Sunday, September 12, 2010

Brown Must Face Trial

It is time that we faced reality and made Gordon Brown stand trial for economic negligence.

According to The Telegraph, Iceland's former Prime Minister is to stand trial for 'economic negligence' relating to his conduct during his tenure:

Former Iceland PM faces trial over bank collapse

And it's not just the former PM who is to face charges of neglect in connection with the crash of the Icelandic economy and currency:

A special investigation committee, known popularly as the Truth Commission, recommended that Geir Haarde, the former prime minister, stand trial, along with Björgvin Sigurdsson, the former minister of commerce, and Árni Mathiesen, the former minister of finance.

The report is damning in its conclusions:

Its report says that Mr Haarde and his colleagues ought to have realised the extremely serious nature of Iceland's financial problems more than six months before the crash – but claims they failed to act.

The committee concluded that officials "lacked both the power and the courage to set reasonable limits to the financial system".


Iceland really has shown the way in terms of who should be blamed for the 'Crisis'. In the UK, the financial and economic situation is a complete disaster for the population. It is bad now but you are only seeing the beginning of the absolute mess Labour has left as its inheritance. On top of that the pound is collapsing at a pace. And yet we are to believe that the economy did it all by itself. That's the big con!

The financial crisis has been a global epidemic but it eminated from the sale of financial products to the rest of the world from London and New York but mostly London. Brown knew it was happening and changed the rules to facilitate it. And to do it he had to start at home by loading up the population with as much debt as possible. To pay for all the fraud The City caused, Brown gave them bail-outs and free money meaning taxpayers will have to take the hit. He lied about the state of the UK's finances and about what he knew about the finances of the banking system which was and is insolvent.

The economy will not level until all the fraud is cleansed, and the fraudsters are jailed. When the bankers face the judges it will not be long until Brown is caught and the whole fraudulant financial system, now dependent on state hand-outs, comes crashes down. If this happened in a company a director or directors would face charges. Ministers must face charges as it is not believable that they did not know what was happening and must have been collaborating..

We should take a leaf out of Iceland's book and start the proceedings as soon as possible. The longer it takes to clean up the system the harder every British family is going to get hit.

If you want a functioning economy with jobs and public spending then Brown must be tried as soon as possible.

13 comments:

subrosa said...

Many thanks for the info re Iceland Alex and I'm pleased the people have insisted those responsible face justice.

I don't think we have enough people who care in this country to ensure those responsible are subjected to our justice.

Once everyone realises the pound is there pocket doesn't buy much then that's when folk will awaken. Until then, most wander around in their personal bubble thinking they'll be omitted from any negativity. 'It wull nae happen tae me' regularly whispered to themselves. Fools.

Alex Porter said...

You're not wrong Rosie. There is a real crisis of democracy going on. You can't just collaborate in the plunder of your nation and get away with it because you are the PM. This is the biggest robbery in history and it is against the taxpayer. If heads don't role the system will continue to loot the population.

So, it really is a case of try the fraudsters or lose your standard of living.

1971Thistle said...

Sadly, there is a culture responsibility in Nordic countries (if Iceland can forgive that comparison) that is not present in UK politics. I recall a Swedish minister resigning because she had bought a bar of chocolate with her government credit card, even although she refunded the money. She was not hounded out of office, she stepped down because she knew here behaviour was wrong. May seem a bit OTT, but by doing so she seemed to recognise that she had made an error, and this was how she regained trust, because if she did not, the public would hold her to account for abusing the principles involved. I believe she is now back in government.


Politicians are fireproof in the UK; no one is held to account. Not Brown, not Blair (his expenses were 'accidentally' shredded), no one. The political classes just close ranks; they're not accountable to anyone.

1971Thistle said...

I also notice that the use the Brown mantra on the financial crisis, the rider "which began in the United States", has become a mantra for BBC news

Alex Porter said...

@1971Thistle,
I don't think that fraud is a pervasive problem with the SNP and I think that they would be happy to tighten up the rules over MSPs expenses and indeed have.

The problem I'm talking about is enormous. Iceland's politicians are behind many billions of fraud or 'mismanagement' which is quite an expensive chocolate bar, don't you think?

Anyway, my point is that unless the perpetators of the fraud in Britain stand trial it will continue. The wealth of everyone will be drained until they do make a stand.

It is better to start the process now. Believe me, the US will take the UK to war again to blame anyone but themselves for the mess Britain is in. You can put it back years and destroy the economy totally in the process or try to salvage something now.

