These are my links for February 2nd through February 3rd:

• Local bonds are happening - This is debt with a purpose

  Real saving. real investment. Real returns. Real pensions.

  That's what we need

• FT.com / UK / Business - Tories warn of ‘too big’ banks - In which case they'll have to intervene in the market, split them up and create new transaction banks, housing banks, commercial banks and investment banks

  Let's hope they do it

• FT.com / Europe - PM asks Iceland central bank chiefs to quit - It took a social democrat backed by the Left and Greens to bring about change

  Why doesn't that surprise me?

• 02-02-2009 - Levin, Dorgan Question Repatriation Lobbying Effort ... - Carl Levin is a man of our times

  He understands exactly the double speak of the offshore tax evaders - and takes them head on

  As he does here, challenging a Rupert Murdoch propagated myth

• 'Tax haven Ireland' on Obama's hit list - And I say they're in a state of denial about it

  Which really won't help them

• Construction: Fears for 1,000 jobs » News » This Is Jersey - Jersey's economy has been built on financial services and building offices for that sector

  Now it is tanking

  The builders want state aid

  And there's no tax to pay it

  Not a pretty prospect

• For Rescue Plan, Risks Are Vast in Revaluing Tainted Assets - NYTimes.com - “To date, the banks have stuck their heads in the sand,” said Lynn E. Turner, a former chief accountant for the Securities and Exchange Commission, “and demanded that they be paid the price of good apples for bad apples.”
• :: Manx Radio :: Isle of Man News :: - Isle of Man companies support Mugabe

  What a surprise

• FT.com / World - Little magic left at leading law firms - The lawyers sowed the sees of their own destruction

  Let's not cry too much

• Millions could lose out in online tax error | Self-Assessment | This is Money - This is the Revenue doing their level best to shoot themselves in the foot

  This sort of basic error should not happen

• FT.com / Companies / Banks - Barclays’ credit rating downgraded - "Moody’s on Sunday night downgraded Barclays’ credit ratings, saying it expected the UK bank to record ”significant further losses” on credit-related writedowns."

  Or to put it another way: they don't believe the accounts

• Davos: Don't let crisis breed more corruption - Forbes.com - Tax havens were not mentioned at Davos apparently

  Funny that, in Switzerland

  Funny that. amongst the assembled company

  Do these people have any intention of reforming themselves? I do sometimes doubt it

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