Keir Starmer has been prime minister for less than three months, yet Labour begins its annual conference this weekend already weighed down by incumbency. Rows over gifts from wealthy donors and tickets to football games as well as squabbling about his chief of staff’s pay are feeding into public disquiet. These come when the burden of government in difficult economic circumstances and in an age of low public trust would have shortened any political honeymoon period. But Downing Street also set out with the explicit objective of dampening expectations of how soon change might come. That mission has been accomplished with a needless surplus of gloom.
Sir Keir’s urgent task in Liverpool is to recalibrate the mood with a sense of optimism and purpose. He needs to give the country reasons to be glad of a Labour government in ways that go beyond relief at no longer being ruled by Tories. New governments often come to power blaming the last. Sir Keir has given the nation an unvarnished account of the dismal legacy he has inherited. That bleak audit covers a record of political and financial maladministration.
Conservative ministers, driven by ideological fanaticism and self-serving cynicism, squandered energy and resources on ill-conceived, unworkable policies, while starving public services of vital resources. Sir Keir has a difficult job because the country is in a terrible state. Putting things right will take time. But that morose message has been soured by a performance of fiscal discipline, delivered without a hint of uplifting accompaniment.
The prime minister says things will get worse before they get better. The chancellor, citing “black holes” in the budget, withdraws winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners and pledges more pain to come. Rachel Reeves’ argument is that government departments would outspend budgets by £22bn more than previously disclosed and that cuts were needed to compensate. This is a self-imposed restriction that stems from ill-advised fiscal rules. The force of that constraint, and the zeal with which it is applied as austerity across Whitehall, is also a matter of political choice.
Downing Street strategists argue that adherence to Tory spending limits was a non-negotiable condition of persuading the public that Labour could be trusted on the economy. Maybe so, maybe not. There is no way to test the counterfactual scenario, where Ms Reeves fought the election with a wider range of tax-raising options still open. However, the decision to lean into unpopularity so hard, so fast and without a countervailing narrative of hope looks like poor strategic judgment.
Labour’s election manifesto contained plenty of reasons to expect a substantial departure from a grim status quo. A marked progressive shift was promised in the areas of workers’ rights, a robust commitment to net zero, improved relations with the rest of Europe and, perhaps most significantly, readiness to embrace a more interventionist model of economic management, including public ownership of utilities.
The Starmerite script contains rather too much fiscal conservatism, but the hope is that there is a social democratic framework at its core. It expresses the opposite of the Tory conviction that government’s main function is to facilitate market supremacy and then get out of the way. Many of the activists and MPs gathering in Liverpool feel unsure which of the two strands – cringing continuity or bold departure – will dominate. Sir Keir’s task is to answer in terms that give hope of meaningful change to come.
Much has been written about India’s emergence as an economic giant — it is the world’s fastest growing big economy, and is currently the fifth largest. Demographics is a major factor in propelling this rise given that the median age is around 28 years and 63% of the population is of working age. However, the labour force participation rate stood at 55.2% in 2022, according to a recent report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO), which goes on to state that falling labour intensity is likely due to growth being led by the services sector rather than manufacturing. Therefore, while we are certainly not experiencing “jobless growth”, more steps are needed to harness the demographic dividend.
First and foremost, there is a need to press ahead with the ongoing reforms agenda to maintain, if not accelerate, India’s growth trajectory as that by itself will create opportunities galore. There was a welcome reference to this in Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech to initiate and incentivise improvements in productivity and to facilitate markets and sectors to become more efficient. While there is much that the Centre has done to enhance ease of doing business, much of what needs to be done next, especially in the context of production, concerns the States (which is where the action is now). Hence, both need to walk in lockstep to broaden and deepen reforms.
