It’s been over eighteen months since I last wrote about Julian Assange and Wikileaks. At the time I thought it was all about a political move by the US, to stop further embarrassing documents being published on the internet. I still do. After all those months; several extradition hearings; almost as many appeal hearings, and […]
politics
Will The Olympic Flame’s Warmth Fade?
After seven years of planning, and 16 days of competition, the main Olympic flame has finally faded in London. While for now, we bathe in the warmth of it’s memory, the future might not be so warm. We started the Games by giving the world a bizarre history lesson of our country and we ended […]
Confession of an Olympics Addict
OK, I have a confession to make. Over the last 10 days I have become an addict of the evening Olympics coverage on BBC. I was, previously, very vocal in my reservations concerning the benefits of hosting the Games, but I am now completely caught up in the daily routine of checking the medals table […]
G4S, May & Hunt Compete In ‘Pass The Blame’ Olympics
Few can deny that the failure of G4S to find and train enough applicants for the marshaling and security of the Olympic venues is incompetent. However, it appears Home Secretary Theresa May and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt are a part of the few. While it is possible to forgive their need to talk up the […]
Parliament, Tired MPs And A Four Day Week
Hands up all those who haven’t yet realised we, as a country, are in the greatest financial mess we have experienced for decades. Hands up all those who haven’t been slightly rankled by politicians preaching we all need to pull together in our ‘Big Society’ and work longer hours for less money. Hands up all […]
Chancellor Suspends Fuel Tax Rise But…
The chancellor’s announcement, that he is suspending his planned 3p-per-litre fuel tax increase was a welcome U-turn along his road to austerity. Despite the reduced forecourt prices of the last few weeks, its implementation would still have had a huge impact on both businesses and individuals alike. Chancellor Osborne has stated publicly he has done […]
Is Cameron Trying To Benefit From Benefits?
I really didn’t want to like what prime minister David Cameron said yesterday about the need for benefit reforms but the more I read, the more I was surprised to find myself agreeing with some of his reasoning. Normally when a member of this government starts talking ‘benefits’, it is to paint a bleak picture […]
Politicians, Tax and the Moral Argument
According to Treasury Secretary, Danny Alexander, those who use tax avoidance measures to reduce their tax liabilities are the “moral equivalent of benefit cheats” He was speaking publicly after it was reported that comedian Jimmy Carr is saving himself masses of cash by using a tax avoidance scheme called K2. It works by transferring income […]
Another Massacre In Syria; Another ‘Discussion’ At The UN
Far from being subdued by the world’s condemnation of last week’s atrocity in Syria, the forces and militiamen loyal to President Assad have carried out another massacre in his name. Reports have been surfacing of an overnight attack on a village close to the town of Hama in which another 70 to 100 Syrian women […]
Queen’s Jubilee Is It A Celebration Of Being ‘Owned’?
While walking to work the other morning, I overheard a snippet of conversation between a mother and her two young children. The children, aged about 7, were expressing their concern over being late for school and the mother replied by saying: “the teacher doesn’t own you; I own you”. At first, I smiled to myself […]