Derek Evans Thoughts

So S&P have downgraded the US's AAA debt grading. Big news given the overall depressive state of their economy and it is and been that way for a long time. Finally the excessive consumptive nature of that country is there to be bitten yet again I say. The US has been saved at least twice in recent times. Firstly by Japan, which in turn led to the reduction in Japanese consumption as outflows of funds led to what has become the Japanese economic problem. It has never recovered and that is why even with interest rates at virtual zero the exchange rate is having to be manipulated by the Central Bank because of its strength which seems to have no logic to it. The second more recent time was basically by the European banking system which was the precursor to the crisis of 2007-8. Greenspan was involved that time and laughed mocking the Europeans for being so dull and stupid, as the losses increased beyond the banks means to hold the financing. So here we are again. Debt ceilings bei...

We have just seen the end of an era with the final touchdown of the space shuttle atlantis. This leaves the Russians and potentially the Europeans and maybe the lesser space nations in carrying the can for the International Space Station. In many respects this ending is similar to that of Concorde. The financials did not add up and yet this is what sometimes happens to a technically advanced piece of kit. Consider this that the Shuttle was effectively a reusable vehicle although rocket boosters were not really recyclable and that such a gliding plane like configuration was generally well received. Also like Concorde it had its defining disaster (not totally killing the project at the time but effectively ending development). So will there be another like it for manned exploration at least up to an orbit around the planet Earth, or just like Concorde is the possibility of this sort of travel off limits for at least the next generation of 15 years or more.

The problem with politicians is that they can make some really dumb decisions and this is a good one. This authority had such a unit a few miles south of the town of Maidenhead, at the village of Holyport that had been in use for some time. I am not aware if the building was deteriorating beyond repair (probably not) but to go and build what was the special school at Holyport at this site and then expect income from other authorities that use this facility to go from £35 per night per person to £350 per night per person is either extreme optimism, a lunatic, or a ploy to get out of the provision and to convert it quickly to an equally income/margin generating facility. I thought local authorities were there to provide services that benefit their population and as sharing has to go on in this highly devolved environment as it currently is then is this not self defeating. Could this be a case of a white elephant?

Whether the Murdoch empire at least in the UK implodes due to the NoW affair or not is not my concern but what does concern me is the whole method of what could be described as investigative journalism. Phone hacking is an illegal activity. However call or information interception undertaken through official warrants and other statutory instruments by authorities is not, be that the police or the other security services. Unfortunately, the conduct of the police with preventing such illegal activities or enforcing the law where it is not does not give the public confidence. Therefore, we need to ask what is investigative journalism today. Has it beoome one where the speed of getting the story has superceded the need of getting it done thoroughly and comprehensively and therefore getting it quick using such activities is what has made it important.

The announcement concerning the availability of so called extra places in popular university courses is naturally a method to ensure that those people who could be excluded due to possible diversity/mix requirements that could be imposed on universities can be circumvented to some extent by those students who I would assume would still need to get the grades as any other but has access to full tuition fee funds (£20k instead of £9k) and can pay it up front due to either wealthy parents or those who have made significant savings or has connections to trusts/businesses who are willing to sponsor (with possible tax advantages) including intern availability that means that they go to a good/top university but deprives probably those without that funding availability to go to somewhere like Oxford/Cambriged/London/Durham etc.

Watching this commitee in action, in this case with Dame Helen Ghosh, Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, and Matthew Coates and Jonathan Sedgwich of the UK Borders Agency, it is to some extent surprising how few there are of members on this committee. It is however, well chaired by Margaret Hodge and you have the idiosyncratic observations and questioning by Austin Mitchell which is at least amusing. I was a little impressed by the input of Jackie Doyle-Price and also of Stephen Barclay. I was surprised by the lack of confidence and quality of questioning (just looking at basic difference in figures which was explained by them relating to different time periods) by Jo Johnson, who is a younger brother of Boris Johnson. I looked him up on Wikepedia and again with his education and background would have given to a better expectation. Getting onto this actual event, I am amazed that as usual basic, to me, IT projects are not properly project managed and do not seem to be being deli...

Found this on Euronews website and have tweeted it as well. This is the extent of protectionism that maybe we thought was ending at least in what we consider the developed capitalistic world. Well there you go. When the going gets tough the Italians seem to be called foul. But then is the authority of what we Brits also despise, the precedence of European Union law above national edicts and a requirement to come into line, going to prevent this. Somehow I doubt this. But consider this. If the UK took the same view at least of its companies that it considers strategic, would it allow foreign ownership of say Cadbury's, and American CEOs at places such as Barclays. Oh and naturally when the US considers its company's it has certainly blocked takeovers by Chinese companies of US businesses so do not think that in reality the US is nearly as open as we are because that is not the case. Whether you like him or loath him, Murdoch had to become a US resident and committed to that co...