think about them

Why should you vote for the Green Party at the next election?

2010-02-13T04:44:00.000-08:00

Because the risks to the planet, to us and to our children now justify the presence in Parliament of a voice focussed on saving us from our own folly. Only the Green Party is leading the way in trying to reverse the harm we are doing to ourselves. The so-called major parties are quarreling among themselves about other issues - surely important, but not the only ones - while we slide towards a precipice.- We are polluting the air with carbon dioxide and cocktails of industrial chemicals- We are polluting the oceans with plastic and other waste- We are polluting the ground and water supplies with nitrates, pesticides, medical compounds and other chemicalsThe air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are day by day becoming more of a danger to us. Pollutants and irritants of all kinds are settling in our lungs every day. We are ingesting - whether we like it or not - preservatives and hormones from food, water and their plastic packaging. More and more young people have allergies and pollution-related illnesses. More and more cancers are appearing as a result of the chemical "soup" around us.Probably like me you are simply irritated when you see someone just chuck their cigarette ends out of their car window, or their burger packet on the pavement.I expect like all of us you have grown to accept the plastic rubbish everywhere or the dirt and grit on your skin and clothes after a day walking around Hammersmith.But this rubbish, this dirt, these products, break down into pollution that insidiously enters our bodies and those of our children,And this is what we as a species are doing on a massive scale - throwing out our rubbish, a lot of it actually toxic, and then absorbing it back in as fast as we tryot get rid of it.It is not too late to do something about it. The Earth and its environmemt is a huge complex organism, it is is reeling under the attacks we are making on it. But it is resilient. We can reverse the damage - if we start acting decisively now.And for that the major parties in Parliament need to be watched and held to account every minute and every day.Only the Green Party is totally dedicated to this issue, and will fight relentlessly to reverse the damage and make this Earth a safe, healthy place again for us and our decendants.I live in Hammersmith and I have two very young children. I look at my son and I apply what I call the "50-year test". By the time he is old enough to have a child, and by the time that child in turn reaches majority, probably at leat 50 years will have elapsed.50 years seems a lot, but just look back 50 years from here - to the 1960s - and look at what we have done to the world in that time.In 1960 there were x people on the planet - now there are YIn 1960 the global economy and the massive industrialisation of the Third World hardly existedIn 1960 the oceans were still largely unpolluted and still full of fish, the great areas of rain forest still largely intact.In 1960 .....It has taken us - the whole human race, but led by us, the industrialised "civilised" nations - just 50 years to wreck this through selfish exploitation and consumption of the Earth's resources, and our "dustbin" mentality, where we just dump all the by-products of our over-consumption into the sea, the air, and the ground.So let's apply the "50 year test" now.What will the earth and our environment by like 50 years further on, bearing in mind the damage is actually accelerating with globalisation and world population growth?In the view of many experts it will be so polluted, and our natural resources so pillaged and wasted, that it will already be a pretty unpleasant place, even before we add in the ongoing changes to or world climate.Do you want this for your own children and grandchildren?We need to stop this trend.We cannot do it all overnight, but it is still possible to act. Progress is already being made with reducing packaging, stricter monitoring of what goes into our food and a reduction in industrial farming methods and pesticides, reducing carbon emissions, cutting down on the pollution caused by the petrol engine, finding alternative, renewable sources of energy, installing better insulation, and so on. We need to act both globally - through international pressure, conferences, regulations - and locally at the same time. For example here in Hammersmth we could speed up adoption of renewable energy and good insulation, we could cut down on air pollution and plastic packaging, we could get our children eating purer, healthier food. These things are not rocket science, we just need to make them a priority.But the major parties only act in this area when pushed relentlessly.They will tell you that the key problems facing us are the world financial crisis, and extreme religious fundamentalism leading to terrorism and issues such as the growth of Al Quaida and Iran's nuclear programme. Of course these are important, but if we spend all our efforts trying to deal with them and at the same time destroy the envirnment of the very planet we live on, it is not going to help us or our children very much.Let's imagine in a few years we have restored some sort of responsible world financial system, Let's imagine that we somehow manage to remove some of the causes that enable world terrorism to flourish. Are we only then going to start looking round and trying to clean up the Planet?It will be too late - we need to start now, in parallel with these other efforts.We must clean up our air, soil, food and water, we must ensure a healthy future for ouselves and above all our children and grandchildren.We must vote for the Green Party if we want to make a difference.

