I understand all that you say though I sincerely hope that you weren't reading Kropotkin before I was born. There is of course a difference between goals, dreams and what is actually achievable in any given setting. To a certain extent Kropotkin (and many others) had an idealised idea of man's nature - just as many other political ideas have done. Man is not naturally a competitive beast in the Darwinian/ neo liberal sense - he does not have a natural instinct towards exercising power over his neighbour, in the Fascist sense. He also is not always cooperative with his neighbour - in the way I would like him to be. He is what he is - sometimes lazy, sometimes liking to be led, and sometimes all too willing to give up taking responsibility. Kropotkin would of course have said that man is conditioned by his environment - and can change if surrounded by a different one, but I'm not sure of that. There is, however, nothing dream like about a community or a town thinking 'where do we want to be in 10 years time' ? And acting upon this without waiting for the dictates of central government - to do this they will have to use all the resources, and the abilities, they have - starting with utilizing the existing skills of their own population. Do I want to give all of my money to a part of a shopping chain and have that money lost to the community ? Or can I think of ways of buying and producing locally, local products, where my money will remain in the area ? Can we be self sufficient in matters of energy ? Are there ways of sharing and exchanging skills in the community ? There are a whole host of things which a town or region can do to take over the responsibility of lowering their own Co2 levels without government intervention - and it is being done in some places.
Priti Patel - political meetings in Israel while on holiday without informing her boss or the local embassy. Suggests giving taxpayers money to the Israeli army for their ‘charitable work’ in the Golan Heights, a place which the British government says they are occupying illegally. Ignorant, arrogant, plain stupid. Sack this cretin now. Boris Johnson - refuses to take any serious responsibility for potentially condemning a British woman to an additional 5 years in an Iranian jail because he is too ****ing idle and arrogant to read his brief properly. Ignorant, arrogant, ****. Sack him, make him serve the jail time on her behalf. This isn t funny, it’s pathetic and embarrassing.
I was going to post something on this, but didn't want to interrupt the excellent exchanges between yourself and Cologne. Great stuff. Both of these fools should be sacked immediately, but won't be because May is so weak. Meanwhile, Bercow has set tonight as the deadline for the government to release the Brexit impact papers. Will they or won't they? I think we can be pretty confident that they will show the disaster that a no-deal Brexit would be. If it was all positive they'd want us (and the EU) to know, wouldn't they?
I’m not going to enter a debate on human nature, because it could be endless. I’ll agree that we are basically cooperative, because we’d die if we tried to be pure individuals. But I would refer to psychology and even more biology before political philosophy to investigate further. And confess that if I can get someone else to do something that would benefit me but I am too idle to do myself, I’ll probably try it. I hope more communities do what you refer to. I’ve been to Totnes quite a few times, I suppose you’d have to live there to see what difference the Totnes £ etc has actually made. Plenty of the usual big retail chains there and I notice house prices are just a stratospheric there as elsewhere in south Devon, so the locals (though a lot of them are English migrants) are still cashing in. Odd place, a little seedy but nothing like as bad as the hippie Mecca of Glastonbury, where every shop sells scented candles. Still, from little acorns..... I’ll tell you why I recycle stuff though. Partly because it seems it’s the right thing to do, but mainly because a hierarchy has organised things to make me do it. Sometimes oppression is good for us.
Johnson should never have been given such an important and sensitive role in the first place. What a twat!!
You're so right, Col. It shows just how weak the government is, split into factions all jostling for their own benefit instead of working for ours. I thought (when he was appointed) that Mrs May was setting him up to fail and then would get rid of him. Well, he's failed, but we've had that election. Now her attempt to increase her internal power within the Conservatives has actually weakened her, then (not for the first time) the country will pay for it. Ms Patel is totally shameless. We're turning into a banana republic where nearly every politician is for sale - we just haven't found out the prices or causes they can be bought for.
It’s a two way street, DT.......you could always introduce yourself to your London neighbours......and if you already have and they still can’t be bothered to pass the time of day with you, then you know they are rude.
