Our voting system is often referred to as first past the post (FPTP). It is supposed to ensure that a single candidate emerges from each constituency and lead to stable governments. We can imagine an election like a horse race, where each candidate starts off with no votes to a finishing post somewhere in the … Continue reading First past which post?
Before you vote
By this time next week there will only be a few hours left to put your cross on the ballot paper in what might turn out to be the most decisive general election in a generation. All of the hustings will be over and the national coverage will be focused on guessing which party will … Continue reading Before you vote
The 32 Hour week
‘Of all Labour’s stupidities, the four day week stands out’ at least according to David Smith in his economic outlook in The Times. OK, but how would he know? According to Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian-born economist, public official and diplomat, ‘The only purpose of economic forecasts is to give astrology a better image.’ Nobody can be … Continue reading The 32 Hour week
Struggling with my poppy
I have struggled this year with my poppy, not in buying one, that was easy, they are available in most places that I end up in. No, rather I have struggled with the tinge of Brexit that it seems to have attracted. In some quarters, noticeably on Twitter there has been a slight whiff of … Continue reading Struggling with my poppy
Taxation is a thorny issue
Seemingly no one wants to pay tax yet the world could not operate if we did not. According to Duncan Watts in his book Six Degrees, ‘In not one country in the world is the payment of taxes a voluntary exercise.’ The question should be why? You should try running a country without it. Now … Continue reading Taxation is a thorny issue
A fair day’s pay at Brewdog
I think it is a sign of the times when I was walking down Dean Street in Newcastle to the Quayside I noticed an A board outside the Brewdog pub. On it was written ‘We are a real living wage employer’ in capital letters. I was so taken by the sign that I took a … Continue reading A fair day’s pay at Brewdog
When maps are not good enough
Sometimes seeing is not believing. I am thinking of when maps are presented to show the results of an election. Take the 2017 UK parliamentary election for example. A standard map projection of the UK, the type we are used to seeing in any atlas, shows England almost entirely Conservative blue. Ignoring the other parties … Continue reading When maps are not good enough
Why I’m hoping for a hung parliament
Strong and stable leadership, that is what we were promised, indeed that is what we are promised every time we come to an election. Our first past the post delivers decisive results and doesn’t leave us with a hung parliament, at least that is what those in power say and to paraphrase the words of … Continue reading Why I’m hoping for a hung parliament
History in straight lines
Whatever happens with Brexit, at some time in years to come there will be someone to write the biography of the latest Prime Minister. Depending upon whether the outcome is good for him or bad, the author will describe his actions and how they contributed to his unmitigated success or utter disaster. If the outcome … Continue reading History in straight lines
I want to pay more tax
A couple of things happened this week to make me think about taxation. It could have been serendipity. The first was a visit to my accountant and the second was that I finished reading the book ‘Utopia for Realists’ by Rutger Bregman. I was at my accountant (Tynerede in Bellingham) to sign off on my … Continue reading I want to pay more tax
Thoughts from a Retired Guerrilla Worker 