Good Society

Debating financial regulation: The people v the City

As students continued to protest against the commodification of education, and Ireland prepared for a bailout, the New Political Economy Network met to discuss the realities of financial regulation. It was agreed that regulation – or re-regulation – is needed in order to protect against predatory and dehumanising financial practises. Inseparable from regulation, according to Maurice Glasman and Costas Lapavitsas, is the state’s capacity to be a force for social democracy.

Student protest in the age of contempt

A huge shift is taking place in universities across the country. This is not just a change to departmental budgets and a culling of staff. Something far more profound and deep-rooted is happening within the students themselves.

The private sector is the real source of unfair pay

Will Hutton’s interim report on fair pay in the public sector, published yesterday, is packed with statistics illustrating what has happened to public sector pay over recent years. Importantly, it places these trends squarely in the context of earnings in the private sector.

Anti-cuts networks are more flexible and effective than big organisations

Yesterday marked the continuation and escalation of a campaign led by the decentralised activist network UKUncut against major UK businesses who fail to meet their full tax obligations. The first target, Vodafone, was actioned at numerous sites across the country and done with a level of organisation and effectiveness that came to many as a surprise while also eliciting genuine support.

The real threat to living standards for those on low to middle incomes

Ed Miliband’s attempt on Friday’s Today programme to define the ‘squeezed middle’ has made some people question the point of the term. Shadow chief secretary Liam Byrne tried again on Sunday to pin down the concept. But the big question remains: is the ‘squeezed middle’ just a political slogan – as meaningless as ‘the deserving majority’ – or does it refer to something real, and a big, new challenge for political leaders?

Squeezed middle includes top-rate taxpayers

The Guardian this morning reports that “Labour says ‘squeezed middle’ earns up to £50,000”. The counter-intuitive result is based on analysis by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies.