Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.
As I predicted the other day our new emperor's time has already passed, the pity is that it will be more than a footnote in history, due to the extraordinary sequence of events that have been visited upon the British people and will continue tomorrow.
What is fascinating me now is the change that this will bring to British politics. More confusion I am afraid until the general population vote for and get, honest representation.
Alas I regret that this is unlikely to happen in my lifetime, because Parliament as a true voice and truly democratic chamber has been allowed to decay under the influence of self seeking opportunists who are quite happy to trample on the electorate.
It will get better eventually but for the moment it is still going downhill with no sense of identity or mission. What we are witnessing this week is a disgrace and brings Parliament into further disrepute.
Even my candle has blown out.
As I predicted the other day our new emperor's time has already passed, the pity is that it will be more than a footnote in history, due to the extraordinary sequence of events that have been visited upon the British people and will continue tomorrow.
What is fascinating me now is the change that this will bring to British politics. More confusion I am afraid until the general population vote for and get, honest representation.
Alas I regret that this is unlikely to happen in my lifetime, because Parliament as a true voice and truly democratic chamber has been allowed to decay under the influence of self seeking opportunists who are quite happy to trample on the electorate.
It will get better eventually but for the moment it is still going downhill with no sense of identity or mission. What we are witnessing this week is a disgrace and Parliament into further disrepute.
Even my candle has blown out.
Wexford - yes you - wake yourself, what about sheep around Bunclody under the transmitter. The Colleen made me throw out my last sheepskin which wasn't new but since I only wore in winter the fact that it was sixty years old didn't worry me, as long as my shoes were clean.
Good luck all - as the madness continues in Westminster.
The grass - great advice Radar BUT YOU FORGOT THE DIVIDEND - YOU CAN SELL THE WOOL.
Which makes it even better advice.....
Also, did anybody view on Youtube Tony Blair's intervention today at the Institute of Government which ended with questions and answers - it was excellent and the most informative contribution to the Brexit debate, pity he waited three years to surface.
If it goes ahead, I will have to renew my Irish driving licence just to cross the border.
What a good job that Boris will soon be old news, having had his moment on the world stage and been no more convincing than Dave - what did they call him ?
Good luck all
There speaks our resident luminary. Good spot Wexford - Armageddon is not going to hit Germany first. If the UK economy had been as well managed as Germany and an attempt made to compete with them WHEN THE UK HAD THE MONEY the UK would not now be as dependant on the city.
Too many eggs were put in that basket - how well did it turn out for Joe Bloggs.
Mr Mac
You nearly had me going there - then I realised you were repeating the fractured prose of somebody living in the Brecon Beacons who has taken up Astrology to help with his forecasting - exactly.
Good luck all...
And Boris is put out to pasture for failing to achieve it - a border poll - when it happens will need to be carefully orchestrated.
Getting a positive result which restores the integrity of the island is all very well, BUT how do we accommodate all those people who celebrate "their culture" with a drum called blood and thunder. Once we are one, who would welcome an Orange Band into their town in the south.
Who is going to address the problem of the health service, which is rapidly disintegrating as its resources are plundered by bank staff at £400 a night and GP's who moonlight for £1500 a night in A & E, not to mention the army of administrators who chase targets that are just not achievable or sit on boards deciding how many operations are important. That's before we talk about the health service in the south.
That it will happen is not in doubt - how it will turn out is the question - my feeling is that England will rejoice when it severs its links with the DUP and the north altogether.
What have the Conservatives ever done in Northern Ireland to further the peace process that had a lasting effect.
Good luck all.
At least the weather here for the weekend has been wonderful.
As usual Mr Mac you present us with a thought provoking FT article and our cipher expert (LTI) tells us how to read it, which I have, I'm unable to fault it.
The weakness in LTI's argument lies in his reliance on the words of economists who would be better employed trying to forecast the weather. After all the City is full of analysts and economists who were all flashing green lights in 2008 when the world seemed to be running beautifully guided by the "Masters of the Universe."
We all know how that ended, the economy was put on life support assisted by "free money" which was just printed by the lorry load - resulting in a further devaluation of the pound to almost parity with the euro.
It may very well be a bitter pill to swallow for the believers in Brexit, but it has to be acknowledged that the country is sinking due to the complete lack of leadership in the face of an ever increasing population which the government has chosen to ignore.
Mrs Thatcher was asked years ago how she would address the problem - she answered that she would do nothing but rely on demographics. The bulge in the population expires ( which they haven't done in enough numbers - yet ) the problem would solve itself - WRONG..
In the meantime the country has continued financially to shrink robbing it of the ability to fund its Public Services - which in the meantime have become bloated with layers and layers of management - at the expense of both the Health Service and the Police. Now to cap it all our free TV licence is going, but not until next May. Next will be travel concessions as charges for dentistry and medicine probably increase. Don Quixote comes to mind - I am here almost two years now and am amazed at the extraordinary and heroic efforts being made to keep the Health Service going here, which in Lisburn is disappearing before our eyes.
We are both waiting for Consultant appointments since we got here - our only route is to go privately which the colleen attempted to be told that the service she required was now suspended in Lisburn.
Our doctor told us last week - "if you break down we'll fix you" but routine services are off the menu for the moment due to recruitment difficulties.
These are the foundations from which the Phoenix will rise - good luck...
Who is creating the conditions for the men of violence to return - the party's who should be governing the province and have sat on their hands with their tongues out at each other.
The UK government who seem spineless - fresh elections to the assembly should have been called and would have been if they were not so dependant on the DUP who most people have long had enough of. They have almost lost their majority and they already know what awaits the DUP after the european elections.
The hooligan element is always present in any society mostly they are called yobs in the UK - here both sides, where this element is present feel entitled to a political label which makes almost anything justifiable.
This bad blood is harnessed by both sides - the Orange side particularly, who still feel that they need to be an army - the Green because they are encouraged to believe that they are still being oppressed.
The boil needs to be lanced and drained in both communities but who is going to do it ?
Whoever attempts it will have their hands full, particularly if Britain leaves the community and abandons the full and proper application of Human Rights Law which they have long wished to get rid of because, they say of Abu Hamsa.
The share is not cheap - it is an opportunity which the money boys will take full advantage of - when they are ready.
Grateful to Wexford for his comments and yes the people here are looking after us in our wonderful new parish. It really is a spiritual hub having two churches within it but only one priest, unless we call in a reserve which has happened when our man went with a party of local tradesmen to Rumania to help them there.
Our market makers and hedgers suffer from one basic flaw - they only look three weeks ahead if they look ahead at all. They are very much influenced by current sentiment and the uncertainty which has taken root all over the place with regard to Iran where Israel would just love to strike first, they could do so at any time and be applauded by Trump. Then we have Boris waffling on promising what ever he feels will win him votes.
Then we have Crimea and Hong Kong not forgetting our fat little "rocket man" who can always be relied upon to cause confusion.
THIS IS NOT HOWEVER ARMAGEDDON - that happened in 2008, when we really were in a mess thanks to the greed and foolishness of the banks who lent wholesale quantities of money without any adequate security.
The Tectonic Plates are shifting and change is afoot, what it is going to look like can only be a guess at best but I think that we can forget the idea of "Globalisation" which Tony Blair was so fond of because Trump has introduced a new and selfish policy.
The next few months are going to provide some of the answers but if Brexit happens all bets are off - which is why I believe that this time next year Britain will still be in the European Union but that it may be on a slightly different and I hope more constructive footing under a new and more competent government.
Good luck all.