The Mayfair Set is a series of films that study how buccaneer capitalists of hot money were allowed to shape the Thatcher government in Britain during the 1980s. The series focuses on the rise of Colonel David Stirling, Jim Slater, James Goldsmith and Tiny Rowland — all members of The Clermont club in the 1960s, and how their distinct financial roles influenced the Thatcher government…
Tag: Economics
Nationalisation: Uruguay’s solution to its drug problem
It also marks the latest chapter in the region’s gathering rebellion against Washington’s “war on drugs”, launched in the 1970s by President Nixon. Many Latin Americans resent being blamed for producing coca – cocaine’s key raw ingredient –when impoverished peasant farmers are largely responding to demand from the US and Europe.
Source : The Independent
Special offer our readers 1500 year for life
Once again, if you’re a rugged individualist, or organization averse, let us emphasize that you don’t have to be a member of a union to benefit. For example, taking a look at one business, “for a 10% increase in local union densities in the supermarket industry it is estimated that the wages of union employees in that labor market will increase by 5.3% and by 1.2% for nonunion.” So if you’re not in a union, but union membership rises, especially if it’s in a profession like your own, yours will likely rise, too.
Source : The Nation
Fairtrade: Is it really fair?
“My local group of 80 members signed up to Fairtrade at an important time. It was at the point when farmers here were thinking of stopping producing bananas; we just couldn’t compete. Farmers here get almost double the rate for a box of bananas under Fairtrade and also a $1 premium per box. This has given me some stability to borrow from the bank and I set up a preschool for 34 children in my area.
Source : Independent
Income Inequality Is Real, It’s Global, and It’s Worst in the U.S.
Foreign 1 percenters are certainly not dense. They would be delighted to collect the type of capital gains that their American counterparts do. It’s just that the rules in their countries don’t allow it.
Source : The Atlantic
UN calls for overhaul of global financial system to benefit the poor
“Financial sectors have already returned to many of the old practices, even as public finances deteriorate and the recovery stalls,” he said. “Austerity measures are back on the agenda and resistance to financial regulation has begun in earnest.”
Source : The Guardian
A typical day for a Japanese bank
“There are interesting parallels between Japan and the UK. Both are islands with a limited and stable population. They have their own currency and they are a former power with lots of history. Their banks and corporations now make most of their profits overseas, which they repatriate for tax reasons.
Source : The Guardian
ULI – Demographic Changes Mean Dramatic Shifts In Demand for California Housing: ULI Report Finds Imbalance Between Consumer Preferences and Existing Stock
A recent poll of Southern California voters conducted by FM3, a public opinion research firm, confirmed the trend: nearly two thirds of respondents (64 percent) would prefer to live in communities that are pedestrian friendly, rather than in conventional residential communities that require driving to stores and other businesses. Sixty-five percent indicated they would rather live in communities with smaller lots and shorter commute times than in communities with larger houses and longer commutes.
Source : ULI
Studies Show Growing Education Gap Between Rich And Poor
[Stanford Professor Sean Reardon] is the author of a study that found that the gap in standardized test scores between affluent and low-income students had grown by about 40 percent since the 1960s, and is now double the testing gap between blacks and whites.
Source : Think Progress.org
Collected Reading 