Bond markets boom – time to borrow
In both the USA, and the UK, investors are rushing into government bonds. Scared by the turbulent stock market, those with money are desperate to lend money to governments rather…
On the North Sea oil spill
So, it turns out that the Shell oil leak is anything but contained. After three days of telling no one that there was a leak in the North Sea, Shell…
From Tottenham to Oxford: time to listen
The list of complaints is a mix, but it isn't surprising: Anger that millions are being spent on the Olympics, but none is seen to benefit local young people. Local…
The economic collapse: four points and a question
1) S&P aren't the point. Let's be clear: there are serious economic problems in America. But we shouldn't take the Standards & Poor downgrading as a serious economic problem in…
London riots: of course they are political
The most surprising thing about these riots is that anyone is surprised. Here in Oxfordshire, youth workers have been predicting for months that things would kick off this summer. Of…
The Grand Banks bloom! time to crack down on fish plundering
Like banks, habitats don't decline gradually. They tumble. Perhaps the most drastic example of a sudden collapse of an eco-system of late has been that in Canada's Grand Banks in…
Cut tax, borrow, then blame women: now the Tories are copying Bush
The reaction from the right to Britain's spluttering economy has shown an astonishing lack of imagination. First out of the blocks, we see Boris Johnson tell us that we should…
Hey Jude: culture and class from inside a kettle
We had been kettled for 8 hours. In December. It was below freezing and the air was cut with the acrid smoke of burnt bus stop. "We need to make…
What’s happening in Somalia is no natural disaster.
Last month I asked a Kenyan farmer what the impact of food speculation was on her community. "Food is getting more and more expensive" she told me. She talked too…
Green-led council announces first steps towards living wage
Press release from the Brighton Green Party: Green council leader Bill Randall (21 July) announced radical plans to introduce a Living Wage in the city of Brighton & Hove. At…