Thanks to Liberal International for the following quote from Radical Italiani:
“For Liberals it is not the best of times given the massive state interventions in the economy but better spend today than spend even more tomorrow...and it is a paradox to watch Gordon Brown calling for a European plan of action having fought for years against the UK joining the euro, or Bush reaching out to G8 partners after 8 years of unilateralism, and indeed our Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti who goes from euro-skepticism to euro-enthusiasm in a blink...the best position Liberals can have today is to insist on saying that this is not a market failure but a failure in setting up and implementing credible monitoring, control and sanction mechanisms...”
As Otto Lambsdorff, former treasurer of the Free Democratic Party and uncle of the FDP MEP, put it:
“The market economy is the most successful economic system which the world has seen. This historic fact has not changed [...] If your engine does not work properly you try to repair or replace it. You don’t throw away the car.”
Thursday, 9 October 2008
The only AAA rated blog west of the Tennant Canal
according to the Nokov & Pornit (est. 1955) ratings agency.
All right, it's a sick joke in view of the news today that at least six Welsh local authorities had some of their balances invested in Icelandic banks which have now gone down. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Neath Port Talbot, which has yet to report, is not another.
In view of the bad press which Icelandic entrepreneurs have received in the last few years, I would not have risked my own money, never mind other people's, in Iceland. "Your Money" was issuing warnings to retail investors back in February.
However, a spokesman for the Welsh Local Government Agency made the very reasonable point that all the banks in question had, at the time of the investment, "A" ratings from the standard credit ratings agencies. He also pointed out that fixed-term contracts would have been entered into, which would have been difficult to break.
One has to wonder whether the big three credit rating agencies respond quickly enough to danger signals even after an adverse report of their performance in the wake of the Enron affair.
Update: see Peter Black's blog.
All right, it's a sick joke in view of the news today that at least six Welsh local authorities had some of their balances invested in Icelandic banks which have now gone down. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Neath Port Talbot, which has yet to report, is not another.
In view of the bad press which Icelandic entrepreneurs have received in the last few years, I would not have risked my own money, never mind other people's, in Iceland. "Your Money" was issuing warnings to retail investors back in February.
However, a spokesman for the Welsh Local Government Agency made the very reasonable point that all the banks in question had, at the time of the investment, "A" ratings from the standard credit ratings agencies. He also pointed out that fixed-term contracts would have been entered into, which would have been difficult to break.
One has to wonder whether the big three credit rating agencies respond quickly enough to danger signals even after an adverse report of their performance in the wake of the Enron affair.
Update: see Peter Black's blog.
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Morriston Gold: John Morgan
I'm watching "Welsh TV Gold", a HTV programme featuring the documentaries of John Morgan. It is a worrying thought that, with the reduction of Welsh commercial TV programming, we will have fewer opportunities in future to see the broadcast work of this great journalist.
Even tonight, we saw only a fraction of two of his best pieces: the celebration of Llanelli's 1972 defeat of the All Blacks; and his depiction of Murray "the Camel" Humphreys, the Welsh baptist immigrant who became the FBI's public enemy no. 1. The first will surely be preserved in Wales, because of the men and moment it captures, but the second deserves a wider audience and showing in full.
Morgan also produced a feature on Dylan Thomas, which re-assembled many of the people whose lives the poet had touched. Is it too much to hope that ITV will show this again?
Ironically, round about the time of John Morgan's death, a pub opened in Samlet Road, Llansamlet, and was named the "Dylan Thomas". How much more fitting it would have been to have named it the "John Morgan", after one of Morriston's most distinguished sons.
Even tonight, we saw only a fraction of two of his best pieces: the celebration of Llanelli's 1972 defeat of the All Blacks; and his depiction of Murray "the Camel" Humphreys, the Welsh baptist immigrant who became the FBI's public enemy no. 1. The first will surely be preserved in Wales, because of the men and moment it captures, but the second deserves a wider audience and showing in full.
Morgan also produced a feature on Dylan Thomas, which re-assembled many of the people whose lives the poet had touched. Is it too much to hope that ITV will show this again?
Ironically, round about the time of John Morgan's death, a pub opened in Samlet Road, Llansamlet, and was named the "Dylan Thomas". How much more fitting it would have been to have named it the "John Morgan", after one of Morriston's most distinguished sons.
Planning gain, or planning loss
Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows local planning authorities (LPA) to enter into a legally binding planning obligation or agreement with a developer over a related issue for the purpose of restricting or regulating the development or use of the land. This obligation is termed a Section 106 Agreement.
In other words, the council can demand that a developer, who will gain from being given planning permission, puts something back into the community. This can be an improvement to access roads, a contribution to a school, or some other public amenity.
For instance, the developer of the Drumfields estate in Cadoxton agreed to set aside and equip a children's playground as part of the development. Unfortunately, the developer became insolvent before the playground could be set up and, as I understand it, the earmarked site was bought and developed as dwellings in turn.
Councillors John Warman and Des Sparkes have drawn attention to yet another example of a builder going bust before fulfilling their obligation. Coincidences, as the old journalist's adage has it, go in threes, so I do not have enough evidence to show a pattern here. However, there does appear to be a loophole in the law here. One trusts that council officers will ensure that Coed Darcy reaps all its intended planning gain.
Any evidence giving background to the two cases above, or any other instances, are welcome.
