War on Marti Abernathey

The Trading Game and Gary Stevenson

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 08:50:21 +0100

I just finished reading Gary Stevenson’s book The Trading Game 📚 and I wanted to offer some thoughts about the book.

I watched this interview with Gary on Novara Media:

and it’s what pushed me to buy the book. I thought that the book was going to be about economic theory. I expected it to explain how the economy works. It definitely was not that. Instead, it was a superb story about a young poor boy with a knack for numbers. He grows into a troubled teen who finds his way to the London School of Economics. Eventually, he becomes an adult from Ilford who achieves financial success as a trader with Citibank.

In my recent writing, I’ve talked a lot about reactive versus reflective people. From Stevenson’s book, I gathered that he is highly reflective. He has encountered many emotionally reactive people who don’t self-reflect. In the book he points out that people in the financial market are akin to most people in life. Many people don’t question the system. They just know that they exist in it. They’re trying to find financial safety, self-respect, or ego, but they never self-reflected on the why. They simply accept that they live inside it. They never think “hey maybe the system doesn’t work”, or “hey perhaps the system needs to be destroyed”, or “perhaps this system shouldn’t exist.” Most of the people in the book do not question the status quo.

If you’re in the market for a fast-paced, well-written look at the financial markets and the people inside them, it’s a great read.

The book and the interview had me thirsting for more from Gary. I’ve subscribed to his social media channels. He talks about politics and the economy. He explains what needs to happen and why it happens. He discusses the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Where Stevenson goes missing, is in the details of what needs to be done.

The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. How do we change that? The rich have all the resources. There are only a few levers that the poor can use to turn things around. Ultimately, there are three levers the poor have at their disposal:

withholding their labor (through something like a general strike)
severely limiting consumption

The wealthy have all the other levers. They have all the material wealth to use against the working class. They also control politicians, police, the media, and the state to affect laws and policies.

It’s not just Gary, but the folks of “alternative media” like Owen Jones, Novara Media, etc. rarely allude to the first two levers, but especially the last one. If the imbalance of power continues, it is increasingly going to become a more common choice. More of a desperate choice. For a long time, society mostly kept these people at bay because those in power understood the need for balance. This balance involved government responsibility, the rich and the poor, and the working class and the one percent. There were barriers preventing them from extracting too much wealth. Those barriers are mostly gone now.

Stevenson’s analysis of what has happened, and what is happening is spot on. But much like his peers in the alternative media sphere, he speaks of these actors neutrally. He describes them in a very benign way. They are not cast as violent thugs or people acting knowingly and with purpose.

Billionaires should not exist. The existence of billionaires is violence. People who presently are billionaires should be taxed to the point that they are not billionaires. It is unethical to extract wealth in such a reverse Robin Hood manner. That shouldn’t exist, and the framework that allows that to happen shouldn’t exist either. But it does.

One major aspect of the war in Gaza (or Ukraine, or Iraq, etc.) was that most people wanted it to end. Many people support Israel’s right to exist, but most were not cheering for this conflict to continue. But it did because the wealthy wanted to enrich themselves, and they continue to enrich themselves, regardless of public perception. The situation in Gaza continues to unfold in public. The truth has been revealed. There is no pretense of international law or rules-based order. The rules have been revealed for what they truly are. There are laws for friends and laws for enemies. How many times do we need to watch this play out? Protesting doesn’t work. Voting doesn’t work. At the end of the day, how do you change things if those don’t work? That’s the question that can’t be asked directly. If asked, it must be posed gently to avoid alerting or upsetting the rulers.

The revolution will not be televised. But it won’t be had by gently asking those with their boots on our necks to stop, either.

It's Foolish to Think of the Saving of Obamacare is a Victory

Sat, 25 Mar 2017 13:24:10 +0100

Many Democrats are celebrating the defeat of the Republican's attempt to "repeal and replace" Obamacare this morning. What the hell are Americans celebrating?

I'm an American ex-pat working for the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. I've been a health care provider in the US system for 29 years before coming to the UK. If you're a citizen here, you get free healthcare at the point of service. It's true that your hospital may not have:

a football field
a swimming pool
a basketball court
a grand piano

But you do get good quality health care. That's my opinion as a provider and as a patient.

But that's not just my opinion, it's a fact. Health care in the UK costs less and has better outcomes than in the USA.

You'll have US politicians speaking out of both sides of their mouths. They'll stand there flag waving, saying America is the greatest country in the world, while saying America can't afford to do what the rest of the civilised world already provides for its citizens. They'll say this while spending more on defence than China, South Korea, Italy, Germany, Japan, France, India, Iraq, Australia, Brazil, Israel, and the United Kingdom combined (and Donald Trump wants to spend 54 billion dollars more).

If you're an American citizen, do you feel safer? Since September 11, 2001, the United States has spent 4.79 TRILLION dollars on two wars and the so-called "battle on Islamic terrorism." Do you feel like the world is a safer place making that kind of investment?

