On the economics, about micro-, macro- and the economics of ideas.
Making a Budget
A storify on Lwisham’s first post election budget meeting.
This is hosts a storify story and is published as at the date created. …
On the economics of copyright
When looking at the furore surrounding Julia Reda’s report to the European Parliament’s JURI committee, I am coming to the conclusion that those of us who argue for a fairer, more pro-consumer copyright settlement have won the economic arguments. The massive focus on the tiny change in duration reinforces this. All arguments I have had recently with proponents of the current settlement have rapidly moved from public good arguments to the issue of equity in investment, and the moral failure to compensate creators for their speculative investment. …
Lewisham Labour keeps its promises, as well is it can
Yesterday, Lewisham Council at its Budget Setting meeting, agreed a legal budget. While this involves reducing expenditure in some areas because of Tory central government grant cuts, the Labour Council kept its key manifesto promises, to freeze the Council Tax, sustain the living wage & build new houses. I made a storify from tweets and blogs from the Mayor and councillors. which tells part of the story. John Coughlin, the sole Green Councillor allowed himself the luxury of voting …
Musical talent
My lack of musical talent was exposed twice last night. It was open mic night at the Bird’s Nest, although I didn’t avail myself of the opportunity and I played the Battle of the Bards episode in NWN2 and used someone else’s answers. (It’s a copy this tune test, and there’s no way I was going to do that.) It reminds me of the piano puzzle in Myst, which I couldn’t do either. …
Europe’s winding road to Copyright Reform
This one of my recovered Storifies originally published in 2015. Over the last six months things have been moving on Copyright Reform in the European Union. On the 19th February, the new Copyright Directive’s rapporteur, the now sole Pirate Party MEP, Julia Reda, released her report, on which the JURI committee and later EP debates will take place. If you look at posts here and on my wiki published in 2018, you’ll get an idea as to how things changed.
Porridge
I am told that there’s a foodshop in Shoreditch that sells only porridge! …
Meeting in the meat world
Again I have been remiss in writing here, but last night I went to a “Labour Digital” get together; and met up with some interesting people. Yes, it was in North London, and just round the corner from Tech City. …
Everyone is doing it
Since PMQs earlier this week, when Ed Miliband accused the Tories of relying on donations from the rich and tax avoiders to fight and win the election, the fight of words has been rumbling on. Lord Fink, an ex-Treasurer of the Conservative Party first threatened to sue Miliband and then stated that everyone is doing it. Not so! …
Digital Question Time
I went up to Blackfriars to techUK’s offices to listen to their Digital Question time. They had arranged for Vaizey, Onawurah and Huppert to speak. I covered the event using storify, which I moved here, after storify terminated their service.
I originally said on this blog that they covered privacy, access and inclusion, start-ups, brexit (briefly) and government IT. Computer Weekly have hosted a video here…, if you want the complete story. The Guardian ran a story, “Vaizey calls for tech firms to ‘meet politicians halfway’ over encryption” and sub-titled, “Debate needs …
Boris Johnson, President of the USA
While writing up the pointer to my linkedin piece on banks and customer service I looked up Google’s view of Boris Johnson and FATCA, possibly the world’s most famous dual citizen tax exile. The press have been keen to comment, here’s one of the Forbes article’s and here’s Nigel Green in City AM. Green reveals that Johnson claimed that he was going to renounce his US citizenship in 2006, but clearly hasn’t. I wonder why? …