Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
An unusual (and brave) Syrian blogger
May 7th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
A British (presumably) journalist living in Damascus has been writing regularly for the “Guardian” on the recent political turmoil in Syria. She uses the pseudonym Katherine Marsh. There can’t be that many female (presumably) British journalists living in Damascus and I hope that the authorities don’t find her and detain her. Meanwhile her latest piece […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Election surprises in Canada
May 3rd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I did a posting a few days ago warning that the Canadian general election might have a surprise or two for us, but the actual result is astonishing: The Conservative Party – which has formed the last two governments on a minority basis – was forced into this election by a vote of no confidence, […]
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Why the Arab Spring might spread south
April 30th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The last few months have seen astonishing change in one Arab country after another – and the convulsions are far from over in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria. But, south of the Sahara, there are many other countries where democratisation is desperately needed. Could the Arab Spring spread south? Four reasons why it […]
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A view from the Arab world
April 27th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I send out a Thought For The Week by e-mail (if you would like to receive this E-mail me). This week’s thought is: “Just because you’re breathing doesn’t mean you’re alive.” My e-mail goes out to almost 1,700 people all around the world and I had this response from one of my Arab readers: “Yes; […]
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Could Canada have a Left PM?
April 27th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Canadians go to the polls in General Election on Monday but, if you live outside of Canada, you probably don’t know this. Even British and American media have neglected to cover the event. Of course, this blog mentioned the election in a posting one month ago. The election has just become particularly interesting because of […]
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What does it take to start a revolution?
April 24th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Three weeks ago, I did a posting about the revolutions currently convulsing the Arab world. I wrote: “The underlying causes of this Arab Awakening include dictatorial regimes in power for decades, growing nepotism and corruption, increases in those obtaining higher education, substantial youth unemployment, rising food prices and falling living standards, the ability to communicate […]
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My heart is still in Syria
April 16th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
When my wife and I set off for a trip to Syria & Lebanon early last month, some friends thought that we were crazy. But we’d booked the holiday long before the successful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, the civil war in Libya, and the turmoil in Yemen and Bahrain. Also Syria was quiet with […]
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Forgotten World (240): Saudi Arabia
April 15th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
While revolutionary fervour sweeps the Arab world, one country so far hardly affected – except for its intervention to support the ruler of Bahrain – is Saudi Arabia. It sits on more than 25% of the world’s known oil reserves and it is capable of producing more than 10 million barrels per day and rising […]
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