Politics

By J T Coombes    www.globalmagnacarta.com    @GMagnaCarta Many years ago I had a bank manager as a next door neighbour. He was a lovely man, a bit like Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army, who cared about people but without the pomposity. After he retired we began to see the closure of bank branches and the centralisation of banking services. When I asked his view on these changes he said that we were now witnessing the end of banking in...

By Pieter Cranenbroek Last month, protesters against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) carried a Trojan Horse onto a square in Amsterdam. The horse was not nearly as big as the original one that, according to myth, marked the fall of Troy, but its message was clear: the trade deal that is currently being negotiated between the EU and the US is trouble. The public should be allowed to inspect this 'gift' lest it turns out to be a...

(Krishna Athal has received various leadership initiative awards from national and international bodies. Former chairman of the National Youth Council of Mauritius, he authored the 'Ramrajya: An Enigmatic Leader's Rise to Power' book and is currently an executive member of MSM political party. He can be found on Twitter at @athalkrishna.) Mauritius: an island characterised by endless sandy beaches, azure-coloured lagoons and swelteringly appealing sunny days, the revered land of the three s’s: sun, sand and sea. To the outsider,...

By J T Coombes    www.globalmagnacarta.com    @GMagnaCarta The use of taxpayer money to bail out the banks has become the biggest bank robbery in the history of our species. Robbery because taxpayer funds were only ever designed to provide the infrastructures that support society; healthcare, education, roads, railways, and so much more that assists people in living their lives as comfortably as possible. Never, ever, was there the conviction that public money could be used to support private corporations...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The PM didn’t seem to need to directly attack Ed today, he let Miliband’s own team do it for him. He alleged Labour figures had said of Ed, “concern if he can lead the country”, “Useless”, “hopeless, “doesn’t cut it” and that was just his front bench. Cameron said,“he really wasn’t a Klass act.” In reference to Miliband’s dressing down by “pop queen,” Myleene Klass. The PM said he “knew there were moles in the...

Mirrorcity – London Artists on Fiction and reality. By Isla Watton, Arts Reporter In early October a council painted over some allegedly racist graffiti. This standard procedure on the streets of Clacton-on-Sea hurled Tendring District Council into the national spotlight and set the fingers of arts critics and bloggers ablaze as it emerged that what had actually been removed was a satirical and valuable Banksy painting. Perhaps on this occasion fiction sat a little too close to home and some...

By Gregory Taylor In just about everything we do we are taxed, from buying petrol to going on holiday, buying alcohol and on what we earn. It’s something that most people in this country can never get away from, but not only that, even when we die your family could have to pay inheritance tax on your property and estate. When the Liberal government of Herbert Asquith brought in the people's budget in 1909 it brought in a super tax...

By Callum Hunter, of Write it Quick  A recent YouGov poll has found that around four in ten Church of England clergy now support same-sex marriage, leaving around five in  ten opposing marriage equality, with around one in ten still undecided on the issue. The poll’s findings are being regarded by some as an indication that support for marriage equality is steadily increasing within the ranks of the Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury himself appeared to have changed his position on...

By Nathan Lee, Politics Correspondent  The BBC's Children in Need appeal raised more than £32.6 million on Friday night shortly after a Poppy Appeal that is expected to raise more than £40 million. It makes you proud to be British, but ashamed that our charitable efforts are being used to mask shortcomings in our fiscal policy. According to a survey by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), the UK is the fifth most charitable nation in the world. More than half...