A power vacuum breeds uncertainty. With the Prime Minister lacking authority, it should not surprise us to see reports last … Continue reading “Leaving the Customs Union must be a red line for Britain”

The psychologist professor Jordan Peterson is being heralded as one of the world’s most foremost public intellectuals. But his influence … Continue reading “The Newman/Peterson interview was symptomatic of the biases of public service broadcasters”

The Daily Mirror claimed “our NHS is dying”. The Sun reported on “third world A&E”. The Daily Mail saw the … Continue reading “Our state-run healthcare model makes winter crises inevitable”

The decision by the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to remove so-called “net neutrality” laws last week produced a flurry … Continue reading “No, scrapping net neutrality laws won’t kill the internet”

Occasionally a politician says something that personifies their worldview. Last week, it was Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who expressed … Continue reading “No, free trade does NOT require a ‘level playing field’”

“The starting point of any industrial strategy must be recognition that government impedes growth more than it facilitates it,” said … Continue reading “State intervention is more of a hindrance than a help to growth”

How far has EU membership benefited the UK economy since 1973? A pro-EU colleague emailed me last week: “we’re the … Continue reading ““Despite Brexit” or “because of Brexit”?”

Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a seventeenth-century French finance minister, once said “the art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as … Continue reading “The government plans to hike taxes without you noticing”

Has anyone noticed how “tax cuts for the rich” has become a moniker for all and every income tax cut? … Continue reading “Most tax cuts would, inter alia, “benefit the rich”. So what?”