Archive for February, 2018
What has caused this growing tech-lash?
February 7th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
It seems as if almost every day there is a story expressing concern about some aspect of the Net and attacking the likes of Facebook, Google and Amazon. Why is this? “Governments are concerned that they are not paying their fair share of taxes in the countries where they generate the most revenues; regulators are […]
Posted in Internet | Comments (0)
Contemporary cinema (3): “The Post”, “Baby Driver”, “Blade Runner 2049”
February 6th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
I’ve now attended three more weekly sessions at the City Literary Institute in central London of an evening course called “Contemporary Cinema: The Best Films Of The Year” conducted by the American John Wischmeyer. So far, the pattern has been that we view and discuss clips from an acclaimed recent film and then compare it […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
So, after the leaking of the Paradise Papers, how is the UK doing on tackling tax evasion and avoidance?
February 5th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
Figures from HM Revenue & Customs suggest that a series of measures to tackle offshore tax evasion will only bring in £349m a year – £650m a year less than had been hoped for. Meanwhile a total of 28 anti-avoidance measures introduced under the Coalition and Conservative governments are bringing in less than expected, and the […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the new film “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
February 2nd, 2018 by Roger Darlington
When so many movies are franchise works or sequels or remakes, it’s such a pleasure to find a genuinely original film like “Three Billboards”. The plotting is unconventional with unexpected developments and most of the characters are complex (unfortunately two young women are presented as stereotypically dumb and a black cop as overly honourable). This […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Time to Talk Day 2018
February 1st, 2018 by Roger Darlington
Two thirds of UK adults feel they have nobody to talk to about their problems, a survey has found. Of the 2,500 people questioned, 66% said they had no one to speak to about mental health, relationships or money. Difficulty finding the right time or place to talk were given as reasons behind the trend, the survey […]
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)
Which are the best and the worst countries in terms of the rule of law?
February 1st, 2018 by Roger Darlington
The World Justice Project produces a Rule of Law Index which measures – across eight factors – rule of law adherence in 113 countries and jurisdictions worldwide based on more than 110,000 household and 3,000 expert surveys and it has just published its latest annual report for 2017-18. More countries’ overall rule of law score […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)