Responding to Nick Clegg’s speech on growth today, Mark Littlewood, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “Nick … Continue reading “Clegg’s growth plans remarkably unambitious”

Responding to the Prime Minister’s speech on public service reform today, Mark Littlewood, Director General at the IEA, said that … Continue reading “PM’s reforms will never be achieved while excessive spending on state monopolies remains”

Responding to today’s rise in VAT, Prof Philip Booth, Editorial and Programme Director at the IEA, said that the move … Continue reading “VAT rise is bad economics, further spending cuts are needed to get deficit down”

The Prime Minister is, apparently, intending to introduce a “Fiscal Responsibility Act” to tackle Britain’s scandalously bad public sector finances. … Continue reading “Public spending cuts will be very painful”

What’s the easiest way for a government to push their country into the top ten in a worldwide ranking of … Continue reading “From an inflation-fuelled state-run economy to an overregulated high-tax economy”

The debate on the future of public spending is a developing one, with Gordon Brown finally being forced to use … Continue reading “Public spending: does it matter what politicians say?”

The Institute of Directors and the Taxpayers’ Alliance have just produced a report on cutting public spending by £50billion. The … Continue reading “£50 billion of spending cuts: a good start”

Fuel duty rose by 2p this week, the third increase in the last ten months. Governments tend to view petrol … Continue reading “Fuel duty: the hidden costs”

Gordon Brown recently signalled a shift in public policy away from performance targets and towards entitlements. He argued we should … Continue reading “The entitlement to be selfish”