When I worked for Charter 88 (in the early 1990s) on constitutional reform, a frequent argument against abandoning first past the post elections was only FPTP would deliver strong Govt.s, while forms of proportional representation would slow down governance & require the building of consensus - all too slow for modern politics.

By argument then, as it is now; is look around us, this is the country so-called strong & quick Govt. has wrought; lets try something slower & consensual!

#politics

The difficulty with housing in the UK is summed up well by Neal Hudson (FT):

'The problem is that much of the way we expect — in fact need — housing to function in this country relies on rising house prices'...

But, then rather than discuss how we might shift the politic economy of housing to confront this 'problem'. he moves to discuss how the Govt. can continue to stoke the market.

Its a madness that cannot continue, but just seems to.... [head in my hands]

#housing #politics

As over half the NHS Trusts that had originally 'encouraged' by NHS England to use Palantir's software have actually stopped doing so, the Statistics Regulator is renewing its investigation into the claims for success put about by NHSE.

NHS Trusts have found the claims often to be unsubstantiated & as such the regulator now wants to know how & why NHSE made such claims in the first place.

The answer is likely to be summed up by the phrase;' follow the money'!

#Palantir #NHS
h/t FT

My favourite paintings, no.62

Harmonia Rosales, The Harvest (1984)

Like many artists of African decent, Afro-Cuban Harmonia Rosales has been exploring the absence (or marginalisation) of black people from paintings across centuries of art history. This has led her to reinterpret classic art subjects substituting people from different ethnicities for the usual white subjects. This example is a powerful reimagining of a common renaissance composition. Wonderful.

#art #TodaysPainting #racism

The Scottish Greens draw the obvious (and logical) conclusion from Ed Miliband's statement at the Labour Conference, that those 'outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people, we hear you. You were right. And under Andy’s leadership, we have reset our approach'....

And that is, the proscription of Palestine Action needs to be ended... whether that will actually happens is a different matter.

#PalestineAction #politics

https://greens.scot/news/palestine-action-ban-must-end-after-labour-admits-palestine-campaigners-were-right

The legal environment for abusive men is shifting;

a women whose defensive of stabbing her husband while he slept was that she lost control after years of abuse, has had her conviction for murder quashed, leaving the prosecution two weeks to decide if want to try for a retrial (presumably on a charge of manslaughter?).

The notion of some form of asynchronous self-defence against domestic abuse seems to be an emerging norm?

#DomesticAbuse #politics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmz98wwklwz7o

Here Max Colbert continuing The Nerve's exploration of how deep Palantir has got is claws into the UK state.... and how much that's costing (us).

The figure approaches £1bn... so, Andy Burnham's move to find other suppliers is likely consequential, as long as its not one more example of the 'politics of trying' (but I'm afraid no results)....

#Palantir #politics

https://www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-1bn-pound-cost-britain-uk-contracts-nhs-fdp-mod-police-peter-thiel-andy-burnham

As more people opt out of private pension(s) due to the cost of living crisis, protecting the long-term plan behind the triple lock on state pensions to bring state provision up to the levels across Europe, is ever more vital!.

If people are going to be *more* dependent on the state pension, then it needs to be protected not reduced.

This engineered inter-generational dispute does *not* serve younger voters' interests in a poverty-free retirement.

#pensions #politics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c68xk0ndqz8jo

As warnings about Russian 'hybrid attacks' grow & European (and UK) Govt.s continue to deal with the implications & consequences of the Tangerine Tyrant's shifts in policy, never has the self imposed exit from a regional bloc (the EU) looked more ill-timed....

Whatever one may have thought about leaving the EU a decade ago, the new political environment demonstrates its long-term strategic folly. No wonder public opinion is fast changing on an attempt to reverse Brexit.

#Brexit #politics

So, the Q. is now whether the sell off of bonds, which is forcing yields higher, is going to become a vicious circle?

Though it also has to be said that for each bond sell there is a purchaser, and so the second Q. is how are the buyers of bonds seeing their purchases?

Some of the sell-off is hedge funds & investment funds covering off positions in other markets that have become doubtful (more risky)... but this itself is a figment of rising bond yields.

#FinancialCrisis
h/t FT

The engineered inter-generational conflict over the state pension is a classic case of political manipulation.

Young people are told the state pension is unlikely to exist by the time they get to pension age, so they see it as cost to them & want it (at least) reformed...

But of course, if they campaigned to keep the pension (and refused to accept its demise as inevitable) then a generational compact could be formed to protect current *and* future pensioners from poverty!

#pensions #politics

I know, you know I've said this before but today's headline in the Guardian 'live' section just (as always) makes me grind my teeth...

housing price rises are not 'growth'... they are, let's be clear: ASSET PRICE INFLATION.... and as such *not* a good thing that needs to be maintained or worried about when it such inflation is 'weak'.

Until we end this mind set we will be unlikely to solve our housing problems

#housing #media #politics