THE DECLINE OF THE WEST - SHOULD WE FIGHT OR NEGOTIATE

13 July 2024 But to be serious, the big picture is world peace and prosperity and the context is the decline of the West.This decline is an own-goal, because we have built up a debt that is swallowing our tax revenues and making it difficult to sell our governments bonds, and we have put sanctions on our competitors to break their economies, and we have moved too close to their borders for their comfort & security to break their governments.(Never...

Read More

FRANCE, BEACON OF HOPE FOR THE THIRD WORLD

12 July 2024France, Beacon of Hope for the Third WorldThis is the kind of piece that I could have written 10 years ago, but unfortunately there has been a notable decline in the west since then led down by successive American administrations, so this is now what you might call a party political broadcast. ---France has a tradition of being a beacon to the world outside the Western world, a beacon of liberty, equality, and fraternity. In...

Read More

ANALYSIS OF 2024 FRENCH ELECTION RESULTS

12 July 2024 The results paint a picture that is complicated by that deal made on the left where weaker candidates in the new Popular Front alliance would step aside and let the stronger candidate fight directly the RN, with the result that although the RN's share of the vote went up from 33% to 37%, and the number of seats they won did increase dramatically, but the increase was far less than had been expected by the pollsters.I think...

Read More

COMBINING PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION AND DIRECT DEMOCRACY

11 July 20241. Introduction- Proportional Representation (PR) and Direct Democracy are two distinct concepts in political systems.- Focus of this article: Understanding their definitions, mechanisms, and differences.2. Proportional Representation (PR) 2.1 Definition- Electoral System: PR is a type of electoral system where seats in a legislature are allocated based on the proportion of votes each party receives.2.2 Mechanisms- Party Lists:...

Read More

UK ELECTION RESULTS 2024

11 July 2024 1. Labour's Victory and the Electoral System- Labour's win is exaggerated due to the electoral system.- Voters rejected the Conservatives but didn't fully embrace Labour.2. Conservative Party's Decline- Conservative support dropped to 24%, the lowest ever.- The party now has only 121 MPs, a historic low.- Support fell most in their defended seats.- Reform UK's 15% vote share weakened Conservative strongholds.3. Impact of Reform...

Read More

SUCCESSFUL STOCK PICKING STRATEGIES

10 July 2024BOOK SUMMARYINVESTGuide to a successful stock picking process  Step Description1 Identify Market Trends2 Fundamental Analysis3 Company Research4 Valuation5 Technological and Innovation Focus6 Monitor Corporate Activity7 Diversification8 Risk Management9 Continuous Learning10 Patience and DisciplinePlanIn part A, we will summarise the book by Simon Thompson published in 2018.In Part B, we will draw out the step by...

Read More