UK market regulators should look to Shanghai

by Ossie Froggatt-Smith

This Valentines’ Day the Chinese year of the tiger begins. 2009, year of the ox, saw China rise to the top of the IPO market. Chinese companies going to market sold $50.4 billion worth of shares in 183 deals, 45 percent of global IPO volume compared to the US’ $24 billion from 54 companies. There is no bear in Chinese astrology.

 

The Jury shouldn’t be out on Obama.

One year into his Presidency it seems that the jury is already out on Obama. For an individual who was elected as a visionary and under the banner of ‘hope’ only time will tell whether ‘hope’ materialised into real ‘change’. Ignoring the reasons for his election, one year is too short a time to judge anyone’s tenure as an elected President.

 

Forget cynicism about Obama. Do not forget significant change

The opinion polls put Barack Obama as the least popular President in his first year since Eisenhower. Could it be that the corporate buy-out of American political institutions – poison from the interests of the oil industry, private healthcare firms and any other evil lobby that left-wingers could care to blame – has ensured that the sweeping change that Obama promised has been corrupted and prevented? In fact Obama has made a solid start and the best is yet to come.

 

Why a deal in Northern Ireland will be hard to reach

Gordon Brown and the Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen are locked in talks in Stormont trying to prevent a collapse of devolution in Northern Ireland. The key issue is over the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont, with Sinn Fein pushing for an immediate transfer and the DUP hoping to stave off the move until a later date. But why are these issues crucial to devolution? And why is a deal proving so difficult?

 

America looks to be as divided as ever under Obama

In response to last week’s rather lukewarm assessment of President Obama’s first year accomplishments in foreign policy, I come down far more on the negative side. In comparison with expectations, which were sky-high at his inauguration, the new President has failed in much during a difficult first year.

 

Labour – let’s get serious about governing beyond 2010

At the weekend Gordon Brown appealed to everyday British people when setting out his stall for the election. Most people in this country are fed up with dishonest politicians. Despite a recent thaw politicians of both parties are still skating on ice, not taking the plunge of proposing what to do with the £178 billion hole in the public finances. This Government is running a big deficit in the polls as well as in the public finances, and it can’t tackle the former without being more honest about tackling the latter.

 

Interview with Nigel Farage of UKIP on why he wants to ban the Burka

 On Monday Nigel Farage of UKIP came out in favour banning the burka in public across the UK. Gaps in the Dialogue speaks to him about how he justifies this, why its potentially unworkable and why he hates the Archbishop of Canterbury.

 

Haiti: Exposing global realities?

The disaster in Haiti seems to have exposed the differing capabilities of states around the world in reaction to disasters and other security problems. The US has been, perhaps predictably, noticeably active in promising money, aid and troops in order to rebuild the shattered country. However, there seems to be a worrying lack of action from certain states lauded as the bearers of power in the 21st century. What has Haiti exposed on the international scene?

 

Obama’s first year – reaching out to the Middle East

So Obama’s first year in charge is drawing to a close. How has he done? In the first of this month’s contributions I shall be looking at his foreign policy, and particularly his policy towards the Middle East. Not averse to a bit of populism, I am going to go for an American-style gradecard.

 

Interview with Anjem Choudary – Head of Islam4UK

This week the government announced that they were to ban the extremist Muslim group Islam4UK following the public outcry over the planned protest at Wootton Bassett. It is clear that most British people find the group’s views offensive: they espouse Sharia law in the UK, the domination of Islam across the globe and are accused of encouraging suicide bombings in the UK.

What is up for debate is whether a ban will be effective - at least twice before Anjem Choudarys party’s have been banned before and, through a variety of semantic tricks, the trained lawyer has been able to reinvent the organisation under new names.

Gaps in the Dialogue speaks to one of Britain’s most hated men about why he feels the ban will make his party stronger, his failure to condemn suicide bombings, and the Iranian revolution.