We all know – or at least those of us who are able and willing to undertake periods of self-evaluation and critical thinking do – that our actions have both intended and unintended consequences. This applies regardless of whether we act as individuals or as members of groups and collectives (e.g. families, interest groups, political… Read more
Posts by:
Ivan Horrocks
Policy priorities: a stark contrast from the US of A
Last Friday I was interested to watch a segment of The Rachel Maddow Show (TRMS) – a US news and current affairs programme on MSNBC which I’ve mentioned before on this blog – which contrasted the policy agenda of the incoming Democrat Congress (i.e. the House of Representatives) with that of the previous Republican controlled… Read more
Job guarantee programmes: back to the future?
Following Peter May’s mention in his blog of the 8th January of Dr Fadhel Kaboub and Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), and his advocacy of proposals for job guarantee initiatives, I happened to spot a link to a presentation by Dr Kaboub in a TRUK blog (http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/05/05/the-case-for-a-job-guarantee-in-the-uk/). The presentation is worth watching in full, not least… Read more
HOLD TIGHT!! Hard Brexit here we come (there’s no doubt about that now)
And all I need to illustrate the accuracy of my statement are three quotes from various key parties following the Salzburg summit: ‘Tusk says Chequers plan for trade not acceptable as it will undermine the single market.’ ‘EU leaders arged to stand firm against May by Macron’ ‘May says Chequers “only plan” on the table… Read more
‘Trafficking in unreality’: Trump takes the US further down the road to authoritarianism
Perhaps understandably the UK media’s daily reporting on Donald Trump was dominated yesterday (Wednesday) by the release of a recording of a conversation between Trump and his (ex) personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. The recording provided irrefutable evidence that Trump has been lying since before the Presidential election about what he did or did not know… 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
Hegemony 2: the rise of the wreckers
One of the hallmarks of any hegemonic system such as we have in the UK, is a common world-view that acts to unify the bloc (i.e. all the various entities, actors and agents in the system). This world-view includes ideological elements from varying sources, but its unity stems from an articulating principle which always comes… 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
You’ve been Trumped! (the shaming of the G7)
So, six of the G7 leaders finally learn that it doesn’t matter how much you fawn over and suck up to Donald Trump the man has no respect for anyone other than himself, Putin and various other strong men/dictators. Furthermore, having fallen into tolerating Trumps daily lies and distortions and much more, they now find… Read more
Potholes, neglect and the wanton vandalism of local infrastructure
No one who uses any form of road transport can have missed the appalling condition of roads in England. But here I need to add an immediate qualifier: I’m talking specifically about urban, suburban and rural roads that fall under the responsibility of local highway authorities (i.e. local councils). I’m not talking about the motorways… Read more