more from Major General Smedley-Butler


I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during
that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big
Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a
 gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico
safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a
decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I
helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the
benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International
Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the
Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped
make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China
in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested.
 Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best
he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on
three continents.

Majo-General Smedley Butler

War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses

Nick O'Connor , Southbank Investment Research :

**The UK financial system loans a scary amount of money out to other financial institutions – in fact, FIVE HUNDRED PERCENT more than the G7 average. As of 2014 (the latest figures available) this figure stood at 34% of our entire GDP.

**The UK financial system has the highest exposure to foreign debt in the G7 – again, because our entire banking system is one big 'super spreader'.

**It is by far the most bloated sector, compared to the size of our economy, of any G7 nation. Banking assets are worth four times the entire UK economy.

**It is second only to Canada when it comes to exposure to consumer debt. Consumer debt is expected to reach 150% of GDP by next year.

**It has the lowest 'useful lending' ratio (lending to real businesses not other financial institutions) in the G7.

**It has the highest 'risky assets' ratio of any G7 nation (the ratio of safer 'core' assets to riskier 'non core' assets).

**It has the highest level of 'securitised assets' in the G7 – complex securities that helped create the last crisis.

**The highest leverage (borrowing) ratio of any G7 banking system

Ftse

Gann 180 degrees from Jan high this week

I like David Icke.He is regarded by many as a nutter.I dont agree with everything he says but I think his perspective on things is one which all would be well advised to consider,at the least to be aware of.People need to be less tribal in their perspective,to be more aware of how they are being manipulated

a personal view about "the complexities of BREXIT"

I despair about how stupid so many Brits are,wrangling their hands about how "hard it is to understand Brexit"
Brexit is about REGAINING SOVEREIGNTY.....Its really simple....you foolishly married someone who turned out to be a complete psycho.She is stealing your money,undermining your authority and controlling and exerting a bad influence on your children.She is clearly going to have a complete breakdown,its just a question of when. So you divorce her and move on.....yes it will involve pain and difficult transition strategies but its not a difficult decision to make....unless you are really stupid,which apparently millions of my countrymen are

Now I am not saying we have a great democracy or that it  not seriously flawed and corrupted by big corporate interests,corrupt politicians and a despicably establishment serving media  and  an increasing useless education system......BUT at least we have the hope of changing it whwn enough people wake up.............there is no hope of that if we remain in Europe

Dow Jones