Argument for 100% inheritance tax... retrospective!

Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free | George Monbiot: Governments aren't perfect, but it's the libertarians who bleed us dry: "He took up his post - which was previously held by his father, Viscount Ridley - in 2004. Under his chairmanship, the Economist notes, Northern Rock 'pushed an aggressive business model to the limit, crossing its fingers and hoping that liquidity would always be there'. It was allowed to do so because it was insufficiently regulated by the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority. When his libertarian business model failed, Ridley had to go begging to the detested state. If the government and its parasitic bureaucrats had not been able to use taxpayers' money to clear up his mess, thousands of people would have lost their savings. Northern Rock would have collapsed, and the resulting panic might have brought down the rest of the banking system. The £16bn bailout is not the end of the matter. Last week the Treasury granted Northern Rock's customers a new tax break. Now one of the north-east's leading businessmen, Sir Michael Darrington, is calling for the bank's full-scale nationalisation in order to prevent further crises. So much for the virtues of unregulated free enterprise."

There, there, Theremin

:::::: MOOG MUSIC ::::::: "In 1922 he [Theremin] demonstrated for Lenin the Aetherphone, an early model of the Thereminvox (later shortened to Theremin). During this period Lenin was certain that electronics would play a necessary role in the development of Communism in Russia."

Star quality

The Herald: Review: The Doctor and the Devils, Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow: "This is a typically handsome production from the Young Co - a hay-strewn set by Neil Haynes gives the circle studio a suitably grubby feel - with some strong performances. Martin Haddow is compelling and charismatic as the arrogant Knox, Fraser Hamilton makes a sympathetic Daft Jamie and Michael Burns plays Hare as a boisterous character who appears completely disconnected from the killings."

Good question...

John Harris on the two frontrunners for the Lib Dem leadership | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics: "Imagine, however, if there was a contest for the top job in one of the main parties and the leading contenders were both alumni of, say, a comprehensive in south Manchester. What kind of weird, conspiratorial, messed-up world would that suggest?"

Simple answer. Very.

'Criminal, ignorant and potentially murderous folly'

Archbishop attacks neocons over US threat to bomb Iran | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited: "'When people talk about further destabilisation of the region - and you read some American political advisers speaking of action against Syria and Iran - I can only say that I regard that as criminal, ignorant and potentially murderous folly."

From irrelevant headlining bishop (below) to absolutely devastating critique of US foreign policy hawks by archbishop (above). Well said Dr Williams.

Boo!

Stores agree to take horror out of Halloween | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited: "A Church of England bishop campaigning to rebrand Halloween as a 'triumph of good over evil' claimed victory yesterday after two supermarkets agreed to stock less sinister alternatives to the usual monster masks and devil costumes."

and perhaps even worse...

"He also urged people to go online and donate their Halloween treat to the Children's Society as an antidote to the sometimes "intimidating" and "low-level antisocial behaviour" of trick or treat. In return people could download a poster for their window, telling people not to call as the treat had already gone to charity, he said."

Scary, eh?