Weekly Links 05/10/2008

The Economic Crisis
Iceland is in difficulty (It is a measure of the size of the issue that I am talking about the country here, not the store)

British Politics
In an act of staggering indifference towards the views of electors, (or staggering ignorance) Gordon Brown has brought back one of the most hated people in political life, Peter Mandelson, to be his Business Minister during the current crisis. Mandelson, who was "safely" out of mainstream British political life as a European Commissioner (Where he was concentrating on screwing the people of developing nations for the benefit of neo-liberal capitalist globalisation), is to be made a Lord so that he can enter the government. After incredulity has come a wave of ridicule - including this thread in the Guardian with hilarious comment after comment on New Labour lackey Derek Draper's article saying that Mandelson's return is "a good thing". I suppose we should be grateful that Brown has at least given us all a good laugh in these gloomy times.
Meanwhile comes the news that thousands more Post Offices could be at risk due to the possibility of losing benefits and pensions contracts.

Child Poverty
The demo on child poverty took place in London yesterday.
Earlier in the week, ex-Labour Minister Clare Short condemned the government's record on tackling poverty.

Environment
Two stories of interest on pollution and climate change - one that some rivers might run dry once the warmer summers kick in (I know, warmer summers might seem appealing after the wash outs of the last two years in Britain!) - and secondly, concerns regarding the health and pollution implications of a planned plant that would burn a third of North East Scotland's rubbish. Meanwhile the UKWIN (UK without incineration network) and it's articulate and well informed public face Shlomo Dowen have been in the news following an Audit Commission report casting doubt on the wisdom and practicality of the government's waste strategy.

Fellow Bloggers
James Caspell of La Lutte Continue! reports that a South London meeting is planned for 22nd October to start one of the suggested local expressions of the recently developed Convention of The Left.
Jim at Daily (Maybe) commented on the US "bankers bailout" this week and has also come up with "Seven Commandments of Blogging".