Archive for the ‘American current affairs’ Category
The growing polarisation of American politics
June 13th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
My American friends have long insisted to me that political opinion in the USA is more divided than at any time they can remember – and they are right. As part of a year-long study of polarisation, the Pew Research Center has conducted the largest political survey in its history – a poll of more […]
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The American dream has now become the Canadian (and European) dream
May 20th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Who says so? An American: two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize Nicholas Kristof. In this piece for the “New York Times”; he argues: “… today the American dream has derailed, partly because of growing inequality. Or maybe the American dream has just swapped citizenship, for now it is more likely to be found in Canada or Europe […]
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Are Americans becoming more liberal? Maybe … Eventually …
January 5th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
“On a range of issues, progressive goals have never been so strongly supported by the American people. From gay marriage and marijuana legalisation to raising the minimum wage, immigration reform, background checks for gun buyers and even the specifics of government spending, public opinion is strongly in their favour. Americans are more supportive of activist […]
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Why America’s poor cannot SNAP out of food stamps
December 24th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
As we eat and drink ourselves silly over the Christmas period, let’s the remember the poorer members of our community. Even in the United States – the richest country on earth – there is massive need for food subsidies. In the USA, the food stamps scheme is known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP). An […]
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As President Obama attacks the inequality of wealth in America, what is the size of the problem and the scale of the injustice?
December 5th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
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What the Americans think about the new British prince
October 24th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I’ve just had this message from a good friend in the United States: “I thought you would like to know that the christening of Prince George was a top news story on all three national tv network news programs. If you Republicans ever succeed in abolishing the monarchy, I do believe the American people will […]
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Obama stands firm as Republicans back down
October 14th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
“Now is the time to lance the boil of Republican extremism once and for all. Since Obama became president, the extremists who have taken over the Republican Party have escalated their demands every time he’s caved (when he extended the Bush tax cuts through the end of 2012, offered spending cuts and then a Super […]
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Republicans under pressure to back down on US financial shutdown
October 12th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows that by a 22-point margin (53 per cent to 31 per cent), the public blames the Republican Party more for the shutdown than President Barack Obama – a wider margin of blame for the Republicans than the party received in the poll during the last shutdown in 1995-96. […]
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How rich do you need to be? As rich as the Forbes 400?
September 18th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
“Forbes” magazine has just produced its annual review of the 400 richest people in America. The magazine reveals that: “Five years after the financial crisis sent the fortunes of many in the U.S. and around the world tumbling, the wealthiest as a group have finally gained back all that they lost. The 400 wealthiest Americans are […]
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The latest debate on American exceptionalism: Obama vs Putin
September 15th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
There is an notion – ill-defined, but important in political discourse in the USA – called “American exceptionalism”. The term has recently been used in very different ways by President Barack Obama of the United States and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. In his address to the American people on the situation in Syria following […]
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