Rollo Miles Education Pledges‏

2010-01-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

As for education, every British child and adult should be entitled to a great education and future. Children often start school as eager learners, but by the end of their school lives, too many have no or few positive outcomes from school, and no desire to continue any formal education. That tells me that there is something really wrong with our current system.

These issues are easy to identify:

1) classes are usually much too large

2) there is the wrong kind of pressure on pupils - we have a system where schools are ranked by SATs and league tables and not much else

3) There is an "easy option" culture with too little effort to get children interested in the "hard" subjects which we need to enable us to compete globally. Then when it comes to jobs, young people see at once that these subjects have not prepared them properly for the workplace, and the result is general discouragement

4) Pupils are still not being taught to be creative, when that it is the number one thing we all need.

In answer to these I believe:

1) Much smaller class sizes are the key to behaviour and learning. Classrooms should be places for the children to explore and discover new things, which is easier to achieve with smaller numbers of children in classrooms. We need to bite the bullet and resource this properly at once.

2) I would abolish the system of SATs and league tables. They put unnecessary pressure on schools without leading to a better all-round education for the children.

3) If we want Britain to compete in the global economy it has to start with education, our heavy industry is dead and we need to become thinkers, engineers… There should be a much stronger focus on subjects like physics, maths, biology, geography if we are to solve the problems of tomorrow but these are seen as "dry" subjects. We need to find ways to show our children how interesting these subjects really are.

4) Above all we need to draw out creativity from our young people. Yes we need to teach pupils how to access information to solve problems, but we also need to train them in basic creative thinking.

Only by showing creativity in every aspect of our lives can we hope to succeed, individually and as a nation.There are several other important precepts that we Greens believe in:

- All children, even those with disabilities and special educational needs, should be given the opportunity to attend their local school. We need to create a more tolerant and inclusive society.

- We would recruit and retain more teachers by allowing them greater freedom and remove one of the main reasons teachers leave teaching, paperwork.

- My position on tuition fees and student loans is not to have them. I support grants not loans, providing a basic income supplemented with part time work/jobs so that students can learn the value of work and money whilst studying.

Our children will be competing with young people from all over the world, most of them from less developed countries and therefore more hungry for success. We need to give our children the right tools so that they are, and we are as a nation in the best position to stay competitive and creative.

Rollo Miles
Parliamentary Candidate for Hammersmith

My reaction to the MPs expenses saga

2009-06-02T00:45:00.000-07:00

The main news for the last couple of months has been dominated by MPs expenses. Various party leaders are in the news talking about what they are going to do to redress the situation and bring back confidence in our elected representatives.

Let's just go back, the current elected government has been in power for over ten years. Why if the system was so wrong did they do nothing about it? Why wait till they have been caught with their hands in the till to suddenly take the bull by the horns and call for reform? Talk about missing the boat.

My reaction to this expenses scandal falls into two parts.

First, there is the complete "taking the piss" from various members of parliament, these are often back-benchers. One could argue that this comes from misinterpretation of the rules and MPs believing that the expense budget is a salary top-up, for MPs are underpaid compared to other walks of life or public sector pay. However what I am referring to is the John Lewis list, the Duck houses and that type of expense.

If what we are led to believe about the apparent "understanding" between the fees office and MPs, how these expenses where an unspoken salary top-up, I can understand how some MPs have come to claim for what they have. It does not excuse them or make it right but it reinforces the need for change and transparency and brings back to the table the fact that an honest conversation about MPs pay and expenses needs to be had. We do not want to leave the door open for bribery or corruption, or even treason for the sake of money and pay. MPs need to earn a decent salary if we are to attract a different breed of people, the salary needs to be compared to similar positions in both the public and private sector.

Second, what really gets me going more are the cases of clear fraud: avoiding paying capital gains tax on properties, MPs changing primary residence to be able to claim for works on a property, in other words playing the property market - with our money. First, when do they have the time to do this? Second, this is fraud and any MPs who has been found to play the system should face a Police investigation. It is all very good saying sorry but that is not enough.