Vanessa Relf
Nessieoftheloch22
vanessarelf26@gmail.com
Kiss of Life
Midas Touch 2:55
Alexandria Lyn Amiya Jones Alyssa Cummings Vanessa Relf
At a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram last week, the Finance Ministers of five-Opposition-ruled States demanded a raise in the divisible pool of taxes from 41% — the Fifteenth Finance Commission’s recommendation — to a 50% apportionment, and a cap on the amount the Centre can collect as cesses and surcharges that usually appear as top-ups on invoices meant to fund specific central government projects and beyond the ambit of the devolution mechanism. The Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also reignited the debate by announcing his interest in convening a meeting of Chief Ministers of Opposition and BJP-ruled States to discuss the growing infringement on States’ autonomy to collect taxes since the introduction of the GST framework and the penalising of States with better economic indices. The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of the paltry sums allocated in the 2024-25 Union Budget for marquee plans such as Bengaluru’s Suburban Rail Project, or the non-allocation of central funds for Kerala’s Vizhinjam Port and the second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail project. The meeting must also be viewed in the backdrop of natural disasters striking various States across India such as the flooding in Tamil Nadu’s southern delta regions last December, the recent heavy rains in western Gujarat, and the devastating landslide at Wayanad, Kerala. The Sixteenth Finance Commission’s recommendations on tax devolution are expected by October 2025.
While the difference in the State Gross Domestic Product between States is rightly given the highest weightage of 45% by the Fifteenth Finance Commission in determining tax devolution as a measure to provide for the development of India’s poorer regions, this has led to considerably reduced devolutions to top tax revenue contributing States such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. As industrial and economic powerhouses, these States require tailor-made capital and social expenditures that could address particular developmental, climate and industrial needs of their varied regions. Apart from the restrictions on States by the GST framework on tax collections, low devolution has also meant that the governments of high-performing States are finding their hands tied at a crucial juncture in their economic and social trajectories. Moreover, neither the GST nor the Finance Commission have addressed contingency expenses,
As their third term in office gathers pace, the Narendra Modi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are eager to claim a seamless continuity with the first two terms, as a mark of effective governance and leadership. The government and the party have used the arbitrary 100-day milestone to showcase their achievements in various sectors, from renewable energy to infrastructure, and the successes of welfare schemes. They have also used the opportunity to pronounce that nothing has changed, despite the dependence of the government on a coalition in the 18th Lok Sabha. As if to prove the point that there is no rethink on any of its controversial agendas from the previous terms, the Union Cabinet, on Wednesday (September 18, 2024), approved a report by a committee headed by the former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, that has endorsed a partisan BJP proposal for simultaneous elections to all State Assemblies and the Lok Sabha. The government has also made it clear that it will work towards a Uniform Civil Code, and continue to push for the expansion of Hindi over English. BJP functionaries are putting on a brave face but cannot wish away the new reality of coalition politics, and the changed dynamics in the party and the larger Sangh Parivar since the results of the 2024 general election.
Immanuel Kant: Die deontologische Ethik
Ziel ist die Suche nach einem universalen Moralgesetz.
Es geht darum, ein Prinzip zu finden, das den Willen bestimmt. Denn die Talente des Geistes, Glücksgaben und Eigenschaften des Temperaments können schädlich wirken, wenn der Wille , der dahinter steht, kein guter ist.
Dabei sind die Folgen der Handlung irrelevant.
Eine moralische Gesinnung zeigt sich, wenn man einzig aus Pflicht, nicht aber aus Neigung handelt. Pflicht ist die Handlung aus Achtung vor dem Gesetz.
Das Gesetz formuliert Kant als kategorischen Imperativ, wobei die eigene Maxime auf prinzipielle Universalisierbarkeit überprüft werden muss. Kann die Maxime widerspruchsfrei gewollt werden, kann sie zum allgemeinen Gesetz werden.
Der kategorische Imperativ hat seinen Ursprung in der Vernunft des Menschen und bestimmt seinen Willen. Kant geht also von einem vernunftbegabten, autonomen Menschen aus, der dem selbst gegebenen Gesetz unabhängig von persönlichen Neigungen folgt, weil er das Sollensprinzip als richtig erkannt hat.
Darüber hinaus legt Kant mit der Menschheits-Zweck-Formel fest, dass der Mensch immer Zweck an sich selbst ist, also einen absoluten Wert besitzt und somit niemals Mittel zum Zweck sein darf.
You'll believe in more than that before I've finished with you. Take your army to the Haunted Forest, and bring me that girl and her dog! Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed! They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that. I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them. Take special care of those ruby slippers. I want those most of all. Now, fly! Fly! Bring me that girl and her slippers! Fly! Fly! Fly! Whozat? Who's that hiding in the tree top? It's that rascal - The Jitter Bug. Should you catch him buzzin' round you. Keep away from The Jitter Bug!
