Prime minister reopens tensions after he calls economic design of eurozone flawed and urges Germany to contribute more

EU Taxation Commissioner Algirdas Semeta told the FT, “The UK would lose a lot if other [EU] members decide to move ahead with a financial transactions tax. Because of its design, [Britain] will be subject to the tax, but at the same time, it will not receive any money from it.

This article from blog friend Eric Palmer on F-16.net last week has been picking up some traction, with a story picked up in The Telegraph yesterday, and even on the CNN blog. Apparently Lockheed Martin forgot to design the tailhook on the F-35C correctly, and the aircraft cannot land on aircraft carriers. From Eric Palmer's original article: a November 2011 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) q...

An interesting comment about LCS from SNA reported by DoD Buzz. Starting with LCS 5, the Milwaukee, the design for the class is “done, locked and stable,” said Lockheed’s VP for ships, Joe North. So the design changes that plagued the Freedom as it was being built should theoretically be a thing of the past. “From 5 on … these ships are cookie cutter,” North sa...

Inevitably when policy-makers design cuts packages they look at the short-term – savings achievable in particular department budgets within the spending review period. More holistic assessments, looking at where other public services ‘pick up the tab’ for another budget’s austerity measures, and the ‘displaced demand’ or ‘knock on costs’ that arise, ...

In politics, as in other walks of life, labels matter. By accident or design, for good or for ill, they shape our identity — sometimes in our own eyes, but just as importantly in the eyes of others. For all of us, our identity starts with where we belong. For my part I am a

No, I’m not looking for someone to come and design a system for me. Rather, I’m just looking for a pointer to how I ought to be thinking about things. OK, so what I’ve got (conceptually this is) is a tailings/gangue pile. From a granitic greisen. Originally mined for Sn/W I know that this tailings

The bus will take to London’s streets early next year as part of a trial that is expected to see up to 500 of the new design entering service

Here is an interesting article over at the Wall Street Journal about how Microsoft's Paul Allen is faring with his own space venture. Rand Simberg weighs in. All this private sector space stuff reminds me of this marvellously entertaining book by Victor Koman, although I agreed with an old American friend of mine that the book jacket design was a bit poor. I hope Dale Amon doesn't mind m...

At a quick glance, what do these towers in Seoul due to be completed in 2015 remind you of? Is this an example of edgy architecture, or is the design just a little to close to the image of ten years ago in New York City for comfort? H/T BigFurHat Follow The Political Commentator and Michael Haltman on social media! Become a fan of The Political Commentator on Facebook here! Add The Political Comme...