David Cameron and Tony Blair have been busy in the weekend papers giving their take on the state of our society and the causes of the riots. The Prime Minister had a prescriptive list of ills and potential actions. Blair was essentially defending New Labour’s social legacy. The truth is that both Labour and Tory […]
The continuing inability of the politicians in the Euro zone to come forward with timely proposals for fiscal integration is not just something that spooks markets. A currency without proper control will eventually cripple both the banking system and the markets in which the currency is used. Thus Euro zone banks are thought to be […]
The Sunday media has reports of various senior police chiefs expressing their views on government policy. Irrespective of whether we think government policy on policing, riots or whatever, is right or wrong, we know it is wrong for police to become involved in political debate. This must stop. Having made that point, it is indeed true […]
Cameron has earned himself some points. Neither May nor Clegg appeared to have a clue, until the Prime Minister arrived back from holiday. Then the tide began to turn. His leadership, which has been tainted by u-turns and poor judgement over Coulson and Libya, is now shown in a much bolder and decisive light. We […]
The violence, destruction and looting, in London mainly, but other cities too, is terrifying to the law abiding and the innocent. The government, having turned its back on the whole thing with a few unctuous comments about ‘keeping in touch by phone’ is now returned hot foot from holiday and working. It will need to […]
So, it has happened. Americans, especially the government, will not see it this way, but this may turn out to be a good thing. For too long the United States has followed a financial policy that is potentially ruinous. Spending up to twice your income and borrowing the rest. Always the mantra is that you […]
Yesterday saw the biggest losses on world stock markets since the crash. The truths are slowly dawning that too much has been borrowed to be repaid, you cannot spend your way out of trouble, Europe has a currency but no coherent policy to manage or secure it, America is in cuckoo land arguing about the […]
Watch this space. An important post is in preparation overnight and will be published early in the morning August 5th BST.
The completely dysfunctional energy market controlled by speculators is one of the most spectacularly poor outcomes of privatisation and deregulation. Added to well meaning, but over zealous efforts of the green lobby to reduce energy consumption, there is now a burden of spiraling costs on every household and business, acting as a very real brake on […]
The problem with our piecemeal taxation regime is that it does not provide an effective rudder to steer the economy at times of stress. Had the government had the guts to reform it to a single rate of income tax, as a constituent part of three linked but flexible core elements of taxation, income,vat and personal allowances, it […]