Month: September 2022

Liz Truss May Freeze Energy Bills

Despite spending much of the leadership campaign denouncing Sunak’s “handout” schemes and proposing generous tax cuts instead, now in government Truss seems to have U-turned.

Chileans Reject Constitutional Reform

Apart from vastly increasing the executive’s power, the proposed reform would have enshrined ideological assumptions around gender and sexuality and the green energy transition. In the end, 62% of Chilean voters voted against it.

Order of Malta Under Drastic Reform

The debate over the Order of Malta’s status as a “subject of the Holy See” is not new, but Pope Francis’ reforms have caused anxiety for those who understand what is at stake in the Order’s loss of sovereignty.

Sweden Bails Out Power Companies

The parliament was called in for an extraordinary session because the prime minister’s measure would make the government a co-signer for new lines of credit from private financial institutions for energy companies.

Vostok 2022: Russia and China Display Their Military Cooperation

The number of troops on the ground is much lower than in the previous 2018 exercise. But the symbolic significance of this event is quite different. It is an explicit display of the Sino-Russian alliance on the international stage.

Liz Truss Becomes PM

Truss faces multiple political challenges from the outset, not least of which is to unite a Conservative party still scarred by the toppling of its most successful leader in decades, not to mention the less-than-amicable leadership contest which followed.

Chile to Vote on Constitutional Reform

Chile to Vote on Constitutional Reform

Polling shows a strong advantage for a “No” vote on Boric’s proposed constitutional change.

September 1, 2022
Euro Zone Inflation Rises to 9.1% In August

Euro Zone Inflation Rises to 9.1% In August

Euro zone inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in August, has reached its highest point since the introduction of the euro in 1999. Amidst fears of entrenchment, the ECB is preparing a major hike in interest rates that may also slow down the economy.

September 1, 2022
The City that Falls

The City that Falls

In the arena of the culture war, ideas become political brands, stitched into the terrible body of the news cycle, until they share in that sickly bloodstream. Instead of building civic participation, they get their oxygen from media attention.

September 1, 2022
Does Good Taste Exist? Ask David Hume

Does Good Taste Exist? Ask David Hume

While distinguishing between good and bad taste undoubtedly smells like an elitist activity, the conditions that Hume attaches to it do not, at first glance, seem to be.