All, Thank you to those of you who are following me, I'm humbled - apologies to those I've not followed back, back experience on 'X' leaves me, presently, reluctant to automatically follow back.
Much of what is said about economics is little better than gaslighting.... I used AI tools when writing this post, including a spell checker. I also used 50 years of experience writing about these issues. The drawing was the smallest part of all that, and I had no budget to do it any other way.
Our democracy is not representative, relevant or realistic. Can it survive that? www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/08...
Our democracy is not representative, relevant or realistic. Can it survive that?I spent quite a lot of time yesterday wondering what it would take to really transform the current UK political agenda. The antics of those few politicians who appear to be still at work in the UK col...www.taxresearch.org.ukAndy Burnham’s social care plan protects wealth, not those in need youtu.be/_bEyVo6-alM?... Why is Andy Burnham presuming that younger people with some of the highest overall tax rates should pay to protect those with wealth? This issue needs to be named - or he'll embed injustice.
Andy Burnham’s social care plan protects wealth, not those in needYouTube video by Richard J Murphyyoutu.beI did an infographic on Marx recently. This seems like the appropriate follow-up. In one way or another, I used AI in creating this post. I also used a word processor, my brain, thinking time, coffee, discussion, and about 50 years of reading.
Tax havens: what really happens behind closed doors? youtu.be/uh2ZUcYOovg?... The whistleblowers' view on the tax haven world paints a very different picture from the one they would like to project.
Tax havens: what really happens behind closed doors?YouTube video by Richard J Murphyyoutu.be
Ofcom and BBC, correct the record: Thames Water CEO misled the public about public ownership. Too many journalists amplify water industry PR. Please follow the advice in this link and lodge your complaint.
Ofcom and BBC, correct the record: Thames Water CEO misled the public about public ownershipThames Water CEO lied about public ownership on the BBC. It is time Ofcom and the BBC corrected the recordweownit.org.ukNatWest Bank quarterly pre-tax profits surge 29% to £2.3bn. It received £45.5bn bailout after the 2008 crash. Last year, just ahead of bumper profits, govt sold its stake, appeased the City. All banks are profiteering, closing branches. Must levy windfall tax archive.ph/DqegK
NatWest chief resists calls for tax rises on banksBumper profits from the sector fuel demands for higher UK levieswww.ft.com
See, it's funny because it's true. #Sad
OliverThe thin line between US President policy making satire and reality ... via Arthur Barnes
Technology is transforming work, ageing is reshaping society, and expectations have changed. Yet our institutions still run like it’s the 1990s. Read Steff Aquarone on how outdated systems are fuelling frustration..
Britain doesn’t have a people problem. It’s a systems problemBritain has the talent, creativity and resilience to thrive. What we need are institutions and systems designed for the decades aheadeastangliabylines.co.ukWhy young people are losing faith in our economy youtu.be/kAPAcIBwK1w?... Have the young had enough? Is the bottom rising? Are they ready to demand change?
Why young people are losing faith in our economyYouTube video by Richard J Murphyyoutu.beGovts use fiscal rules to push privatisations and public spending cuts. Rules suspended during bank bailouts. Rules are not accompanied by social goals e.g. full employment, reduction in poverty, reindustrialisation, public ownership of vital industries. Must suspend them to rebuild UK economy.
Andy Burnham can’t transform the country while sticking to the current fiscal rulesSticking to the 2024 election manifesto and fiscal rules will make it harder for him to deliver the headline promises and the change that he has paraded.leftfootforward.org
Remember: Wealth can’t be separated from power. Power begets wealth and wealth begets power. We're seeing in real time how the extreme concentration of wealth is distorting our politics, rigging our markets, and granting unprecedented power to a handful of billionaires.
Andy Burnham cabinet consists of neoliberal foot-soldiers. All supported Privatisation of the NHS by stealth Greater role for private equity PFI Corporate profiteering Benefit cuts Higher taxes on the poor Erosion of jury trials Damaging fiscal rules What will change?
Andy Burnham can’t transform the country while sticking to the current fiscal rulesSticking to the 2024 election manifesto and fiscal rules will make it harder for him to deliver the headline promises and the change that he has paraded.leftfootforward.orgMost of the sewage spills into England's waterways in the last two years may have been illegal but gone unpunished. Tells a story about useless regulators, appeasement of capital creating health hazards, destroying marine life and biodiversity. People are treated as cash cows. Govts do nothing.
Most sewage spills in England may be illegal, new research suggestsThe new analysis from a prominent water campaigner emerged after secret court documents were leaked.www.bbc.co.ukLobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national press. Journalists asked to write anti regulation articles after the Grenfell fire. Anything not for sale to super rich and corporations - political parties, press, think-tanks ... Who checks corruption?
Lobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national pressExclusive: Guardian investigation of CT Group uncovers practice that appears to seek hidden influence over public opinionwww.theguardian.comThames Water lenders offer 'golden share' to head off nationalisation. UK Govt has golden share in Royal Mail. What did it deliver? High prices, profiteering, poor service, executive bonuses. Golden share won't change anything. TW will still pay dividends, hike bills, dump sewage. Nationalise.
Thames Water lenders offer 'golden share' to head off nationalisationThe water supplier's lenders are trying to prevent the company from being taken over by the Burnham governmentwww.bbc.co.ukIn June 2026 median gross pay of a payrolled employee was £31,584. £26,260 after income tax and NIC. A single person needs to earn £30,500 a year to reach a minimum standard of living. A couple with 2 children needs £74,000. 25.3m Britons, including,7.7m children live below minimum standard.
Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK - Office for National StatisticsMonthly estimates of payrolled employees and their pay from HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI) data. This is a joint release between HMRC and the Offic...www.ons.gov.ukThames Water, the poster child of predatory capitalism announces hosepipe ban. TW loses 200bn litres annually to leaks. Dumps tons of sewage in rivers. Paid dividends, neglected investment. No new reservoirs since 1989. Massive hikes in customer bills. Numerous criminal convictions.
Thames Water announces hosepipe ban for 10.1m customersThe water company said the three heatwaves contributed to the ban.www.bbc.co.uk‘Risking blackouts’? How Great Britain’s grid operator was dragged into a political row. Story of privatisation. Profiteering, lack of investment, useless regulators. Wind turbines turned-off in high winds, solar farms shut-down in heat due to lack of electricity transmission and storage systems.
‘Risking blackouts’? How Great Britain’s grid operator was dragged into a political rowNeso denies allegations aired by Tory MP that staff took part in cover-up over decision-making in heatwavewww.theguardian.com