Politics

By Philip Benton @paolobento Edward Snowden and his revelations about the NSA’s surveillance activities were one of (if not the) stories of 2013. The first meeting in Snowden’s Hong Kong hotel room with The Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald was documented by filmmaker Laura Poitras, which provides the main backdrop for the film. The title ‘Citizenfour’ comes from the username chosen by Snowden to contact Poitras when he raises his initial concerns over what he perceives as the US government spying on...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  Wealth in a capitalist economy knows no bounds. Nor does inequality, which is why when you hear the top one per cent of earners will pay almost third of all income tax you think, well so they should. It’s one of those things you assume to be an axiomatic component of a fair society. Your contributions in tax should be proportional to what you earn, which means that those who are lucky...

By Callum Hunter of Write it Quick  Homosexuality is inconsistent with African values - it threatens children, endangers society and destroys the family. This is what we were told back in 2009 by the MP David Bahati – the author of the Anti-Homosexuality Act. It’s what we continue to be told by many prominent Ugandan lawmakers and religious leaders as a new wave of LGBTI persecution spreads throughout Uganda. Indeed, following the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, sexual minorities inside and outside of...

By Nicholas Figgis The world of politics can be confusing. Fortunately we have liberal media commentators to make sense of things. In his recent piece on the 'Green Surge' John Rentoul of The Independent on Sunday points out that, despite relatively low media coverage, the Green Party has recently experienced an unprecedented boost in opinion polls and membership which shows no sign of abating. Could it be that people like their ideas? Have we become distrustful of the three cheeks...

By J T Coombes    www.globalmagnacarta.com    @GMagnaCarta Many years ago I had a bank manager as a next door neighbour. He was a lovely man, a bit like Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army, who cared about people but without the pomposity. After he retired we began to see the closure of bank branches and the centralisation of banking services. When I asked his view on these changes he said that we were now witnessing the end of banking in...

By Pieter Cranenbroek Last month, protesters against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) carried a Trojan Horse onto a square in Amsterdam. The horse was not nearly as big as the original one that, according to myth, marked the fall of Troy, but its message was clear: the trade deal that is currently being negotiated between the EU and the US is trouble. The public should be allowed to inspect this 'gift' lest it turns out to be a...

(Krishna Athal has received various leadership initiative awards from national and international bodies. Former chairman of the National Youth Council of Mauritius, he authored the 'Ramrajya: An Enigmatic Leader's Rise to Power' book and is currently an executive member of MSM political party. He can be found on Twitter at @athalkrishna.) Mauritius: an island characterised by endless sandy beaches, azure-coloured lagoons and swelteringly appealing sunny days, the revered land of the three s’s: sun, sand and sea. To the outsider,...

By J T Coombes    www.globalmagnacarta.com    @GMagnaCarta The use of taxpayer money to bail out the banks has become the biggest bank robbery in the history of our species. Robbery because taxpayer funds were only ever designed to provide the infrastructures that support society; healthcare, education, roads, railways, and so much more that assists people in living their lives as comfortably as possible. Never, ever, was there the conviction that public money could be used to support private corporations...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The PM didn’t seem to need to directly attack Ed today, he let Miliband’s own team do it for him. He alleged Labour figures had said of Ed, “concern if he can lead the country”, “Useless”, “hopeless, “doesn’t cut it” and that was just his front bench. Cameron said,“he really wasn’t a Klass act.” In reference to Miliband’s dressing down by “pop queen,” Myleene Klass. The PM said he “knew there were moles in the...