Excuses and Thoughts

Ole Spearpoint had been hoping to be a little more productive last month but certain things conspired against that intention.

The worst was a recurrence of malaria (originally picked up in Zambia some few years ago). This usually happens once a year and ordinarily involves a couple of days of sweating, shivering and general malaise.

Not this time. Holy cow! Over four weeks of bone-aching sweats, alternating with teeth-rattling and limb-quivering shivering attacks lasting for an hour or more, the worst nausea I have ever experienced, deep and bloody vomiting, and unpredictable ‘dire rear’ (read Terry Pratchett’s excellent, superb and unrivalled “Discworld” novels if you don’t understand the reference).

Poor Spearpoint really thought that he was about to cash in his chips at one point. You know the feeling – you start off worrying that you’re going to die, eventually worrying that you won’t die…

And although there has been the benefit of having lost at least five kilos (about 10 pounds to my American friends), thereby helping to partially alleviate my old man’s silhouette of distended gut, skinny shanks and drooping butt, there has been a major drawback in the old lifestyle department. The Spearpoint hepatic function suffered such punishment as to preclude, for the time being at least, the delights of dipsomania and the various benefits to be had from booze. My Colt .44 Magnum is, consequently, looking more attractive every day…

So, I was pretty crook, for a while.

But during this interesting period in my life (involving frequent conversations with God over the big white telephone), the rest of the world moved on without me.

Now I confess to being pretty pleased that Barack Obama won his Presidential campaign in America (congratulations, Sir), but I am equally pissed off that, once the more exciting elements of that campaign and its aftermath had died away, my buddies at Botswana Television (BTV) then decided to return to their more usual dull-as-ditchwater programming – the buggers have stopped (well, severely curtailed) their late night feed of MSNBC. Couple this with the end of American daylight savings time and the push back by one hour of those stimulating and addictive programmes and you can well imagine the negative effects on Spearpoint without his near daily doses of Olbermann, Matthews and Maddow.

Rx Colt beckons.

I have also been pleasantly surprised at some recent events on the political landscape here in South Africa.

Following on from some pretty disgusting behaviour on the part of the old ANC, some of its members and leading lights have jumped ship and formed a breakaway political party which, after some buggering around, seems to have settled on the name ‘Congress of the People’ (COPe).

The ANC has been, predictably, miffed and, whilst ostensibly appearing unfazed and tolerant of the new party, has been doing everything possible behind the scenes to disrupt, intimidate and ridicule the formation and function of the new boys on the block.

The formation of the new party can only be good for our democracy in South Africa. Personally, I wouldn’t vote for them since they are merely re-invented ANC cadres and whilst I am prepared to credit the ANC with much good that it has done since 1994 I cannot escape the sure knowledge that the ANC and its leadership has, overall, done more harm than not; if the leadership and new membership of COPe were so out of step with the ANC then why didn’t they decamp long ago?

However, Spearpoint wishes COPe well – if only to bring about a re-evaluation of the ANC and what it has achieved and, especially, if it results in a split of the previous ANC popular vote leading to the loss of the ANC’s two-thirds majority (permitting unilateral constitutional change) in parliament. Perhaps for the first time in South Africa’s history there is a real prospect of an Opposition strong enough to challenge the ruling party and to ensure accountability.

Have a look at the link below. The sentiments and reasoning are thought-provoking and valid.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=79&art_id=vn20081118053203503C766418&newslett=1&em=186722a6a20081201ah

The danger now, of course, is that the leadership of COPe, being ex-ANC and fellow gravy train travelers, will fall into their old ways of complacency and incompetence, thereby failing to offer anything new or radical enough to move this country forward – other than in splitting the ANC vote (in and of itself a substantial and sufficient step to the good).

We shall see.

Spearpoint.

1^st December 2008

More on the US Presidential Election Race

Just a quickie on this fascinating presidential race…

Given my previous remarks regarding my profound doubts about John McCain (‘A Few Thoughts On The American Presidential Race’) I was very interested to read in the online ‘Rolling Stone’ a detailed and thorough expose of the man behind the self-publicising myth upon which McCain has created his public persona.

Of course, no-one attains the grand age of 72 without having accumulated a few skeletons and demons within one’s closets. I have, however, rarely before seen such brazenness in self-promotion in the face of direct and contradictory evidence.