It seems to be MPs from the ruling party and even Cabinet members who seem most guilty of this sort of corruption and crime.

MPs who are standing down should do so now and not wait till the next general election, they have lost any moral authority they had and need to go now. The right to recall should be passed into law.

Employing members of one's family should also be looked into.

As for reforms, they are needed, but why is it taking so long for proposals to be implemented? Talk is very good but action is needed.

Constitutional reforms and proportional representation.

If I look at my local general election results for 2005 as an example.

We have a registered electorate around 70.000 voters.
In the last general election of 2005, the turnout was around 39,000 which is 56%.
Labour won with 16,579 votes, 41%.
The other parties combined had over 24,000 votes.
So more people voted against our current MP than for him, to me this is wrong.
The "first past the post" rule is unfair and we need to look at other systems.

A very basic proposal for change is that to win outright you have to have more than 50% of the vote; if no one wins more that 50% of the vote then we have a second round of voting a week later. What could be simpler than this! Than at least most of the electorate would feel like their vote counts and that they can make a difference.

Let's face it, Britain's political system is probably one of the most transparent in the world, but this is no excuse, we should be whiter than white if we want to be recognized as a leading democracy - we need to sort out our electoral system.

As for any minister who has been found to have fiddled their expenses, they should be sacked immediately. Because of their added responsibilities and so-called moral standing they have no excuses: Darling, Blear, Hoon and others have no option but to resign immediately.

MPs who go and have been found out to have fiddled the system should leave with a reduced or even zero golden handshake or retirement package, for if you are found to have committed fraud in the private sector you get much more than just the sack, you go to prison.

Until this is sorted out the summer recess is out of the question.

It is time for change and not time for change in a year or two, the rules must change now.

Rollo Miles

Weebly - Website Creation Made Easy

2009-06-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Weebly - Website Creation Made Easy

Gaza / Israel

2009-01-05T01:18:00.000-08:00

I think we need to put this conflict in perspective.
What is happening in Palestine ie: the West Bank but more importantly in Gaza, is just too horrible to contemplate. My heart goes out to everyone living in Gaza right now.

People refer to Hamas as a terrorist organisation, but let's remember they were duly elected by the people of Gaza and are therefore a legitimate goverment. The World will not recognise this, because since the September 11th attacks the favourite word for certain countries is "Terrorist" – anyone who does nor agree with the ruling parties is a terrorist and anything can be done to terrorists. Let me just remind everyone that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Were the French citizens fighting the Nazis terrorists? are the Monks in Burma terrorists? What is a terrorist?
I believe what the Israelis are doing in Gaza is a crime against humanity, from a people who sufffered so much at the hands of a terrible regime (the Nazis),
who were put in concentration camps, tortured, exterminated. What has happened to their collective memory or is it a case of the bullied turn into the bullies?

Let's not kid ourselves, the Israelis run the biggest concentration camp in the history of Man. What they are doing to the Palestinians is a crime, they have them locked up, control their lives demean them and treat them like subhumans. It would not surprise me if the Israelis start forcing the Israeli Arabs to wear some distinctive sign to mark them out from the rest, maybe a Green star.

It is time for the world to stop supporting Israel and to put them in their place, they have been allowed to get away with literally murder for far too long.
The Israelis talk about defending their people, but at what cost? So far in this latest conflict I think 4 Israelis have been killed to over 400 Palestinians - I do not think this is right. Let's just remember who this land belongs to and who is causing the fighting in this whole region – maybe we should start refering to Israelis as terrorists.

Let's also put what is happening on the ground in perspective. The Palestinians fight back with some home-made rockets which are hit and miss; the Israelis have at their disposal one of the greatest military arsenal the world has ever seen paid for largely by the US. If they really want these home-made rockets to stop the solutiion is very clear and simple, give back the land you occupy and have stolen from them, stop making their everyday life not worth living. There is no miltary solution to this problem: it is a numbers game and the Israelis know this.

Before I finish my rant I would just like to say "shame on Bush", what is he thinking? His latest statment – can you believe it, he is effectively giving a blank card to the Israelis to kill as many Palestinians as they want. This man is surely one of the stupidest men the world has ever seen, shame on him, history will laugh at him. It would be funny if it weren't tragic.

