HILLARY WHO?

The really big news of the moment is that lots of rain is falling all over the country. It will take a while until we see what ultimate benefit there is to the various river systems and dams but it must be substantial. The insurers though may not be quite so happy as it seems that a lot of damage has been caused by the downpour in some areas, but overall the spirit and mood of the country must improve. We may almost soon be ready to forget the hateful, hurtful and racist yet unchallenged rant from an elected MP encouraging genocide and theft. It would however be nice to see him handed a painfully large fine – payable immediately to a charity chosen by the targeted parties.

Well isn’t this democracy stuff astonishing? You give people a choice and they choose. Just as amazing has been the over the top panic reactions to the news that a man with no political experience or background will now become President of the USA. But that’s the point. Trump’s victory suggests that the electorate have grown weary and wary of the same old Washington insiders and dynasties wielding the power and milking the systems. Much the same reaction emerged in our own elections in August and the British referendum a couple of months before that. More and more of us want less government in our lives.

Apparently, the most terrifying thing about the President Elect is that he is aware that debt is the country’s big problem and that the best way to solve this is to reduce government spending. And reduce borrowing – which is probably why interest rates are ticking up. Many of his ideas about how to achieve these changes threaten the way of life of various communities who have become used to being recipients of state hand-outs.  Some Americans have taken to the streets to register their disappointment by burning stuff. A familiar reaction to us down here.

There is an unproven notion that people who have more wealth than they deserve should have it confiscated by government who will spend it more wisely than they would do. The popularity of finding ways to minimise tax suggest that this notion is detested. The latest shot in this skirmish comes from the government of India who this week declared that the two largest denomination bank notes in that country would henceforth be valueless. Holders of these notes may take them along for exchange into smaller denominations but must explain why they hold so much cash. The answer “to avoid the banking and tax system” apparently will not do! Think about what might happen if they tried that here.

A bank’s Market Update letter to clients for 9^th November was headlined “The US elect Mr Trump as its next President”. If this was news to any of that bank’s customers, well, it’s just as well someone else is looking after their money. The heading also carried a warning in red capitals that the document – delivered by email -- was not for distribution in the US. This was the first warning sign that foolishness was present. Further reading revealed that four of the report’s six pages were devoted to disclaimers in small print, the gist of which was: “It is very likely that parts of this document are rubbish, so don’t make decisions based on it and if you do, don’t blame us if you lose money”. This nonsense is the work of Compliance – a wealth destroying department in most businesses – made necessary by governments that have encouraged social and commercial environments in which an unsatisfactory outcome is some else’s fault. Hopefully Trump will inject some realism here as well.

It’s one of those weekends when the Springbok teams of all three major sports take to their respective fields [Yes I know the government says that two of them can’t be Springboks – but they are!] The soccer team has a new cap in the form of Lars Veldwijk, a Hollander, the rugby lads are up against their opposition’s (England) nearly unhinged coach and the fellows in white should enjoy themselves in the picturesque if rather damp Hobart. And there is the (Several) Million Dollar golf at Sun City and a GP in Brazil. Busy busy.

James Greener

Armistice Day 2016

THAT’S A TON OF MONEY

Against most major currencies our poor maligned rand is at or near the high point for the year. Demand for our currency is still there even if it is allegedly stashed in supermarket packets and then slipped inside diplomatic pouches. The puzzling part of that idea is just what happens when the man saunters into the bank in Dubai and shoves the packets across the counter to the teller. With the sums involved that’s a great many plastic bags. No one has yet addressed the physical difficulties around the alleged R6.5bn amount being bandied about in the Zupta debacle. R6.5bn represents 5% of our country’s cash currency supply. Converted into USD 100 notes it would weigh almost 5000kg. No wonder the big banks quietly closed all accounts associated with these guys and went off for a self-congratulatory beer at having escaped a firestorm. 

Any South African with even the mildest curiosity about what is happening in domestic and global politics is currently drowning in a sea of overlapping, similar and confusing storm surges. It’s hard to keep a clear picture of who are the good guys (not very many actually), what the bad guys are doing (a great deal) and if there is any chance that anyone will get what they so desperately deserve. That would be a clean, honest, small government for the citizens and lengthy, unpleasant jail terms for the merchants of sleaze. The ubiquity of disinformation and lies caused by instant and brain-free communication tends to overstate the issues but nevertheless even at 50% dilution it’s all a great deal of sewage. 

The sole faintly amusing aspect is that almost everyone up to no good completely fails to grasp the extent and reach of the new technology which knows everything and forgets nothing. Files and emails are nearly impossible to erase and your phone knows where you have been and who you spoke to. Someone is almost always filming you. Perplexingly though, these days there seems to be no revelation so damaging that the perpetrator slinks off ashamed and abashed (see the rand story above). Those of us who are hoping that JZ, Trump and Hillary (to name the three big names of our moment) will bail out of their respective missions are going to be disappointed. 

There was an incident recently, however, when the Eskom boss man was brought to tears because he couldn’t understand why everyone is being so mean to him when all he is doing is being kind to the friends and family of the president. Mr Molefe is just one of very many people who this week were, as the saying goes, “thrown under a bus” by their colleagues. This graphic metaphor of rejection and disassociation does raise the more mundane question of whether we have enough ambulances and crews to rescue all these victims. In the meantime, someone sensible has vetoed the plan to upgrade dear old Inkwazi, the presidential jet, and our leader will just have to make do with the first aid kit under the co-pilot’s seat. 

The joke about the fellow who fits turn-indicators on BMW cars having a meaningless job is matched by the poor chap who every year at fireworks season insists that the Durban Corporation has a working and enforced policy about where and when they can be let off. Many of us asserts that we have a right to celebrate an annual event with ever increasingly large bangs (and it must be said, astonishing fiery flowers) launched from our garden. In reality, though, we ought all to recognise that personal firework displays are anti-social, archaic and very disturbing to those not taking part. In particular; our pets. That Durban chap has a good point and ought to be obeyed. The BMW man? Well who knows?

 For many years, I thought that Baa-Baas was an endearing name for a team of gentlemen inclined to a nice game of rugger. Not so much it turns out. There’s considerable debate at the bar about whether it would have been better for the ‘bokke to meet The Barbarians (their actual name) at the end instead of the start of their N hemisphere jaunt. But in passing its worth recording that it’s a funny game, cricket. Ask any Aussie. 

James Greener 

Friday 4th November 2016