If you're celebrating Obamacare, you're like this guy:

He might be happy that he's got a car to drive, but he's still driving a clunker.

Now that's not to say say that the NHS is perfect. It's underfunded and stressed, but what do the people being served by it fear? They fear the NHS becoming something that mirrors the US health care system.

I understand why people are relieved that the health care they have now won't be taken away, but celebrate. Being screwed over a little less is no reason to celebrate. This should be a wake-up call, not a party.

Bernie or Meh, The Clinton Path to Defeat

Thu, 19 May 2016 17:21:23 +0100

I’ll say it up front, I’m a Bernie Sanders supporter that:

thinks Sanders has a very narrow path to the nomination (almost impossible).
will vote for Clinton if she's the nominee.
thinks Democrats and the Clinton campaign are setting themselves up for a massive defeat in the fall.

The Democratic Party seems to want to have a fight with Bernie Sanders. Today's post from the Hill:

Bernie’s not a Democrat. What are we worried about? Why would Bernie want to play nice?” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). “I’m just saying if a person doesn’t even want to conform to be Democratic, it’s kind of hard to say, ‘OK, all of a sudden you have to do all these things.’ ”

Sanders isn't a Democrat? Huh. I guess then they didn't count him as a Democrat from 2008-2010? He wasn't a Democrat when Obamacare passed by 1 vote? The reality of this election cycle is that to win, Hillary Clinton supporters need Sanders supporters. Sanders may not be a Democrat, but a very large portion of HIS SUPPORTERS ARE.

There are no super-delegates in the November general election. Clinton my be on the verge of clinching the nomination of the Democratic Party, but she may also be heading for a massive defeat in the fall.

Trump could just rerun Obama’s 2008 ad: [youtube www.youtube.com/watch

The ad said:

"The Washington Post says Clinton isn’t telling the truth. [...]
“But it was Hillary Clinton, in an interview with Tom Brokaw, who quote ‘paid tribute’ to Ronald Reagan’s economic and foreign policy. She championed NAFTA –- even though it has cost South Carolina thousands of jobs. And worst of all, it was Hillary Clinton who voted for George Bush’s war in Iraq.

“Hillary Clinton. She’ll say anything, and change nothing. It’s time to turn the page. Paid for by Obama for America."

Since 1994 Ohio has lost 320,000 manufacturing jobs since NAFTA was enacted. You can argue whether or not those job losses were from NAFTA, but what I don’t think is arguable is how effective a talking point it is in states that have been hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs.

If Trump keeps hammering Clinton on her support of NAFTA and the Iraq War, while stoking anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment, he has a very good shot at becoming the next President of the United States.

Clinton and the Democratic establishment aren’t going to win over Sanders voters by falsely labeling them as violent. They won’t win Sanders voters over by painting Sanders as a lonely outsider, effectively aligning his voters out in the cold with him. Say 2/3 of Sanders voters do vote for Clinton, and most Republicans vote for Trump? Trump would win Pennsylvania and Ohio. Clinton’s ahead in the polls in Florida by 1 percentage point. I have a question for establishment Democrats. How’d that whole letting Florida decide the election in 2000 work out for you?

James O'Brien on Jeremy Corbyn:

Sat, 05 Dec 2015 05:22:55 +0100

Listening to the podcast of the Thursday edition of LBC's James O'Brien's radio show, I was surprised that he'd admit that he might be wrong about The Labour Party's leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Previously, he'd said that Corbyn supporters were akin to people who “believed in faeries.” He's repeatedly said that Corbynites were not pragmatic that Corbyn isn't electable, and the end of the Labour Party was near if he wasn't put down.

Then came the Oldham West and Royton by-election on Thursday (December 3rd, 2015). Now O’Brien is starting to ask if all the media is wrong about Corbyn.

I doubt that the British public has had a change of heart since the national election in May. Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership mandate because people are looking for an opposition party. Corbyn voted against the Iraq War and he’s anti-austerity,

In the USA, many people support Bernie Sanders, for the same reason that many people in the UK support Corbyn. Blair/Brown’s “New Labour” party of the 00s moved the Party to a more centrist right corporatist party in the same way that “New Democrats” transformed the Democratic Party in the 90s in the USA.

It’s difficult to tell if this revolution in politics will be sustained or win elections in the coming years, but as per normal, the revolution will NOT be televised.

An Apology To My Christian Friends

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 19:45:02 +0100

Writing a response to a hateful, bigoted blogger, the words of Gandhi came to mind.

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians."
“Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. I consider western Christianity in its practical working a negation of Christ’s Christianity.”

“It is my firm opinion that Europe does not represent the spirit of God or Christianity but the spirit of Satan. And Satan’s successes are the greatest when he appears with the name of God on his lips."

