Archive for the ‘British current affairs’ Category
What’s it like to be a NEET?
August 26th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
A NEET is a young person not in education, employment or training. What’s it like? “Being NEET, is no fun at all.” Who says so? My son Richard in this online piece.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (2)
A thoughtful comment on the rioting and looting
August 11th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The political lobbying organisation Compass has produced this statement.
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A good day in London – in spite of the tension
August 10th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I spent the day in central London with my step-mother. We both had no hesitation in visiting the city centre in spite of the riots in various parts of the city over the last few nights. Life has to go on and the police have got the city clamped down. We saw many more police […]
Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
London in flames – but why?
August 9th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
What a miserable summer: the return of famine in East Africa, the murder of demonstrators in Syria, the Eurozone crisis, the collapse of share prices around the world – and now rioting, looting and burning in more and more parts of London and even other British cities. As someone who has lived in London for […]
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How we are treating the sick and disabled
July 25th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Three months or so ago, I did a posting about how I had accompanied a good friend of mine with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) to an interview as part of a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) because he had applied for the new Employment & Support Allowance (ESA). He was refused the ESA, he appealed, and […]
Posted in British current affairs, Social policy | Comments (0)
Which American politician said this? (2)
July 19th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
On Sunday, I did a posting with a quote on the separation of church and state and asked which American politician had said it. I promised you the answer today. The answer is Barry Goldwater in the US Senate in 1981 and you can find more information on his trenchant views here. Contrary to what […]
Posted in American current affairs, British current affairs | Comments (0)
Hackgate: The Movie
July 17th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Believe me, there will be a film of this – and a television documentary and a book and a play (and maybe even a musical).
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The end of the “World”
July 10th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Today has seen publication of the last edition of the “News Of The World after 168 years of its history. It’s been an amazing week as the scandal has exploded and, of course, it’s far from over. One of those most responsible for exposing the wrong-doing has been the “Guardian” investigative journalist Nick Davies. In […]
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Income inequality grows in UK and USA
July 5th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
UK income inequality increased by 32% between 1960 and 2005. During the same period, it increased by 23% in the USA, and in Sweden decreased by 12%. In the 1960s Sweden and the UK had similar levels of income inequality. By 2005 the gap between the two had increased by 14%. Since the 1980s, income […]
Posted in American current affairs, British current affairs, Social policy | Comments (0)
Should regulation be light touch or right touch?
July 4th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I’ve spent most of my working life involved in regulatory debates. This started when I worked at the Communications Workers Union which organises staff in the telecommunications and postal industries since both telecoms and posts are regulated. It has continued since I took early retirement from the CWU through my membership of the Communications Consumer […]
Posted in British current affairs, Consumer matters, Social policy | Comments (7)