French President will disappoint democracy and human rights activists in Moscow

French President Francois Hollande will on Thursday arrive in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. Activists today called on Hollande to seriously address human rights and democracy issues:

Rights activists called upon Hollande on Tuesday to address human rights and democracy during his talks with Putin.
“The last year has been the worst for human rights in Russia in recent memory, and Hollande should not miss this chance to persuade Putin to turn things around,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
The organization also said the French president should press Moscow to address the huge toll of the Syrian crisis on civilians, including by supporting a United Nations Security Council arms embargo.
In a letter published by La Liberation, four prominent French rights activists warned that Hollande should not forget his 2011 call when he urged Moscow to uphold the Russian public’s “desire for democracy.”

Unfortunately the human rights and democracy activists are in for a disappointment. Like all other western leaders who have visited Moscow during the last few years, Hollande will not confront the dictator of the mafia state in any serious way. Of course there will be a brief meeting with "civil society and opposition representatives" to allow the former socialist apparatchik a chance to tell the press that he indeed dealt with issues related to human rights and democracy. But that will be all. The meeting with Putin will be about French business opportunities ...


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Unelected EU überwarmist threatening China and India

The EU´s überwarmist, Danish wind energy promoter Connie Hedegaard is threatening China and India:

 The European Union on Tuesday gave China and India a month to comply with a new airline carbon emissions fee coming into effect across the bloc, or face penalties for flights in and out of Europe.

"They have been given till June to report back their data," she said.

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Asked what would be the consequences should they fail to respond by June 15, Hedegaard said "if there is no data by the mid-June deadline then it will be up to member states to apply penalties."

The two Asian giants have attacked the EU scheme, calling it a unilateral trade levy disguised as an attempt to fight climate change. India last month barred its airlines from complying with the EU carbon tax, joining China in resistance.

Hedegaard and her cronies - living a high carbon footprint life of luxury in the Brussels cloud cuckoo land - will soon have to wake up and face the real world:

The Germans will never "apply penalties" to China, their most important export country and the key to the export led German economic boom. Neither will any other European government. 

The Brussels warmists will not be able to ignore the warning recently issued by the leaders of Europe´s most important major airlines and aviation industry manufacturers:

The signatories include plane-maker Airbus, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Air France, Air Berlin and Iberia, who jointly submitted the letter to the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Spain, the four countries that helped found Airbus.

According to industry players, the tax could lead to billions of dollars in losses, which ultimately translates to more expensive air travel and job losses.

Europe’s largest long-haul carrier, Lufthansa, has already started implementing a carbon surcharge in its fares. According to the German carrier, the controversial carbon tax scheme will cost the company an additional 130 million euros in 2012.

China, who also opposes the tax, has reportedly suspended its purchase of 45 Airbus planes made in Europe because of the levy – a deal worth almost $12 billion. 


The measure is threatening more than 1,000 jobs (at Airbus) and another thousand through the supply chain. 

Free trade is not working

I used to be an eager believer in international free trade. Not anymore. The kind of free trade that has led to huge unemployment, with industrial production moving to cheap labour countries in Asia, has not benefited the great majority of people in the western countries.

More and more people in the U.S. and Europe are beginning to realise what is happening. The American economist Ian Fletcher, who´s book "Free Trade Does Not Work" has received a lot of positive attention recently, here explains what is wrong with the present cult of free trade:

PS

Free trade between e.g. the U.S. and Europe - possibly including countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand - where the economic, political and cultural systems are close to each other, could very well be a good option. 

British admirals to command wind turbines instead of ships



Admiral  Nelson´s successors  will be in charge of wind turbines instead of ships. The Cameron government´s cuts could reduce the size of the Royal Navy to it´s smallest level since the time of Nelson.


David Cameron´s "the greenest government ever" keeps on subsidising unprofitable wind power projects while at the same time endangering British trade interests ,which are increasingly dependent on keeping international sea lanes safe and open. British admirals, commanders and captains are now expected to command wind turbines instead of ships as the Royal Navy is facing extensive cutbacks:

British, Dutch and Danish Royal Navy are just some places where the traditional military training programs contain many of the key criteria an offshore employer seeks. Thousands of hours of offshore work experience, check. Educated to a good standard of higher learning maybe even with specific electrical engineering skills sets, check. A built in sense of teamwork and respect for authority and command, check.

These men and women have worked to deadlines for most of theiradult lives. They have been in harsh weather conditions and very likely been away from home comforts and their families for weeks at a time. They have worked in tight spaces. They are brave and work with a purpose.
So it is no surprise to hear and read that wind turbine OEM’s on both sides of the Atlantic such as Gamesa, are actively employing ex-military. Nor should it be a shock to learn that the UK national skills academy power sector is actively seeking out connections between the offshore wind community and a variety of military institutions

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While the heavily subsidised wind power industry is poaching on the Royal Navy, both trade and security experts say that both the ships and the officers would be sorely needed in the fight against piracy and terrorism:

The Centre for Economics and Business Research think-tank has predicted that the amount of international trade Britain conducts by sea could soar as we forge stronger links with emerging markets.
It believes sea trade will grow  in value by more than six times over the next 20 years – making Britain a ‘maritime nation’  once again.
But industry experts warn this seafaring renaissance will only be possible if the Royal Navy is strong enough to keep shipping lanes open and fight piracy  and terrorism.
International trade is vital to the health of the UK economy, with ministers pinning their hopes on exports to drive the current recovery.
But pirate attacks rose sharply to 266 incidents in the first half of this year, up from 196 in the same period of 2010, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
The hot-spot for pirates is not the Caribbean but the Arabian Sea, where most attacks by Somali brigands take place.
At the end of June, Somali pirates were holding 420 crew members across 20 vessels, and demanding millions of pounds in ransoms for their release.
Pottengal Mukundan, the IMB’s director, said these groups are attacking more ships than ever before – and taking even more risks.
‘This June, for the first time, pirates fired on ships in rough seas in the Indian Ocean during the monsoon season,’ he said.
‘In the past they would have stayed away in such difficult conditions.’
According to the Chamber of Shipping, 95pc of UK trade by volume – and 90pc by value – is carried over the waves.
‘We are highly dependent on trade by sea,’ said John Dowden, a senior manager at the trade association.
‘We need a strong Navy to protect our interests. Whether we have enough naval ships to do that is a serious concern.’
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But the Royal United Services Institute warned that the Navy is ‘dangerously weak’, and international trade by sea was at risk ‘unless the future fleet is restored and adequately sized’.
The Navy, along with the other armed forces, is facing cutbacks following the Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review last autumn – including the scrapping of the iconic Ark Royal aircraft carrier and the loss of 5,000 jobs. In addition, the historic Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, which has trained officers since 1905, may face closure.
Ultimately, the swingeing cuts could reduce the service to its smallest level since the time of Admiral Nelson.
Dr Lee Willett, a research fellow at RUSI, cautioned: ‘The role of the Royal Navy has been forgotten about because the trade keeps coming.’
In a recent report, Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham, an associate fellow at the institute, said: ‘Any trading nation has a critical interest in the secure use of the seas and the preservation of good order at sea.
‘The dependence of the West, but especially of Britain, on use  of the sea for its survival and  prosperity is a geopolitical fact  of life.’

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PS

This is another sad example of what happens when politicians close their eyes to the real world and instead base their actions on politically correct hoax "science". And there is a clear danger that,due to defense cuts, there will be a similar development in the US