Why we posted this: The BBC is brilliant at defending its unique £3bn+ a year of licence fee, and its commercial income. It has just announced £600m-worth of budget changes which were cleverly allowed to be presented both as cuts (ie: here’s a slimmer BBC) and a shift to quality (ie: we’re going to be an even better public service broadcaster). Thing is, has the move really kept the BBC safe from criticism? More »
Themes: Media / Money / Politics. Posted by Richard D North on March 8th, 2010
Why we posted this: It’s become a commonplace that the world fell prey to a capitalist and free market ideology and that the Credit Crunch has killed all that. But does this revisionism hold water? More »
Themes: Interrogating the Media / Money / Truth & Trust. Posted by Richard D North on November 24th, 2009
Why we posted this: The 100-year old business model for journalism is bust. But there are lots of ways of fixing it. Let’s keep the state out of it. More »
Themes: Interrogating the Media / Media / Money / Truth & Trust. Posted by Richard D North on October 25th, 2009
Why we posted this:The papers have been full of bad news about how the UK’s young stack up against the global competition. Badly, of course. Check out the latest gloomy research, from the OECD, and it’s survivable. More »
Themes: Interrogating the Media / Money / Rights / Society. Posted by Richard D North on September 2nd, 2009
Why we posted this: This is a bad time for economics and economists. The public and media are somewhere between amused and angry at the profession’s apparent failure. Actually, economists may well have been arrogant about their trade, but the rest of us always knew its weaknesses and perhaps underrated its strengths. More »
Themes: Money / Truth & Trust. Posted by Richard D North on August 11th, 2009
Why we posted this: David Aaronovitch has carried his crusade against bogus evidence even deeper into the Happiness Debate. More »
Themes: Interrogating the Media / Media / Money / Society. Posted by Richard D North on August 11th, 2009
Why we posted this: The dust is settling on a major political and economic ruction in the UK. So far, the evidence is that our democratic process and economic management will change a little, and for the better. Most people won’t notice or care. More »
Themes: Media / Money / Politics / Rights. Posted by Richard D North on June 13th, 2009
Why we posted this: It’s a commonplace that The People are angry with capitalism and that’s why there’s protest on the streets, and it ought to be heard by our leaders. But actually, isn’t the big surprise that there’s so little protest and that there is little evidence that people think capitalism is dead, or anything like it? More »
Themes: Food / Green / Money. Posted by Richard D North on April 3rd, 2009
Why we posted this: It’s becoming quite common to declare that free market capitalism is dead, long live state interference. Even some Financial Times gurus are taken with this line, and it is useful to wonder if they are right. More »
Themes: Interrogating the Media / Media / Money. Posted by Richard D North on March 10th, 2009
Why we posted this: George Monbiot is quite funny – if a tad over the top – on the way the middle classes are taking most of the advantage of cheap flights. But the squabble over flying is also mostly a middle class affair – like most arguments. More »
Themes: Campaigning / Global Warming / Green / Money / Rights. Posted by Richard D North on January 14th, 2009
