The Tories very deliberately pitch themselves as the thinking voter’s party. The party of the head, not the heart. So why is it that many indicators suggest that those who are proactively engaging in the democratic process – with their heads, not their hearts – lean left? A fantastic case in point is this screenshot from the …
Category Archives: Commentary
Retail banking can and should be better
The Vickers’ report has been praised for highlighting the importance of competition between high street banks. The report suggests it should be easier to switch accounts, via a system which is “free of risk and cost to customers”. It also suggests the industry should be referred for a competition investigation in 2015. What the report …
“It was Enoch Powell meets Alan Partridge”
One week on from the riots and vandalism which turned London on its head, and figures from across the political spectrum are scrambling to offer their explanations for the disruptions. Miliband & Cameron are busy drawing battle lines in the political tussle for public favour post-riots; meanwhile the Police are continuing to plough resources into …
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Privacy rights and the standard of legal protection of these rights in the digital domain
This document was written as my submission for the computer science writing course I took in my third year of study at the University of York. It attempts to summarise the privacy issues associated with the development of new technologies in the information communications domain. Please don’t read with too much of a critical eye …
Tax breaks for buy-to-let. Give me a break.
I’m a serial tenant. There’s nothing wrong with renting. On the whole it’s a worry-free life. If the washing machine breaks, I call my landlords and they are good people so they get it fixed up as soon as they can. I rent privately so my exposure to dreaded estate agents is (mercifully) low. I’m …
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Chevron in Ecuador
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/29/10677/ This story about Chevron is just outrageous. Even in context the “little countries” quote is just crazy. It’s a shame a man in Obama’s position can’t take more of a stand on these issues than allowing a spokesperson to reiterate a vanilla statement. I guess once he’s done campaigning he will be able to …
John Pilger – Martha Gellhorn Prize
John made mention of this prestigious prize and its deserving winners during the Q&A session after yesterday’s showing of The War on Democracy. http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=488 “In the spirit of the great war reporter Martha Gellhorn, these two extraordinary journalists – Dahr Jamail is American and Mohammed Omer is Palestinian – share the Prize for their courageous, …
David Fleming – Energy & Anarchy
7pm, Room 8, Lambeth Town Hall Talk by David Fleming – Energy and Anarchy “The market is not the solution; it is part of the problem”. David proposes an alternative. Anarchy Leo Tolstoy drew comparisons with religion, christianity in particular. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon described the power of small local groups and self-organization. Matthew Arnold wrote “Culture …
John Pilger – The War on Democracy
A special screening and Q&A session with John Pilger at the Clapham Picturehouse cinema. http://www.johnpilger.com The War on Democracy was very thought provoking. Pilger covered huge political events from the past century in Latin America, where the USA has pursued it’s usual selfish goals at the expense of others. During the questions and answers session …