Exactly who are these people? Who are these analysts, forecasters and experts that come up with this kind of talk that dominates our news stories?

• "The month-long slump that has made Brazil's real the worst performer in Latin America may deepen as Bank of America Corp. and Barclays Plc say investment will slow before the vote to replace President Lula…."
• "The Brazilian steel industry experienced a swifter rebound in volume demand compared to most developed markets, mainly due to the global recession being shallower and shorter-lived in Brazil, according to a Fitch Ratings report…"
• "European stock markets have opened lower, amid renewed fears of a double-dip recession…."
• "The FTSE 100 declined by 1.6% in its opening minutes, while Asian markets also tumbled, with Japan's Nikkei 225 closing down 3.8%..."
• "The pound has fallen after a credit rating agency warned that the UK faced a "formidable" challenge to bring down its budget deficit….."

Whoever they are, they are very powerful people, people who can move markets and set governments into panic by simply stating things that are not always fact. Predictions are hocus-pocus and yet we have powerful people acting and reacting to these faceless people in huge financial corporations.

These people are about to cause many of us a lot of pain and we are very likely to follow in the footsteps of our friends in Greece and now in Spain (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10261567.stm) who already are feeling it. The UK Government even despatched George Osborne to study how Canada rapidly solved its debt crisis in the 1990s, turning a budget deficit of 9% of GDP into a surplus in three years as it warns of budget cuts that will affect "our whole way of life".

These people are so powerful that they even called the shots on how quickly a coalition government had to be formed after the elections before there was a run on the UK's currencies/stocks/shares etc. Should we or should I say, or Government, be listening to these people who more often than not have vested interests in seeing reaction to their statements? See Why heed the fickle gods of traders in underpants for another take on the matter. They now pressurise our Governments into making savage cuts across the board with no care of the pain and suffering that is about to be unleashed onto an innocent populace.

When you look at what our Governments are chasing, we realise it is the headline figures, low inflation, low or non- existent deficit etc etc. What about happy people? Does that count? It does not stand to reason that simply having a strong economy is a recipe for a happy people; in fact, in most cases it is likely to be the opposite. Do we not elect our Governments to improve our lives not the riches of those who seek to profit from every imaginable misfortune to befall a people?

I steal a quote for the article mentioned earlier made by President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1936: "We know now that government by organised money is just as dangerous as government by organised mob..."

[First published on my NotTheNews blog on specified date]