The latest target in Labour’s class warfare election campaign is the humble billionaire, with various MPs and outriders (looking at you, Owen) wheeled out in recent days to lay into the hyper-wealthy. This isn’t political rocket science. In a country where many people are struggling to get by and where there are relatively high levels […]
The UK’s tax code is incredibly long and complicated. We should not reasonably expect the average person to understand it. In fact, it’s so long and so complicated that it would be unfair to expect politicians to understand it all. However, it’s reasonable to expect the Shadow Business Secretary to have a decent grasp of […]
Car drivers often have a hard time of it. They have to pay numerous taxes when they buy their car, have it insured and fill it up with fuel. Nor for most people in the UK is it a luxury, but a necessity to get to and from work. However, cars do impose heavy costs […]
Much of the focus during the Democratic Party Presidential Primaries has been on the three frontrunners of Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders. Andrew Yang has had to battle for attention, though he has gained some ground thanks in part to a savvy social media campaign and the help of his very enthusiastic supporters. […]
This time last year the then prime minister and chancellor triumphantly declared that austerity was over. Philip Hammond, pointing to the fact that the Conservatives had managed to cut the deficit, claimed there was now room for a modest increase in public spending. What is more, with Sajid Javid making a raft of spending announcements, […]
As was widely predicted, we woke up this morning to the news that Thomas Cook has collapsed. The ramifications are certainly keenly felt, with 22,000 jobs at risk worldwide in jeopardy, of which 9,000 are in the UK. The company also currently has 600,000 customers on holiday. Among them are 150,000 Brits who will need […]
It seems that barely a week goes by without some scare story being published in the press about how AI and automation are going to lead to mass unemployment and a world without work. The Technology Trap by Carl Benedikt Frey is a refreshing corrective to some of this doom-mongering. Frey, an academic at the […]
Today marks 80 years since the UK and France declared war on Nazi Germany following the invasion of Poland. Much is rightly said about the heroism of our armed forces, and the doughty attitude of civilians. Perhaps less heralded is the way capitalism was instrumental in allowing the Allies to defeat the Nazis. The war […]
After a long summer without football, the return of the Premier League is nearly upon us. Although I’m not too optimistic about the prospects of Manchester United, I am much more sanguine about the fortunes of my fantasy team, Chicken Tikka Mo Salah. Just like millions of other people around the world, I have been […]
The arrival of a new prime minister and Cabinet is a great opportunity to introduce new policies which will boost economic growth and radically improve people’s quality of life. As well as helping steer through Brexit, the new Chancellor, Sajid Javid, must focus relentlessly on fixing one of the UK’s biggest economic issues – weak […]
It was a recent trip to Prague that really brought home the benefits of electric scooters. It’s a beautiful city, but one whose culinary offering seems to consist entirely of meat, bread and potatoes – the sort of fare that makes walking a chore, especially in the middle of a heatwave. My friends and I […]
It looks like Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell’s plans to nationalise energy network companies are already starting to have a negative impact on the economy. As the Financial Times reports, a £2 billion auction for Electricity North West has fallen through, with Labour’s policy cited as the reason. This follows on from shares in listed […]
British Steel is on its last legs. Given the huge amount of human suffering which will result if it does collapse, and the impact that this will have on the town of Scunthorpe, people are rightly concerned. The company has requested a £30m government bailout, in addition to the £100 million it borrowed back in […]
The House of Lords’ Economic Affairs Committee has released a report on HS2. It is a damning indictment of the whole sorry scheme, one which will come as no surprise to anybody who has been following the debacle over the past few years. The report, in what must be one of the greatest examples of […]
As you read this, I hope to be stood outside a pub, a pint of cider in my hand and the evening sunshine on my face enjoying the start of a long weekend. Many others will also be enjoying this moment. Millions use the bank holiday as an opportunity to travel, spend time with friends […]
Labour’s latest housing wheeze is a plan to scrap a scheme that allows office and industrial buildings to be converted into homes without planning permission. This will apparently put an end to “slum housing and rabbit hutch flats” and lead to housing becoming more affordable. Now, improving the quality of housing and making it more […]
With great fanfare, the climate group Extinction Rebellion has taken to the streets of London to demand more government action on climate change. The protesters plan to cause widespread disruption by blocking traffic, and they have threatened to escalate their direct action over the next few weeks. Despite the disruption, I do have some sympathy […]
The kings of Siam used to gift a white elephant to courtiers to whom they took a dislike. The elephants would be incredibly costly to maintain as they required special food and housing and it was illegal for the owner to sell them or to put them to work. What is more, the owner would […]
It’s that time again. In the early hours of Sunday morning, the clocks go forward by one hour as the country leaves Greenwich Mean Time and enters British Summer Time. As most of us get the time from our phones and computers, there is not much danger of being caught out by it and arriving […]
It’s allowed us to live longer At the beginning of the nineteenth century, no country on Earth had an average life expectancy of over 40 years. Thanks to improvements in healthcare and living standards brought about by capitalism, almost every country has an average life expectancy of over 70. Not only are we living much […]
