Well, at last a Tory idea I can agree with… shift the Lords! Of course appointed patronage should not exist as such – but, given that it does, what is not to like about giving them a sojourn in Brum – for example? Whether in Brum or the North it is much more central to… Read more
Category:
UK
Ensuring children understand their futures
Following on from my article mentioning that resonating quote that “We are too much inclined to treat voters as consumers who are are always right, rather than voters who have a civic duty to inform themselves.” I’m increasingly inclined to suggest that people should have to pass an exam before voting. I’m certainly aware that… Read more
The Atlas of Economic Complexity and UK and Irish Exports over the past decade
Introduction Previously the MIT based Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) has featured in PP posts, but another resource (Harvard), the Atlas of Economic Complexity, (AEC) has not. It is a useful trade resource and well worth exploring as it seems to have more visualisation options than the OEC. Much of the underlying data is the… Read more
Trying to understand the right wing mind – continued
There is a revealing recent article in the FT where it is suggested that Clare Foges, who was a speech writer for former UK prime minister David Cameron, argued that to help people climb the ladder we should teach them to “emulate the ease and studied informality of the privileged”. Ms Foges has described how,… Read more
Extinction Rebellion, the Police purpose – and us
According to the most recent ‘Sunday Times’, the joint founders of the Extinction Rebellion, Roger Hallam of King’s College, London and Gail Bradbrook, have spent the last three years researching one hundred years of reform movements and were convinced that the overwhelming evidence for successful reform came about by peaceful protest. Good for them. Instictively,… Read more
Demographic Reversal in These Islands
Introduction Over the past century two ratios which have been positive, the ratio of Irish in the UK and visa versa and the ratio of Protestants to Catholics in Northern Ireland, are likely to invert. Currently there are more Irish in the UK and more Protestants in Northern Ireland than visa versa. Irish in the… Read more