While we are talking about History, Israel was allowed to be created because the world felt a collective shame and guilt for what had happened to the Jews durring the Second World War. No-one really wants to talk about this subject how they were killed and exterminated across Europe with many countries turning a blind eye to what the Nazis where doing. I would just like to say again in my view the victims have turned into the killers and the world should stand up to these Israelis and really point out to them that they have now turned into what they despise the most – Concentration Camp Commanders.
When I think of Gaza, the Warsaw Ghetto often springs to mind, the suffering of the Jews at the hand of the Nazis, please read bellow: ??
( The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Many Jews in ghettos across eastern Europe tried to organize resistance against the Germans and to arm themselves with smuggled and homemade weapons. In1943,underground resistance movements formed in about 100 Jewish groups. The most famous attempt by Jews to resist the Germans in armed fighting occurred in the Warsaw ghetto.

In the summer of 1942, about 300,000 Jews were deported from Warsaw to Treblinka.
When reports of mass murder in the killing center leaked back to the Warsaw ghetto, a surviving group of mostly young people formed an organization called the Z.O.B. (for the Polish name, Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa, which means Jewish Fighting Organization).

The Z.O.B., led by 23-year-old Mordecai Anielewicz, issued a proclamation calling for the Jewish people to resist going to the railroad cars. In January 1943, Warsaw ghetto fighters fired upon German troops as they tried to round up another group of ghetto inhabitants for deportation. Fighters used a small supply of weapons that had been smuggled into the ghetto. After a few days, the troops retreated. This small victory inspired the ghetto fighters to prepare for future resistance. On April 19, 1943, the Warsaw ghetto uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants. Seven hundred and fifty fighters fought the heavily armed and well-trained Germans. The ghetto fighters were able to hold out for nearly a month, but on May 16, 1943, the revolt ended. The Germans had slowly crushed the resistance. )
Does this account remind you of what is happening in Gaza today, Israel you must remember your past and stop history from repeating itself. Treat others how you would like to be treated yourself. Give the Palestinians their Land back and go back to the 1967 borders.

What is the point of the UN?

2008-12-19T08:53:00.001-08:00

What is the point of the UN?

In 1899, the International Peace Conference was held in The Hague to elaborate instruments for settling crises peacefully, preventing wars and codifying rules of warfare. It adopted the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes and established the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which began work in 1902.
The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived in similar circumstances during the first World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security." The International Labour Organization was also created under the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League. The League of Nations ceased its activities after failing to prevent the Second World War.
In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. Those delegates deliberated on the basis of proposals worked out by the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States at Dumbarton Oaks, United States in August-October 1944. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of the original 51 Member States.
The purpose of the United Nations is to bring all nations of the world together to work for peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people. It affords the opportunity for countries to balance global interdependence and national interests when addressing international problems.
There are currently 192 Members of the United Nations. They meet in the General Assembly, which is the closest thing to a world parliament. Each country, large or small, rich or poor, has a single vote; however, none of the decisions taken by the Assembly are binding. Nevertheless, the Assembly's decisions become resolutions that carry the weight of world governmental opinion.
The League's Council was transformed into the Security Council consisting of the five victors of the war as permanent members and ten other countries serving two year terms. The five permanent members - China, France, the UK, the USSR, and the US were also given veto power, which means that decisions taken by the Security Council can be blocked by any of the five permanent members. This is significant firstly because the Security Council is the principle UN organ responsible for ensuring peace, and, secondly, because it is the only body whose decisions are binding on all Member States. Since the creation of the UN the balance of Big Powers has changed and over one hundred new Member States, mainly non-Western, have joined. With these changes have come increasing demands to reform the Security Council.

In my opinion the UN and the Security council are clearly not working and are not effective.

In the last year six main issues spring to mind where the UN has failed to intervene often because countries like China or Russia uses their veto to block any resolution, this is not only endangering human life across the world but also putting the planet at risk.

Burma: A horrific military regime who suppresses the will of its people. Burma has voted in the past for a free and democratically elected governments its current real leader is under house arrest, Last years the Monks and the people tried to organize nation wide protest and they were brutally repress. The world stood by and watched, some countries tried to bring this to the world attention but again countries used their veto a nothing happened.

