Image of the week: “Tractor tax”

Among the thousands of British farmers who protested against WorkWith inheritance tax relief for agricultural properties slashed in London this week, the lines of vivid placards were almost as plentiful as the anger.

Keir Starmer: Farmer Harmer was one of them, while some signs renamed him Chancellor Rachel Reeves as “Rachel Thieves” – also the nickname favored by GB News. There have been calls for a “sheep turn”, a warning that “this is the end of Keir for family farms” and many have adopted the more direct, no pun intended: “no farmers , no food.”

The argument being that the introduction of an inheritance tax at a reduced rate of 20 per cent on agricultural assets worth £1 million (€1.2 million) or more would force children of farmers to sell them, the next generation has been dragged in the same direction. day and equipped with whistles, horns and plaintive signs indicating that they would like to become farmers when they grow up.

The army of children’s toy tractors has proven a draw for photographers, which is probably a nice change from the inevitable need to present the world with more photos of Nigel Farage. As for Starmer, he was quite busy at the G20 in Rio de Janeiro, telling Vladimir Putin to “leave Ukraine”. However, this did not spare him from a series of questions about what was happening at home.

By the numbers: Battle for Infowars

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The only day Infowars, the fake news site run for decades by conspiracy theorist and hate-monger Alex Jones, was shut down last week following the announcement that Global Tetrahedron, parent company of the satirical site The Onion, had won the auction to buy it back. of bankruptcy.

$1.5 billion

The auction was part of the liquidation of Jones’ assets so he could pay almost as many damages to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, which Jones lied about for years. years, claiming it was organized to enforce gun control and that the families were complicit actors in a hoax.

7 million dollars

Value of Onion’s bid for Infowars, largely due to the families agreeing to an arrangement that would improve the deal for Jones’ other creditors. The other bidder, who had offered more money, is now contesting the result. Another bidder? This would be First United American Companies, a company affiliated with none other than Alex Jones.

Meet: Howard Lutnick

Who is the most famous Howard in business? Is it still Howard Hughes, the late aviator, film producer and all-around mogul? Is it Howard Schultz, the “coffee king” who transformed Starbucks? Or maybe he’s “Uncle” Howard Prescott, the incompetent, womanizing president of Pemrose Corporation from Michael J Fox’s 1987 classic, The Secret of My Success?

Alas, for now and for at least part of the next four years, it will be Howard Lutnick, the billionaire founder of financial brokerage Cantor Fitzgerald and Donald Trump’s choice for U.S. Commerce Secretary.

Lutnick, one of the president-elect’s most enthusiastic fundraisers, will soon play a central role in realizing his vision of imposing drastic tariffs on his trading partners. Among the many things he is not a fan of is the presence of American pharmaceutical and other manufacturing giants in the state, saying it is “absurd that Ireland, more than any other country, have a trade surplus at our expense” and – further proof that billionaires are not to be trusted – by pledging to put an end to it.

The List: Watcher Timeline

Journalists at the Guardian Media Group this week voted to go on strike in December over the proposed sale of the Observer to Tortoise Media. The British newspaper has a long and proud history. Here are five key moments.

1. Bourne’s Beginnings: First published on December 4, 1791, the Observer – founded by WS Bourne – is the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper. He thought it would make him a “quick fortune.” Instead, he found himself in debt.

2. The Beer Age: one of its later owners was the businessman Julius Beer, then his son Frederick, whose wife Rachel Beer became the first woman to run a British national newspaper in 1891. In a consummate multitasking spirit, she bought the Sunday Times two years later and edited both papers for a time.

3. Transfer of Trust: In 1945, the Astor family transferred ownership of the Observer to a trust, meaning that all profits were to be used either to develop its journalism or for charitable purposes. The influential David Astor edited the title for 27 years during this period.

4. Empire Guardian: After being owned by two major non-media companies between 1977 and 1993, the Guardian acquired the Observer in 1993, fending off interest from Sir Anthony O’Reilly’s independent newspapers.

5. Sales tensions: Guardian management says the financial and editorial independence protections of the Scott Trust, which has owned the Guardian since 1936, do not extend to the Observer, paving the way for the arrival of Tortoise – but not before journalists from both sectors. securities strike in defense of its assets.