The Christianity in this country that listens to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Laura Ingraham; consumes popular culture like there is no tomorrow, supports the Iraq war, and votes for George Bush, are not Christians. They are like Saul before Damascus, a Pharisee. Christ said of the Pharisee:

"You make God's law to mean nothing so you can keep your own laws! You are not true to yourselves! What Isaiah said about you was true. He said, 'These people respect me with their mouth but their heart is far from me. They do not mean it in their hearts when they worship me. Their teachings are only the words of men.'"

If you’re going to judge me, judge my life, and try to subject me to your religious beliefs, how about you follow your own teachings? Hell, how about you KNOW your scripture, before trying to teach it to me?

To you that do follow the example of Christ, I apologize. I love you. I thought that anyone who claims to be a Christian, is a Christian. I’m sorry I’ve thrown you in with the American Pharisee’s. You walk the walk, and talk the talk. You live the word, and are a shining example of the Christ found in the Bible. I admire you, and your conviction even though I do not share it. If every confessed Christian was like you, this country would be heaven on earth.

The Cost of War

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 13:48:32 +0100

My blood boils when I read crap from illogical, immoral, blind followers of President Bush. This is the cost of the real cost of war…

(hat tip to Free Iraq by way of A Citizen Of Mosul)

Precise collateral damage my ass…. Try to stop seeing these people as “towel heads” or “A-Rabs.” Look at them as parents… look past your own ass, and you might understand why I don’t support this war. If you support this war, you did this….

Simple Solution, Water and Oil

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 19:53:01 +0100

Christ, are we too busy robbing Iraq of its riches that we cannot help the people LIVE? From Hnk’s blog:

"'Day after day the situation in Iraq is getting better,' that's what one high ranking military official said. Reality shows the opposite. If things are getting better then why we don't we have oil, when we live in a country rich with oil? We have two rivers Tigris and the Euphrates, yet we have no drinking water. We are in the 3rd year of the war with no end in sight.
You want to help Iraqi people? Don’t send your cousins and sons to Iraq to fight, because they fight against us, not for us. Did you forget about the WMD’s? Did you forget what happened at Abu Ghraib? Did you forget what humanity means? Did you forget about basic human needs? Don’t bother. I also forget… I forget what peace looks like. I forget what the street looks like. I forget what the night sky looks like. I forget what my relatives look like….

Sometimes I just think if you could see what my eyes see, if you could hear what my ears hear, you would be able to understand what I mean."

How many enemies will we create by not giving the thirsty, water. How many insurgents are created by the hunger growing in their stomach? The enemy can walk in and prove us to be the devils that they claim we are… simply by providing food, water, and by meeting basic needs of everyday Iraqi’s while foriegn oil companies sit inside the green zone and divide up the spoils.

I wonder, is it that the Bush administration doesn’t know what to do, or just doesn’t want to spend the extra time and effort to win the hearts and minds of Iraqi’s?

Holy Water of Jesus!

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 23:01:24 +0100

US Secretary of Defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld, said recently “That [the] insurgency could go on for any number of years. Insurgencies tend to go on five, six, eight, 10, 12 years. Coalition forces, foreign forces are not going to repress that insurgency. We’re going to create an environment that the Iraqi people and the Iraqi security forces can win against that insurgency.” This stuff isn’t rocket science, Donald….

Every day that the US is in Iraq and doesn’t provide basic life sustaining needs, the insurgency will grow. Consider Iraqi blogger hnk’s words (a 16 year old Iraqi blogger)

"we have big problem in Mosul this week. The fuel is not available and it cost 25 times more than before from the black market. We don't buy it from the fuel station because it's too crowded and there is no hope to reach your turn before 10 hours, and after that 50% they will not get you fuel. That if you could wait till after 10 hours."
“Baghdad have another problem, the people there don’t have water, not even polluted water. And we are in summer and this is Baghdad.”

“Clear water, dirty water doesn’t trouble it’s not making a different. We drink both of them. My uncle house’s water has a small fish on it beside its color and its taste which we get use on them. But fish, It’s another problem.”

Water! Iraqi’s are drinking foul, polluted water!

Another common problem in Iraq is lack of electricity. Hnk said

"Bad electricity service that we have here in Iraq couldn't give us more than 4 hours in the day. In lucky days, we have 7 hours of electricity at the most level." You see a pattern developing?

Then there is the matter of security. Hnk said

"I said that today is better than tomorrow we were so near from being died this week. Especially my parents. The people around me killed and kidnapped. OH, Allah help us."
“One of the people who work with my father in the same building, called before an hour and asked my father not to come to the clinic, he said there is a confrontation in the region around the clinic."

Having no clean water, little electricity, and no security will do more to grow this insurgency than anything else. Security and quality of life issues should be front and center if we expect to win the hearts and minds of Iraqi’s.

Like I said, it’s not rocket science. Unfortunately those in authority believe more in the power of neocon Jesus than in science.

Please Bring Our Soldiers Home...

Tue, 21 Jun 2005 17:56:17 +0100

Help Jesus' General in the effort to recruit college Republicans into the armed forces.