So this is the £980k paint job painted on to an Airbus A330, which as I understand it is assembled in France, fitted out in Spain and powered by Rolls Royce engines – a pretty good example of European cooperation in fact! And it seems likely that all the British wing assembly will not survive… Read more
Category:
UK
Victorian values return
Even the Telegraph considers this government less than optimum; “We see only a ship of fools, and a plague ship at that.” Others have suggested that it is a brains trust of the intellectually challenged. Yet Johnson in the Commons, opined that the British taxpayer has the right to expect that we will achieve maximum… Read more
Care homes and UK Mortality Figures
Introduction The total official mortality figure for the UK has passed 11,000 and the UK could well be on track to be the worst affected country in Europe. The real figure could be far worse as the headline UK figures only count people who have tested positive for Covid-19 and have died in hospital. The… Read more
Spanish UBI may well be forthcoming
The Spanish (Socialist coalition) government is looking to roll out a Universal Basic Income (UBI) it seems. Although the British Prime Minister may be in intensive care, importantly, so too are the lives and livelihoods of many of the rest of the British. Radical measures are needed. So it seems entirely logical that the Spanish… Read more
‘One Nation’ or Local Control?
Amidst all the talk of Johnson being a one nation Conservative we have the admission, it seems, of a complete break from the EU on WTO terms. That puts both Industry and Local Authorities in an unbelievably difficult position. See, for example, Claire Wright’s speech in Devon County Council’s recent session, which means they have… Read more
Authoritarian Capitalism
CoronaVirus could possibly, spell the end for some Eurozone banks as by pushing the Eurozone ito recession it could make their lives very difficult. It is certainly true that the German economy particularly, export orientated as it is, has suffered since the Chinese downturn and CoronaVirus cannot be helpful. I would not be surprised if… Read more
The sunlit uplands of England – as defined by Scotland
Another interesting moment from the recent Billy Bragg interview was how, as a good Essex boy, he called England a blank sheet which was currently largely defined by Scotland. England is of course home to more Scots than the populations of Scotland’s first and third cities combined. Dissent, he suggested, is a thread which runs… Read more
A Fond Farewell to the UK from an EU27 citizen? – part II (Education, Industry and Media)
Introduction In Part I, I discussed origins, but three cultural and historical differences struck me fairly immediately when I came to work in England in 1981. First, many scientists I met seemed to have little knowledge of the humanities. Correspondingly, knowledge of science seemed lacking among non-scientists. I was hardly the first to notice. C.P…. Read more
Midland or Northern Lords…
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
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