My Blog
An information campaign on energy usage would have made a lot of economic sense
The prime minister’s apparent veto of a plan to persuade people to use less energy this winter has stirred up
Our politicians must wake up to the public debt effect
In a novel by C.P. Snow, a physicist turned author who served as science minister under Harold Wilson in the
Low tax regimes only matter as much as their longevity
The tax breaks will, we were told, include 100 per cent relief from business rates on newly occupied business premises,
We’re hardwired to accept bumper salaries for sports stars but not our City bankers
In a bid to prove her free market credentials – and those of her chancellor – Liz Truss has widely
Strikes are a part of the bargaining process but many current jobs are on their way out
Orgreave in South Yorkshire holds a special place in the memory of the British trade union movement. It was there
How Truss pays for her plan for energy prices is just as important as what she does
Our new prime minister already has a long list of detractors. Yet something many are failing to take notice of
Our scientists were given responsibility in the pandemic but no public accountability
Last week, Rishi Sunak rehashed old wounds and stirred up more controversy over lockdowns during the height of the pandemic.
Spiralling energy prices are a powerful lesson for our future plans for green power
For most politicians and commentators, green taxes are firmly established as an unequivocally Good Thing. True, Liz Truss has called
Britain’s waistline won’t be slimmed by sugar taxes – they could even make it worse
Britain has an obesity problem – and it’s getting worse. According to a report from the King’s Fund think tank,
As we look back on pandemic mistakes, we need to count livelihoods in our losses
Ministers don’t need to face the inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic until next spring, the chair of the probe, Heather
It’s hot, sure but we don’t need the health bureaucrats to tell us to open the windows
Phew, What A Scorcha! No, not a tabloid headline from this week, but from 1976. As many have pointed out
Politicians and voters must learn that every policy has a cost and an impact on growth
The runners and riders battling for leadership of the Conservative Party are setting out their stalls. Tax, lockdown, defence and
Universities follow perverse incentive models out of touch with the labour market
The days tick by to the summer ritual of the announcement of A-level results. Yet panic is already spreading among
Central banks have fooled themselves into thinking they have power over inflation
The failures of central banks around the world to anticipate and control the current upsurge in inflation are now apparent
We’re not reliving the 1970s yet, but today’s decisions will keep us out or drag us back
At the end of June 1975, the weather was hotting up. Indeed, August of that year proved to be the
Scotland needs to abandon its dream world and realise what independence truly means
A week away in Scotland’s Hebrides islands was good for the soul. But a upon my return, there was another
A windfall tax raised by a money-hungry government will scare off our businesses
Rishi Sunak’s windfall tax on energy firms – what he called a “temporary targeted profits levy” – has gone down
As Johnson squirms, his party must remember the roots of Conservatives values
Boris Johnson’s government now has a penchant for embracing policies which, to many, have a distinctively non-conservative feel. High taxes,
Many lessons can be learned from drink driving and smoking laws to tackle obesity
Obesity has been a hot topic over the past week. The government announced it would delay its plan to implement
As we resume our life back to normal, the costs of lockdowns become painfully clear
The enormous costs of a policy of strict lockdowns – identified and predicted by many economists in the summer of