My Life on this planet.

Leopold II in Congo Belgium has a terrible human rights track record because of its second king Leopold II (1835 - 1909) during whose reign millions of people in Congo died. People may say he is not personally responsible but the same can be said of Hitler. However, Leopold II could have ruled only Belgium but this he considered too small and thus he lobbied to gain Congo for himself and succeeded on the condition he would treat its people correct, something he refused to do from day one. Therefore, he is responsible as he actively searched for this expansion to enrich himself so he could enlarge his own glory in his kingdom Belgium with neglect of his "subjects" in Congo. And people in those days had already a conscience because the king had to replace the first ambassador who refused to collaborate to expand the king's personal property.   To have an impression of the terror Leopold ii allowed in Congo is a picture in this article that shows a black father who l...

Unfortunately. In 2011 violent clashes in London and then Brexit in which the poor voiced they anger against a capital that only wants to have fun but doesn't bother to look after people in the rest of the country and even closes its eyes for the poor in the capital and thus frustrating many. Then Paris and other cities in France where yellow vests protest against the growing inequality where the have-all really have so much they can single-handedly pay the restoration of a nearly burned down cathedral. And now protests in Berlin when people protest against shops where hamburgers cost 8€ while cheaper shops close down. And Aldi may ethically not be too bad as it sell products cheap so the difference between cheap production and sale-able products will be smaller compared with many with larger margin so poorer but also ordinary people can buy food. Everywhere when ordinary people clean-up an area, more wealthy people start to move in because many things are going on. ...

Wednesday, 01/05/2019, labour day. The day of the left, socialists and communists. As a response the Catholic invented their own labour day, Rerum Novarum. Indeed, divide and rule. Regularly, people discuss the reasons for the decline of socialist parties in many countries. And in the countries where they don't decline, mainly in developing countries, opponents do whatever is possible to remove the left from power, even when this means to impoverish the country, so often the rulers become dictators to remain in power and then of course there are justified reasons they can be removed. Still, I can think of a few reasons why socialism in the West declines (I repeat, my opinion). I don't mention communism because that is/was an extreme form that in normal situation is unlikely to become a main party although a comparison with extreme right shows politicians don't understand why they're opposed to extremism. Socialists often have links with unions and ...

Four in 10 UK first-time buyers will retire with mortgages, FCA warns As was predictable (and as I wrote about before, see here ) houses become much too expensive so that people, in order to be able to buy a house, need to take ever higher mortgages that with ordinary salaries need to be repaid over ever longer periods and now for a growing number of people well into their retirement. A house, ones regarded as a good investment for later, now seems to become a burden for many. I think people should stop buying houses to force a correction or prices may continue to increase until a new crisis may hit and those who bought now will impoverish. Yes, after the financial crisis that was a result of among others inflated house prices whereby too many people were no longer able to repay, some people warned against uncontrolled housing markets but it may all repeat itself. And, even as an investment, when houses become too expensive, also the rent will go up and more difficult to let. ...

This Guardian article should be read by anyone who hopes a new referendum will be organised but doesn't acknowledge why people voted to leave. Those who think such a referendum will keep the UK inside the EU and solve all problems should not hope before its result is known. Even then is the question, can it return? This quote summarises it: "I would vote to leave now because the way the EU has treated the UK on its exit has opened my eyes up a little bit. I've seen what they have been doing to other countries, particular Greece." Here my analysis why I think many, mainly English, voted to leave the EU. Indeed, someone in the article blames PM Thatcher and yes, even today many British politicians, often Thatcherites, continue the destruction of the social cohesion in their own country. And thus it is not the EU who should be blamed that even slowed down this destruction by introducing workers and environmental protection. Still, many voted for the Tories who...