How can we make sense of the political realignment taking place in the United Kingdom? In one of the very … Continue reading “How can we make sense of the political realignment taking place in the United Kingdom?”

The Equal Pay Day campaign is has had huge success. Not in closing the gender pay gap, but in terrifying … Continue reading “The Equal Pay Day campaign is proving successful – in unnecessarily terrifying women”

I recently ventured to Athens for this year’s Atlas European Liberty Forum conference, which brings together free market groups, not … Continue reading “Tried-and-failed plan to nationalise energy in the UK is a step backwards”

Bad data cannot produce good policy. This gets us to the heart of the problem with the mandated gender pay … Continue reading “Gender pay gaps are not the result of discrimination”

Summary Now into the second year of mandated gender pay gap reporting for large organisations, it has become increasingly clear … Continue reading “The Gender Pay Gap Reporting Measures: 2019 Update”

Is highlighting the failures of socialist Venezuela nothing more than political point-scoring? That seems to be the new accusation levelled … Continue reading “Is highlighting the failures of socialist Venezuela nothing more than political point-scoring?”

The morning I turned eight, I woke up and told my father that I was “halfway there”. This, in my … Continue reading “Will 2019 be the year we halt the march of the Nanny State? I won’t hold my breath”

The UK’s advertising watchdog has said it will ban “gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or … Continue reading “Today’s attack on advertising is a veiled attack on free speech”

I can only assume that Netflix is bidding for rights to Brexit: The Saga. You might as well download the past 48 … Continue reading “While Brexit stands still, the rest of the world keeps turning”

I’ve heard it said – often by advocates of social justice campaigns like the #MeToo movement – that we should … Continue reading “Civil society is giving our killjoy government a run for its money”

More good news for women: according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the gender pay gap in the UK … Continue reading “Faulty gender pay gap stats mask the very real progress made by women”

Canada has just taken the bold step of legalising recreational cannabis – making it the largest country in the world with … Continue reading “Britain should follow the example of North America and say, “Yes we cannabis!””

Last year’s Conservative party conference marked a change in tone for the Prime Minister and her relationship with the free … Continue reading “It’s time the Conservatives matched free market rhetoric to policies”

David Lewis is ramping up a food fight of epic proportions. The chief executive of Tesco has launched a spin-off chain of … Continue reading “A price war is the opposite of a trade war – and consumers will be the winners”

I don’t remember the last time I saw a six-year-old queuing for a cappuccino in Pret. Nor have I ever … Continue reading “Energy drinks – yet again, the government is jumping on the ‘banned’ wagon”

We have been reminded once again that classically liberal arguments don’t pass muster in our debates anymore. It is advisable to either … Continue reading “Virtue-signaling is not unique to the left”

I was asked on a podcast this week if capitalism and communism can co-exist. The short answer is, yes: capitalism … Continue reading “We are capitalists – you’re welcome!”

It may no longer be just parents and children that face “naming and shaming” when it comes to childhood obesity. … Continue reading “Keep the nanny state out of our schools”

Last week, a statue of Millicent Fawcett has been erected in Westminster, to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of (some) women … Continue reading “Millicent Fawcett was a classical liberal. She would have abhorred today’s trendy victimhood feminism”

Will there ever be a sum of money that satisfies the demands of the UK’s public services? It’s hard to … Continue reading “Government spending is around 40% of GDP. If that is not enough to eradicate child poverty – how much is?”

Summary: Despite an influx of new gender pay gap data – ranging from negative gaps, to gaps exceeding 60% – … Continue reading “The Gender Pay Gap Reporting Measures”

“I don’t want to grow up and not be paid the same as a man,” Charlotte Usher told the Victoria … Continue reading “Stop telling girls they’ll be victims, and focus on the success of working women”

Our concept of a “public servant” goes far beyond the official definition. In the US, to some extent, and much … Continue reading “As long as taxpayers are forced to foot the bill, the state has a duty to keep costs tolerable”

Jeremy Corbyn’s rise in popularity has gone hand-in-hand with an increased focus on inequality – a word that, these days, … Continue reading “Populists have hijacked the concept of ‘inequality’ for their own political aims”

Wednesday’s news that 16,000 first-time buyers have saved thousands of pounds thanks to their exemption from stamp duty is, on … Continue reading “Put aside the gimmicks and get the government out of our lives”

Summary:  While the official gender pay gap figure is 9.1% for full-time workers, the pay gap between men and women … Continue reading “The Gender Pay Gap: A Briefing”

The NHS is failing. No, this isn’t some attempt to “Americanise” the UK’s healthcare system. The US is the only … Continue reading “The NHS keeps failing. Social insurance systems keep succeeding”

The new mantra of the people is “tax more, spend more”, at least according to the British Social Attitudes 2017 … Continue reading “People have forgotten the perils of Big Government”

Reading through each manifesto, it quickly became apparent that all of the parties are offering up some variation of the … Continue reading “Have UK political parties run out of original ideas, or are they too afraid to put forward new ones?”

From today onward, big companies are now being forced to calculate and publish their ‘pay gap stats’. It’s unclear how … Continue reading “Three nails in the coffin of new ‘pay gap reporting’ measures”

Every once in a while, an idea turns from captivating to dominating – pushing all others into the back seat, … Continue reading “Scotland’s main problems are homemade. With or without independence, they need to clean up their act”

Anything can happen when faith comes under fire. Take the classic tale of Peter the Apostle, who denied Christ three … Continue reading “Theresa May is scared to admit that the unreformed NHS is crumbling around her”

I should not have let my optimistic side get the better of me. 2016 may be behind us, but its … Continue reading “Optimism Dashed: Reality of housing white paper is all politics, no economics”

Many politicians use the UK’s cost of living crisis as a talking point, but Javid’s blueprint for a new housing policy … Continue reading “A tentative, preliminary cheer for the Housing White Paper”

The Fabian Society’s latest report, which paints a doom-and-gloom picture of Labour’s chances at the next election, seems to have … Continue reading “Free-marketeers have failed to convince the public”

While Philip Hammond hasn’t been chancellor for long, he has already adopted George Osborne’s style of giveaways – the gifts … Continue reading “It’d be a Christmas miracle if the Chancellor delivered on these three festive reforms”