These days we hear a good deal about something called impeachment, often coupled with references to Richard Nixon, though Nixon was not impeached, he resigned. Different countries go about things in different ways. In France, for instance, the presid
Read more…Just this morning we have several major pieces of news. It is difficult to make one coherent story out of these different tremors, but one can, perhaps, see connections between the rise of populism, the increasing chaos in Washington and astute polit
Read more…Emmanuel Macron has just gained the French presidency. France had a stark choice in the last round of the election and the rest of Europe had to watch as their fate also hovered. If Le Pen had won it might well have been the end of the European Union
Read more…The Rich List has just come out, listing the richest 1000 people in the UK. To be on the list you need to be worth at least £110 million. Being a mere millionaire is nothing these days.
Money makes money. The top 20 are, together, worth just under £1
Read more…It is election season - recent general election in Netherlands, Thursday past local elections in UK, tomorrow presidential election in France, and a general election campaign under way in Britain. Germany goes to the polls in the autumn. And we are s
Read more…Are we on a cusp of history between nationalism and internationalism? The idea of a nation-state rests upon a community of cultural and racial identity among the people occupying a defined piece of land under a single governmental/bureaucratic admini
Read more…Good morning. I don't know if the War & Peace group would be the correct one for this post... :)
I've read that permafrost (the frozen strata of water and rock beneath the surface of Siberia, northern Canada, etc.) is starting to melt. And this fact
Read more…Depending upon what happens in two weeks time, Yesterday could prove to have been a turning point in the history of Europe, even of the world. Yesterday, in an unexpected electoral stunt, Marine Le Pen seriously wrong-footed Emmanuel Macron by turnin
Read more…The USA is currently considering its budget for the next six months. The proposed plan increases spending on the military (already the highest in the world by a wide margin) and security and cuts spending on almost everything else. Less is going to b
Read more…I am going to bed wondering if war will break out on the Korean Peninsula.
Scary prospect bordering on unthinkable. With men like Donald Trump and Kim Jong un, unpredictable and reckless, it is possible that they will actually provoke the other to r
In the news today, Donald Trump has gone back on what he previously said about China being a currency manipulator and also gone back on his comments about NATO being obsolete. Last week he changed his position on Syria. The "reset" toward detente wit
Read more…1. The G7 group reported a "successful meeting" at which they were unable to agree about anything. UK and US belligerence over Syria was not matched by other parties. US secretary of state is going to Moscow and "might get a meeting with Putin". Befo
Read more…Today's terrorist event in Sweden shows once again that no amount of security can prevent terrorism, especially if the perpetrator is willing to suffer or die in the attempt. The security forces no doubt do their best, but it is so easy to drive a ve
Read more…The unemployment rate in the USA is now officially under 5%. In UK much the same. According to classical economic theory both countries should be showing much stronger inflationary pressure at this level. The level in France, for instance, is about t
Read more…It is so difficult these days to know the truth about news events. Regarding the events in Syria in the last couple of days, I can't help asking myself a few questions. Did President Assad need this? Highly unlikely. Did President Trump need somethin
Read more…"We miss you already" - these were the last words of the speech by Donald Tusk as he acknowledged receiving the UK's letter triggering withdrawal from the European Union.
So, the Brexit process is beginning. When, many years ago, my parents split up,
Read more…Unfortunately there are wars not just because of trials of strength between groups and nations, but also because it is in the interests of some to keep others at war. The Middle East was a relatively peaceful place when I lived there as a small child
Read more…The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is, basically, an anti-Russia alliance. It has been led by the USA, though in the last decade or so, the EU has often played an equally influential part, while providing only a fraction of the funding or manpowe
Read more…President Trump has promised to "drain the swamp". What is the "swamp". Essentially it is corruption within the American system. The whole world it seems is suffering huge corruption problems at the moment. Prime Minister Modi, for instance, is much
Read more…What Does the UK Budget Tell Us?
The British government has just announced its budget for the coming year, though there will be some further announcements in the autumn. I think we can see some general indicators. Firstly, this is a cautious budget,
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