"There has also been a lot of political interest in keeping economics away from democratic debate, keeping it away from the general public by making people believe that it is very difficult. There is therefore a lack of a real debate except yes, monetary policy should be run by the Bank of England or the Federal Reserve Board, or utility regulation can be done by some special committee. After a while you realise that there’s no substance to democracy because all of the important decisions have been farmed out to these expert groups. That’s what needs to change." In an interview with the LSE's British Politics and Policy blog, Ha-Joon Chang defends his view that the economy is too important to be left to professional economists.
Landscapism reviews Urban Wildscapes, edited by Anna Jorgensen and Richard Keenan.
"It is all very well for Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to complain that Neymar was being hunted on the field. The hunting started from his side. This is an unfortunate part of the contemporary Brazilian game." When it comes to the injury to Neymar, Tim Vickery on The World Game argues that Brazil reaped what it had sown.
George Dobell, writing on Cricinfo, thinks the England and Wales Cricket Board is putting profit above the long-term interests of its test players.
"Although the crowd gave the impression of being mostly “India supporters” it was noticeable that a substantial proportion of them appeared to be supporting both sides at once (as, indeed, why wouldn't they, given that they mostly live in Leicestershire and, in many cases, have grown up playing for and watching Leicestershire clubs?). Partly for that reason I can rarely remember feeling part of such a harmonious crowd at a large sporting event." Backwatersman sees Leicestershire play India at Grace Road.
I like the sound of this Urban Wildscapes! I'll be having a look at that definitely. I like that they've read "Edgelands". If you and your readers haven't then I'd recommend it. It properly opened my eyes to the potential of the canalside and ex-industrial sites in Stoke, which as you can imagine abound. (I bet they're common in Leicester too).
ReplyDeleteI'd like to make a more thorough study of Detroit past, present and future if I get round to it. But in the meantime I do recommend "Edgelands" to all and sundry and I thank you for introducing me to "Urban Wildscapes" which I'll hopefully read as profitably.
Jonathan is familiar with Aylestone where official open space, the Meadows, is adjacent to the old Gas Works wilderness. I never believed old Gas Works farts who professed that deer lived there until a fellow sceptic told me that he had to brake his car to allow a deer to cross the road.
ReplyDeleteNottingham's Victoria Centre, recently mentioned on the blog, sits over an urban wilderness.
Re: David Hencke's excellent reporting of child abuse.
ReplyDeleteI am not convinced by the campaign for a "Hillsborough style inquiry". Crimes were committed all over the place, and an "overall inquiry" suggests to me that local events would not be thoroughly investigated. Abuse survivors rightly expect investigation of their stories.
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The thing about The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry was the convenient result. The Met Police was defined as institutionally racist in 1999, which led to stories about poor investigation of Stephen's murder. The Lawrence family pushed on.
In 2014, we ponder whether racists escaped prosecution owing to police corruption.
The Met Police reckoned their score card would be better, to be accused of institutional racism (plus incompetence) than institutional corruption. The Met covered up a murder.
When it comes to riversides to explore, I can also recommend Northampton.
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