Statistics may be dull, but they serve an important role as the enemy of public health zealots. These killjoys often believe that even just one person being harmed is enough to justify any number of bans, even when the most basic of calculations can challenge them. Recently, I was invited onto BBC Sunday Morning Live […]
The absurdity of Labour’s private school tax raid is finally getting the attention it warrants following the publication of Keir Starmer’s ‘first steps’. A policy which amounts to an act of class war, it simply serves to show what we can expect from a Labour government – one that dances to the tune of equality […]
At a time when the Conservative Party seems to have succumbed to ban-hungry, tax-heavy social democracy, it can be difficult to have any real enthusiasm for the legacy the Tories will leave on Britain’s political landscape. The Conservative Party – once a powerhouse of freedom – seems withered, desperately chasing ideas that won’t work. The […]
Our strict approach to Covid seems to have emboldened a class of public health policymakers who dedicate their lives to running all of ours. Just weeks after the Prime Minister announced his ban on disposable vapes, rumours are spreading that Labour are considering a manifesto pledge of banning energy drinks for under-16s. Consumed by wanting […]
‘Won’t somebody PLEASE think of the children?’ From gambling to smoking or alcohol, public health lobbyists consistently use the threat of harm to young people to make the case for prohibitionist policies. But how much evidence is there that adult vices are bad for children? Let’s start with gambling. In a 2018 study into the […]
Education is set to be a major dividing line at the next election, with Labour painting a Dickensian picture of underfunded state schools filled with starving children and rickety desks, and the Conservatives seeking to reform A levels. Both sides are missing the point. The biggest problem with our schools isn’t funding or exams, but […]
As the Government’s gambling white paper consultations come to a close, it is crucial that all Conservative MPs remind themselves what being conservative is all about. Before regulating anything, conservatives should be asking themselves what the precise problem is they are trying to solve, and the exact scope of the harm they want to address. […]
