My Blog
Spring Statement: Reeves should abolish the OBR
By strengthening the OBR, Reeves has created severe difficulties for herself. Vital decisions about our economic future should be made
The bond markets must not be allowed block defence spending
The Treasury has pledged an extra £2bn for UK exporters to secure overseas defence orders. The Germans are funding increased
If crises are the test of a nation, Western Europe is failing
The financial crisis and the pandemic have shown how Western Europe deals with crises. And it’s not pretty, writes Paul
What ever happened to levelling up?
Levelling up has all but disappeared from the government’s agenda. That’s a big mistake for growth, writes Paul Ormerod Later
The West has been free riding on US defence spending
Western nations have been free riders on American defence spending for decades. We shouldn’t be surprised Trump is now calling
I’m sorry Ed Miliband, your big green energy plan is all fantasy
Ed Miliband’s green vision is admirable, but the history of energy consumption shows it is all but a fantasy, writes
Yes, AI will wipe out some jobs. But this is the story of progress
AI will inevitably make some jobs redundant, but the benefits to society are far worth it, writes Paul Ormerod The
Starmer must remember humans respond to incentives, not rules
Rules are important to any civilised society, but Starmer has forgotten that humans respond far better to incentives, writes Paul
Reeves has placed an uncertainty premium on the British economy
Rachel Reeves promised to restore economic stability, but the outcome of her various actions has been to increase uncertainty, says
Forget the big infrastructure projects, SMEs are the key to unlocking growth
Dear Chancellor, forget the big infrastructure projects. Boosting the productivity of SMEs is the key to growth, writes Paul Ormerod
Lessons from the Gulag? Enemies of the people had entrepreneurial spirit
A recent study mapping the link between gulags and regional growth in Russia can teach us something about reviving our
Recent Conservative governments have been more left wing than Attlee
Here’s a Christmas quiz: Which has been Britain’s most left-wing government? According to Paul Ormerod, it’s not the one you
It may already be too late for Labour
The popularity of the Labour party has plunged since the election, and history tells that once a certain narrative has
It’s time for England to stop subsidising Scotland and Wales
The devolved nations are living on another planet economically because England essentially pays for their deficits. This has to stop,
It’s not as easy to count the number of ‘working people’ as you might think
How many people are employed in the UK today? This is not just a question in a pub quiz for
Office for Value for Money: Can more bureaucracy really improve productivity?
The public sector’s productivity record is abysmal, and Rachel Reeves’ new Office for Value for Money shows she knows it.
Investment can boost growth – if it comes with technological progress
The need to boost the UK’s rate of economic growth was a central theme of the first budget delivered by
How will the bond markets react to the Budget?
For all the government’s promises of stability and hoped-for reductions in interest rates, UK yields on government bonds are now,
Borrowing to invest is all very well but what about value for money?
The precise contents of the budget are still secret. But a widely trailed theme is that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves,
Will carbon capture work? Nobody knows – and that’s the problem
The government confirmed this month the funding for the UK’s first carbon capture sites. The technology, it is claimed, captures
