By Jack Gilbert  The former BP man is now set to take over another massive corporation In April 2010 millions of gallons of oil seeped into the Gulf of Mexico, killing off nearly everything in its path. Birds encased in oil desperately wrestled to escape their imminent death. Dolphins were washed ashore panicking and struggling to breathe. Local children in Louisiana and Florida complained of unexplained symptoms such as bleeding ears and nose bleeds. The then Chief Executive of BP, Tony...

By Emma Silverthorn Speciesism is arguably one of the most pervasive ideologies of our time, so much so that its suppositions are widely considered as fact.  The term, coined by philosopher Peter Singer in the eighties, is in a nutshell a prejudice for ones own species against another species. It is from this viewpoint that human beings supposed rightful dominion and use of non-human animals is justified. These justifications are made on a number of grounds - religious ones, ideas related to...

Adam Walker talks to Jenni Herd  Today, younger generations are being bombarded by negative press that offers little hope for their future. In the past decade the global media has broadcasted multiple conflicts, the threat of financial crisis against modern economies and the continuous message that our world is dying. Add to this the fact that young people are often misrepresented as hooded thugs, binge-drinking slackers or computer-obsessed antisocial regressives’ all of whom shun society and personal responsibility, and you...

By J T Coombes When the expenses scandal kicked off in 2009, by the very nature of the extent of the abuse it shocked society to its core. Eventually it led to sackings, resignations, apologies, some repayments and a few imprisonments. Today we are yet again assailed by the knowledge that financial abuse continues in the shape of Maria Miller, and that the sums involved are again vast. Not only that but again there is desperate resistance to admit blame and...

By Artur Salles Lisboa de Oliveira Petrobras has been a symbol of Brazilian pride since its foundation back in the fifties. The state-owned oil company attracts all sorts of investors ranging from small time backers pursuing gains by investing their savings for the education of their children to big time players interested in having a say in the decisions of the corporation. However, in the past few years the government has wilfully overlooked rising indebtedness and plunging shares which has created...

By Max J Freeman  My father’s father, Jack Wall, I am told, was a short man.  Not skinny, but not a big man either.  A sinewy man not hewn from rock, but hewn from hard work and relative poverty.  He and his wife Katherine had six boys, only three of whom survived to adulthood. A Liverpool man from Irish stock, with gentle but blistered hands, unskilled but not without intelligence, and a hard-worker. Jack was a Coal-heaver, a Tobacco-turner, and...

Economist Oliver McAninch finds out why the BBC could be responsible for global destruction. ‘Global warming is a load of old rubbish’ is something you’ve probably heard more than once in your local boozer.  ‘Climate has been changing for millions of years – it’s no different now’ was dismissively barked at me by Dave over a beer. Is my mate down the pub correct? When the world’s leading meteorological and environmental scientists, commissioned by the governments of 195 countries (essentially...

By Rob Telford, Green councillor for Ashley ward, Bristol The great democratic hope for General Election 2015 For decades, the UK has essentially been a two-party system, with third parties (whether Liberal/SDP/Lib Dem, SNP/Plaid, Green, BNP or UKIP) not being able to gain enough votes to overhaul the two largest parties (Labour and Conservative) at any General Election. At the same time, fewer and fewer people are choosing to cast their votes for the two largest parties. In 1951, 96.8...

By Alex Vasili   Residents of Balcombe Move to Make Community Self-sufficient in Energy The supporters of fracking make an argument that is difficult to refute. They say shale gas is essential to the UK's energy needs, that it will give us security from troublesome oil barons and gas czars, and that nothing else will do until we have nuclear power stations, and lots of them. So try this as a counter-strategy. Make your community self-sufficient through the clean, green power...