In other words, the council can demand that a developer, who will gain from being given planning permission, puts something back into the community. This can be an improvement to access roads, a contribution to a school, or some other public amenity.
For instance, the developer of the Drumfields estate in Cadoxton agreed to set aside and equip a children's playground as part of the development. Unfortunately, the developer became insolvent before the playground could be set up and, as I understand it, the earmarked site was bought and developed as dwellings in turn.
Councillors John Warman and Des Sparkes have drawn attention to yet another example of a builder going bust before fulfilling their obligation. Coincidences, as the old journalist's adage has it, go in threes, so I do not have enough evidence to show a pattern here. However, there does appear to be a loophole in the law here. One trusts that council officers will ensure that Coed Darcy reaps all its intended planning gain.
Any evidence giving background to the two cases above, or any other instances, are welcome.
Monday, 6 October 2008
Don't burn your bridges, KJ
Katherine Jenkins is to try to crack America. It's good to see that she says "I'm not deserting the UK", because there is a history of British stars who failed to make it over there but couldn't pick up their careers again on their return.
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Orphan blogspots
I chanced upon this blog (don't ask!). I am now intrigued by Ellie's story. Did she have second thoughts? Was there a tragedy? I'll probably never know. She got as far as setting up the front page and no further. Judging by her only posting "Let's see if this thing works", she may not have been entirely au fait with the technology.
There must be thousands of orphan blogspots out there. People fiddling around at an idle moment, browsing other blogs, clicking the button at the top right, getting bored and then forgetting all about the little bit of the blogosphere which they have reserved for themselves.
There must be thousands of orphan blogspots out there. People fiddling around at an idle moment, browsing other blogs, clicking the button at the top right, getting bored and then forgetting all about the little bit of the blogosphere which they have reserved for themselves.
Friday, 3 October 2008
Will we lose our Chief Constable?
I have not seen or heard Barbara Wilding's name mentioned in connection with the Metropolitan Police vacancy left by Sir Ian Blair. However, she has experience with the Met. and has not put a foot wrong as Chief Constable of South Wales. If Jacqui Smith and Boris are looking for a safe choice, their gain could be our loss.
Thursday, 2 October 2008
Drug firms bankroll attacks on NHS
This story in yesterday's "Independent" confirms many people's suspicions: that the well-presented claims for expensive drug treatment for much-loved family members have been funded directly or indirectly by the companies producing the drugs.
It is hard to resist the heartfelt yearning of children and grandchildren for an extra year or so of life for their dear grandparent. One cannot blame them. Indeed, one beneficiary of a campaign for Sudent treatment, not then available in this region, lives round the corner from me and I wouldn't want to deny her precious extra time with her family.
However, the cynical manipulation of the nation's heartstrings by multi-billion dollar (or Swiss franc) corporations is deplorable. Each time NICE (the body responsible for ensuring fair use of a limited budget in England) makes an unpopular decision, one of the smaller charities will make a well-publicised, often vitriolic, attack against it. Drug companies typically make six-figure contributions to these charities, which are therefore heavily dependent on corporate money.
Too few questions are asked about the high prices of drugs against cancer and against physical and mental deterioration. Spokesmen for the industry will state that these merely reflect the high cost of research and development, but this is the same argument which is deployed against critics of the prolongation of patents on more basic drugs. The heavy mark-up is supposed to go towards R&D.
I reckon that the annual cost of one of these treatments would, over the same period, pay for a technician examining smears (thus leading to early diagnosis, saving life and/or more invasive treatment later) or for a physiotherapist or speech therapist (helping to restore many people to fuller lives), all professionals who are in short supply in the health service generally.
There may be a case for the Welsh NHS taking the advice of Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), the Scottish equivalent of NICE, instead of the recommendations of the English body. SIGN tends to come to swifter, less contested, decisions for a nation whose conditions are closer to our own. But a mechanism for sharing a limited budget there must be.
It is hard to resist the heartfelt yearning of children and grandchildren for an extra year or so of life for their dear grandparent. One cannot blame them. Indeed, one beneficiary of a campaign for Sudent treatment, not then available in this region, lives round the corner from me and I wouldn't want to deny her precious extra time with her family.
However, the cynical manipulation of the nation's heartstrings by multi-billion dollar (or Swiss franc) corporations is deplorable. Each time NICE (the body responsible for ensuring fair use of a limited budget in England) makes an unpopular decision, one of the smaller charities will make a well-publicised, often vitriolic, attack against it. Drug companies typically make six-figure contributions to these charities, which are therefore heavily dependent on corporate money.
Too few questions are asked about the high prices of drugs against cancer and against physical and mental deterioration. Spokesmen for the industry will state that these merely reflect the high cost of research and development, but this is the same argument which is deployed against critics of the prolongation of patents on more basic drugs. The heavy mark-up is supposed to go towards R&D.
I reckon that the annual cost of one of these treatments would, over the same period, pay for a technician examining smears (thus leading to early diagnosis, saving life and/or more invasive treatment later) or for a physiotherapist or speech therapist (helping to restore many people to fuller lives), all professionals who are in short supply in the health service generally.
There may be a case for the Welsh NHS taking the advice of Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), the Scottish equivalent of NICE, instead of the recommendations of the English body. SIGN tends to come to swifter, less contested, decisions for a nation whose conditions are closer to our own. But a mechanism for sharing a limited budget there must be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)