Zimbabwe: A brutal Dictator called Robert Mugabe has destroyed this fine country, again counties like south Africa protect him, countries like Russia and China uses their veto to stop the UN from intervening, in the mean time people die. South Africa say it is an internal problem but do not take into account what the population on the ground wants only what this illegal regime wants.

Darfur: Thousand and thousand of people have been killed, when the International criminal court tries to take action against its perpetrator, other non democratic countries block any resolution to help these pore suffering people, and the leader of Sudan get away with murder.

Global warning: At this rate there will be no Earth left for our children to inherit. To many countries trying to protect their personal interest, no one looks at the bigger picture.

Kosovo: A big mistake granting Kosovo independence, Kosovo in an integral part of Serbia it is a bit like if Cornwall was granted independence from the UK, or Brittany from France.Yes the Serbs were responsible for terrible atrocities but I don’t think this was the solutions. What about Tibet or Palestine why have we not been as forceful in backing their independence.

Palestine: This is the biggest concentration camp in the world and the longest running, the real shame in this story is that this camp in run by people who really suffered in the past and the hands of an evil regime and they don’t seem to realize that they are repeating crime under which they suffered. Why does the UN not take a firmer tome with Israel?

Some politicians are touting a new idea a League of Democracies, what is the point of a body like the UN if it comprises Democracies and dictatorship all combined under one roof. These two vastly opposite way of running countries are so far apart that they just can not run side by side. If countries that adhere to a strict code of democratically elected government got together, their consensus would be far easy to reach and agree without Moscow’s and Beijing’s approval for they seem to be always the ones blocking progress or a firm tone against repressive regimes. A group of like minded nations working together in the cause of peace.
It could act where the U.N fails; this is what John McCain said on the subject: Such a new body, he says, could help relieve suffering in Darfur, fight the AIDS epidemic in Africa, develop better environmental policies, and provide "unimpeded market access" to countries sharing "the values of economic and political freedom." And, McCain adds, an organization of democracies could pressure tyrants "with or without Moscow's and Beijing's approval" and could "impose sanctions" while helping struggling democracies succeed.
What is a democratic elected government

A form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections. In a direct democracy, the public participates in government directly. Most democracies today are representative. The concept of representative democracy arose largely from ideas and institutions that developed during the European Middle Ages and the Enlightenment and in the American and French Revolutions. Democracy has come to imply universal suffrage, competition for office, freedom of speech and the press, and the rule of law

Government by the people exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
A political or social unit that has such a government.
The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
Majority rule.
The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.
Countries such as: Russia, Burma, China, Zimbabwe, Congo, Israel, Sudan…. which are either run by dictator, military regimes, One state parties, or major disrespect for human life can not join or trade with this new group and will be left out in the cold.
Is it time to dismantle the UN and reorganize with like minded countries that we can work with and try and encourage more countries to respect democratic values and what its people want? If so this must go both ways, it a country votes for a party we do not like we must respect the outcome and engage with them, for example the people of Gaza voted for Hamas and remember the old saying:
ONE MAN'S TERRORIST IS ANOTHER'S FREEDOM FIGHTER.

My personal views are that the UN is falling the people of the world, there is to much poverty and repression out there, if we are going to keep the UN the right of Veto of certain countries all countries must be dropped, countries who do not follow basic democratic values in their election can not have the same voting rights as counties who regularly switch from one parties to another. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Is Mbeki being black mailed

2008-12-16T02:19:00.000-08:00

Is Mbeki being black mailed

As we are about to enter a new year 2009
Zimbabwe is looking more and more like an episode of Ground Hog Day where the same stories keep happening time and time again.

Back in March 2000 before the last general election this is what was happening on the ground.

(Zimbabwe is on the brink of a total economic collapse and facing a serious national crisis. The facts are simple. Twenty years ago Zimbabwe was a self sufficient country that could support itself and was a food exporting nation. After twenty years of one party rule, mismanagement, incompetence, and corruption, by the Government, Zimbabwe is dependent upon foreign aid, imports food, and is no longer able to sustain the import of its basic energy or raw material requirements. Businesses are faced with the prospect of closure. The President is actively encouraging the rule of anarchy in his bid to remain in power.) Published March 2000.

