The Rushdie affair is as important today as it was 25 years ago
On this day 25 years ago, the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to execute everyone involved in the publication of Salman Rushdie’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses.
Carl Packman
Website Carl is a health researcher; he writes book reviews for Left Foot Forward. Carl has written for the Guardian, New Statesman, Tribune Magazine, and The Philosopher's Magazine and blogs regularly at Though Cowards Flinch and Liberal Conspiracy. He is currently writing a book on consumer debt.
UK banking regulation is still too weak: a response to Respublica
Carl Packman examines Respublica’s new report on civic finance and the commercial potential of Community Development Finance Institutions.
Is George Galloway really the authentic voice of all Muslims everywhere?
There are several problems with Galloway’s entry into the debate surrounding Maajid Nawaz.
The Bank of Salford shows how to challenge the big five banks
Mainstream banking facilities have all but disappeared from low income areas. The Bank of Salford offers an alternative model.
Competitor banks are needed to shake up the system
Competitor banks to shake up the system should primarily have community interests as its focus. What Miliband is signalling at today is a good first move.
Review: Human InSecurity: Fear, Deprivation and Abuse in India
Is Indian democracy broken? Carl Packman looks at a new book by Ram Mashru which examines how the Indian establishment is setting back democracy.
Today’s news on payday lending is welcome, but enforcement matters as much as legislation
The campaign to tackle the payday lending sector has been gifted another small victory today as the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills publishes a report calling for more focussed regulatory attention to the sector.
The unbanked are increasingly excluded from mainstream society
In the UK 12 per cent of people do not have access to a bank account.
Forgotten people
Carl Packman reviews the Ringtone and the Drum by Mark Weston.
Wonga are trying to pull the wool over our eyes
Wonga are on a mission to pull the wool over our eyes on their very expensive credit product and the customers who they serve.