They’re going strong in Italy, with not only many local stores, but also full size supermarkets and a few hypermarkets. (View Post)

Norway has a balance sheet debt of $220 bn but a sovereign wealth fund, which pays all their state pensions as well as funds infrastructure projects, of $1.7 trn, so in total is sitting very nicely. (View Post)

lol, what nonsense. They bought tons to the table, and achieved a lot, from equal marriage through pensions freedom, higher tax allowances (now reversed thanks to the Tories), pupil premium, green in… (View Post)

Italian provinces have councils below, as does London. The issue is whether unitary can work over a large, disparate area, especially when the power is going to be put in one person’s hands, with an … (View Post)

I believe the favoured solution here is a ‘Solent’ mayoralty covering Portsmouth, Southampton and the island. Presumably with a few adjacent bits of the mainland thrown in. Whether this is sorting ou… (View Post)