I think the first black president of the United States, Barack Obama, is an intelligent person who has the personal values required to be a great president. He must be kept safe and I wish him Good Luck.
It is crucial that Obama negotiates with the Iranians and the Syrians.
On the subject of Middle East peace, I think Tony Blair is the most inappropriate Middle East Peace Envoy ever. Who gave him this job?
A man who took us into the Iraq war on misleading and falsified evidence should not be in this sort of position.
I think there will be no peace in this world until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is sorted, but I can't honestly see that happening, can you?
Regarding the banking system, banks have been inflating their profits for bloody years by concealing their debts. Is anyone ever going to listen to their financial 'experts' again?
I would welcome an explanation of how lending people ten times their annual income is viewed as good judgement. I blame the banks for reckless lending, as they fuelled the excessive rises in house prices.
As for bank regulation, self-regulation has failed miserably, and has 'taken the piss' at the authorities. Banks need to be properly regulated by the government, not by a voluntary code of practice which is not adhered to.
Remember Farepak a couple of years ago, who somehow didn't qualify for the attention of the Financial Services Authority?
They went down the chute in a big way, taking with them the year-long Christmas savings of thousands of poor families. Again there was no regulation.
You can read the sorry story here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/nov/14/comment.politics1
