Politics

By Pete Ramand and James Foley, authors of Yes: The Radical Case for Scottish Independence. Some call it the dismal science.  But, of all the referendum’s controversies, economics arouses the nastiest emotions. The media, along with No campaign leaders, frame the problem of Scotland’s economic security around Alex Salmond’s personal credibility, and the tactic works.  Otherwise level-headed Scots confess they would vote Yes, except that putting wee fat ‘Eck at the helm is a risk too far: who would compromise their futures so he...

By Joe Mellor, In house Reporter Exclusive interview with Mr Cannabis on his new smoked out coffee shop dream. A man known as “Mr Cannabis” has failed in another a new attempt to open a cannabis café in the UK. He rose to fame in 2000 when he gave the Queen a bouquet of flowers which was actually cannabis. Her royal high-ness declined to press charges. Colin Davies, 56, then opened the Dutch Experience in Stockport, the UK's first ever...

By Pieter Cranenbroek, International Politics Blogger European society has altered dramatically in the past centuries, yet one component has survived the test of time: the royal family. Despite our efforts to make society fairer, more democratic and with equal rights for everyone, this symbol of inequality has proved irremovable. ‘Keeping’ the royal family cost British citizens £36.1 million in 2014, but continuing to fund the royals is a luxury we should no longer want and one we can no longer afford. Queen...

By Ollie Ward Geneva II Talks Begin The Geneva II peace talks are underway and judging by the fact that Assad’s regime and the opposition barely spoke directly to each other and the city of Homs remains besieged, expectations seem understandingly low. To describe the meeting as a shambles would be pessimistic, but not overly so. The effort to end the three year war nearly collapsed at the first hurdle when UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon invited Iran to the table, a...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic TLE editor Jack Peat talks to adventurer, inventor and entrepreneur Jaimie Mantzel about why he gave up his green card and left the US. Jaimie Mantzel’s antics range from the strange to the extraordinary. As a business and politics newspaper, securing a suitable feature on a man who once resided in the wilderness of Vermont in a four-story-high geodesic dome with  DIY central heating, plumbing connections and a  giant six-legged robot in...

By Nishad Sanzagiri Imagine this scenario: You receive a letter in the mail. You read it and you then leave it on your desk.  Just then, you hear a knock on your door and see a team of FBI agents outside. They walk in and grab the letter, take a copy of it and walk out. Without your permission, they have just taken something that belongs to you; something personal – thereby violating your privacy. In this scenario, your best...

By Joe Mellor, In house Reporter  George Orwell is a timeless author who has become more relevant as political systems which sowed their seeds at the start of the 20th century grow into the unrelenting beasts that had been prophesied. The feature below highlights how relevant Orwell's messages are today. It is a piece of work engineered to reflect the reproductive nature of politics and power struggles and to emphasise how the political underbelly has barely changed in the past...

By Valentina Magri Do you remember the British sitcom of the Eighties “Never the Twain”? Well, it seems Oliver Smallbridge and Simon Peel may have found their heirs: Europe and the UK. The British PM David Cameron has promised to change Europe with internal negotiation in a more flexible, competitive and open way. After that he will give Brits the chance to decide on a referendum whether to remain or to exit from Europe by the end of 2017. In...

By Haridos Apostolides, US Correspondent The only thing sadder than the shooting of two mall employees in Columbia, Maryland, is that it has become an unsurprising fixture in both American and worldwide news. On Saturday, in a suburb between Washington, DC and Baltimore, Darion Marcus Aguilar opened fire inside a Columbia Mall skate shop, ending the lives of Tyler Johnson and Brianna Benlolo, 25 and 21 respectively, before turning the gun on himself. And while still shocking, the fact that Aguilar was...