Japan v Cameroon: Colonialism’s laboratory
I wrote this piece for the World Development Movement World Cup site - to which the Bright Green team will be contributing throughout the tournament. In 1959 my grandfather was…
Laws & Osborne target my generation
So, George and David have announced where they are going to start their 5 year assault on the British economy. And the answer is pretty clear. First up against the…
No shock doctrine for Britain
The economic case against short term cuts has been widely made. So much so, that a large majority voted in the election for parties opposed to cuts this year. In…
Why I’m no Longer Listening to Spotify
Last week saw the passage of the Digital Economy Bill, now the Digital Economy Act. As parliament was winding down before dissolution the government forced through the bill, which had…
Radio 3 interupted over Israel
This is a guest post written by Benedict Young - a member of York Palestine Solidarity Campaign BBC Radio 3, at 13:17 (or so), March 29, was broadcasting a performance…
If Robin Hood tax is stealth tax, then banks must be broken up
So, the Financial Times reports today that the Robin Hood tax - or Tobin Tax to it's old chums, may be a 'stealth tax'. The argument, which comes from Oxford…
21 hours a week: time to aspire to fun?
In 1930, the great economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that, by the 21st century, we'd be working an average of 15 hours a week. The argument was a pretty simple…
The surrealist overdose
This is a guest post from Naomi Mc, who blogs about science, politics and gender at Vagina Dentata. On Saturday at hundreds of people across the country opened a small…
We can’t go on like this. Cut the deficit obsession, not the deficit.
There have been a number of mash ups of the David Cameron “We can’t go on like this” poster. Possibly the most entertaining is this: There has been, however, a…
A majority in search of a party on Afghanistan
Mark Ballard once, with a smirk on his face, told me that Nigel Farage (the then UKIP leader) listed his interests as real ale, military history and cricket. He suggested…