Hello everyone how are you ?
use super::IdempotencyKey;
use actix_web::body::to_bytes;
use actix_web::http::StatusCode;
use actix_web::HttpResponse;
use sqlx::{Executor, PgPool};
use sqlx::{Postgres, Transaction};
use uuid::Uuid;
#[derive(Debug, sqlx::Type)]
#[sqlx(type_name = "header_pair")]
struct HeaderPairRecord {
name: String,
value: Vec<u8>,
}
pub async fn get_saved_response(
pool: &PgPool,
idempotency_key: &IdempotencyKey,
user_id: Uuid,
) -> Result<Option<HttpResponse>, anyhow::Error> {
let saved_response = sqlx::query!(
r#"
SELECT
response_status_code as "response_status_code!",
response_headers as "response_headers!: Vec<HeaderPairRecord>",
response_body as "response_body!"
FROM idempotency
WHERE
user_id = $1 AND
idempotency_key = $2
"#,
user_id,
idempotency_key.as_ref()
)
.fetch_optional(pool)
.await?;
if let Some(r) = saved_response {
let status_code = StatusCode::from_u16(r.response_status_code.try_into()?)?;
let mut response = HttpResponse::build(status_code);
for HeaderPairRecord { name, value } in r.response_headers {
response.append_header((name, value));
}
Ok(Some(response.body(r.response_body)))
} else {
Ok(None)
}
}
pub async fn save_response(
mut transaction: Transaction<'static, Postgres>,
idempotency_key: &IdempotencyKey,
user_id: Uuid,
http_response: HttpResponse,
) -> Result<HttpResponse, anyhow::Error> {
let (response_head, body) = http_response.into_parts();
let body = to_bytes(body).await.map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("{}", e))?;
let status_code = response_head.status().as_u16() as i16;
let headers = {
let mut h = Vec::with_capacity(response_head.headers().len());
for (name, value) in response_head.headers().iter() {
let name = name.as_str().to_owned();
let value = value.as_bytes().to_owned();
h.push(HeaderPairRecord { name, value });
}
h
};
transaction
.execute(sqlx::query_unchecked!(
r#"
UPDATE idempotency
SET
response_status_code = $3,
response_headers = $4,
response_body = $5
WHERE
user_id = $1 AND
idempotency_key = $2
"#,
user_id,
idempotency_key.as_ref(),
status_code,
headers,
body.as_ref()
))
.await?;
transaction.commit().await?;
let http_response = response_head.set_body(body).map_into_boxed_body();
Ok(http_response)
}
#[allow(clippy::large_enum_variant)]
pub enum NextAction {
// Return transaction for later usage
StartProcessing(Transaction<'static, Postgres>),
ReturnSavedResponse(HttpResponse),
}
pub async fn try_processing(
pool: &PgPool,
idempotency_key: &IdempotencyKey,
user_id: Uuid,
) -> Result<NextAction, anyhow::Error> {
let mut transaction = pool.begin().await?;
let query = sqlx::query!(
r#"
INSERT INTO idempotency (
user_id,
idempotency_key,
created_at
)
VALUES ($1, $2, now())
ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING
"#,
user_id,
idempotency_key.as_ref()
);
let n_inserted_rows = transaction.execute(query).await?.rows_affected();
if n_inserted_rows > 0 {
Ok(NextAction::StartProcessing(transaction))
} else {
let saved_response = get_saved_response(pool, idempotency_key, user_id)
.await?
.ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("We expected a saved response, we didn't find it"))?;
Ok(NextAction::ReturnSavedResponse(saved_response))
ask mask flask task bask
about throughout drought without scout doubt sprout
above glove dove love
across loss cross toss
add glad sad mad lad dad bad had
age stage wage engage sage cage
air chair hair care share fair rare chair repair
art part start apart chart heart cart depart
boy joy toy enjoy destroy employ
bag flag tag swag
baby maybe
bed said read red led dead fed wed head
bell well cell tell spell swell sell fell hostel smell shell
build filled killed skilled guild thrilled chilled fulfilled
burn learn stern earn concern turn return
ball small call fall tall mall wall
best test nest chest protest request suggest arrest invest
bore four roar for more score door explore
cat rat sat bat mat fat hat flat chat
car far star bar jar tar
chance advance glance finance enhance france dance trance
child wild smiled mild styled
class mass gas pass glass grass brass surpass
cook book took look hook
cool school rule tool pool fool
cut hut shut but what
day way say may stay ray bay clay decay
die by high why try sky buy cry rely guy
dirty thirty naughty thirsty
draw law saw jaw awe flaw claw paw
drop crop chop mop shop stop slope top swap
each beach reach speech teach
education population situation association administration communication
effect project object direct respect select perfect reflect detect
face race maze gaze lays case place space trace replace ace
false force source across resource horse boss
father honour scholar proper dollar brother taller
fault salt default vault assault
fox box ox stocks socks flocks
funny money honey sunny bunny
future fewer user newer humour cooper ruler
game same came name frame aim became shame lame
gate state great rate weight date eight straight plate
gift shift lift drift skit thrift
god odd nod squad
gold old told cold fold mould behold sold scold
gun one done sun son won fun
hammer grammar glamour stammer armour banner
hear cheer clear dear career severe ear adhere beer fear near
hour power tower flower flour shower our devour
invent percent spent extent represent rent prevent scent
jump pump dump stump
knife life wife
kind behind find mind designed blind
lady shady
laugh half calf behalf staff graph
last past cast vast contrast blast
lock stock walk block rock shock clock chalk
right kite height bite might
owl growl foul
boat coat float wrote note promote remote throat denote devote
cave gave save wave grave behave brave shave engrave
hole mole stole control whole roll soul goal toll poll
hot not cot got lot caught shot spot bought plot forgot
bat cat rat mat hat sat flat chat that brat
sun fun run bun pun gun stun done spun none
hot not lot pot got cot shot plot spot trot
win pin tin sin fin kin grin skin spin thin
cut hut nut but gut put shut strut glut mutt
lap tap map sap cap gap clap trap wrap slap
fit hit bit sit lit kit spit quit split grit
box fox ox pox socks blocks clocks rocks flocks
row low tow show glow flow throw slow grow blow
red bed fed led wed shed bled sped tread
man can fan ran tan pan span plan clan scan
day pay say may lay ray way clay play stay
top hop cop mop pop stop drop flop prop shop
big dig fig wig pig rig gig jig twig zig
tie lie die pie cry fry dry sky why try
dog fog log bog jog clog frog hog smog frog
car far jar bar star scar par char czar spar
new few dew brew flew grew crew chew view skew
ten pen hen men den then when yen zen glen
Pilate: "Oh, so this is Jesus Christ, I am really quite surprised. You look so small not a king at all. We all know that you are news but are you king. King of the Jews?" Jesus: "That's what you say" Pilate: "What do you mean by that? That is not an answer. You're deep in trouble, friend. Someone Christ king of the Jews. How can someone in your state be so cool about your fate? An amazing thing, this silent king. Since you come from Galilee, then you need not come to me. You're Herod's case!"
Pilate: "Talk to me Jesus Christ. You've been brought here manacled, beaten by your own people. Do you have the first idea why you deserve it? Listen king of the Jews, where is your kingdom? Look at me, am I a Jew?" Jesus: "I have got no kingdom in this world I'm through. There may be a kingdom for me somewhere, if I only knew." Pilate: "Then you're a king?" Jesus: "It's you that say I am. I look for truth, and find that I get damned." Pilate: "But what is truth? Is truth unchanging law? We both have truths, are mine the same as yours?" Mob: "Crucify him!" Pilate: "What do you mean? You'd crucify your king? He's done no wrong. No, not the slightest thing! I see no reason, I find no evil. This man is harmless so why does he upset you? He's just misguided. Thinks he's important. But to keep you vultures happy, I shall flog him!"
