GOODBYE KEN RUSSELL

Ken was a great film-maker.  The Music Lovers, the finest bending of music and image ever achieved in cinema or video, and Women in Love would stand as testament to a life worth living if had done nothing more.  We come and go.  We stand and fall.  What we leave behind marks the path we followed.

Gray Dourman

http://www.amazon.com/A-CASE-IN-POINT-ebook/dp/B006BYDLYG/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322056364&sr=1-5

WALK INTO THE LIGHT

It is a source of great pride among many English historians that English companies were in the vanguard of developing and protecting the well being and rights of its workers.  It is one of many reasons that this country is so wonderful.  It is what made it so livable and wealthy.  Wealth and prosperity are spurred by exploiting creativity and opportunity.  We never know who will discover what, where and what they will apply it to.  England and America were the early adapters of these liberal ideas.  Whenever conservatives attempted to confine the ability to generate wealth to a small sector of the society, it has gone terribly wrong.  It happened in America in the 50s and 2000s and in England in the 70s and 80s and is threatening to happen again.

It seems to me that too many brilliant and well meaning people have been involved in the development of the Euro for it to be tossed away as 'bull'.  Just because it is being attacked doesn't mean that it will fall.  Sports and markets show us many examples of how persistence in the face of what appears to be insurmountable odds bring victory.  This is my hope for the Euro.

The sun is shining and it is warm here.  The light is dazzling as I sip dark coffee from my steaming cup.

Gray Dourman

http://www.amazon.com/A-CASE-IN-POINT-ebook/dp/B006BYDLYG/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322056364&sr=1-5

OCCUPY EUROPE!

Is it credible that UK goods could compete in markets where there is a marked difference in the cost of production because of disparities in wages and working conditions?  Would we want to run down the living standards of democratically supported working people in developed economies or would we rather raise those standards in less developed economies with non-democratic regimes?  Does it comfort you to watch wealth migrate to the wealthy from the working?

We must have large and well regulated markets wherein we can trade without damaging ourselves and others.  The Eurozone and North America are two such markets.  Break up the Eurozone and you break up our largest and most secure market.  Break it up why?  Because they sought to standardise how much meat should be contained in what they call a sausage?  Let's expand good practice to the Far East and Latin America and ultimately Africa and the Middle East.  Let's not cave in to for example that Singapore asshole who lectured Jeremy Paxman on how Europeans don't work hard enough.  Yes let's go back to work shall we!  I'd love a job punching rivets for pennies a day and no entitlements so that jackass can prosper.

Gray Dourman

You can buy my book at ....

http://www.amazon.com/A-CASE-IN-POINT-ebook/dp/B006BYDLYG/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322056364&sr=1-5

OCCUPY...THE CENTRE GROUND

My recent endorsement of UKIP's Farage's European Parliament speech has caused a lot of confusion amongst friends and followers.  I am not turning Eurosceptic.  I remain a committed non-nationalist.  I steadfastly support the idea of a global currency and financial system, removing all borders and tariffs and extending benefits, entitlements and social and medical support to everyone in the world.  While Mr. Farage is correct in his observations regarding the market led non democratic actions of the non-elected Commission (although they would say they were appointed by democratically elected representatives) his solution of withdrawing from engagement in Europe, is demonstrably incorrect.  Perhaps the reason why Germany is dominating Euro politics at the moment is precisely because the UK did not join the single currency.  We are all human.  Our destiny is collective.  The righteous must speak out against selfish and defend the evolution of liberty, freedom of speech and the right to disagree.

Gray Dourman
www.magichelix.com

OCCUPY "THE CONSPIRACY"

              Is it possible that there is a conspiracy, well perhaps a loose collective intention, by a significant element of right wing conservatives in the international bond market to pressure sovereign governments into privatising assets which would then fall into the hands of right wing conservatives?  Insisting that technocrats decide policy, particularly policy associated with the disposal of public assets, rather than democratically elected officials is a dangerous and unhealthy development in the evolution of the European debt paradigm.  The argument that technocrats know more and understand the situation better does not wash.  Technocrats created the credit crunch in the first place.  Now they want to profit from it.  We elected our politicians and we can replace them.  We did not elect the technocrats and we cannot replace them.  We must be vigilant.  I do not want my children to have to fight to reclaim what was stolen from them by banks subsidised by my taxes.

Gray Dourman
www.magichelix.com  

OCCUPY YOUR OWN IMAGINATION....

        There are few things in this life more frustrating than working with others, particularly musicians, but one of them is definitely working on your own.  All you hear are the echoes of your own mistakes.  We are not designed to live in isolation, locked away from the working world.  The life of the rich becomes distorted because they do not see that they are linked and at one with the rest of us.  Their vain attempts at charity do nothing but increase their isolation through pity.  Let's take away their wealth once every ten years.  Let's say every ten years everyone's assets must be returned to the community.  Hey, hey, wadda ya say!

Gray Dourman
www.magichelix.com

OCCUPY SINGAPORE

Good on you George the Greek for hanging on...I just hope someone can find something other to say than Italy's the problem...apparently Europe has enough money to bail itself out but wants someone else to risk the cash...and to hear Singapore, about the most undemocratic place I've ever visited lecturing Europe on getting it's house in order by repealing social and labour laws is very revealing regarding what the real agenda is...

Gray Dourman
www.magichelix.com

OCCUPY CANNES...

I see the muscle has kicked in, Papendreou is about to resign.  This is a sorry mess for all of us and no victory for Merkozy.  Not that you would know it by the smug look they sported as they glued their heads together with Obama and Cameron.  Too much power, concentrated in one place with too much common interest for my liking.  Jolly interesting story though...

Gray Dourman

www.magichelix.com

OCCUPY GREECE...

Hurray to Greece for waking up to the old adage, act in haste, regret in leisure.  The idea of a referendum is absolutely right.   May I go so far as to say that it is possible that this was all cooked up together last week and no surprise to either France or Germany...It buys time...It keeps the "markets" from setting the agenda...after all who are the markets...sure pension funds and savings...whose savings...and who are speaking for those savers...investment managers who have not covered themselves glory thus far when it comes to serving the public good...There is no rush.  Let's see how it all pans out.  Certainly debt is too high...let's make sure everyone knows it...but let's not panic everyone into paying up tomorrow...when we could just as easily pay up thirty years from now...what difference does 29 years and six months make to the affairs of man.

Gray Dourman
www.magichelix.com