Am I really offering a link to a Brexit site? Yes, I fear, I really am! And just because, whilst I do think they have the best of intentions, they are not correct. They suggest – and this is probably true – that the collapse of UKIP shows that people are prepared to accept the… Read more
Another referendum and the Condorcet Paradox
No, I’d never heard of the Condorcet Paradox either but as Justine Greening has come out for another referendum with three choices listed and to be voted on in order of preference it is perhaps something we should be more familiar with. Fortunately Jonathan Portes has a full explanation (though his article was actually written before… Read more
The Important Wrecking Amendment
Introduction I’ve been worried about the Irish border for some time – my wife thinks excessively – but growing up on the island of Ireland it tends to loom large. Last night was difficult as the chances of a cliff edge Brexit in March and the return of a hard border have increased dramatically. I… Read more
Putin, Trump and ‘treason’: what now for the US (and UK)?
Much has been written in the media worldwide about the astonishing press conference President Trump gave with Vladimir Putin yesterday. I say astonishing because having watched a variety of clips, and read numerous reports, the gravity of what unfolded cannot be overstated. In front of the world’s media a President of the United States took… Read more
Retail own label plus
Following rather downbeat suggestions (including mine) on retail performance in the UK I fear that when the investigation by the French Autorité de la Concurrence, the equivalent of the UK Competition and Markets Authority, is undertaken and when also the FT reports (frequent paywall): “The investigation is not a big surprise — it seems like… Read more
The highest level of special
I was struck by the recent handholding – well three fingers (probably better than two) holding with Donald Trump. What on earth was the attachment to our dear leader’s arm? It is reminiscent of one of those anti-theft devices that supermarkets attach to their most expensive bottles of whisky. So I wondered who was so… Read more
The White Paper and Two Tribes
The White Paper The long awaited Brexit White Paper was released yesterday. I had a few hours and started reading. I am used to reading complex documents, for example PhD theses. Some years ago I had the pleasure of being external examiner for two PhD theses at Durham and University College Dublin within a few… Read more
HM Customs are completely absent at borders
There is an extraordinarily illuminating post from an ex Customs Officer on Commonspace, a Scottish orientated website, but, as we are still together, it is relevant to the entire UK. Indeed it turns out that a Scot was actually the precursor of all the problems: Gordon Brown merged HM Customs with the Inland Revenue to… Read more
Not Spending, but Investing – a guest post by Michael Green
For anyone interested in creating an economy that can fund a fairer society, the recent post in Progressive Pulse by Charles Adams is essential reading (The Magic Multiplier Effect). It gives links to two other documents, an explanation by Richard Murphy of multiplier effects (It really is time that people realised most government spending pays… Read more
Conservatives for Irish Unification
Boris Johnson, rather unwisely, I thought, included the expression the “end of the dream” in his resignation letter, (a resignation which, Caroline Lucas suggested, would enable him to spend more time with his photographer). So, amid all the bluster and buffoonery Boris Johnson has dreams? I suspect they were largely of becoming Prime Minister, but… Read more
Support Progressive Pulse
Share ideas for a progressive world