UK shadow economy worth £150bn Thinktank estimates paid work not declared to taxman worth 10% of national income in 2012 - half the level of Spain and Italy but hey we wont worry about all those tradesmen not paying tax but as for those rich ****s 150 billion in 2012 dont imagine its gone down any
"Thinktank"? That's usually a euphemism for "Left or Right wing lobbying group pretending to be researchers". Which one was this? Let's assume it's true, anyway. If you thought about it, you'd recognise that the cost of chasing £500 from a plumber isn't in the same proportion as the cost of chasing a non-dom for £100M. It's a much more efficient use of the public purse to chase the big guys.
no idea if its left or right wing Britain's shadow economy is now worth £150bn a year – but it is smaller than in most other western nations and last year fell to its lowest level in almost a quarter of a century, according to a report released on Tuesday. A study by a free-market thinktank, the Institute for Economic Affairs, estimated that paid work not declared to the taxman was worth 10% of national income in 2012, half the level in Italy, Greece and Spain. The report, by economists Friedrich Schneider and Colin Williams, found that the UK's shadow economy was smaller than the 13.4% average for the 34 developed nations in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The UK rate peaked at 13% in 1997-98. The authors said the most important factor determining the size of the informal economy was the tax and benefits system, and much of the shadow employment in Britain could be blamed on the loss of benefits and tax credits for low-paid workers as they earned more. "A reduction in the tax burden is therefore likely to lead to a reduction in the size of the shadow economy," the report said. "Indeed, a virtuous circle can be created of lower tax rates, less shadow work, higher tax morale, a higher tax take and the opportunity for lower rates. Of course, a vicious circle in the other direction can also be created. "Given this relationship, the high level of non-wage costs (averaging 39% of total labour costs) and the penalty on individuals who move from earning one third to two thirds of the median wage (averaging 58% of the increase in earnings for a one-earner couple) in the European Union should be a matter of real concern. "The latter figure is 79% in the UK and thus low-paid UK workers have a huge incentive to supplement their incomes in the shadow economy." The report said there was little evidence that state crackdowns on the shadow economy had an impact, and suggested instead that governments should legalise certain informal activities, perhaps through the use of amnesties. "Policies focused on deterrence are not likely to be especially successful when tackling the shadow economy. The shadow economy is pervasive and made up of a huge number of small and highly dispersed transactions. We should also be wary about trying to stamp out the shadow economy as we may stamp out the entrepreneurship that goes with it." The study said modern econometric techniques were making it easier to gauge the size of the shadow economy, and the latest estimates showed about 30 million people in the EU performed work that was not declared for tax. "Around half of all construction workers in Germany undertake shadow work; and over 80% of all Danes find shadow work acceptable – at least in some circumstances." Although the report found that rising unemployment was linked to the size of the shadow economy, it found no evidence that there had been a surge in cash-in-hand work in the UK during the past five years, a period that has seen the deepest recession and slowest recovery of the post-war era.
I do Staines I always say good morning etc But they look and treat me as if I am a serial killer. Yep I am from a farm in a very rural area so my set up is different. It’s not just me as the only interaction I have witnessed with my surrounding neighbours has been arguments about parking. Nope I stand that there is something very wrong with society I also disagree with the driving comment made earlier. This nation is unique imo We are talking the same attitude re the neighbours as this country thinks their cars extend about 20 feet upon their actual length We also have a very strange thing going on as this is people’s second mortgage. I have never seen so many cars in such good condition than the UK in all my travels I get from A to B a lot quicker in my Porsche than I did my Saab it has been a phenomenon in fact ... I get tailgated a lot less not that I minded. I certainly don’t get raced. I get a few odd looks etc It’s totally bizarre my partner often uses my car and has said the same. Her journey in her BMW is completely different
The thought of one's taxes paying for Abbott, Corbyn & Mcdonnell et al's wages is enough for anyone to ferret their money away off shore
bloody hell Welsh Labour minister Carl Sargeant takes own life days after being suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct Fill 1
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/11/07/soci-n07.html Don't know exactly what he was accused of, but this is awful. How terrible for his family.
Truly tragic. I don't know the nature of the allegations against him, but this has become the season for allegations, where every politician who has ever slapped a woman's knee in fun must now be quaking in their boots. Unfortunately allegations of this nature tend to stick, even if unproven. The nature of the game is that they are suspended until an investigation has taken place - but, even being accused of sexual misdemeanours is a stain in itself even if found innocent and the newspapers know this. I hope the person who made those allegations (if they were of a relatively harmless nature) now feels remorse for their actions.
It appears to be some women he worked with within the Welsh Assembly according to what First Minister Carwyn Jones has said. Sad news, RIP Carl Sargeant.