You can see the ‘Rolling Stone’ article here. (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain/page/1). It is quite lengthy, but worthwhile.

I feel vindicated in my initial assessment of John McCain.

Spearpoint.

28^th October 2008

Spearpoint’s Cure For the Global Financial Crisis

So, global markets have decided that, having already received unbelievably vast amounts of public money to shore-up those financial institutions brutally raped and pillaged by grasping and greedy traders and speculators, they want even more free money to be pumped into their private little game and will not play anymore until they get what they want.

Having pushed their grubby and sticky hands as deeply as possible into the cookie jar of financial services, grabbing so much loot that their distended fists cannot now exit the neck of that jar of goodies, thereby blocking the legitimate movement of those goodies in and out of the jar, these traders and speculators are now refusing to let go enough of their ill-gotten gains to allow the movement of enough money to enable the rest of the planet to get on with earning a living.

Well, screw them.

Spearpoint has some suggestions for how this economic and financial crisis might be approached. Forget, for the moment, that what Spearpoint knows about economics and finances could easily be written – in three-foot high capital letters – on the back of a postage stamp. We need some common sense (albeit of the Spearpoint variety) rather than esoteric jargonised bulldust designed to maintain the vested interests and status quo of the present global economic system.

Firstly, a global economy (which, whether we like it or not, is what we have) requires a single, global currency. Remove the opportunity for speculation on a myriad of monetary units and the subsequent distortion of prices and values induced by the artificial and arbitrary determinations of one currency against another.

To all intents and purposes we have that universal currency now – the United States Dollar. So let goods and services be priced in Dollars. Let everyone be paid in Dollars, be they in America, South Africa, Pakistan, Argentina, France, Samoa, Russia or wherever. Let the price of, for example, a loaf of bread be the same everywhere in the world. Let one hour of a labourer’s work, (or a dentist’s, or a clerk’s, or a shop assistant’s) be equivalent worldwide in value according to skill, education and training.

If you don’t like the Dollar, then pick another name for it – or find something else to use as a currency.

Secondly, regulate, regulate, regulate. Make it difficult for selfish and unscrupulous individuals and companies to profiteer at the expense of others. If need be, restrict the number of trades permissible on any particular item or parcel being hawked. Similarly, restrict margins and commissions per trade. Let’s make it difficult for individual traders to make enough money to buy a C-class Mercedes on a single trade.

Thirdly, license every trader, every stockbroker and every trading house. Introduce stiff operating requirements and stiffer penalties for contraventions. Enforce those requirements and penalties and, for the purposes of audits, have every transaction fully recorded and signed off by the trader(s) in person.

Fourthly, in respect of the current crisis, issue blanket indictments against every trader, speculator, bank and trading house for investigation into unethical practices, recklessness, rank greed and potential fraud and/or criminal behaviour. Stop rewarding the rape and pillage of the system. Jail the bastards and seize their assets and those of their families and other beneficiaries.

Never mind about instilling confidence into the existing system – confidence which, strangely enough, was in plentiful supply up until a few weeks ago when every man and his dog in these banks, trading houses and bourses was happily screwing everyone else in sight. Rather set about instilling respect for ethical business behaviour and fear of the consequences of improper and reckless actions and mindsets. Confidence will follow as inevitably as the balls of the bull follow the ring in the nose of the beast.

Fifthly, operate the stock market system more along the lines of Lloyds Insurance – limit any one individual or company to trades that they can personally guarantee. If a trade goes wrong then the traders carry a personal liability to their investors and can lose their own assets to compensate their victims. Bankrupt the reckless and criminal thieves. Do this and watch sensible business caution permeate the world of trading.

Finally, and again in respect of the present crisis, close all stock markets for the next seven days. Then re-open them for four hours and gauge the response; if the traders resume their bad behaviour close the markets for another week – and continue doing so until the traders are prepared to play the game in an equitable and fair manner, sharing the bad risks with the victims of their excesses rather than only wanting to pocket profits without sharing the losses. The bulk of the global population will be no worse off than they are now (the markets are, essentially, shut owing to the actions of the banks and traders) and those banks and trading houses will risk being out of business in short order.

Simplistic? I have no doubt. But perhaps a start. Take the Golden Rule and work from there.

Spearpoint.

12^th October 2008