Monthly Archives: February 2010

Yesterday, I was delighted to be shortlisted for the Labour candidacy for Gateshead. This selection isn’t about me, or about any of the candidates. It’s about the future of Gateshead, and the country, after the next election. That’s what I … Continued

You know, I don’t blog for a few days, and the guilt really gets to me… I’ve been desperate to write about the spoof poster war that has broken out on the internet, but nothing shoddy. You deserve better than … Continued

I get the political marketing angle of conservatives talking about public services co-operatives, but the policy itself appears to make no sense. Say you’re a teacher in a primary school. You have a board of governors, teach to a curriculum, … Continued

So Gordon Brown did an interview with Piers Morgan. A couple of poor souls have asked what I thought of it. I didn’t watch it. I could not bear to spend an hour in the company of a publicity seeking … Continued

Just under two years ago, we discovered that the global credit rating agencies were amongst the stupidest people in the world, having stuck triple A rating on some pretty awful dreck. As a former managing director of Moody’s wrote in … Continued

Worrying news – German economic growth was non existent in the last quarter, even despite increased exports. It was a hairs breadth away from negative growth, with 0.0% change in the size of GDP. That suggests that German domestic demand … Continued

I’m late to this, but it’s important. Freedom of speech and debate is vital in a democracy, and number of recent libel cases have shown how libel laws can be abused to repress not gossip and unfounded accusations, but scientific … Continued

I’m reading an economic history of Nazi Germany. They don’t call me Captain fun for northing. Anyway, in discussing the genesis of the volkswagen, the author mentions that in pre war Germany less than one household in thirty seven posessed … Continued

Paul Richards highlights an interesting aspect of the fight to come. Well worth a read. The great danger to the Tories of Cameron getting personal …  is that it draws attention to their two greatest weaknesses. One is the absence … Continued

Spent lunchtime taking part in Progress Online’s PMQs review, with Paul Richards and Rupa Huq. We were wise. Especially me. Honestly, I don’t know why they don’t get me to do PMQs.