Category Archives: Current Affairs

commentary and opinion on current affairs issue

Mr Trump Goes to Washington-And Takes It Out To The Woodshed.

By Kate Burrows-Jones, North America Editor

Sworn into office, the keys to power transferred, former President Obama thanked and acknowledged for a ‘magnificent’ transition, President Donald J. Trump brandished a rhetorical cane and set about delivering a verbal spanking to the Washington, DC establishment — much of which was arrayed on the stage behind him, including four of the five living former presidents.

The United States is in an unusual position having so many living former presidents that the booming smack was louder than it might have been. Powerful presidents and leaders who shaped generations sat behind him. President Jimmy Carter, President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush (President George H W Bush was ill and could not attend) Their expressions could not be held back for all the years of practice and became a news topic. Michelle Obama’s shocked look was most prominent.

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Syria Peace Talks Start in Astana Next week: Minefields Ahead?

 Adel Darwish

Talks due to start 23 January  in  the Kazan capital Astana between Syrian government and many opposition, armed and civilian groups, and their backers in a settlement process sponsored by Russia  and participation  of Turkey, Iran and possible  Gulf Arab states raising  hopes to end to a  five year blood civil war; but there are several dangerous mines on the road The talks were part of a comprehensive plan  started with a Russian Turkish imposed  ceasefire on December 30.

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Prospect for US Trade Deal Gives May Timely Brexit Leverage.

In about 11 hours Prime Minister Theresa May will give a speech at Lancaster House, London to outline her strategy for leaving the European Union 

by Kate Burrows-Jones
WorldMedia North America Editor
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In a keenly anticipated speech this morning, Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to formally announce that the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union and will present a strategy to do so. May will respond to critics, who have accused her of lacking a clear strategy for Brexit, by providing more detail than ever before regarding the Government’s plan. This comes as the Chancellor of the Exchequer , Philip Hammond, pledged that the country would do whatever it has to do if the EU attempts to impose tariffs and trade restrictions on the UK when it has left the EU.

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Incompetence? Thieving? or Both?

Why I consider Lloyds Pharmacy incompetence and bad service to be  a conscious decisions to steal from me by stealing my time ?

Time is money, and nobody more aware of how precious time is than the self employed, so when a contractor like LLOYDS Pharmacy uses YOUR time to cut-back on staff providing service below the expected, then it is an indirect thieving. The contractor steals your valuable time to beef up their profit.

It is simple equation to understand. Say you need 10 staff to process a prescriptions,  and two staff to take your details and pass the prescription to the processing section, and one staff to collect the ready packed processed medication and one staff to dispense it to patients and one to supervise and step in to clarify difficult question. It is 15 staff for operation to run smoothly with average waiting time to collect prescription between 5 to 10 minutes.

But when Lloyds pharmacy keep you waiting double, triple and quadruple the acceptable waiting time in order to cut on staff so only one collect prescription and takes details, and the same person passes it inside, while the 10 processing become only seven and the same person dispensing collects from inside, the contractor here cut staff by one third to increase the profit from NHS ( ie from our taxes ) by one third, who is actually paying for this? It is you and I from OUR time which is money if you are self employed. Lloyds pharmacy basically steals the value from you, the value of your time to boost their profits by cutting staff and services.

This is a personal experience as on Thursday September first I handed a prescription ato the the Lloyds Pharmacy staff at the Royal Free Hospital ( which they are the contractor now )  after waiting 11 minutes in a queue ( because one untrained girl instead of two or more staff collecting prescriptions ) to hand my prescription in. I answered all questions, filled form as required. Having noticed that over a dozen of patients were waiting as well as along queue for collection, being told that it would be over 20 minutes ( meaning over half an hour) wait and since I am self employed and had work to do within the next 20 minutes I agreed with the young lady that I will collect the medicine in the morning Friday 2 September after I  finish  treatment which was due to start  Friday morning 8:45 AM.

After finishing the treatment on Friday, I went to collect the medicine as agreed at 15:20 the day before. The same young lady who made this agreement with me wanted to start the process all over again, there was no medicine and nobody had processed my prescription.

The manager was cheeky in her half-hearted apology saying “ I too pay taxes” when I reminded her that taxpayers funding her Lloyds pharmacy profits expected a reasonable service. I asked her why she thinks that her and Lloyds Pharmacy time was more valuable than my time. I wasted another 15 minutes while prescription was still not ready. I had a taxi waiting charging me waiting time and a train to catch. I left without collecting prescription and said better the prescription be ready when I visit hospital Tuesday for my next treatment.

I still see Lloyds pharmacy practice as an indirect thieving from me in shape of stealing my time to boost their profits .

DEFID Secretary Patel Should be Supported for Using Aid to Promote UK Interest

Now we hear that Department for  International Development DEFID  will “leverage” its £11 billion foreign aid budget to build a series of new trade deals as it leaves the European Union.  Priti Patel, Secretary of State for DEFID efforts should be applauded and supported not sneered at as the British left is trying to do

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Will The British Council Be Consistent with Staff Causing Public Outrage ?

The British Council, a tax payer funded organisation, said it will start “ a disciplinary procedure”against one of its top bosses, who gets paid £80 K plus expanses, after causing outrage buy calling three year old prince George a f***** Head on Face Book. Let us see what kind of disciplinary action the organisation will take, bearing in mind that in 2004 it sacked a top press officer for writing a couple of essays in the Sunday Telegraph a few months earlier which were deemed politically incorrect by the British left. Let us see how consistent  the British Council in dealing with its staff who caused public outrage

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Understanding the Escalating Saudi Iranian Row

Our media led by BBC try to simplify the latest diplomatic crisis in the Middle East – which led to severing of diplomatic relations between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran ( with two other countries following the Saudis action)- into Shia-Sunni sectarian rivalry resulting from the execution of Iran backed Shia cleric. This is a load of nonsense which leads to misunderstanding and misleading public opinion. It is far more complicated as many forces who adhere to the Shia faith (Morocco shia sects and those in North Africa nd Sudan) back KSA, while trends and forces who are devote Sunnis are backing Iran against the Saudis (Turkey for example is Sunni, so are Hamas and many Palestinian factions as well as the Muslim Brotherhood are all Sunni hardliners but are against Saudi Arabia especially in Yemen but are also against Assad in Syria.
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who to fight first: ISIL or Assad. Is there a choice?

Who to fight First, ISIL terror entity or the Syrian dictator… is there really a choice for Britain? we should get our priorities right and list the dangers in descending order if we were to answer. The House of commons vote last week ( Dec 2,2015) by a majority of 174 to back Prime Minister David Cameron’s motion to extend the RAF mission into areas controlled by the terrorist entity the Islamic state ( or ISIl – the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) has accelerated a legitimate debate about priorities and who is the real enemy and the tactical realignment within the a larger strategy as with whom should the United kingdom and her allies. Some who understand history and reality of the region and Islamism correctly argue that the Islamic State terror entity is a real danger that we must fight. Others with motives hard to understand, or being anti the idea of extending air-campaign to or just have little experience, argue that we should get rid of Assad regime in Syria first before fighting isil, which is utter nonsense

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