Yesterday’s Dyson ruling – a rare victory against the EU’s crony capitalist regulatory agenda

Matt Ridley
9 November 2018
Regulation

Yesterday’s Dyson ruling – a rare victory against the EU’s crony capitalist regulatory agenda

My biggest beef with the European Union has always been the way it stifles consumer-friendly innovation in the interests of incumbent businesses and organisations. Yesterday’s victory for Sir James Dyson at the European General Court lays bare an especially shocking example. Dyson’s case, which has taken five years in the courts, reveals just how corrupt ... Continue reading
Matt Ridley
9 November 2018
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What can we learn from the EU/Japan Free Trade Agreement?

Jack Martin
23 July 2018
Government and Institutions

What can we learn from the EU/Japan Free Trade Agreement?

On Tuesday of last week, the European Union and Japan signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Following over four years of negotiation, the EPA covers 600 million people and an impressive third of global GDP. In an atmosphere of increasing trade barriers, this provides some relief for the global trading system. The EPA removes Japanese ... Continue reading
Jack Martin
23 July 2018
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Beware May’s “industrial strategy”: Brexit Britain must be market-orientated

Mark Littlewood
19 July 2016
Government and Institutions

Beware May’s “industrial strategy”: Brexit Britain must be market-orientated

This wasn’t a lazy half-hearted reshuffle, Theresa May was imposing her own stamp on government. Rather than going for continuity, she was ruthless in personnel changes. Initially, it started to look as though the Prime Minister might even be overhauling our outdated Whitehall structure too. The appointments of Liam Fox to oversee international trade and ... Continue reading
Mark Littlewood
19 July 2016
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Six policies Prime Minister May should embrace to revitalise growth

Ryan Bourne
12 July 2016
Government and Institutions

Six policies Prime Minister May should embrace to revitalise growth

Predictably, those who demand more government spending both when the economy is doing well and badly are calling for increases to see off any potential post-Brexit slowdown. “Infrastructure spending” is the call of the day, with masses of supposed “shovel-ready projects” with high returns apparently lying around for the government to undertake. Unfortunately, in the ... Continue reading
Ryan Bourne
12 July 2016
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Ofsted: too big to not fail

Len Shackleton
11 July 2016
Education

Ofsted: too big to not fail

Last week’s decision by the House of Commons Education Committee not to endorse the appointment of Amanda Spielman as Ofsted Head raises important questions. Teaching unions have pointed to Ms Spielman’s lack of teaching experience. In partial defence, she does know her way around education, having amongst other things been involved with the Ark academy ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
11 July 2016
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#QTWTAIN: “But haven’t rent controls worked in Germany?”

Kristian Niemietz
3 June 2016
Housing and Planning

#QTWTAIN: “But haven’t rent controls worked in Germany?”

Rent controls are a bit like communism, in the sense that they can never ‘fail’, in the eyes of their supporters – they can only be ‘badly implemented’. Rent controls have worsened the situation of tenants in New York, or in Stockholm? According to the true believers, that tells us nothing whatsoever about rent controls ... Continue reading
Kristian Niemietz
3 June 2016
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Let’s privatise the loos. Yes, seriously.

Len Shackleton
31 May 2016
Regulation

Let’s privatise the loos. Yes, seriously.

A BBC investigation shows that the number of public toilets has continued to fall, with nearly 1,800 closing nationwide in the last 10 years. There is no legal obligation on councils to provide conveniences, and closing them is often an easy way to save money when cash is short. London’s provision is now abysmal, with ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
31 May 2016
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Basel, RWA and rules of thumb in risk management

Diego Zuluaga
6 May 2016
Monetary Policy

Basel, RWA and rules of thumb in risk management

The Institute for International Finance has just released an interesting briefing paper on the trends in risk-weighted assets (RWA) among major banks before and after the financial crisis. RWA is the main measure of risk mandated by the Basel Committee, the forum of central bank supervisors charged with global standard-setting to achieve financial stability. The ... Continue reading
Diego Zuluaga
6 May 2016
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Serious flaws in the CMA’s energy market investigation

Stephen Littlechild
3 May 2016
Energy and Environment

Serious flaws in the CMA’s energy market investigation

On 17 March 2016 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its Provisional Decision on Remedies in its investigation of the energy market. The following is a summary of the concerns expressed by five former GB energy regulators (Stephen Littlechild, Sir Callum McCarthy, Eileen Marshall, Stephen Smith and Claire Spottiswoode). Their 11 April response to ... Continue reading
Stephen Littlechild
3 May 2016
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Brussels or London – which is the lesser of two evils?

Philip Booth
6 April 2016
Government and Institutions

Brussels or London – which is the lesser of two evils?

Benjamin Wrench recently wrote a paper titled Risk and Reward: why the EU separates risk from reward and what this means for the City. This blog post is a rough transcript of Prof Booth’s remarks at the launch event. I very much welcome Benjamin Wrench’s paper. An assumption seems to have passed into all discourse about ... Continue reading
Philip Booth
6 April 2016
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