YesBut no more UN

There’s been a gradual build up of internal pressure since I posted my blog “YesBut the United Nations is the pits” on 12th May. As is the way of such things, uncontrolled it could have manifested itself as a fart, but harnessing the energy its become a rant.

Do you know what the United Nations annual budget is? Unfortunately one click on Google doesn’t give the answer. But the current operating budget is estimated at $4.19 billion. There are three budgets:

• The UN regular budget covers among other things the cost of the General Assembly, Security Council and the Secretariat.
• The “Voluntary funding” pays for UN Development Program, World Food Program and the UN Children’s Fund(UNICEF).
• The UN peacekeeping budget.

It’s unnecessary to get bogged down in too much detail; because it’s universally accepted that the United Nations has ceased to function - doubt if it ever did.

Why if there is such unanimous agreement is it allowed to continue? There are only two parties with sufficient power to instigate change: the USA and the European Union (EU).

France and the United Kingdom will stop the EU doing anything. Why? Their veto in the UN Security Council is the only vestige they have of their former “World Power” status. They know in any reorganised UN or replacement organization they will be ranked among the minnows. The USA makes a whopping $423 million (22%) contribution to the UN Regular Budget, why doesn’t it do something to get its money’s worth? Simply, it doesn’t have the moral authority to propose change. All it can do is withhold payments.

The United Nations will proceed in its usual corrupt inept dysfunctional manner, until there is a USA President with enough courage and moral gravitas to call a halt.

The World does need a forum, where hopefully arguments between nations can be settled, through discussion not war, unfortunately the Security Council and before that the League of Nations have failed. For it to function it must operate above the influence of individual countries or power blocks. It must also have the power to enforce its decisions - without that its merely a talking shop. Though people would be happy with “jaw, jaw, jaw rather than war, war, war”.

It would be perverse to say everything about the UN is wrong! There is one arm of the UN which does function - the International Court of Justice. As for the rest, scrap the lot. You might protest: what about the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the UN Environmental Program or the UN Development Fund and UNICEF. Undeniably their objectives are sound and desirable, but in practice their implementation is bogged down in corrupt inefficient bureaucracy - they function primarily on who you know rather that what you know.

YesBut's hard life, pressure build-up on the inside, rain on the outside, click here to see.

YesBut the United Nations is the pits

This morning I read that Zimbabwe has been elected to head the United Nations commission on Sustainable Economic Development (CSD). This I find obscene, an insult to Zimbabweans and a condemnation of the UN.

I have been examining the concept of morality in my blog YesBut Thinking Aloud. I felt compelled to deliberate on the subject, by the apparent decline over the past decade of a moral code in public life.

Inflation in Zimbabwe is currently running at 50% per month, the highest in the world. This means the price of a loaf of bread doubles every two months. Or put another way, the value of people’s wages halves every month. Despite reporting restrictions the outside world has seen the suffering of the populace.

At independence Zimbabwe was the Garden of Eden of Africa, with a flourishing export trade to Europe in fruit, flowers, vegetables and tobacco. Yes at the time of independence there were fast inequalities between the minority white farmers and their black workers, which had to be addressed. But Mugabe took the opportunity to transfer ownership of the farms to his friends and supporters who had no farming experience. Within a few years the farming sector and the economy had been decimated.

But the target of my indignation is the leadership of African nations. The majority of which are corrupt. When taking decisions they have two criteria the first: maximising the amount of money they can channel into their private bank accounts, the second not to be seen to be doing anything in support of former Colonial countries. This is particularly the case in the UN, African countries vote in block, irrespective of the rights and wrongs of the case.

The United Nations is a toothless talking shop devoid of all moral authority, a complete waste of money. Corruption and miss-management in the organisation is endemic, it is beyond hope and should be disbanded.

What is this man guarding?

YesBut time is nearly up.

On 2nd May, Tony Blair will celebrate being British Prime Minister for ten years. I guess he will be in a very small minority, the vast majority of the populace are just waiting for him to resign - its been a long time coming.

Blair will resign as Leader of the Labour Party later this week, or possibly as late as next. As soon as Labour elects a new Leader - which will take about five weeks - Blair will offer his resignation as Prime Minister to the Queen. She will then - though she doesn’t have to - invite the new Leader of the Labour Party to form a Government.

What will Blair do after he moves out of Downing Street? Undoubtedly write his memoirs - to remind everyone how great a Prime Minister he was. He will make a heap of money on the speaking circuit in the USA - justifying the invasion of Iraq. Then what?

A man with an ego the size of Blair’s will want to remain in the public eye. A career as a TV pundit is out of the question - it would guarantee the turn off of every TV in the UK. With a bit of luck, he’ll see his future lies across the water in the USA, and we will get rid of him - but I can’t see Cherie Blair giving up her carrier to live in the USA.

Its popular for ex US Presidents to set up their own Private Foundation. And let’s face it Blair has always thought of himself more as a President than Prime Minister. How ironic if the Prime Minister who has taken this country into more wars than any previous Prime Minister, establishes a Foundation for World Peace. Yes that could be the kind of thing he would do in keeping with his self-image of being a saint. No he will want to remain on the “World Stage”.

Lets think, working for the European Union? No way the French would veto that. The United Nations? The man who ignored the UN when with Bush he invaded Iraq. Nope

I don‘t care what he does, as long as we never hear or see him again.

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