EU politics
Adam Tooze: The bank that nearly broke Europe
The single currency’s design isn’t perfect. But what’s really hampered its first 20 years, says Adam Tooze, are decisions freely taken by power-hungry men in Frankfurt Read here
Year: 2018
Corruption
Stéfanie Khoury and David Whyte – The UN Human Rights Council’s “Draft Zero” still won’t prioritise human rights above the rights of corporations
Next month, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) will consider the first draft (“Draft Zero”) of a new treaty on the human rights responsibilities of corporations. It it has already been criticised for key shortcomings […]
EU politics
Andrea Lorenzo Capussela – Kosovo and Serbia: A dangerous but not unprecedented Balkan land swap
Kosovo and Serbia have recently discussed an exchange of territory, with some commentators suggesting a deal on a ‘land swap’ might be imminent. Andrea Lorenzo Capussela writes that while critics have rightly decried the plan […]
Climate Crisis
Transport & Environment – Carmakers have cheated European drivers to the tune of 150bn euros since 2000
The real cost of carmakers gaming fuel efficiency tests is now revealed: the additional fuel burned because of widespread industry manipulation has cost drivers an extra €149.6 billion for the past 18 years (2000-2017) [1]. […]
Economics
Bullshit Jobs, A theory – by David Graeber
Book review by David Shirreff “I would like this book to be an arrow aimed at the heart of our civilisation.” So writes David Graeber in his preface to Bullshit Jobs, A Theory. David […]
EU politics
CommonSpace – Rebuttal: The story the media missed on ex-chief rabbi Sacks
It appears that the “liberals” in Britain are have taken a lesson from the alt-right with regard to their media policy to counter a rising wave of progressives in the UK. Read here
Corruption
Politico – Trump lawyer Giuliani got paid to lobby Romanian president
What a read! Another EU Social Democratic party that has discoverd that the key to success is lie, lie, and lie again. Laws are for losers. Read here
Economics
Aufhebunga Bunga – Exiting Capitalist Realism
The third in our Neoliberal Breakdown series. In which we discuss the late Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism, 10 years on. Does his analysis still hold? The mood music of the time – the age of ‘TINA’ […]
Economics
Larry Elliot: Ten years after the financial crash, the timid left should be full of regrets
Larry Elliot´s analysis is somewhat short-sighted. The mainstream media played a crucial role in keeping many critical voices and opinions out the discourse. We see this daily as the newspaper where Elliot writes, the Guardian. […]
Economics
Hilary Wainwright: The economics that came in from the cold
Tory-supporting media have been portraying Jeremy Corbyn as a Soviet fellow-traveller, while unnoticed the shadow chancellor sets out a vision that breaks with the old bureaucratic state model Read here