Work is one of the most effective routes out of poverty. As well as providing income, being in work improves self-esteem and physical and mental health. Work is an all-round good thing, and this Government and the last have made it a driving force for welfare reforms. This week, for example, the Government announced new funding […]
Extending the length of human life has long held a natural fascination for us all. Arguably our earliest surviving work of literature, “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, dating back to 2100BC, tells of the search by the King of Uruk for the secret of eternal life. Since the Industrial Revolution, we have seen lifespan increase dramatically, with life […]
In October 2007, having resigned earlier that year as Prime Minister, Tony Blair gave a speech at Blenheim Palace in which he said: The real dividing line to think of in modern politics has less to do with traditional positions of right versus left, and more to do today, with what I would call the […]
Ever since the Conservative Party set a target to reduce net migration into the UK, there has been a lively debate about whether overseas students should be included in these immigration statistics. The Home Office – looking both at the magnitude of student immigration (over 400,000 foreign students were studying in the UK in 2014/15), […]
There was shock, horror and protest today as an investigation by the Press Association told us that the Government’s plans for the UK’s flood defences are skewed towards wealthy families and regions. The loudest criticism came from the Green MP Caroline Lucas, who announced: “It’s simply wrong for richer areas to get more protection than […]
After the referendum result this summer, the Government signalled its intention to reduce the number of overseas students studying in the UK. In July, shortly after Theresa May became Prime Minister, Government sources revealed their intention to “restrict visas” in order to meet the net migration target. Then at the Conservative Party Conference earlier, international students became […]
No one will ever abolish boom and bust. Not while human beings are driving the business cycle. So our reaction when the inevitable downturn comes is important. This past recession shows the value of the neoliberal – Thatcherite even – insistence on a flexible labour market. For when GDP dropped so did productivity – rather than employment. The Sheffield Political Economy […]
These are turbulent times for the UK – and for banks. International banking is probably more affected by Brexit than any other sector – it is our biggest export industry far, it gets its rules and right to serve cross-border from the EU, and it is internationally mobile. Fortunately, our banking sector weathered the initial […]
For some years the government has talked a good game on infrastructure, but the actual playing has been conspicuously absent. In no case has this been more conspicuous than at Heathrow. It was back in January 2009, nearly eight years ago, that Geoff Hoon (remember him?) announced that the government supported the construction of a […]
In 2006, exploration in Brazil’s Campos Basin discovered pre-salt, an ultra-deep geological layer known to harbour high-grade oil. The announcement was greeted with euphoria. Politicians said the discovery would launch a new era for the country. The former president, Lula da Silva, described the pre-salt layer as a “winning ticket” for Brazilians. Now, ten years later, […]
It was always a matter of when, not if, the attention of the media would turn to the future of the financial services sector after the UK leaves the EU. Will Brexit make no difference, or will the loss of the EU financial services passport – which allows UK-headquartered firms to do business across the […]
Having been sent sprawling after an “altercation” with his Ukip colleagues, Steven Woolfe has landed a knockout blow of his own. The surprise departure of the runaway favourite to succeed Nigel Farage has tipped Ukip – already in a state of disarray after the Diane James fiasco – into full-blown crisis. Woolfe attributes his departure to the […]
As even the dimmest bear may now understand, referendums do not settle debates. They simply move them on. They differ significantly from ordinary elections, in which the game is refereed according to long-understood rules and regulations. Even if, as in 2010, the result initially appears inconclusive, precedent offers a path through the electoral thicket. And, […]
Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban seems to have mastered the art of creating controversy. On October 2, Hungarians voted in a referendum on the European Union’s planned relocation of refugees around the bloc, a move described in Brussels as a way to offer solidarity in the wake of an unprecedented number of people reaching Europe […]
“The British people didn’t vote to make Britain poorer,” said Phillip Hammond of Brexit recently. Sounds fair. People won’t drink the potion unless they have reason to think it will do them good. But here’s the trouble. When will we know if Brexit is good or bad for us? Is it even possible to know? […]
Theresa May has barely had time to draw breath given recent events, but it is one of the curiosities of her government that, of all its priorities, we probably know the least about the direction of her economic policy. It’s not a totally blank canvas. The Prime Minister has made clear that she wants an […]
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