Private scandal moves to the heart of politics and other news and views

If Fallon-style scandal drives our politics, Theresa May cannot survive - The Guardian
Martin Kettle writes: It is no accident, as the Trotskyists sometimes say, that the problem of “private scandal” has moved to the heart of politics. Our culture, turbocharged now by social media, gorges more than ever on intimacies and indiscretions. But the problem is complex and there are many sides to it. ... It’s not that male MPs have become more predatory than in the past. On the whole, perhaps naively, I think the reverse is true. The problem is that sometimes the boundary between the serious and the foolish is still unclear, and the media – social as well as tabloid – have the means, motive and, from time to time, the opportunity to blur it at will. There is not much that politicians can do except try to behave better and observe sensible rules.
Some Indonesians Fear Country's Religious Intolerance Is Growing - NPR
People who fear that religious intolerance is growing in Indonesia point to the case of Jakarta's last governor. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by many as Ahok, was a popular leader until he lost re-election during a campaign that appealed to identity politics. Now he is in prison, charged with blasphemy against Islam.
A Look At The Effectiveness Of Anti-Drug Ad Campaigns - NPR

The partisan news effect on politics. How much does the political slant of cable news channels impact elections? - American Economics Association
Fox News’ influence was significant enough to pull voters to the right and potentially change the outcome of a tight election. What’s more, the conservative media outlet’s influence grew as its coverage became more partisan.
When They Go Low, We Go High review – the best ever political speeches - The Guardian
Tony Blair’s former speechwriter Philip Collins considers the greatest hits and why they matter, with orators from Elizabeth I to Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama
The Other Reformation: How Martin Luther Changed Our Beer, Too - NPR

Nothing Natural About the Natural Rate of Unemployment - Project Syndicate
With unemployment reaching very low levels in major economies, despite low – and slowly rising – inflation, it's time for central banks to rethink their reliance on the so-called natural rate. No numerical target for this rate can serve as an anchor for monetary policy.
Pope, at U.S. military cemetery, makes emotional anti-war address - Reuters
Pope Francis made one of his most emotional anti-war addresses on Thursday, saying during a visit to a U.S. military cemetery that the world seemed to be headed into war perhaps bigger than any before.
Hnic Standards Board in Jacksonville, Fla., this week. It was their last-ditch effort to strip the orgaydroponic Veggies Are Taking Over Organic, And A Move To Ban Them Fails - NPR Dave Chapman and dozens of other longtime organic farmers packed a meeting of the National Organic label from a tide of fluid-fed, "hydroponic" greenhouse-grown vegetables that they think represent a betrayal of true organic principles. ... Their protests, however, failed to convince a majority of the board, which voted, 8-7, against a ban on hydroponic methods in organic farming.

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