RobinHoodTax: "This week the Robin Hood Tax campaign took a massive step closer to victory. Eleven European countries, including its biggest economies, pledged to implement a Financial Transaction Tax.
It's hard to believe that in three short years this idea has travelled from the back woods of Sherwood to the board rooms of Government. And we couldn't have done it without you.
It hasn't been easy, and it's still all a little confusing, so here is everything you need to know about why this is a big deal:
Which countries have signed up to the tax?
Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Greece, Slovenia, Slovakia and Estonia.
What does 'signing up' mean?
Unfortunately not all countries in Europe wanted to implement a Financial Transaction Tax (we're working on it!), but the good news is, as long as enough countries are interested they can forge ahead anyway. It's organised via the European Commission (the brains of the EU) and it's called... drum roll please... the 'Enhanced Cooperation Procedure'. There's a minimum requirement for nine - we now have seven plus another four have indicated they will sign up which takes us over the finishing line.
France in fact was ahead of the game and has already started theirs. Vive le france!
How much will be raised?
It's hard to give final figures as we don't yet know the detailed design, but it will be tens of billions of euros a year. Big money that can make a big difference. If you're interested to see what this means at a country level check this infographic...."
Nederland ontbreekt jammer genoeg nog. De banksters hebben het hier nog voor het zeggen. Nederland loopt achter.
Het is tegenwoordig bon ton in dit land om inbrekers en ander tuig flink aan te pakken, en waar toepasselijk zelfs dood te slaan. De crème de la crème des lands, of beter gezegd het schuim der natie, belijdt zelfs openlijk de harde aanpak. En de banksters dan? Die hebben ons toch de crisis in gedreven met alle gevolgen van dien voor de burgers, armoede, bezuinigingen, ontslagen, huizenbubbel, ambtelijke fraude, prijsstijgingen, hogere kosten, onbetaalbare gezondheidszorg, en zelfs in sommige landen zelfmoord. Zit Scheringa achter de tralies? Nee. Zo gaat dat in dit land. Craig Murray, voormalig Brits ambassadeur, heeft daar andere ideeën over.
Craig Murray: "I Vote For Shooting Bankers
Not content with focusing public ire on those social spongers who have the temerity to be unemployed or disabled, government has scored a great populist coup, and caused great rejoicing in the land of the tabloids, by decreeing that it is quite acceptable to kill burglars with machine guns, rocket propelled grenade launchers, tactical nuclear weapons or any of the other items the British householder keeps by them for such an emergency.
But if a burglar were to strip my home of its entire contents, it would not reach a tenth in value of the money that is going to be taken from me in taxation by government for the rest of my life to fund the bank bailouts in which my cash was given to reckless and incompetent bankers to cover their gambling losses.
Not only have they taken all my money, the majority of the money I shall be paying to cover it for the rest of my life, will consist of interest to the bankers because the government borrowed at interest from the bankers the money it then gave gratis to the bankers to bail them out.
And, as doubtless you will have noticed, nothing changed. No reduction in massive salaries and bonuses, no split of casino from high street banking, no transaction tax to deter multiple speculative trades. A million more unemployed, but none of them investment bankers – they have however sacked over a hundred thousand mostly female staff from their high street branches, which were the only sensible and profitable bit of the operation. No bankers in jail, not even for LIBOR fraud. Quantitive Easing, or printed money, is given not for infrastructure projects to produce growth, but given to banks to improve their liquidity. They do not lend it on to companies but pay it to themselves, as bonuses.
Forget burglars. Shoot a banker."