theinspectorst

theinspectorst , 1 month ago to Neoliberal in House blocks Greene’s resolution to oust Johnson

Silly MTG, she should have just used her Swords to Ploughshares card against Johnson...

theinspectorst OP , 1 month ago to Neoliberal in How Michelin stars explain the world

Non-paywall link: https://archive.ph/gEcaQ

Global South fine dining on every corner.

theinspectorst OP , 1 month ago to Neoliberal in Tories must face hard truths: Reform-lite wreckers like Braverman are why the public just don’t like us

2024 local election results:

• Labour: 1,158 councillors elected and control of 51 councils
• Lib Dems: 522 councillors and 12 councils
• Conservatives: 515 councillors and 6 councils
• Greens: 181 councillors and 0 councils
• Reform: 2 councillors and 0 councils

The way council elections work is that they're staggered over a four-year cycle. The places that voted this year were only in parts of England, hence no SNP or PC numbers. By my count, the total split of councils controlled by each party is now roughly:

• Labour 116 (almost back to 2015 levels - Corbyn's leadership did a real number on Labour...)
• Conservatives 58 (down from a recent peak of 197 in 2017)
• Lib Dems 39 (up from 6 in 2015 and the now highest number they've controlled since the late 90s)
• Greens 1
• Reform 0
• The rest are mostly No Overall Control (no party has a majority) or a few run by independents.

Somehow, from this, far-right Tories like Braverman have reached the bizarre conclusion that Reform are the electoral threat they need to worry most about...

theinspectorst OP , 1 month ago to Neoliberal in Global trade growth set to more than double this year

Non-paywall link: https://archive.ph/iXefw

What we like to hear:

Global trade growth is set to more than double this year as inflation eases and a booming US economy helps to drive activity, according to international bodies.

But protectionist dangers ahead:

The OECD, IMF and WTO have warned about the risks to trade caused by geopolitical tensions, regional conflicts and economic uncertainty, as governments focus on national security, self-reliance and support for domestic companies.

According to the WTO, trade flows between blocs of geopolitically aligned countries have been growing 4 per cent more slowly than trade within those blocs since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Shearing said the US election added to the list of uncertainties about global trade in the coming year. Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, has pledged to impose a 10 percentage point tariff increase on all the US’s trading partners if he gets re-elected, hinting at even more severe penalties on Chinese imports.

theinspectorst OP , 1 month ago to Neoliberal in The movement of capital globally is in decline

Non-paywall link: https://archive.ph/jfFxN

The real losers are the low-income economies that must contend with the worst of both the old world and the new. Lacking middle-income countries’ domestic savings rates, capital markets and foreign-exchange reserves, they are simultaneously reliant on foreign capital flows for investment and less insulated from their sudden reversals. Lacking economic heft, they are more vulnerable to being forced to choose a geopolitical side, restricting their access to funding. The dilemma has become familiar to such countries, and nowhere more than in the next arena of change for the global financial system: payments.

Alarming.

theinspectorst , 1 month ago to World News in Bernard Hill: Titanic and Lord of the Rings actor dies

Forth, and fear no darkness.

theinspectorst OP , 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to Neoliberal in Boris Johnson turned away from polling station after forgetting to bring photo ID

This law was a naked attempt at voter suppression, but it's nice to see that its idiot architect is one of the voters who's being suppressed...

theinspectorst , 2 months ago to Star Trek in “Untitled Star Trek Origin Story” film officially added to Paramount Pictures' 2025-2026 lineup.

But ... I thought the 2009 film was an origin story?

It was literally the story of how the Kelvinverse came to exist and it followed Kirk, Spock, McCoy and co from their Academy days.