Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, has been attempting to limit expectations of his abilities, saying he can deliver price and financial stability, but not lasting prosperity or solve broader societal challenges. Born 16 March 1965, Ottawa, Canada, he has a surprisingly scattered chart with a Pisces Sun and Venus, with … Read more
The Boris intervention fizzled out as Theresa May headed for Florence with her eagerly awaited Florence lay-it-on-the-line Brexit proclamation. More emollient than expected, she argued that Brexit was in everyone’s advantage, allowing the EU closer integration, and the Brits freedom to pick and choose what of the EU they wanted, as well as … Read more
Jeremy Corbyn, UK Opposition leader, at the annual Labour Conference, is tap dancing on the fence over Brexit suggesting he’s behind a longer than two-year transition period but questioning whether staying indefinitely in the single market would restrict workers’ rights. Pleasing his Glastonbury middle-class Remainers but not overly upsetting the Brexiteers. He’s tightening … Read more
Ryanair, the Irish-based budget airline which has made a success out of treating passengers like milk cows have landed themselves in a shedload of trouble by cancelling hundreds of flights summarily, costing over 300,000 agitated travellers and holiday makers money and gross inconvenience. The excuse is a muddle in pilots’ rotas but … Read more
Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, has recently looked as lack-lustre in the role as his US counterpart Rex Tillerson. Now Bojo has bounced back to form with an ‘optimistic, positive and glorious’ vision for Brexit, just days before Theresa May is due to give a definitive speech on same. Not a … Read more
George Osborne, the former UK Chancellor, famously dubbed ‘one of the posh boys’ by Theresa May, has been getting his own back since taking over post-Brexit as editor of the London Evening Standard, describing her as ‘a dead man walking.’ A fervent Remainer he’s become almost the voice of opposition to the … Read more
‘Like the Living Dead in a second-rate horror film, the premiership of Theresa May staggers on oblivious.’ Even given former Chancellor George Osborne’s personal axe-grinding, his words do strike a chord amidst growing alarm of UK voters and businesses about the non-progress of the Brexit negotiations. There are two views about the Brussels contest … Read more
Big Ben, the iconic symbol of London, is to fall silent for four years from noon tomorrow for repairs. Health and Safety have managed to accomplish what five years bombing by the Nazis failed to do in WW11. It was the first subject addressed by Theresa May as she arrived hot-foot from a … Read more
Civil wars do leave their mark, sometimes for centuries. The English Civil War 1642-1651 pitted authoritarian Royalists against democratic progressives. Though underlying it, was the bitter Roman Catholic v Protestant battle which had been waged since Henry V111 baled on Rome (Vatican) a century before. And that antipathy carried on into the … Read more
The fallacy that history is progress is very seductive. Past conflicts are done and dusted, tied up with a ribbon and peace reigns into the future. World War 11 was won and lost and out of the ashes of the conflict grew a united Europe. The Cold War ended, the Berlin Wall came … Read more