Thursday, April 02, 2009

20 million woes

The warm bonhomie between the US President, his counterparts and their British hosts have done nothing to calm the protesting masses voicing their opposition of the G20 in London! It is apparent that world leaders ought to do a lot more than just 'gifting each other personalized I-pods and signed portraits' during such visits! And, beyond the champagne, wine and canapes of chicken with zucchini on skewers, mini Cornish pasties, smoked quail eggs, foie gras and tiny rolls of duck filled with melon, there is the plaguing worry of a stinging recession which has already pulled the lives of several thousands onto the brink, not to mention those who have already been consumed by it, literally!


While the Americans may chiefly be 'responsible' for putting together progressive policies to restore a horribly failing economy, the US Secret Service will certainly not be pardoned for parking their Commander-in-Chief's limousine at the garden entrance driveway of the Buckingham Palace, will it? Especially when it has been causing 'some' inconvenience to the Jaguars carrying HRM The King in Waiting who hates to be kept waiting!

Prime Minister Brown should know better than to make statements about sharing the American burden of a recessive fallout. Was he trying to play a Blair who, not long ago, steadfastly supported and endorsed his master, er, friend, Bill? ! I'm wondering if this is going to cost him the cozy spring holds of 10 Downing, while momentarily having won the hearts, minds, oohs and aahs of the US Congress!


But its not all that bad as it seems, supposedly! Japan has provided the IMF with an additional $100 billion to bolster the Fund's lendable resources during the current global economic and financial crisis, while Europe’s leaders have agreed to provide an 'extra' €75bn to the IMF.

Our own dear Dr. Prime Minister, under pressure from various political factions, 'may' consider sending a shopping list to the Swiss about Indian money parked in their safe confines. I thought I heard the G20 communique stating that some of these were key achievements ahead of the summit, with the exception of the Indian Prime Minister's considerations of course!


I must tell you about my good friend David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, who on 'April 1st' found time to write a post on Free Society in his blog! I'm quite curious and at loss to understand if this was anything real, considering the timing of the post and of course the ongoing G2o summit. Was is a Fools Day prank? Or merely, the as usual, ill-advised instance of the Whitehall which the Foreign Office decided to showcase via their Atta Boy's cyber whiteboard? Whatever may be the case, it caught me by surprise, for I 'was told' that the Foreign Secretary was visiting the country sides near Suffolk watching farmers milk their cows, while enquiring if their children did their homework on time! Apparently it pays to endorse a 'third-party' view that "the idea that the state is an unwarranted assault on individual freedom is not a progressive one." No wry English humor there!

Now, the business of G20, best left to be decided by 'dignitaries', I'd rather focus on something that has landed in my mailbox which will be of 'interest' to the British High Commission and the Central Bureau of Investigations in India. I'm wondering if the MI6 is listening? Worry not cousins, it is the 419 of the Brit kind! ;-)

Footnotes:

Images Courtesy - The Times of India and The Telegraph

21 comments:

  1. That last picture is nice. (Aesthetics-wise. :))

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  2. I wish they take any strong decision on recession. This is a post at right moment, rakesh.

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  3. Well put forward a point so important...
    I really hope they make some good decisions regarding the recession...

    And just for fun's sake, I wish I could taste that awesome meal you described! :)

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  4. The 'We won't pay for your crisis' board is intriguing, to say the least. All good things are mine, and all bad things are yours??

    Destination Infinity

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  5. I wonder what this world would be like without a recession. Like someone else said, I guess it's the RESET button of the world...everything and everyone in this world has a RESET button, so should the world. There r no beds of roses all the time.

    Keshi.

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  6. All seems trying from all sides...but what is to happen will happen...

    we just can go with the flow -- upswing or downswing...

    hope good solutions come up as we go forward,
    Good to see this post, Rak :)

    love,
    devika

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  7. Nice post Raks..
    always wonder what these peple might be discussing sitting inside those perfumed rooms..very serious people.very serious matters.complicated solutions.
    and a very simple life to maintain.
    two rotis and a dal curry with ample water for 50 million people.
    As you said our prime minister will come back wth some new solution for this centuries old very indan problem.
    very very nice post.

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  8. I second all your thoughts ..... Bingo !! Need to catch up on some of ur other posts .....

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  9. Rohan

    Yeah! It makes a lot of sense too! Especially the message in the second line ;)

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  10. Jeevan

    Lets really hope so! They better buckle up and do something soon!

    Rakesh

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  11. Jeet

    Thanks budd!

    And yeah, I wish I too could dig in some of that food ;)

    Lol!

    Cheers mate

    Rakesh

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  12. DI

    That is in the context of Prime Minister Brown's speech in the US Congress!
    I agree with the banners, why should another country foot the bill?

    Rakesh

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  13. Keshi

    It'd be surely a much better and enjoyable place!
    I wish we had a reset button in place.......but sadly, such a script is not part of life!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  14. Devika Chechi

    I believe it is essential to go thru a correction, particularly to make us conditioned to the bad side.......but then, things have really gotten nasty this time! Lives are at stake!
    I wish things turn around sooner!

    Thanks for your comments! Do have a good time off! I saw that you are on a break!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  15. Magiceye

    Thanks very much! Appreciate your comments!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  16. Divesh

    Thanks very much! Do keep coming!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  17. MIP

    True when you say that life can be sustained with basic / clean / nutritious food and water which really doesn't cost much!
    I too wonder, besides these summits, super secure transport, glitz and glamour......there's a not more and that's called reality! Is it ever addressed?
    Thanks very much! Appreciate your comments!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  18. Rahul V

    Thanks very much for stopping by! Do visit often!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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    ReplyDelete