Since Thatcher gained power we have always been told how it is competition that ensures the survival of the fittest and this is the way that societies advance. I’m not sure that Darwinian advances were ever actually widely thought to operate on this level, as it was more of a system indicating long term progress… 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
Government Healthy Eating advice is useless and Tom Watson MP proves it!
There is a particularly trenchant article in the ‘Grocer’, no less, for this is the Bible of the food trade (and for once this is actually free to view) – on Government Healthy Eating advice, and Tom Watson’s role in showing them up for the sham they are. We have to look after ourselves and not… Read more
The young want overwhelmingly to remain
I’d suggest this short extract on what the young think of Brexit – as well as why the whole thing is so inordinantly stupid – is worth a couple of minutes watch: We're talking to young people on our stalls in #Cornwall and they tell us how important the EU is to them. Many didn't… Read more
For this once, let’s hear it for the Legatum Institute
The Social Metrics Commission is a motley crew of people and is an Independent Commission “formed and led by the Legatum Institute’s CEO Baroness Stroud“. Nobody knows who truly funds the Legatum Institute so their efforts are usually rather suspect. Still, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation is stated as giving them help. Even this Legatum Insitute… Read more
BBC Brexit Coverage: Objective Truth, Relativism and Gaslighting
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” – Daniel Patrick Moynihan BBC’s public news purpose: To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them: The BBC will provide accurate and impartial news, current affairs and factual programming of the highest editorial… Read more
Our Institutions No Longer Serve This New Era. The Public Understand, Why Haven’t We?
Feel I should flag up a talk “Our Institutions No Longer Serve This New Era. The Public Understand, Why Haven’t We?” on last Wednesday week’s ′21st-Century Power: the state, citizens and civil society’ event in London. The Labour MP for Wigan, Lisa Nandy, was reported verbatim by the [link]’Huffington Post’ and this is well worth… Read more
Further news from HM Treasury
Following my previous correspondence with the Treasury I had to ask why it seemed to be fine for private banks to create money by issuing loans at will, yet if the Treasury were to create any money it would be inflationary. Here is the reply (as ever, click to enlarge): The key response to my… Read more
A wonderful Tweet from Russ in Cheshire
Who I don’t know, but I really sympathise with. I cannot vouch for all of the detail – but I’m pretty certain that some of the statistics are ONS compliant. It rather effectively adds to the tale of woe that Charles has just posted here. Russ in Cheshire: Social Justice Catering Corps. Designer, data-analyst. Once… Read more
The UK: A divided country
Something that I knew, but it still shocks me, is illustrated in this data from The Economist. Exhibit 1 In terms of regional inequality, the UK is more divided than the US. The situation in the UK is extreme. It is as if a great crime has been committed on large parts of the UK… Read more
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