The world’s scariest news? Methane bubbles from the arctic ocean
As the world's junior ministers touch down from their holiday in Durban, The Independent today has perhaps the scariest story in human history. Perhaps. Russian scientists have observed vast plumes…
The party hasn’t started
As the economic system built by the rich for the rich collapses, pessimism abounds. The argument seems to go like this: if the rich couldn't build a better nation, a…
Lib Dems aren’t modifying Tory policy. They are allowing it.
As the European elephant in the cabinet room finally rears and strains the Clegg-Cameron bonds, many Liberal Democrats are once again questioning why they are in government at all. And…
Green politicians confirm they won’t cross picket lines
The senior elected representatives of the 3 Green Parties in the UK - the Green Party of England and Wales, the Scottish Green Party, and the Green Party of Northern…
Bingo! Osborne’s Autumn statement: fun for all the family
Thought the pre-budget report was going to be enraging? Worried that watching it will set you on a trajectory which will inevitably lead to the need for a new TV,…
5 things about pensions
Wednesday's strike isn't just about pensions. Unions like the PCS have been clear from the outset – anti-worker laws mean we can't go on strike against government policies. So unions…
This is what democracy looks like – learning from Latin America
This piece first appeared in this week's issue of the Occupied Times Stretched across the tent town by the London Stock Exchange is a banner spelling out the slogan of…
Share buy backs and the failure of ‘Schrödinger’s capitalism’
The New York Times reported yesterday the return of corporate share buy-backs in the USA. When I tweeted the link to the story, someone replied with perhaps the best analogy…
From monotony to farce: my Fortnum and Mason’s trial
“Which judge have you got?”. That this is the first question asked by anyone familiar with the justice system perhaps says all you need to know about its operation. Throughout…
Beating the right and the coming European event horizon
“Event Horizon: (n) A spatial boundary around a black hole inside which gravity is strong enough to prevent all matter and radiation from escaping.” As the European economy teeters on…