I came across “Aspiring for Change: A Theory of Middle Class Activism” and wanted to clear the physical version out from my cupboard and so made this note. Others may find it interesting.
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Maastricht Convergence Criteria
Despite claiming to be an expert, I had not heard of the Maastricht Convergence Criteria which define a readiness to join the Euro. I asked google gemini to summarise its role. These include Price stability, Sound public finances, to ensure they are sustainable, Exchange-rate stability, to demonstrate that a Member State can manage its economy…
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Reeves – Mais 2026
I had a look at Reeves’ Mais Lecture 2026. Here are my notes and links, I have not read all the links yet and so have not drawn conclusions. …
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AI & Search
There is some stuff written about how Google struggles between offering a great customer experience and profitability, but AI is changing that. Here are two articles that address Google’s continued anticompetitive behaviour, and AI become an interlocutor for search.
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Universities, funding & growth
There is a Commons Education Select Committee Inquiry going on into University Funding, with hearings held at the beginning of the week. On the Tuesday 25th, they took oral evidence including that from Susan Lapworth, the CEO of the Office for students, who stated that 50 institutions were [financially] vulnerable with 24 at risk of…
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UK/US Technology Partnership
Announced with a palavar, here are my notes & links. More to come.
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IT Sovereignty
Various things have taken me to considering the EU stack, these include the issues raised in this article On cloud operating systems and security of supply and the Bastani/Hao interview. The EU is considering these issues, in defining an EU stack, which does include networks, storage, and systems (and thus presumably CPUs and ASICS). The…
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A Vassal State
As part of my reading as a result of the Bastani/Hao interview, I was pointed at and found a couple of books and articles on the UK’s dependence on the USA, primarily quoting the work of Angus Hanton. These are primarily economic, although the choices made by the Starmer Government, are increasing our dependence on…
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Capitalism
I recently read Ingham’s “Capitalism Divided?” which has, I believe, some important insights into the nature of the British economy. The last two days I reviewed my notes I looked for further comments and reviews. He will have written a number of books but at the moment this page looks at, “Capitalism” and “Capitalism Divided”….
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Big business around the world
I am planning an article on US trade policy and in particular the export of its IP laws worldwide and so wondered how important big tech and creative media were to the US economy. So I looked it up, and was somewhat surprised. I then looked up the UK to see if I was equally…
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On the National Debt
I wanted to write something on the National Debt as a constraint on fiscal policy, here are my confusing notes; which I added to in the winter of 2025, and then the summer of 2026.
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Equality & Discrimination
Here some notes and resources from my recent GMB Equalities course. This is the final part of my NOON III course in Trade Union studies.
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Notes on the economics of AI
I have been reading and thinking about the economics of AI. Here some articles that I have read or not.
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Copyright & AI, 2025
The regulation of AI has crossed swords with the copyright maximalists. Here are some notes and links.
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Housing Policy 2024
A note on Housing policy and the opportunities under a Labour Government. I assume they want more affordable houses both to allow people a better home and create demand and income. …
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