Politics
Major wages war with Eton rifles
By Joe Mellor, In house Reporter Sir John Major is front page news again, in a comeback as unlikely as a new Gary Glitter release topping itunes. The state-educated former prime minister, whose father Tom was a famous circus performer, had previously kept a low profile since leaving office in 1997. John believes the Westminster circus, and other institutions are now run only by the ringmasters, people who attended public school. Allegedly Major Snr fathered at least five children with...
The Living Wage: Stemming the tide of ‘in-work’ poverty
By Rachel Wilson, Political Reporter On November 4 2013 the Living Wage rose by 25p to £8.80 an hour in London. Outside of London it rose from £7.45 to £7.65. Focused on stemming the rising tide of 'in-work poverty', the modern UK Living Wage campaign was launched by members of London Citizens in 2001 to address the fact that one in five people in the UK get less than the Living Wage. This phenomenon of ‘in-work’ poverty is highlighted by...
When three tribes go to war, all the people you ignore
By Joe Mellor, In house Reporter The police are after the press, the press after the politicians and the press are after police. In this triangle of hate, they are all at each other’s throats. So where does that leave the rest of the public? Well this is a poor analogy, but stay with me. Imagine three ship captains arguing over who should take the helm, ignoring the passengers falling overboard, waving manically, as the vessel sails into the...
Don’t bemoan bills; bemoan wages
By Nathan Lee, Politics and Finance Writer It would seem we’re missing a crucial economic component. Price rises - as inevitable as the morning sun - are not being met with real wage increases, leading to a proverbial squeeze on households. The Bank of England's two per cent base rate hasn’t been realised for some time which means not only are wage levels stagnant, inflation is high and quite evidently out of the control of monetary bodies, leading to a...
War and terror
By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic Coordinated occupation of armed forces avoids the terrorism label, but it isn't exempt from it. Britain has invaded all but 22 countries in the world in its long history according to analysis contained in All the Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To. Of the countries left untouched, only the likes of Guatemala, Tajikistan and the Marshall Islands make the short list, along with the closer to...
Britain’s ‘Out’ is out of the question
By Pieter Cranenbroek – International Politics Blogger The current British administration is hardly in love with the EU. Prime minister David Cameron proposed an ill-considered referendum on Britain’s future in Europe while Chancellor George Osborne has been reported saying that the EU is ‘killing’ the UK economy. It is yet another error of judgment on the part of the Tory government, and two recent reports confirm what we already know: the UK needs Europe. Not only is it preposterous to suggest...