In 2018, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report, co-authored by Prof Jonathan Portes from King’s College London, … Continue reading “The Portes-Snowdon bet: 5 years on”

Last year the World Health Organization launched a public consultation on its draft “Global Alcohol Strategy to Reduce the Harmful … Continue reading “It is not obvious that the world needs an alcohol strategy”

If, like me, you celebrated the downfall of the useless, bossy quango Public Health England, you may be unable to … Continue reading “Public health organisations fail, because they spread themselves too thinly over too many activities”

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic reached our shores, there were calls for spending on public health to be increased. Health … Continue reading “The pseudo-economics of preventive care”

The British love affair with the NHS requires a certain amount of cognitive dissonance. On the one hand, it is … Continue reading “The NHS blame game”

When the BBC reported last month that Arron Banks had given £450,000 to Nigel Farage, I tweeted ironically: “So now … Continue reading “A reply to the British Medical Journal”

After a prolonged campaign and a series of court cases, minimum unit pricing for alcohol (MUP) was introduced in Scotland … Continue reading “Minimum Unit Pricing is paternalistic, regressive and seemingly ineffective”

Paternalists still walk among us. These days, they don’t call themselves paternalists; they call themselves…public health campaigners. Download ‘Killjoys’ by … Continue reading “How the nanny state makes EVERYONE’s life WORSE!”

Richard Thaler, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, was announced as this year’s winner of … Continue reading “Why nudges are nothing to fear”