Peter Mandelson was the European Trade Commissioner from 2004 to 2008. You might expect him to know a thing or … Continue reading “In praise of naked trade”

According to “The Upshot” column in the New York Times, there’s a problem with cheap goods that needs fixing. It’s … Continue reading “There is nothing wrong with falling prices”

Commenting on the Labour Party’s leaked manifesto, Julian Jessop, Chief Economist at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “The Labour Party’s manifesto includes delusional … Continue reading “Labour’s manifesto pledges would add at least £40bn to public spending”

The Nanny State Index is a league table of the worst places in the European Union to eat, drink, smoke … Continue reading “The Nanny State Index 2017”

‘Until 1914’, wrote the historian A.J.P. Taylor, ‘a sensible, law-abiding Englishmen could pass through life and hardly notice the existence … Continue reading “The Nanny State Index – whatever happened to ‘liberal Britain’”

Commenting on Labour’s funding pledge via corporation tax hikes,  Julian Jessop, Chief Economist at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “Labour’s … Continue reading “Labour’s plan for higher business taxes “a big step backwards””

A league table of nanny state regulation puts Britain at the number two spot as the second most meddlesome country … Continue reading “UK is second worst country in the EU for nanny state interference”

At its April 2017 face-to-face meeting, the Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (SMPC) voted by seven to two, to raise Bank … Continue reading “SMPC votes seven / two to raise Bank Rate in May”

How can we judge whether Brexit has been worth it by, say, 2020? That has been a question doing the … Continue reading “What would count as a ‘successful’ Brexit?”