It wasn’t acceptable in the 80’s
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor “Thatcher, Thatcher life snatcher” might have been a more apt rhyme for the Iron Lady after research from Durham University revealed that Mrs T’s policies caused “unjust premature death”. Just to clear things up, she didn’t wield her own weapons against the general population (she had the police for that) but due to unnecessary unemployment, welfare cuts and damaging housing policy she forced people into early graves. The research shows that there was a massive...
Kejriwal and The Aam Aadmi Party
By Nishad Sanzagiri The Aam Aadmi Party should stop playing ‘Aam Aadmi’ Politics It is all over national and international news: Arvind Kejriwal, the founder of the popular Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), resigned from his post as Chief Minister of Delhi as a result of the state assembly blocking an anti-corruption bill (Jan Lokpal), ending his short term of 49 days. Kejriwal had earlier mentioned that, if the bill wasn’t passed in the state assembly, then he’d resign. It can...
State of the Union
By Haridos Apostolides, US Correspondent What can be expected from Obama in 2014? The current United States Congress, one of the most powerful legislative branches of government in the world, has been the most ineffective since the dawn of the Republic. How ineffective? Of the 5,700 bills proposed last year in both the Senate and House of Representatives, only 56, less than one per cent, were made into law. Many have pointed the finger at the Tea Party as the...
The Oval Hates the Square
by Lock Bailey Why Washington’s Oval Office never supported the Egyptian revolution on Tahrir Square If for thirty years Hosni Mubarak played the violin while Egypt burned, then the United States tightened the strings and provided the bow. Yet many Americans look aghast and astounded when they see that the anti-American government placards have been especially pervasive in recent months on Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. The reason for the hate is quite clear. The United States has given roughly...
Long Live the Radio
By Stuart Buchanan, Junior Broadcast Executive at 4mediarelations There was a time when most homes relied on a radio. The wireless, sat in the corner of the kitchen or living room was a key transmitter of news, a primary source of entertainment and a pioneering medium for releasing the latest music and sculpting the latest trends. Whether you were tuning in to the Peel sessions, listening to the King’s Speech, sat in a huddle as Winston Churchill addressed a war-stricken...
The Four Freedoms
By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic One of Britain’s biggest exporters shows the power of the four freedoms. In July 2011 the decision of the British government to award a £1.4 billion Thameslink contract to German firm Siemens was met with uproar. To quote the Daily Mail (deplorable but, in this instance, understandable), it was “beggars belief that Bombardier could have lost out to the Germans…. This would never have happened if Britain had put the national and...
Urbanisation and China’s future
By Stephen Angus Peter Junor Since economic reforms implemented by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970’s, urbanisation in China has been relentless and it shows no signs of slowing down. Poor economic policy along with labour and market restrictions had previously suppressed urban growth, but since then China has developed into a major economic and political power. The city remains the hallmark of urban growth and the development of new cities has been rapid. In 1978 there were 191 cities in...
Storm in a coffee cup
By Philip Benton Vietnam is a country famous for its delicious cuisine, motorbikes and thanks to Top Gear’s Vietnam Special, massive model boats. But perhaps you were unaware that it also plays an instrumental role in producing the world’s second most valuable traded commodity – coffee. A thriving coffee industry has helped to transform an economy, devastated by a 30-year long war, but can coffee sustain the rapid economic growth of Vietnam? An unlikely success story Vietnam is the world’s...
No: Would Scotland still be on the Political Agenda?
By John Close This is a touchy one for some people so I feel like I should start with the disclaimer that 1) I don't in any way dislike Scottish people or Scotland as a whole, and 2) that in my ideal world this wouldn’t even be up for debate and Scotland would forever remain part of the UK. Saying that, it is an issue that peeves me off like nobody's business. I JUST DON'T GET IT! Why would any...