That is the choice. People may be sticking their head in the sand now but that is NOT going to be an option for very long.

RMcGeddon said...

Alex

You would have to hold Alex Salmond to account aswell. He wanted Scots to join in with the 'arc of prosperity' in Iceland and Eire. We would have been in a worse state if we had.
He also encouraged Fred the Shred to buy ABNAmro and is spending £8bn on the climate change scam. ( both these things were only revealed after FOI requests. The SNP tried to keep them secret.)

What else is going on that we don't know about ?

Alex Porter said...

@RMcGeddon,
The 'Arc of Prosperity' is not something anyone joins. It was merely a model. He was mistaken with his models but I don't think being politically wrong is an offense. And they are in better shape than the UK is in terms of debt and GDP so not sure what you're point is here.

When ABNamro was up for sale there's no way Salmond was to know it was packed full of fraudulant derivatives products. The Treasury should have known but regulating the financial sector is not in his remit. Without knowing that the world was full of fraud (as no-one knew outside of top bankers, regulators and Prime Ministers) I think Salmond was just wrong because he believe the regulators and ratings agencies - how was he to know they were corrupt? Again this is showing he was wrong in hindsight and turning it into to complicity. Many heads of state knew nothing of the corruption never mind the leader of a devolved administration with no remit on regulation!

As for keeping information secret, is it any wonder when the unionist media can turn a paltry dinner expense into a national scandal? No doubt you can find out what kind of wine he had a glass of last week if you got a FOI on the matter.

This all says and proves nothing.

Why not spend your time going after the real bad guys?

RMcGeddon said...

Alex..

" Again this is showing he was wrong in hindsight" ( reference to Salmonds support for RBS)

Even I thought it was mad to try and compete with Barclays to buy ABNAmro A MONTH AFTER NORTHERN WRECK HAD COLLAPSED. No hindsight required. Just basic common sense (oxymoron alert)
I've got no financial qualifications but had read hundreds of financial blogs and articles and could see it was just Fred the Shred on an ego trip.

I've got nothing against the SNP personally. All parties are equally incompetent and are oblivious to the coming crash that will send the world into a tailspin.

Alex Porter said...

@RMcGeddon,
Well, maybe Alex was in the thick of it and didn't see the wood for the trees or whatever. My point is that that criticism is maybe about his business acumen.

What I'm talking about is dealing with the meltdown you mention. We have to go after the real culprits and they start at the top with Gordon Brown.

The system can't be fixed till all the fraud is exposed.

cynicalHighlander said...

"He wanted Scots to join in with the 'arc of prosperity' in Iceland and Eire."

Two points make a straight line to make an arc Norway has to be added. I would rather not link any country as they are all different in what they need beyond the basics to sustain a pleasant life.

1971Thistle said...

Alex

I think you misunderstand me; I was just making the point that in Nordic countries, pliticians behave in a certain way because they know they will be held to account; they are a government of the people, and have a culture or openness and total transparency; the chocolate bar was symbolic of that.

In the UK, we have a culture of secrecy, and politicians, like Brown and Blair (and many, many others) know they will not be held to account, ever - the immunity comes with the job. Power without responsibility, and it corrupts.

My impression is the same as yours; that the vast majority of the SNP representatives - and perhaps this stems from the leadership - are honest and trustworthy, with a sense of morality which still operates. They are in it for the politics, not the power or the pork-barrel

Alex Porter said...

@1971Thistle,
I understand, I'm simply saying that in this case Icelandic politicians were absolutely secretive. I think though that the reaction of the Icelanders to this massive corruption and fraud which has evaporated their economy and currency.

Their reaction is, what I am arguing, the way forward for Britain.

Until the fraud is sorted the British economy and social structure will continue to disintegrate and very quickly. At some point something will have to be done and if people are smart they'll do something about it now - just like the Icelanders.

There's no easy way out of this for anyone!

1971Thistle said...

Alex

I suspect we are violently agreeing with each other; at least Iceland's Truth Commission has said what needed to be said, and their recommendations are to be applauded.

I was trying to say that this can only happen because eventually the government are accountable to the citizens. I cannot envisage the scenario in the UK where such a Commission would be set up, or reach any conclusion which criticize those involved. The media has - almost unilaterally - failed to hold Brown accountable, and took his and Mandelson's line on 'it started in the US' and repeated them endlessly, and without questioning.

So, my point is that I fully agree that Brown should face trial and sanction, but the government and it's machine are so far removed from the people they are supposed to represent that it will never happen. Self-interest is all that drives in the UK political scene