing private mails. His offer to resign for compensation doesn't look good from a PR perspective, but was a fairly reasonable course of action. In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding the first Test match to be forfeited in 129 years of Test cricket, Darrell Hair has been completely left hung out to dry by ICC chief Malcolm Speed. I'm very interested to get the timeline on these events, because it is reported that Hair withdrew his offer two days after it was first made. Speed made these mails public and accused Hair of "embarassing the game" but if he revealed these private mails after the revocation, there was no need to reveal them and it is Speed who is embarassing the game. Regardless of whether the revocation was received before the press conference, these private mails should have remained private. They were revealed because they might have been leaked. On those ground nothing should ever remain private. This is politicking and right now I am very disturbed with the ICC's actions. Where's the sense of fair play?

The Wrong Type Of Victim?

The action taken about the near fatal stabbing (attempted murder) of Peter Woodhams in January was clearly inadequate. He is now dead - shot multiple times on Monday - with suspects from the first stabbing suspects for the murder. Speaking at a press conference at Forest Gate Police Station, Commander Jarman said: "During our murder investigation we became aware of a stabbing that took place involving the victim in January...". Is this policeman slow or something? I remember it in the press at the time.

An apology is not enough. Londoners do not have the police force they deserve. Ian Blair's mob have failed to stem rises in serious crime from already unacceptable levels.
Do you get the feeling that if Peter Woodhams was a different type of victim he would have been accorded a better response from the police? I do. Once again (as with the Tom Ap Rhys case), failure by the police to crack down on low level crime has emboldened criminals and allowed more serious crime to pass.

Right-Wing Government Propped Up By Communists

In the aftermath of the Czech election debacle Mirek Topolanek's ODS has proposed election reform and succeeded in losing the support of smaller but moderate parties. His government is now effectively propped up by the "support" of Communists. As I have said elsewhere, what is needed is another election soon/now but that should have happened weeks ago. There is open speculation that Topolanek is likely to be the shortest-serving PM in Czech history.

Built To Last - Pensions

"OUR party seeks to cherish freedom, advance opportunity and nurture responsibility."

So that's the vision as set out by Cameron last week in the document "Built to Last" here's a specific proposal...

One of the most irritating things about the UK "system" is "pay as you go" pensions. In the years when I am tax resident there, I pay tens of thousands to the government in tax. In fact, I fully expect to pay over a million in tax into the system over my working life. Despite these painful outgoings, the government tells me that I can not rely on the State to look after me when I retire. Not only that but should I have provided for my future, my income is likely to be means-tested and I will have to sell assets to pay for care services. So just to go over things again, the more you put in the less you get out. With a mixture of extra taxation and additional regulation on pension funds, New Labour has almost succeeded in abolishing saving. Coupled with cheap credit, this lower propensity to save has led to a consumer spending splurge with short term benefits for the economy. Be warned that this won't continue.

The bad news keeps coming re the state pension as the start date goes up (68 is the latest edict) and the commitment to link the benefit to wages keeps getting pushed back to the less than foreseeable future (2012 is the latest false promise).

I propose a much fairer system whereby from the first three thousand pounds that you pay in income tax/NI each year is ringfenced in a "Personal Social Fund" which is maintained by the state. If you fall short of the maximum in one year you can top the fund up in future years and you can choose how the fund is invested (i.e. bonds or shares or mixture of the two). A feature of this fund is that you can decide when to purchase the annuity from your fund. The state doesn't decide when you retire, you do. It's called personal responsibility - it's not a Labour concept.

I would also use the Personal Social Fund to solve a massive problem - unpaid fines and governmental waste. For example in 2004-05, magistrates’ courts imposed financial penalties totalling £352 million; fines totalling £222 million were collected and £75 million cancelled. People receiving fines could select/be obliged to pay from their social fund. The same could apply for the cost of the following
- missed doctors appointments
- wasting police time (e.g. resisting arrest)
- damage done by you or your dependents

Used in this way, the Personal Social Fund would lead to individuals being far more accountable for their actions.

Let me know what you think? Any comments gratefully received.

PS - I've deleted the last post because the graphic was too big and I'm not very tecnically able.