There is a bit of a blitz this weekend from the Downing Street machine talking up the government’s determination to fulfil its mandate to reform and renew our country. Nobody doubts the good intentions. But the public, according to opinion polls, the majority, are now wondering whether Starmer can deliver. Neither does anyone doubt the […]
Initially it seemed to most people, certainly to me, that the new government was on the right track, but because Labour had been out of power for 14 years, it was politically rather clumsy and insensitive. The national insurance rise, the fuel allowance, the farmers and their death duties all came across as attacking the […]
Not only is there now an exchange of missiles between Russia and Ukraine, but also a war of words about them and what might come next. This is a moment to step back and take stock. As regular readers know I have been against this war from the very beginning, because the end would never […]
Labour has made a mess of its farming inheritance tax idea. It is has backfired badly. At a time when the major priority should be to maximise home production of foods of all kinds, there should be a coherent plan to do so, with an enthused and re-energised farming community on side. Instead, the small […]
Welby was right to resign as Archbishop. Nobody could possibly support his earlier decision to stay on or believe his assertions he did not know years ago exactly what Smyth was up to and what went on in those youth camps when he, Welby, was present. Unfortunately this latest drama in the public life of […]
Money is what any economy is about. Because who has it and what it is used for shapes not only the social structure but also the destiny of the nation. Some countries exercise control of all the financial levers which determine the shape of their economic model and, as already discussed in a previous post, […]
There was a time when debt was considered to be not a good thing. But times have very much changed. Now debt is so much a part of the economic structure that it almost operates as a second currency. Not only is the government in debt, borrowing is also the foundation of business. It is […]
What is money? It is not a thing. It is a measure. It measures values of all economic activity including services, labour, assets, goods, skills, knowledge. This list is another seemingly endless recital. But the key element is that, like centimetres or grams, without something to measure, it has no value in itself. In past […]
Great Britain, as it was then mostly known, was the leader of the industrial revolution. We assembled the largest empire in the history of the world, out of our ability to build ships and railways and every single component of both manufacturing and consumption. Self sufficiency and independence were a given. Now, manufacturing accounts for […]
My holiday from blogging and writing generally is coming to an end. It seems the right moment. Renewal is the political buzz word now. A new government has brought a change of mood. Relief at one level, but anger at another. Public morale is lifted by Olympic medals but is dampened by the realisation that […]