My Blog
For once, Humza Yousaf has set an example other politicians should follow
Humza Yousaf, the First Minister of Scotland, does not often attract plaudits. But last week he overrode the advice of
Tech is in turmoil – but there is an upside
The Greek god Chronos, known as Saturn to the Romans, was notorious for eating his own children. Something similar seems
Interest rates aren’t as influential as you think
Criticising the Bank of England has become fashionable in City circles. From persisting too long with quantitative easing, to completely
Ricardian Equivalence and why Britain’s really in a recession
News that we have entered a technical recession will come as no surprise to anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with
There’s a solution to dire public services: make our public sector more productive
Pre-election blows are being traded with increasing ferocity by both the main parties. Do the costs of Labour’s energy policies
Academics publishing pointless papers is another sign of a dire crisis in universities
Universities in the UK have received bad press in the past week or so. It was revealed that many of
Marriage: Romantics bemoan its demise but so should economists
The dramatic erosion of marriage in the UK is one of the key social changes of the late 20th and early
Port Talbot closure highlights uncomfortable truth about clinging onto the past
The decision by Tata Steel to shut the blast furnaces at the steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales, has provoked
They may be annoying, but Gen Z’s quarter life gap years are economically rational
Generation Z has been getting a lot of bad press recently. Allegations that they enjoy “quiet quitting” and boast of
A look at Germany shows the UK’s growth problem is not a Brexit phenomenon
We English are notoriously bad at languages. But, like magpies, rather than bothering to make the effort, we steal words
May Cameron’s Wellbeing Unit rest in peace, money can buy happiness after all
Last month, the government announced that the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, set up with great fanfare by David Cameron
Tougher borders won’t stop Britain from being overwhelmed by illegal migration
Last weekend, at his meeting with the Italian prime minister Georgia Meloni, Rishi Sunak claimed migrants were threatening to “overwhelm” countries
The vast social costs of Covid lockdowns are clear, so why is the inquiry silent?
The liberal establishment appears to remain wedded to a narrow and blinkered view of the Covid pandemic and its consequences.
Seven years on, we need to finally stop blaming Brexit – just look at the numbers
Two quite contradictory messages have been given about Brexit over the past few days or so. First, Makoto Uchida, the
We can’t subsidise or incentivise away the pain of a transition to renewable energy
The Scottish Nationalist Party has become notorious for their inconsistency. The latest example is its hapless health minister, Michael Matheson,
Sluggish global growth cannot be an excuse for Britain ignoring opportunities
With Labour currently looking to win the next election by a mile, the centre-left think tank the Institute for Public
From Alison Rose to water exec bonuses, massive payouts are killing productivity
The last week has been momentous on various fronts. The decision by the NatWest board to scrap £7.6m of former
Brits are afraid of failure, and the flop of WeWork will deter future entrepreneurs
The conviction of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, on multiple charges of massive fraud last week throws
We’re fighting over-regulation with yet more regulations in an insane spiral
The policy of the Welsh government to impose a 20mph speed limit in towns and villages across the country has
If economic experts wield political power, we’ll get dragged into fiscal groupthink
Even before the double win in last week’s by-elections, Labour was behaving like a government-in-waiting. Apparently the party has begun