Nine years down the line what has changed nothing!

We would all like Mugabe to retire and go but who really is to blame?

In my view it is MBEKI.

This man has been the chief negotiator appointment by SADAC for over ten years and what has he done nothing, how can he look himself in the mirror every day and not feel sick. Why has he been allowed to carry on with negotiation when he is clearly on ZANU side? I always thought a negotiator should be neutral.

The more I think about it, Mugabe regime most have something on him, why would a man like Mbeki keep siding with Mugabe in the face of the destruction he is bringing on Zimbabwe, if these negotiations had been going on for a couple of years we could think that the slow action he is taking will bear fruits one day, but it has been over ten years.

So if Mugabe is bribing him to stall the negotiation talks, it would have to be vast sums for someone to be prepared to let millions die for their own gain but I personally think it is fare more serious than that.

The only possible explanation for Mbeki lack of courage and his non extant approach to these negotiations, the fact that he keeps defending Mugabe in the face of atrocities committed by his regime is that Mugabe must have something on him and must be black mailing him. It is the only possible solution why an educated man like Mbeki keeps siding with Mugabe and backing him up.

Any normal intelligent human being would see what terrible consequences Mugabe has brought on his own country, it is so blatant that ZANU is stealing from Zimbabwe that this regime is lining its pockets whilst million starve or die.

Mugabe latest denial of the Cholera outbreak cracks me up, has he gone mad is he not aware what his happening in Zim is he blind.
This is the moment for other African leaders to stand up and ask him to account for his actions. People are being kidnapped. Tortured and killed and still Mbeki defends him and from behind the scenes stops sanctions and action from happening.

What Mugabe must have on Mbeki must be so terrible and chocking that even in the face of all this death he does not dare to stand up to this corrupt regime and condemns it.

Is Mbeki Gay? Does he like young boys? Has Mugabe got video or compromising pictures of him? Zanu must have something on him, it is the only logical explanation for why Mbeki does not take a firm stand against Mugabe over the last ten years and has helped in the collapse of Zimbabwe.

So Mr. Mbeki if you are being black mailed why not come clean about your secrets surely it is better that letting millions of people suffer because you are ashamed of your actions, why have you not resigned from being the chief negotiator and let some one with balls take over the process.

You have already been sacked as a failing president your standing in the world is so low that the only humble course for you is to explain why you have been siding with Mugabe for the last 10 years apologies and go.

You have blood on your hands.

As for South Africa just get rid of Robert Mugabe the world will be a better place.

Open Letter to Morgan Tsvangirai

2008-12-16T02:18:00.000-08:00

Open Letter to Morgan Tsvangirai

Dear Sir

I would just like to say I wish there where more people in the world like you. Keep doing what you are doing, you will get there, Zimbabwe will be free again.

Everyone knows you won the election, the first round fair and square, even with Zanu rigging it by at least 30% you still came first; it was such a surprise to them that they postponed the results while trying to figure out what to do next. You are the real president-elect of Zimbabwe and the world should recognise you.

Shame on South Africa and SADAC for trying to force you to compromise with Mugabe the dictator; he should be dragged in front of the Hague with all his cronies. He is an old man and a day will come when he will no longer be with us, at this point his party will collapse and lose the support of SADAC and ZANU will be held to account.

My advice is not to enter a power-sharing deal, walk away.

30 years ago the world supported the liberation struggle and helped train people like Mugabe to take on those who would not share power. Well the time has come for the world once again to support a new Liberation war, a war for freedom and democratic values.

Zimbabwe is such a proud country but Mugabe who lives by the sword needs to die by the sword, it is the only language he understands. I am for peace and I hate wars but there comes a time where one must stand up for what one believes in and if talking cannot deliver it then maybe it is time for other measures. If Botswana is helping to train people to take on ZANU then great we should all help them and support them. There is no shame in this it is the right thing to do.

I live in London, my mother was born in Zim and so was her mother, I feel a kinship to this great country so if there is anything I can do, I am here to help.
I have posted various articles on my (FaceBook?) "Wall" and will keep trying to get them published and sending them to sites like http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/ and http://www.thetimes.co.uk/.

