My Blog
Beware those who’d lock us down and throw away the key
Rather like dedicated Remainers, pro-lockdown enthusiasts never seem to give up. Their ardour will have been fuelled by leaks over
Cash for Covid? Cash for jabs makes far more sense
As the snow fell on Sunday, I almost expected a Cabinet minister to address the nation that very evening: “Don’t
Decentralising the NHS could be a game-changer for the UK’s future health
The NHS is a highly centralised organisation. During the Covid crisis, policy decisions have been made at the top and then
Our tech advances are difficult for productivity stats to compute
One of the most depressing aspects of the decade of the 2010s, well before Covid-19 struck, was the apparently very
Covid-19 has shown it is time to invest in Britain’s scientists
Let’s start the New Year with a very positive point. The speed of scientific innovation seems to be accelerating sharply.
The Government scientists’ credibility is shot to pieces
Imagine. No, not the silly childish song by John Lennon. Imagine there were no vaccines available. What would Matt Hancock,
Economics has a lesson for Remainers and lockdown-lovers who refuse to let facts change their minds
Christmas is a time to be charitable. So let’s spare a thought for those who fought against the referendum result.
Hurrah for a vaccine — but was lockdown actually worth it?
The development of the vaccines has changed many things. It has even influenced the opinion of the Prince of Lockdown
Economics lessons from history: Don’t expect a post-Covid boom
Just over 200 years ago, the finances of the British government looked even more parlous than they do today. Since
Want people to get the Covid vaccine? Pay them
The vaccines seem to be coming thick and fast. The task now is to ensure that enough people get them
It is science, not lockdowns, that will save the world
The various new vaccines announced over the past two weeks give real hope of a return to normal life. Of
The public are not to blame for the second lockdown
Justice secretary Robert Buckland last week blamed the public for England’s new lockdown. In particular, the fault was with people
Lockdown 2.0: A creative destruction revolution, or the death knell of innovation?
So Boris Johnson has failed to follow his own government’s guidelines on cost-benefit appraisal. Study after study by economists show
Forget the polls endorsing lockdowns and look at how people actually behave
Economics is at long last storming the bastions of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). This citadel of epidemiologists
The government must take back control of the Covid narrative
The word “narrative” is usually seen as being a posh way of saying “story”. But the idea of narratives is
Heavy-handed Westminster diktats have eroded trust — now only localised Covid policy can restore it
Last month, the official group of scientific advisers — SAGE — warned the government that only a quarter of those
Following the science? This government lacks a basic grasp of the scientific method
Verification and validation. It is hard to imagine a more nerdy phrase. But it is, in essence, how science makes
And this week’s winner for the Stupid Scientist award is…
Scepticism about the advice given by government scientists about Covid-19 is rising sharply. In areas like Bolton infections are high.
Incentives are a better way to tackle Covid-19 than blanket lockdowns
A great deal of government policy during the Covid crisis has involved regulation. Given a choice, economists usually prefer to
Coronavirus fatality rates are way down – why has the government not taken this on board?
King Canute has had a bad press. The monarch sat on the beach on his throne with the deliberate intention