Beware of Greeks..............

And so the fun begins – the cutbacks. Much of the broadsheet headlines are outlining planned cuts, including some quangos. Wonder if the GSCC will survive? One thing is for sure, there are going to be mergers and cost savings across Whitehall (which include quangos) with hundreds of thousands of job losses.

And about time too! After the mess Gordon created together with his other party friends it was inevitable, whoever won the election. The Times has the best coverage, me thinks:  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7134040.ece

followed by the Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/7753829/Queens-speech-revealed-David-Camerons-500-day-programme-to-change-Britain.html

See also the BBC online news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8699117.stm

All very scary stuff and as the Times points out it will not just be Whitehall, but also local authorities, health trusts and education funding, among others.

Of course there will be an impact an of the likes of Wilt as there is less money to go around, but he has sources of work outside of the UK to tide him over to retirement (or at least semi-retirement as Wilt is unlikely to stop working altogether). Next week and indeed throughout the rest of the year Wilt has more work outside of the UK than actually within the UK – doing a good job and word of mouth is better than any advertising. However, his website does help a great deal in bring in business.

Not long now and the pensions will kick-in and the mortgage paid off. Wilt can do as little or as much paid or unpaid work as he likes. Indeed all retired people I know are busier than they were when working! Indeed some of them are hardly in the country as they are semi-permanently on holiday.

Returning to the budget cuts, the Tories are very good at cutting budgets – they take a much uncomplicated approach. They simply stop new recruitment, slash budgets and leave it up to the mandarins and local government chiefs to find the solution – they are after all the experts. I know, in an earlier life Wilt had to find those savings under previous Conservative administrations. In those days I hated Margaret Thatcher http://www.margaretthatcher.org/ but it is remarkable how looking back one can view her differently and that is particularly so with the ongoing industrial relations in the BA dispute: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10140911.stm

See also: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1280583/BA-stockpiles-1-7bn-fighting-fund-WIllie-Walsh-vows-dysfunctional-cabin-crew.html

If I ran BA – I would sack the strikers. There will be several thousand unemployed coming onto the market. Oh, and I would reward those who did not strike. This is the most pathetic set of industrial disputes in recent history; save for the fools who go on strike because of job losses – what fucking purpose does that serve?

It is noted that there is reference in (see Telegraph article) the Queens speech to getting people back into work – that is code for making work more attractive than benefits and means that people will take available work rather than opt for remaining on benefits. What do they think people in private business do? If it came to it Wilt would do whatever work if it kept the lights on and the food on the table – even Gordon (Cyclops) has considered doing something other than politics. Many wish he would – the majority of the catastrophes that have hit the UK and are about to fall on those employed in Government are specifically because of him and his odd political ideas. Well, at least we lost Plaskitt – so it aint all bad!

Let us just hope that Cameron does not have a Thatcher “pole tax” type moment.

Meanwhile the rest of Europe and the Euro Zone are in utter shambles – very predictable. Soon one will get so many Euro to the Pound that going abroad will be on prescription from your family GP. I always did like the old Greek Drachma – it might yet become currency.

And that reminds me of the old adage “beware of Greeks bearing gifts” – it can apply equally to Greek culture as to this Coalition Government given that the gift of budget savings is a potential Trojan horse. I knew that classical education would come in handy at some point.

Cameron has before him a host of other Tories who have attempted to regain ground and fight back against the tidal wave of public spending – creating spending is a whole lot easier than cutting it back. That is why he needs to be a lot more clever than Brown – whatever one may say about the bloke, Brown was/is not stupid. We think/hope however that “Dave” is a very shrewd man – more power to his elbow, we say.

And that other bloke, the Deputy PM – he may think he has a “deal” but Nick (the Romeo shagger of all times – other than possibly Achilles) also needs to learn about Greek tragedy. Whereas his wife may (or may not – probably not given they are both Lib Dems) launch a thousand ships, she is Spanish for Gawd sake and what exactly do they know about economics, or indeed for that matter Armadas? Nick (former MEP) will be having some interesting pillow talk (not with David!) over the Coalition Government embargo on the UK helping to bail out the Greeks or anyone else, and indeed on any extension to new EU powers. He will come to understand that our man “Dave” is a bit of a wooden horse containing a few tricks up his sleeve. Another adage: “beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

Wilt will be watching with great interest how progress (or not) will be made. Be sure he will be observing too.

Wilt