The time has come for the world to wake up; it is so obvious that Mugabe is a mad dictator who has lost the plot, the longer we wait for him to step down the longer it will take to rebuild Zimbabwe. He will be remembered not as a liberation hero but as a war criminal. Zanu should wake up to this, they have blood on their hands, they need to stop living for today and start thinking about tomorrow. How long do they think they can get away with such tyranny?

Rollo Miles, Supporter for a free Zimbabwe

The State of the London Property market

2008-12-16T01:22:00.000-08:00

No one could have failed to notice that once again the property market is creating sensational headlines in the national press. The media are now reporting price drops of 25% - 30% from their peak in 2007. In real terms, we are back to prices of 2006

It should be noted that much of the media is commenting on the market as a whole throughout the UK and it must be remembered that London does not always follow the trends which may be occurring across the rest of the country.

Six months ago it was reported that nationally prices had dropped by 10% - 13%. As estate agents specialising in central London we knew that in the capital prices had by dropped far more then the margins reported due to the soar in prices we saw in 2007.

The vast majority of central London agents took this on board and six months ago began to readjust their property valuations to suit the mood in the city, dropping prices by 20%-30% leading the way for the rest of the country. Thus in London property prices have already been adjusted and the reports that are coming through now of another 30% drop in prices are far more applicable to the rest of the country, as in central London it has already happened. Due to the capital reacting to the financial crisis a few months ago property prices have already taken a substantial tumble which is now having a knock on effect across the country.

One crucial point that seems to be getting a little muddled with all the turbulence in the financial markets is that property is a long term investment. Looking at the history of house prices apart from the occasional blip prices have been steadily raising since records began. Over a decent period of time there is no doubt that your property will increase in value.

Home owners stay on average between 5 and 10 year in their current location, how much do you think your house will be worth in 10 years time?
(Traditionally London House prices double every 10 years).

Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove are now back to 2006 price levels and buyer are seeing great value; The Bank of England has made a shock two-and-a-half percentage point cut in UK interest rates to 3%, the lowest level since 1955.

So If you are thinking of buying the key is to be realistic, make sure your estate agents understands your needs and wants, it is a buyer market so do not hesitate to make an offer, you just never know.

News Flash On Zimbabwe

2008-12-16T01:16:00.000-08:00

I think this pictures says it all: If so called Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa can not even hang the picture of his leader correctly, what hope is there? They are a real Mickey Mouse regime and we should laugh them out of office.

News Flash On Zimbabwe

Mr. Mugabe last week sparked uproar by claiming the cholera outbreak was over in Zimbabwe, while Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said the outbreak was the result of biological warfare launched by former colonial power Britain against Zimbabwe.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told state media they have "compelling evidence" Botswana was hosting military training camps for opposition rebels.

Have the above people all lost the plot; they must be in such a desperate state to come up with such desperate lies.

What a jock, South Africa: wake up! Do you think these people are serious, do you think they want the best for Zimbabwe?

The time has come for sanction! South Africa says it does not want to hurt the people of Zimbabwe. Wake Up call, they are already hurting and it can not really get worst, so go on have the courage to tell Mugabe to go, his time is up.

It is not just Mugabe tell the jokers: Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa who buy the way should not be referred to as minister for they are not that they too will be held to account.

If you had the courage to Stand up to this regime, to cut off their power, to stop fuel from entering it would not be long before this illegal regimes implodes.

As for their claims against Botswana, I really do hope that Botswana is helping to train opposition supporters in the arts of war and I can see nothing wrong with this. Did the countries surrounding Zimbabwe not help or even Host camps and training facilities during the liberation struggle to help bring down Ian Smith Government, surely you must all see that the Mugabe regime is far worst that the previous one, that the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe in 100 times what is was during the liberation war, so go go Botswana you have nothing to fear, history will be on your side and if Mugabe tries anything against you he will be crushed.

Open Letter to Mr Cameron with ideas on the economy

2008-12-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Cameron
I am a local estate agent living and working in W10, and have been for the last 10 years. I just wanted to touch base with you about the state of the current market and what I feel is happening on the ground.

Please bear in mind I spend my days talking and spending time with "real people" looking to either sell or buy a home, listening to their fears and what they think is happening.

