Out of the corner of my eye

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Entries Tagged as 'Politics'

Banks and Debt: Current State of Play

November 3rd, 2008 · 1 Comment

Our government is doing what it does best: farming off national interests to privately run enterprises. The new “UK Financial Investments Limited” company formed by the Treasury to look after the interests of the Royal Bank of Scotland, HBOS and Lloyds TSB will be headed by Sir Philip Hampton, the former finance director of, er, […]

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Tags: Economics · Politics

Nu-Labour’s “Everyone back to work, OR ELSE!” policy

October 31st, 2008 · No Comments

So, in an effort to find something to be outraged about today, I didn’t have to look far when I found a link to this Telegraph article on a forum I read:
“Jason Lightwood, 38, enrolled on a group training session designed to help people struggling to find work.
As part of the session, jobseekers were given […]

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Tags: Culture · Politics

42 Days Too Far: In the Lords

October 3rd, 2008 · No Comments

“I will, at this stage, focus most of my remarks on the proposal to extend pre-charge detention to 42 days. We oppose the proposal in its entirety. Many in this House will have watched with grave concern the passage of this proposal through another place. It brings to the fore the challenge of balancing the […]

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Tags: Culture · Politics

$700 billion handout for willful ignorance

September 23rd, 2008 · 1 Comment

You know, it’s crazy. I used to work for one of the big investment banks. In fact, I was actually in their Risk IT department - we built the systems they used to evaluate risk on their investments. These banks ploughed a lot of cash into building these kinds of systems, employed some very smart […]

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Tags: Economics · Politics

3 years in jail or become an informant for the police

August 28th, 2008 · No Comments

23 year old woman: police raided her house and found 1 bag of pot and 6 pills of ecstasy. They said face 3 years in jail, or become an armed informant for the police, and meet drug barons to buy a load of coke and thousands of pills for thousands of dollars. She’s now dead.
Prohibition. […]

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Tags: Culture · Politics

South Ossetia: News V. People on the ground

August 26th, 2008 · No Comments

It’s interesting looking at the contrast between the official media line on the South Ossetian conflict and what people on the ground over there (and elsewhere throughout the world) are saying. Some news headlines:
“Russia recognises Georgian Rebels”(rebels: never mind that South Ossetia has been de facto independent for 16 years)
“Russians losing propaganda war”
“Russia condemned for […]

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Tags: Politics