Politics
Was Cameron Lucky to win the 2015 UK General Election?
Oxford Professor Simon Wren-Lewis wrote an interesting piece in the immediate aftermath of David Cameron’s win in the 2015 General Election, to which I added a comment which I have copied below. S W-L (as some of his commenters refer to him) pointed out some of the luck Cameron had had, but was that it? […]
Should 40 per cent tax relief on pensions go?
Latest news on pensions, released nicely in time for the weekend papers to make a big thing out of is the suggestion that 40% tax relief on UK pension contributions should be limited to 20%. The timing is interesting not just because of its focus on the current dissatisfaction with the higher paid, but it […]
Why a smaller Trade Deficit is bad for Britain
The UK’s latest Trade deficit figures are being lauded as positive news and the “best ever since 2003“. Now, when deficits get smaller it’s supposed to be good, right? In this case, wrong. It’s actually quite a bad sign, especially when you compare it to Germany which is in the supposedly hopeless Eurozone.
How to make Britain ‘more like Switzerland’
Back in December 2011 David Cameron used Britain’s EU veto and caused a lot of ill feeling with its EU partners for the sake of placating the ultra-right wing Eurosceptic part of his party. This was welcomed by the Eurosceptics, and one of them, Mark Reckless said on BBC Radio 4’s Today program “Now we can […]
Scars of the past open new wounds in Middle East
Libya, Bahrain, UK, France, US, Russia, China, UN, Suez, Iraq War, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, oil, Israel, Gaddafi, Benghazi, NATO,
Dithering means dying in Libya
The West is dithering over Libya, and the result is innocent civilians are dying, and will die in even larger numbers if all we do is talk. We seem to have learned nothing from Iraq, nothing except the wrong lessons that is.
Lies, damn lies, but no Statistics
As someone who lives in a country in which proportional representation and coalition governments have brought stability, prosperity and common sense to politics for the last fifty years, I find the American-style partisanship of the UK AV Referendum rather sad. Worst of all is the group that are using lies, damn lies, but no statistics […]
The punishment should fit the crime
One of the principles I grew up with was that “the punishment should match the crime” so it came as a surprise to me how some offences are dealt with when I watched an episode of “The Lock Up” on BBC3. The case I saw didn’t just shock me, it made me re-examine my whole […]
Coalition government brings common sense to politics
George Osborne, Child Benefit, TUC, Barnados, Child Poverty Action Group, UK, Coalition, Miranda Whitehead, Women Liberal Democrats, Sacred Cow, Cuts, Finance,
Labour’s New Leader
So, finally we get a new leader of the Labour Party after months of politicking and general haranguing of Labour stalwarts, the government, and anyone who would give them half an ear. Is he credible?
Fifth Decade 
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