The prosperous South East can no longer afford to subsidise the rest of the United Kingdom. Or so runs the conventional wisdom. The facts, on the other hand, are rushing headlong in the opposite direction.
Can Labour give voice to the energy and anger of England, which from its health service to its fundamental liberties, not to speak of its economy, is threatened by the Coalitions embrace of global finance? Anthony Barnett posed the question to Ed Miliband in the New Statesman's special Labour Part
The power of the financial sector in Britain has worked a transformation on the country’s ‘common sense’. A successful challenge will require a radical change to the language we use to describe our shared life.
openDemocracy founder and long serving editor at OurKingdom, Anthony Barnett has been awarded an honorary degree from the Open University. Here's what he said in his acceptance speech.
Is finance like crude oil? Countries rich in minerals are often poverty-stricken, corrupt and violent. A relatively small rent-seeking elite captures vast wealth while the dominant sector crowds out the rest of the economy. The parallels with countries ‘blessed’ with powerful financial sectors are
When the parties claim that they hear what the public is saying about, say, immigration, the public knows it is being told what it thinks the parties want it to hear. What has been lost is any sense that the parties speak from conviction.
Talks foundered because the US insisted that Iran must not have uranium enrichment facilities on its own soil in any circumstances, and the EU3 bowed to this diktat from Washington. This time, we must do better.
It was values, not aiming at the 'centre ground', that won New Labour power in Britain. If Miliband and One Nation Labour are to prosper they need to show a values-based approach that resonates with an increasingly fragmented public. But how?
The UK government says it is selling off the Royal Mail to allow it to borrow and invest in its future. Yet it would be cheaper for the Mail to take on loans if it weren't privatised - this shows us what the real motive is.
Today marks one year to go until Scotland votes on its future. As the referendum approaches, it's important that the debate nurtures ideas for a better Scotland.
Scotland's potential independence now stands firmly on the horizon. But one must wonder: if it is to happen, how will the event affect the 2015 general elections? We must examine the facts to find out.