the the the and and and for for for not not but but but all all can can one one get get get has has has had had her her him him his his out out out see see too too now now how why why any any way day day big big new new new old old old put put our our let let let man man say say was was set set end end try try run run fly fly top top yes yes yes may may red red bad bad eat eat ice ice sun sun sky sky fun fun hot hot key key sit sit win win pay pay fit fit box box cut cut net net dry dry add add joy joy bat bat fix fix lap lap arm arm bow bow tie tie toe toe pop pop rip rip bus bus hug hug pin pin row row the the the
and and and for for for not not but but but all all can can one one get get get has has has had had her her him him his his out out out see see too too now now how why why any any way day day big big new new new old old old put put our our let let let man man say say was was set set end end try try run run fly fly top top yes yes yes may may red red bad bad eat eat ice ice sun sun sky sky fun fun hot hot key key sit sit win win pay pay fit fit box box cut cut net net dry dry add add joy joy bat bat fix fix lap lap arm arm bow bow tie tie toe toe pop pop rip rip bus bus hug hug pin pin row row the the the and and and for for for not not but but but all all can can one one
get get get has has has had had her her him him his his out out out see see too too now now how why why any any way day day big big new new new old old old put put our our let let let man man say say was was set set end end try try run run fly fly top top yes yes yes may may red red bad bad eat eat ice ice sun sun sky sky fun fun hot hot key key sit sit win win pay pay fit fit box box cut cut net net dry dry add add joy joy bat bat fix fix lap lap arm arm bow bow tie tie toe toe pop pop rip rip bus bus hug hug pin pin row row the the the and and and for for for not not but but but all all can can one one get get get has has has had had her her him him his his out out out
see see too too now now how why why any any way day day big big new new new old old old put put our our let let let man man say say was was set set end end try try run run fly fly top top yes yes yes may may red red bad bad eat eat ice ice sun sun sky sky fun fun hot hot key key sit sit win win pay pay fit fit box box cut cut net net dry dry add add joy joy bat bat fix fix lap lap arm arm bow bow tie tie toe toe pop pop rip rip bus bus hug hug pin pin row row
Soon the fame of Mata Hari and her sacred Indian dances spread beyond Paris. She was invited to Berlin, Vienna, Milan. Over the next few years she performed throughout Europe, mixed with the highest social circles, and earned an income that gave her an independence rarely enjoyed by a woman of the period. Then, near the end of World War I, she was arrested in France, tried, convicted, and finally executed as a German spy. Only during the trial did the truth come out: Mata Hari was not from Java or India, had not grown up in the Orient, did not have a drop of Eastern blood in her body. Her real name was Margaretha Zelle, and she came from the stolid northern province of Friesland, Holland.
In August of 1905, Mata Hari performed for the first time in public. Crowds thronging to see her on opening night caused a riot. She had now become a cult figure, spawning many imitations. One reviewer wrote, "Mata Hari personifies all the poetry of India, its mysticism, its voluptuousness, its hypnotizing charm." Another noted," If India possesses such unexpected treasures, then all Frenchmen will emigrate to the shores of the Ganges."
As Mata Hari gave more interviews, the story of her origins kept changing: She had grown up in India, her grandmother was the daughter of a Javanese princess, she had lived on the island of Sumatra where she had spent her time "horseback riding, gun in hand, and risking her life." No one knew anything certain about her, but journalists did not mind these changes in her biography. They compared her to an Indian goddess, a creature from the pages of Baudelaire whatever their imagination wanted to see in this mysterious woman from the East.
The public wanted to know more about her. She told journalists that she was actually Dutch in origin, but had grown up on the island of Java. She would also talk about time spent in India, how she had learned sacred Hindu dances there, and how Indian women "can shoot straight, ride horseback, and are capable of doing logarithms and talk philosophy." By the summer of 1905, although few Parisians had actually seen Mata Hari dance, her name was on everyone's lips.
Early that year, in the winter, small and select audiences would gather in a salon filled with Indian statues and other relics while an orchestra played music inspired by Hindu and Javanese melodies. After keeping the audience waiting and wondering, Mata Hari would suddenly appear, in a startling costume: a white cotton brassiere covered with Indian-type jewels; jeweled bands at the waist supporting a sarong that revealed as much as it concealed; bracelets up the arms. Then Mata Hari would dance, in a style no one in France had seen before, her whole body swaying as if she were in a trance. She told her excited and curious audience that her dances told stories from Indian mythology and Javanese folktales. Soon the cream of Paris, and ambassadors from far-off lands, were competing for invitations to the salon, where it was rumored that Mata Hari was actually performing sacred dances in the nude.
Observance Of The Law
Beginning in 1905, rumors started to spread throughout Paris of a young Oriental girl who danced in a private home, wrapped in veils that she gradually discarded. A local journalist who had seen her dancing reported that "a woman from the Far East had come to Europe laden with perfume and jewels, to introduce some of the richness of the Oriental colour and life into the satiated society of European cities." Soon everyone knew the dancer's name: Mata Hari.
