In 2010, the new Prime Minister David Cameron, long before his own ill-judged engagement with Greensill Capital, warned that lobbying … Continue reading “Lobbying in politics: a perennial issue?”

It is never dull when you find yourself the target of a manifesto pledge. The Guardian reporting on December 4th … Continue reading “Opposition lobbying reform proposals hit the wrong targets, and don’t go far enough”

Stephen Bubb, chairman of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO), has written an article for the Telegraph … Continue reading “It’s our money. Let us know how it’s being spent.”

“The motives of fear and greed are what the market brings to prominence,” argues G.A. Cohen in Why Not Socialism? … Continue reading “Competition is not unique to capitalism – it exists in all economic systems”

As Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles has long taken a principled stand against what he … Continue reading “Sock puppets: a step in the right direction”

Many associate markets with self-interest and greed whilst associating politics with other-regarding, publicly-interested behaviour. Perhaps nowhere is this view more … Continue reading “The politics of greed”

Like many others, on Sunday evening I watched Soccer Aid – an annual charity football match featuring well-known ex-footballers and … Continue reading “Why the unhealthy relationship between charities and the state must end”

The IEA has often pointed to the unhealthy symbiosis that has grown up in recent years between government and NGOs. … Continue reading “Helping Themselves – the EU’s unhealthy relationship with big charities”

A register of lobbyists would be an expensive bureaucratic folly that would serve no useful purpose. There may be a … Continue reading “The folly of the lobbying register”