I’m trying to get a handle on the Heritage Foundation and whether it has influence over UK Tory politicians e.g. through the Institute of Economic Affairs. Liz Truss and Krazy Kwarteng were strongly influenced by the IEA.
It’s clear that the Heritage Foundation has had huge influence in US politics since the Regan administration, with huge influence during Trump’s presidency. It’s part of the mechanism of plutocracy whereby the rich and powerful dominate politics instead of representative democracy. I’m chasing this mostly because of Heritage Foundation’s climate-destroying policies and whether this is what Rishi Sunak is following.
16/8 This is taking some time, plenty of info available, on the case. X
The trade union body has set out options for taxing the small number of individuals with wealth over £3 million, £5 million and £10 million
A modest wealth tax on the richest 140,000 individuals in the country could raise more than £10bn to help pay for public services, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
With the country’s public services in a dire state and with the Tories repeatedly using excuses about not having enough money to invest in them, the TUC has set out a clear plan for how further money could be raised, by taxing the wealthiest 0.3% of the UK population, as it called for a “national conversation about taxing wealth”.
The trade union body has set out options for taxing the small number of individuals with wealth over £3 million, £5 million and £10 million, excluding pensions. It says that the options are illustrative examples of what a wealth tax could look like, using Spain’s existing policy as a potential model.
It proposes the following:
A wealth threshold of £3 million with a marginal tax rate of 1.7% would yield £2.7 billion (with the tax payable on wealth above £3 million by 142,000 individuals or 0.27% of adults in the UK)
A further wealth threshold of £5 million with a marginal tax rate of 2.1% would yield an additional £3.2 billion (with the tax payable on wealth above £5 million by 48,000 individuals or 0.09% of adults in the UK)
A further wealth threshold of £10 million with a marginal tax rate of 3.5 % would yield an additional £4.6 billion (with the tax payable on wealth above £10 million by 17,000 individuals or 0.02% of adults in the UK).
Georgia district attorney, Fani Willis, says a grand jury has voted to indict former president Donald Trump and 18 others over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. The indictment details dozens of acts by Trump and his allies – including Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman – to undo his defeat in Georgia. The criminal case is the fourth brought against Trump and the second this month to allege that he tried to subvert the results of the 2020 vote.
Analysis of extent of UK food imports from Mediterranean region show scale of threat which increasingly severe climate impacts pose to UK food security.
With parts of Europe and north Africa suffering extreme high temperatures and wildfires, analysis of the extent of UK food imports from the Mediterranean region show the scale of threat which increasingly severe climate impacts pose to UK food security.
The report, by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) shows that in 2022, just over a quarter of UK food imports – 9.8 billion kilograms, worth just over £16 billion – came from the Mediterranean region, most of which was staple fresh produce like fruit and vegetables. Spain alone, which is experiencing some of the worst climate impacts in the region, accounted for 7% of our food imports – worth £4 billion.
Europe has warmed at twice the rate of the global average over the last three decades, with the nations in southern Europe and northern Africa, around the Mediterranean experiencing some of the worst heat extremes ever in the last few years.
This has caused harm to food production as water shortages, extreme heat and fire damage crops, reduce quality and lower yields. Reduced yields mean less food in our shops and markets, and higher prices for the commodities affected. Previous ECIU analysis found that climate change and fossil fuel prices added more than £400 to household shopping bills in 2022, increasing the total annual UK food shopping bill by around £11.4 billion.
Labour leader Keir Starmer (centre) with then US secretary of state Mike Pompeo (R) and then US ambassador to Britain, Woody Johnson, in London, 21 July 2020. Pompeo said in 2019 “we will do our level best” to stop Jeremy Corbyn getting elected. (Photo: US State Department)
THE SNP have slammed Keir Starmer as a “sell out” ahead of his expected visit to Scotland on Monday.
The party’s depute leader Keith Brown called on the Labour leader to scrap his support for “Tory policies like Brexit and the bedroom tax”.
The MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane also challenged Starmer to answer ‘one simple question: What does the Labour party stand for?’
It comes as the Labour party and its leader have been criticised for a number of policy u-turns, including that a Labour government will not scrap the two-child cap, and associated ‘rape clause’, or bedroom tax, despite previously calling it “heinous” and “inhuman”.
Even older, more right-wing voters dislike or despise ‘Labour’ ‘leader
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Keir Starmer’s approval rating among the public is negative among all age groups, according to the latest YouGov poll, speaking volumes of the impact he makes when seen by the public and for the effect of his ‘red Toryism’.
Among 18-24yos, 25-49yos and 50-64yos, Starmer’s approval levels are significantly negative