This is the real state of the market in W10: first we agents were aware that the market had dropped by at least 20% 6 months ago, the press and the government were talking about 10%-15% but finally they caught up with us and are now talking about a price adjustment across the country of 30%. - 35%

In Kensington And Chelsea we are ahead of the game and are already trading at this level, in fact we are back to figures of 2006. So if you want to know what property is worth go to www.nethouseprice.com and see what 2006 levels were and what is today’s price. In the worst case scenario we could go back to 2005 levels 50% off last years peak, but this all depends on lending.

In fact the main problem is lending, I have plenty of buyers who really want to buy. A lot of them are now seeing true value, they know the market has changed, they also know we are in a buyer's market and they can make offers 10 % below asking price. sometimes more. It is a more pleasant environment to trade in then in the last couple of years, not so aggressive, less hype and less guzumping.

So when I listen to Radio 4 and they are saying that buyers do not want to buy and we should just leave the mortgage market alone, they are wrong. The problem is people cannot get mortgages and therefore houses are not selling, so estate agents are pushing prices down until they sell. So if we don't do something soon the market will be back to levels of 2005, which in real terms is probably 40% - 50% down on the peak of last year. At the moment most people who bought their houses in 2006 have a house worth the same as they paid for it then or in some cases less. So it is vital to get the housing market moving again.

The Labour party says that the Conservatives are doing nothing and not coming up with any ideas, so here are a couple that would get things moving; also let's not forget that the whole UK financial market is linked to the property market.

First, property transactions are down 60%-70% on this time last year so the Government is getting very little Stamp Duty. So Stamp Duty either needs to be dropped or suspended for 2 years - this would be a bold move, but only bold moves will achieve anything.
Second, a new law needs to be passed putting a cap on mortgage lending, something like a 90% of the property value, so lenders can never go back to their dangerous lending levels, where in some cases they were lending up to 100% - 120% of the value of properties.

Finally, the Labour Government keeps talking about doing whatever it takes to get the market moving, so they have recently nationalized two banks. Northern Rock and Bradford and Bagley are 100% owned by the taxpayer. So why are they not offering some good mortgage deals? They need to be ahead of the game. If Northern Rock was to offer a 25-year repayment mortgage at less say 5% other banks will follow suit. At the same time why do these banks not offer good overdrafts or loans to business that have a sound business plan or model?

These measures would really get things moving. You might say we can’t do this because of competition rules, but the Government has shown with their recent mergers that all standard rules are out of the window and if Europe objects, so what! As Labour says: extreme times need extreme measures.

I really think that next time the Government says you are not coming up with solution or when your are interviewed on Radio 4 and asked to give examples of things you would do to stimulate the economy, these are real solutions that the public will buy into. Use their words: "Extreme times demand extreme measures"; they will "do everything in their power to help the British people".

The more the market is talked down the worse it is going to get. I am not worried about deflation, I think this is quite short-term. I am still worried about inflation, I can see interest rates rising in the next couple of years. So if you win the next election you will inherit a real mess.

You need to knock Gordon Brown off his pedestal, and you will only do that by offering real solutions that he cannot compete with.

On this point I wanted to talk with you about the next bombshell or the next bust. This is the amount of interest-only mortgages out there

I would say that 80 % of my buyers in the last 5 years have bought property on interest-only loans; this means you pay off the interest on the loan monthly not the capital. When you take out one of these mortgages - which in principle are more affordable than repayment ones - you are supposed to get an ISA and invest into it, so after the term of your mortgage expires, your ISA have grown to levels which will repay your loan.

But there was no regulation on this or even worse no supervision, so I would say of the 80% of interest only mortgagors I am aware of, less than 60% bothered to take out a ISA. No-one checks that interest-only mortgages customers have an ISA or are contributing to it. Meanwhile those who do have lost out with the recent stock market fluctuation so I don’t think their ISAs are worth much (mine definitetly is not). So what is going to happen in 15-20 years when these mortgages come to an end and home owners realize that they have not paid off their house? I can see a real problem brewing. Again this is all about Gordon Brown and his relaxed approach.

I am sure that you and your team are aware of some or all of the above, but from someone who works on the ground and interacts with buyers and sellers every day things are not looking great.

If you would like to discuss these matters further please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Rollo Miles