Over the Christmas week, CapX is republishing its favourite pieces from the past year. You can find the full list here. “I have not a shadow of a doubt that William Shakespeare would have voted to remain,” writes Chris Bryant, in a piece of sustained click-bait. The Euro-fanatical Labour MP was aiming to needle, and he […]
For some people, capitalism and Christmas are natural enemies. Christmas, after all, is the season of goodwill and good cheer. The time when penny-pinching money-minded misers like Ebenezer Scrooge learn a valuable lesson about the power of kindness and compassion. And also the time when millions of families engage in a wanton act of value […]
“All right … but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us.” So ended the infamous argument in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian”. And the same could be asked of experts. What have they ever done […]
2016 has become a thing. You may think this only fitting; a dismal trend at the end of a deplorable year. That, at any rate, appears to be the consensus opinion. You hear people say, “That’s so very 2016” and they don’t mean you to think “Oh, that must be nice. I’m happy for you.” […]
These are disturbing times for those of us who believe in free-market economics. After more than three decades in which the West has been governed by regimes claiming adherence to the principles of the market, the economy is locked into “secular stagnation” and massively in debt – and the public is in the process of […]
One of the big themes of 2016 has been an increasing concern about automation – the idea that robots are going to steal all our jobs. So to put minds to rest this festive season, let me say that, yes, robots are indeed going to steal all our jobs. And it’s going to be absolutely […]
It happens the same way each time. Families, couples and friends strolling and laughing. The chatter and patter of street vendors, the delicious curling aromas of confectionery and cooked meat. A communal sense of relaxation and a happy holiday vibe: people switching off from all the stresses and strains of their lives, if only for […]
“In the long run, we are all dead,” said Keynes. But growing longevity means the long run is happening later and later. The fact that each generation is outlasting the next is obviously good news. But it also creates a horrendous problem for our governments. Recently, for example, the UK’s Office of Budget Responsibility ignited […]
In Aleppo, Bashar al-Assad reasserted control over the city of Aleppo in the most bloody and brutal way possible. In the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte admitted to personally killing criminal suspects. In Washington, Barack Obama confirmed that Vladimir Putin had meddled in America’s election – but as in Syria, seemed powerless to actually do anything about […]
On New Year’s Day, I wrote a piece for CapX entitled “Sixteen Reasons to be cheerful about 2016”. Some of those reasons were general (poverty would fall, average IQ would rise) and some were tied to specific forecasts (driverless cars would move from the labs to the roads, Britain would vote to leave the EU). […]
The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has responded to the latest wave of Southern Rail strikes by generously offering to take control of the line himself, through Transport for London. Today I’ve offered to put a senior @TfL team in immediate control of #southernrail as an emergency measure to end the chaos for commuters. — Mayor […]
What should Britain’s trade policy be after Brexit? Recent coverage has focused – inevitably – on the nature of our ultimate deal with the European Union, or our prospects of signing individual agreements with this country or that one. But there is a bigger opportunity here – one that has the prospect of enriching not […]
Back in May, I wrote about the heart-breaking descent of Venezuela from relative prosperity into socialist destitution. The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Latin American nation should serve as a warning to everyone – don’t try this at home! Yet socialism is very much alive in the least likely place – Chile. Chile, the poster […]
It’s the story of a society in which democracy descends into tribalism and tyranny. One of a civilisation built by those committed to the rule of law who turn on each other, scapegoating the marginalised and powerless. Ultimately, it’s a reminder of a human barbarism lying just beneath the fragile veneer of decency. Sound familiar? […]
“Prisons have become unacceptably violent and dangerous places”, was the warning given by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke in his annual report on the state of the country’s jails earlier this year. Total assaults have risen 64 per cent since 2012 and inmate suicides are now averaging one every three days. Riots are […]
It is an article of faith among politicians, and among teachers, that every child in Britain has the potential to succeed. But the thing is, we don’t really believe it. Otherwise we would be scandalised by the latest PISA test results, rather than just resigned. These results showed – as they do year after year […]
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