How Nigel Farage gave British democracy back to the voters and other news and views for Saturday 24 May
- How Nigel Farage gave British democracy back to the voters : Ukip has changed the shape of politics – for the better - “Whether or not Ukip wins, this month’s European election campaign has belonged to one politician alone: Nigel Farage. Single-handedly he has brought these otherwise moribund elections to life. Single-handedly he has restored passion, genuine debate and meaning to politics. Single-handedly he has reinvented British democracy. This is a superlative achievement, and Mr Farage deserves to be celebrated. “
- When Shareholder Capitalism Came to Town – “In the recent history of bad ideas, few have had a more pernicious effect than the one that corporations should be managed to maximize ‘shareholder value.’ Indeed, much of what we perceive to be wrong with the American economy these days—the slowing growth and rising inequality, the recurring scandals and wild swings from boom to bust, the inadequate investment in research and development and worker training—has its roots in this misguided ideology. It is an ideology, moreover, that has no basis in history, in law, or in logic. What began in the 1970s and 1980s as a useful corrective to self-satisfied managerial mediocrity has become a corrupting self-interested dogma peddled by finance professors, Wall Street money managers, and overcompensated corporate executives.
- A Heated Debate: Are Climate Scientists Being Forced to Toe the Line? – “After joining a controversial lobby group critical of climate change, meteorologist Lennart Bengtsson claims he was shunned by colleagues, leading him to quit. Some scientists complain pressure to conform to consensus opinion has become a serious hindrance in the field.”
- Data problems with Capital in the 21st Century
- Is Piketty All Wrong?
- Migrant networks and trade: The Vietnamese boat people as a natural experiment
- Press is first casualty of Thai junta, but censoring free speech may deepen national divide
- Julian Assange Goes Where Glenn Greenwald Wouldn’t – “Though they’re often lumped together as crusaders against state secrets, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and journalist Glenn Greenwald don’t always see eye to eye. Their differences spilled into public view this week, when the WikiLeaks Twitter account took Greenwald and his site, The Intercept, to task for redacting the name of a country where the United States government is recording every phone call.
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