Early in his Autumn Statement to Parliament on 17th November, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced two new fiscal rules: “…I also confirm two new fiscal rules. The first is that underlying debt must fall as a percentage of GDP by the fifth year of a rolling five-year period. The second is that public sector borrowing over … Continue reading Fiscal Rules – A Scam To Justify Austerity — Editorial
The Non-Existent UK Fiscal Black Hole— Editorial 2
The story we are being told about UK government finances by virtually every main stream media (MSM) commentator goes something like this. The government wants to spend more than it is raising in taxes. This means that it will have to borrow from the private sector. The private sector may choose not to lend to the government. In … Continue reading The Non-Existent UK Fiscal Black Hole— Editorial 2
Are Strikes Being Banned?
Minimum service levels legislation By Pete Whitelegg We are currently witnessing the largest wave of industrial action since the start of the Thatcher era. The current high level of inflation, combined with real wages having stagnated for at least the past 10 years (see charts elsewhere in the magazine), with real standards of living collapsing for … Continue reading Are Strikes Being Banned?
The Northern Powerhouse
Eamon Dyas The issue preventing the employment of new train drivers isn't the absence of rest-day rosters (as implied in a BBC report*) but the insistence by the rail operators (and the government) that the existing rest-day rosters be thrown out and the unions accept new ones that are detrimental to the interests of the existing … Continue reading The Northern Powerhouse
Labour’s Vocational Education Policy
A New Beginning? Dave Gardner This journal has for some time bemoaned the Labour Party’s lack of interest in a matter of the first concern to working people, vocational education and training (VET). In Robert Halfon MP on the other hand, the Tories have a Minister of State responsible for VET who is exceptionally knowledgeable … Continue reading Labour’s Vocational Education Policy
Eco-warriors are not Fighting Climate Change
Eamon Dyas The whole issue of climate change has long been hijacked by the liberal lobby and they have effectively debilitated any effective response by pushing it into the stable of virtue signalling. This has meant that those who are concerned about the issue are now preoccupied with it as an abstract cause that is … Continue reading Eco-warriors are not Fighting Climate Change
Notes on the News
Notes on the News By Gwydion M. Williams Back to Tax-and-Spend? USA Still Macho on Climate Snippets A New Age of Gold? China Badmouthed Over Covid-19 North Korea – Too Dangerous to Invade? UAS Losing its Farmers India Overpopulated? Heavy Punishment for Upsetting the Rich and Powerful Everything Russian Must Be Bad? Northern Cyprus – … Continue reading Notes on the News
How to Fail at Globalisation
How the USA Botched 1990s Globalisation By Gwydion M. Williams In the early 1990s, the USA was handed the world on a plate. And they knocked the plate over. Vain and greedy and aggressive, their two dominant political parties were united in doing most of the wrong things. And in Britain, Tony Blair encouraging all the errors. Almost … Continue reading How to Fail at Globalisation
The Budget Debate
Discussion of the Budget in Parliament https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-11-17/debates/97DB3122-0068-46CD-B026-F757C8DF39AF/details#contribution-7F63EF1C-81E2-485B-8F3E-D9C47C284CB5 The main issue arising from the budget is the one outlined in the editorial: the anti-working class new fiscal rules that limit public spending and favour the private sector. Only one MP refers to this (see below) and he’s not Labour. The other worrying factor is Hunt’s professed admiration for … Continue reading The Budget Debate
Mick Lynch in his Own Words
Mick Lynch in His Own Words Politics Joe interview with Mick Lynch Politics Joe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPSez6Yz6iw Sunday 27 November 2022 Q. Why do you think the tabloids have taken the government side rather than your side? ML: The Tabloids are on the side of the ruling class, (people don’t like this terminology), Murdoch and all the … Continue reading Mick Lynch in his Own Words
NATO Serbia and Russia Ukraine
From a briefing by NATO spokesman Jamie Shea. Brussels, May 25, 1999:Question : If you say the [Yugoslav] army has a lot of generators, why are you depriving the country of 70% not only of electricity but also of water supply, because, according to you, [NATO] only strikes military installations.Answer : Unfortunately, command and control systems also depend on … Continue reading NATO Serbia and Russia Ukraine
Wage Growth in the UK
UK Low Wages The first chart shows the unique position of the UK in the rich world in having a growing GDP together with falling wages, see fourth quadrant: On the right of the vertical line: growth 2007-2015, below the main horizontal line: wages 2007-2015 . the UK is alone is that quadrant. From the … Continue reading Wage Growth in the UK
The News Personified—a Fresh Look at the News
A short daily humorous piece on state France radio ‘France Info’ Every morning, Marie Dupin takes on the role of a personality, an event, a place or a fact at the heart of the news. News report usually leave out historical context, even history as old as 10 years ago, or even any context at … Continue reading The News Personified—a Fresh Look at the News
An Open Letter from Editors and Publishers: Publishing is Not a Crime
The U.S. government should end its prosecution of Julian Assange for publishing secrets. Twelve years ago, on November 28th 2010, our five international media outlets – The New York Times, the Guardian, Le Monde, El Pais and DER SPIEGEL – published a series of revelations in cooperation with Wikileaks that made the headlines around the globe. … Continue reading An Open Letter from Editors and Publishers: Publishing is Not a Crime
SECRET POWER: WIKILEAKS AND ITS ENEMIES
SECRET POWER: WIKILEAKS AND ITS ENEMIES BY STEFANIA MAURIZI (Pluto Press) Reviewed in the Morning Star Assange—Freedom v authoritarianism HELEN MERCER recommends a book that explains the ruthless official manipulation of the case against Julian Assange https://morningstaronline.co.uk/system/files/pdf-editions/MorningStar_2022_11_28.pdf THE “secret power” that Stefania Maurizi refers to in this book is the “highest level of power, where secret … Continue reading SECRET POWER: WIKILEAKS AND ITS ENEMIES
The Budget Statement Was Not Unfunded—Editorial 1
We are told by almost every economics commentator in the main stream media that the markets panicked because, on 23rd September, Kwasi Kwarteng failed to explain how the government would fund the increase in spending implied by putting a cap on energy prices and reducing taxes. Kwarteng’s fiscal statement was unusual. Kwarteng understood that national debt would … Continue reading The Budget Statement Was Not Unfunded—Editorial 1
An Unconvincing Labour Party—Editorial 2
It remains a distinct possibility that the Labour Party will form the next government. It is a position it will win because of the chaos in the Tory party rather than because it has won the hearts and minds of the electorate with brave, radical policies. Labour are prepared to talk in generalities about creating a … Continue reading An Unconvincing Labour Party—Editorial 2
The Banshees of Inisherin
Eamon Dyas Popped into the local picture house for a matinee performance not realising it was a special showing for the hard of hearing. It seems that these places offer all kinds of special matinees including for people with Autism and Tourette’s so I have to think that my mistake could have been worse. Anyway, … Continue reading The Banshees of Inisherin
Labour Affairs 