I do not usually write about Brexit, better to read Sean, but on the special occasion of the two-year anniversary I am making an exception. In his 1912 book The problems of philosophy Bertrand Russell divided knowledge in two types: There are things that people tell us, and there are things that we learn by… Read more
Hegemony in the UK means there’s no need for a “coup” after Brexit
In his recent blog http://www.progressivepulse.org/brexit/the-state-of-the-unions-between-england-scotland-and-northern-ireland my fellow PP blogger, Sean Danaher, makes his usual excellent dissection of recent polls on the subject of Brexit and the way this may impact relations between the various countries of the UK and Ireland, and specifically the potential for creating opportunities for a united Ireland and independent Scotland. Sean also… Read more
Brexit and the State of the Unions between England, Scotland and NI
Introduction Two major opinion polls have been published this week, the Scottish Independence and Brexit chapter from the British Social Attitudes survey (20 June) and Lord Ashcroft’s Poll on Brexit, the Border and the Union (19th June). These give a good insight as to current public opinion, with the usual caveats that no poll should… Read more
Gin Drought Possible
Worrying, nay shocking, news has reached me that Brexit might provoke a gin drought. Without a shade of irony ‘Harper’s Wine and Spirit’ reports: “If Britain were to leave the EU without a deal, distillers fear that supplies of juniper and other botanicals such as lemon peel, liquorice, orris root and angelica root would be… Read more
The essence of our age – Reverse Luddism
There is rather an interesting article in the London ‘Evening Standard’. I know it is now highly suspect as a source – and additionally of course, it is nominally at least, edited by George Osborne. This piece however, is really opinion and I think it is actually opinion worth considering. It certainly has a bearing… Read more
Neoliberalism is driving us nuts
– if we live to realise it at all. Interesting short article in (remarkably) the ‘Telegraph’ from the Health Foundation think tank. People, since 2010 (I wonder what happened then?) have been – and, as far as I can see, this is unique in Europe – been living less long, and so too, are current… Read more
The secrecy of the secret ballot
Having been uneasy at the recent voting identity trials which were completely unjustified by the evidence, I wrote to my MP, taking advantage to raise at the same time the question of a lack of any actual secret ballot – as an identifying number is put on each ballot paper stub. To my surprise he… Read more
Justice for Serco?
Oh dear. It seems the replacement Justice Minister for Philip Lee is a former top boss of outsourcing firm Serco, which enjoys millions of pounds from UK government contracts and which manages five prisons in England and Wales. As far as I can remember it is still under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office over… Read more
Has the ‘Guardian’ got it?
This must be the first ‘Guardian’ editorial to quote Prof Stephanie Kelton – and the first one for a long time to suggest that deficit financing is a good idea. Before spending more money on the NHS, British politicians should take the advice of the US economist Stephanie Kelton: in a UK lecture this week,… Read more
An American Economist’s View on Brexit
Top economist @AdamPosen discusses the UK going global after Brexit. pic.twitter.com/wAUs2B7W9G — Our Future, Our Choice (@OFOCBrexit) June 15, 2018 I add this because it is nice to see an economist who is not British and therefore with ‘no skin in the game’ say it like it is. Even for a minute and a… Read more
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