The Cuba myth

Kristian Niemietz
21 June 2019
Government and Institutions

The Cuba myth

Last week, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell gave a speech at the Rail and Maritime Transport (RMT) Union’s “Garden Party for Cuba” event, attended, among other luminaries, by the Cuban ambassador. McDonnell made the following pledge: “We’re here in solidarity with the Cuban revolution […] I want to say this to our Cuban comrades. When […] ... Continue reading
Kristian Niemietz
21 June 2019
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Scrap the porn laws, and keep the government out of our sex lives

21 June 2019
Society and Culture

Scrap the porn laws, and keep the government out of our sex lives

Kate Andrews writes for City A.M.

"They say once is a coincidence, twice is an accident, three times is a pattern" and as the government delays introducing the so-call 'Porn Laws' for a third time, Kate Andrews, Associate Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, argues they should use the delay as an opportunity to reconsider. Kate argues the new laws, which ... Continue reading
21 June 2019
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A reply to the British Medical Journal

Christopher Snowdon
20 June 2019
Regulation

A reply to the British Medical Journal

When the BBC reported last month that Arron Banks had given £450,000 to Nigel Farage, I tweeted ironically: “So now we know why Mr Farage keeps banging on about leaving the EU. He’s been funded by a notorious Eurosceptic”. As should be obvious, the joke here is that everybody knows that Nigel Farage has been ... Continue reading
Christopher Snowdon
20 June 2019
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The myth of Cuban socialism

19 June 2019
Society and Culture

The myth of Cuban socialism

Kristian Niemietz writes for CapX

The Left is still exercising ambiguity on Cuba, writes Kristian Niemietz for CapX. This week, John McDonnell gave a speech at a "Garden Party for Cuba", proclaiming them socialist comrades, despite two weeks ago suggesting Cuba, Venezuela, and the former Soviet Union were "never socialism". Kristian notes that while most socialist experiments go through three ... Continue reading
19 June 2019
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Forcing companies to put false information on alcohol is a definite no-no

19 June 2019
Lifestyle Economics

Forcing companies to put false information on alcohol is a definite no-no

Christopher Snowdon quoted in The Sun

Alcohol will be required to carry warnings about the dangers of boozing according to plans set out by the Labour Party. Chris Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, is quoted in The Sun arguing against the move, saying “most adults don’t need scary stickers on the side of a pint ... Continue reading
19 June 2019
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Market failure arguments are a poor guide to policy

Ryan Bourne
19 June 2019
Economic Theory

Market failure arguments are a poor guide to policy

“Market failure” is constantly used by capitalism’s critics as justification for government spending, taxes and regulation. In policy areas ranging from schooling to the consumption of sugary drinks, claims that uncontrolled markets fail to achieve socially optimal outcomes empower advocates of various government policies to argue that intervention is economically necessary and beneficial. Yet there is a ... Continue reading
Ryan Bourne
19 June 2019
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ITV’s decision to ban all-male comedy writing teams is a mistake

18 June 2019
Labour Market

ITV’s decision to ban all-male comedy writing teams is a mistake

Kate Andrews writes for The Spectator

ITV's decision to ban all-male writing teams is "virtue-signalling" which will do nothing to improve the treatment of women on writing roles and women's' representation in comedy, argues Kate Andrews, IEA Associate Director. Writing for The Spectator, Kate argues that while ITV is free to do as it pleases in its writing rooms - the ... Continue reading
18 June 2019
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UK’s illicit cannabis market worth £2.5bn

17 June 2019
Lifestyle Economics

UK’s illicit cannabis market worth £2.5bn

IEA research quoted in the Independent

As police officers discover £3m of marijuana in a disused bingo hall in Northamptonshire, a light is being shone on the illegal cannabis market. The Independent quoted research from the Institute of Economic Affairs which estimated the UK's illicit cannabis market to be worth £2.5bn a year. 'Joint Venture', published in June 2018, aimed to ... Continue reading
17 June 2019
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We need a tax system that rewards enterprise and productivity

17 June 2019
Tax and Fiscal Policy

We need a tax system that rewards enterprise and productivity

Mark Littlewood writes for The Times

Britain's tax burden as a proportion of national income is at its highest for almost fifty years so - however Brexit is resolved - the next prime minister will need to address it, argues Mark Littlewood, IEA Director-General, in his fortnightly column for The Times newspaper. Mark highlights the presentational issue with tax cuts - ... Continue reading
17 June 2019
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Scrap the free TV licence – and scrap the TV licence

Philip Booth
17 June 2019
Welfare

Scrap the free TV licence – and scrap the TV licence

On Question Time last week, the issue of the restriction of television licences to over-75s was raised. Nobody spoke in favour of the decision. This is a triumph of special interests over rationality or justice – a problem that was predicted to occur as the population ages in various IEA publications. Let us put aside ... Continue reading
Philip Booth
17 June 2019
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