19 January 2017 Will Trump Explode? And if so, will he take us with him? By John Watson “Yes, but it won’t really happen, will it? How do I know? Well, since the war, the West has been a pretty stable place from a political point of view. We have come of age, as it… Continue reading Issue 88: 2017 01 19: Will Trump Explode? (John Watson)
Month: January 2017
Issue 88: 2017 01 19: Week in Brief: UK
19 January 2017 Week in Brief: UK NHS: There are reports that 10 Downing Street has been critical, in private, about the head of NHS England who has been described as not enthusiastic and not sufficiently responsive to the problems within the NHS. He has rejected the criticism. Theresa May has insisted that GPs’ surgeries… Continue reading Issue 88: 2017 01 19: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 88: 2017 01 19:La La Land (Adam McCormack)
19 January 2017 La La Land A film by Damien Chazelle reviewed by Adam McCormack The musical is back. Don’t despair, we are not seeing Hollywood revert to the saccharine-saturated schmaltz of the past, where 2-dimensional characters spontaneously launch into songs that develop the plot not one iota. The opening scenes of La La Land,… Continue reading Issue 88: 2017 01 19:La La Land (Adam McCormack)
Issue 88:2017 01 19:Spend,spend,spend (Frank O’Nomics)
19 January 2017 Spend, spend, spend Should we emulate Viv Nicholson or Mr Micawber? by Frank O’Nomics On winning £152,000 on the pools in 1961 (the equivalent of over £3 million now), Viv Nicholson told the world that she would “spend, spend, spend”. This year’s Christmas sales figures for shops in the UK suggest that… Continue reading Issue 88:2017 01 19:Spend,spend,spend (Frank O’Nomics)
Issue 88:2017 01 19:Week in Brief Financial
19 January 2017 Week In Brief: BUSINESS AND THE CITY PAID OFF: Good news from Rolls-Royce, whose business and share price has long been dogged by allegations of bribery in the procuring of contracts. Earlier this week Rolls announced that it had finally agreed a settlement with UK, Brazilian, and USA regulators to settle cases… Continue reading Issue 88:2017 01 19:Week in Brief Financial
Issue 88: 2017 01 19: Just Among Friends (Chin Chin)
19 January 2017 Just Among Friends Favours must be returned. By Chin Chin MI6 is “briefing both ways”, deceiving both the Russians and Americans! “MI6 officers are never ex”! The Russian commentary on the British Secret Service following the revelation of the “dirty dossier” on Trump is worthy of John le Carré. So what is… Continue reading Issue 88: 2017 01 19: Just Among Friends (Chin Chin)
Issue 88:2017 01 19:Week in Brief International
19 January 2017 Week In Brief: INTERNATIONAL NEWS Europe AUSTRIA: The far-right Austrian Freedom Party is trying to distance itself from its traditional anti-semitism by inviting Israeli politicians to seminars on anti-semitism, in what appears to be a tactic to emphasise its anti-Islamic immigration policy. President Rivlin of Israel has condemned the exercise. CYPRUS: The… Continue reading Issue 88:2017 01 19:Week in Brief International
Issue 88:2017 01 19: Not on the Map (Neil Tidmarsh)
19 January 2017 Not On The Map Some countries just don’t exist. by Neil Tidmarsh Never mind dodgy dossiers and fake news – the most audacious recent attempt to blur imagination and reality came at a press conference given in New York by Poland’s foreign minister Witold Waszcsykowski this week. He was reporting on his… Continue reading Issue 88:2017 01 19: Not on the Map (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 87: 2017 01 12: Bandits at 12 o’clock (Chin Chin)
12 January 2017 Bandits at 12 o’clock Killing mosquitoes. By Chin Chin “Buzz, Buzz, Buzz…” wrote the great ursine poet and philosopher W.T.Poo on finding himself surrounded by bees. Those of us who have had the pleasure of reading the story to a child (and what greater pleasure could there be) will recall that the… Continue reading Issue 87: 2017 01 12: Bandits at 12 o’clock (Chin Chin)
Issue 87: 2017 01 12: University Rankings and Free Speech (Lynda Goetz)
12 January 2017 University Rankings and Free Speech Universities and students past and present. by Lynda Goetz The old black and white photograph of 14 young men in bow ties was at first glance unremarkable – until you realised that this photo, taken on the occasion of Ken Clarke’s presidential debate at the Cambridge… Continue reading Issue 87: 2017 01 12: University Rankings and Free Speech (Lynda Goetz)
Issue 87: 2017 01 12: A Very Predictable Stance (John Watson)
12 January 2017 A Very Predictable Stance Why the drop? By John Watson Here we go again. Up, up, up, up,…… cranking its way to the crest of a slope and then wheeeeee…. back down to October levels; the pound continues its imitation of the big dipper in a fairground. Well, there’s nothing surprising in… Continue reading Issue 87: 2017 01 12: A Very Predictable Stance (John Watson)
Issue 87: 2017 01 12: Week in Brief: UK
12 January 2017 Week in Brief: UK DIPLOMATIC: The Ambassador to Brussels, Sir Ivan Rogers, has resigned in protest at what he has described as “muddled thinking” in Whitehall over the negotiating stance to be adopted by the UK in its discussions with the EU over the terms of disengagement. Retired civil servants have expressed… Continue reading Issue 87: 2017 01 12: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 87:2017 01 12:Economics – a profession in crisis or at a watershed?(Frank O’Nomics)
12 January 2017 Economics – a profession in crisis or at a watershed? We should be wary of regarding economics as a science. by Frank O’Nomics The American economist Paul Samuelson once joked that Wall Street indices had predicted 9 out of the last 5 recessions. The joke could just as easily be applied to… Continue reading Issue 87:2017 01 12:Economics – a profession in crisis or at a watershed?(Frank O’Nomics)
