Archive for the ‘British current affairs’ Category
Is the world warming? England is!
May 31st, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The world’s oldest continuous weather record covers a triangular area in England between London (where I live), Manchester (where I was brought up) and Bristol – it dates back to 1659. This record reveals that the average day and night temperature in central England between 1 March and 29 May this year was 10.32C. Previous […]
Posted in British current affairs, Environment | Comments (0)
How diverse is your community?
May 19th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) has just published new population estimates by ethnic group for England & Wales. The “Guardian” newspaper has an article on the subject which includes access to an interactive map. The headline message is that, of the 54 million people in England and Wales, the non-white British population has […]
Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
How Britain is becoming more and more unequal
May 16th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Under a Labour Government, Britain gained a Low Pay Commission created by the Government itself. Under the Coalition Government, it now has a High Pay Commission but this has been formed by Compass with the support of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. The High Pay Commission has just published its Interim Report. What does this […]
Posted in British current affairs, Social policy | Comments (0)
The need for evidence-based policy-making
May 14th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I’m a political person but, I hope, I am also a rational individual. So I have my values and principles, but I like to make decisions based on evidence and some of the best evidence comes from trials. Therefore I was pleased to read this article today which puts the case for evidence-based policy-making in […]
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Should we shift tax from income to wealth?
May 7th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Although the American Right is obsessed about tax, taxation is necessary to fund the programmes and activities that make a civilised society. Depending on how we structure our taxation systems, tax can also have overall social policy objectives such as promoting entrepreneurship or reducing inequality. I am very interested in the consequences for both societies […]
Posted in British current affairs, World current affairs | Comments (0)
A reminder of why the UK needs AV
May 4th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Tomorrow the UK will hold only its second referendum in my lifetime of over 60 years. It is on whether we should replace the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system of election by the alternative vote (AV) in our General Elections. If we needed a reminder of how FPTP can distort the popular will, look at what happened […]
Posted in British current affairs, World current affairs | Comments (0)
Who is Grace van Cutsem?
May 1st, 2011 by Roger Darlington
She’s the one with her hands over her ears in this photograph. Grace, aged three, was a bridesmaid at William & Catherine’s wedding. She is actually the daughter of their close friend Hugh van Cutsem. Around the world, this picture is one of the defining images of the Royal Wedding.
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Why is it called the Union Jack?
April 29th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The national flag of the United Kingdom is not seen in everyday life anything like as commonly as the national flag of some other countries, most notably the star and stripes in the United States. It has been much in evidence today, however, because of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The […]
Posted in British current affairs, History | Comments (2)
The Arab Spring is spreading
April 29th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
An unelected ruling family has brought the people of Britain out onto the streets. Senior religious figures are stirring the masses. There have been demonstrations and arrests. Military aircraft have flown low over the crowds.There is a massive security presence and soldiers are marching through the capital. The Arab Spring is spreading! Oh wait …
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Is this the most eccentric man in Britain?
April 29th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Britain is still such an odd, old-fashioned nation. It’s the kind of place where a royal wedding can still bring the country to a halt (oh yeh, it’s today). The British have a great tolerance for eccentricity and we embrace oddity in a rather charming way whether it is media personalities like Russell Brand or […]
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