Author Archives: Carl Packman

While the world argues about chemical weapons, Syrian civilians are still being slaughtered by the regime

By Carl Packman | Published: May 7, 2013

Despite the fact that Carla del Ponte, a former prosecutor for U.N. tribunals investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, has talked only of “suspicions” regarding the Syrian opposition’s possible use of chemical weapons, her comments have gained a lot of attention over the weekend.

Posted in Multilateral Foreign Policy | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Responses

Why David Cameron is right about Syria

By Carl Packman | Published: April 27, 2013

Cameron is right. Continued engagement with the rebels, especially around this sensitive time, will eventually bring results.

Posted in Multilateral Foreign Policy | Tagged , , | 3 Responses

Payday lenders buying personal details at £60 a head

By Carl Packman | Published: April 23, 2013

Recently I spoke at a meeting where I asked those in attendance to raise their hands if they had had experience of a text message or an email from a payday lender offering them an expensive loan at interest rates that would make most people weep.

Posted in Good Society | Tagged , | 12 Responses

Thatcherism and Ukip are the perfect match

By Carl Packman | Published: April 16, 2013

Writing in The Times yesterday (£), Nigel Farage claimed that if Margaret Thatcher was still leader of the Conservative Party there would be no need for Ukip. More specifically he said: “Had she still been in power in 1992, there would have been a referendum on [the Maastricht] treaty, and the need for UKIP would probably never have arisen.”

Posted in Sustainable Economy | Tagged , , | 19 Responses

Bitcoin doesn’t help the unbanked nor does it escape the trappings of an economy based on money

By Carl Packman | Published: April 4, 2013

It might seem unpopular to say it now but I once had hopes for Bitcoin.

Anarchists and libertarians may predictably have been excited about the potential of a currency that was neither linked to government or bank manipulation, but I liked the idea of it because P2P (peer to peer) has the prospect of making finance fairer from the bottom up.

Posted in Sustainable Economy | Tagged , | 5 Responses

‘Peace’ to Xi Jinping may be the authoritarian status quo

By Carl Packman | Published: March 27, 2013

Since his inaugural address as President of China, analysts and interested parties have been decoding the message that Xi Jinping brings and what change, if any, can be expected in China.

Posted in Multilateral Foreign Policy | Tagged , , | 1 Response

Review: ‘Unhitched: the trial of Christopher Hitchens’ by Richard Seymour

By Carl Packman | Published: March 18, 2013

Seymour is way off the mark with this book. His failure to grasp Hitchens’s capability for political modification is symptomatic of the curious and dogmatic political tradition that Seymour belongs to.

Posted in Left Foot Forward | Tagged , , | 1 Response

Book review: The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism by AC Grayling

By Carl Packman | Published: March 6, 2013

Carl Packman reviews AC Grayling’s The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism by AC Grayling.

Posted in Left Foot Forward | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Responses

The wait for action on unscrupulous Payday lenders goes on

By Carl Packman | Published: March 6, 2013

Payday lending is back in the news today as two reports are released, one after the other, on changes to the regulatory architecture that oversees the industry. Given how much optimism there was last year with the FCA being given new powers, the meat of these reports will come as a disappointment.

Posted in Sustainable Economy | Tagged , , , | 5 Responses