Scottish independence debate: Ignore SNP bluster, Scotland would vote for the Union again September 16, 2015 Today marks the first anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum and you can bet your house we will not be allowed to forget it. Not by the winners, but by the losers, for it is the nationalists who continue to make the most noise as they refuse to accept the democratic defeat they suffered [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s policies: Labour leader’s statist worldview should be designated public enemy number one September 16, 2015 The gap between the rhetoric and reality of Jeremy Corbyn as a “man of the people” couldn’t be wider. His entire worldview is the antithesis of what is required for long-term prosperity and a rising standard of living. In my, admittedly subjective, opinion, Corbyn’s collectivist, statist, interventionist worldview should be designated public enemy [...]
London housing crisis: There’s a practical way to boost home-building – release surplus public sector land in the capital September 16, 2015 I congratulate Sadiq Khan on being selected as the Labour candidate for London mayor. However, Khan seems to be long on analysis of the problems Londoners face but short on practical solutions. London’s housing crisis is clearly the leading issue at the moment, but all he offers are “new teams” at City Hall without [...]
Fed rate hike: As global markets hold their breath, should the Federal Reserve raise interest rates today? September 16, 2015 Shaun Port, chief investment officer at Nutmeg, says Yes After sending less than subtle messages to financial markets for more than two years that the days of always easy money are coming to an end, it is now time for the Federal Reserve to take the first step and raise rates. A small increase – [...]
Refugees welcome? Europe’s migrant crisis tests EU solidarity and the Schengen Agreement to its limit – The City View September 15, 2015 The pressure placed by the migrant crisis on Europe’s commitment to free movement was laid bare on our front page yesterday with a map highlighting the states that have reintroduced some form of border controls. For months, EU officials have gone through the familiar practice of holding a meeting and announcing an agreement on the [...]
Greek election 2015: Alexis Tsipras’s incompetence failed Greece’s debt crisis – show him the door September 15, 2015 This Sunday, the Greek electorate is being summoned to the ballot boxes for the third time this year. For the third time, they are unsure as to the reason. Back in January, an election forced by a quirk in the country’s constitution abruptly halted the reformist course of a coalition government that had brought [...]
Why national statistics have become sexy September 15, 2015 A potential candidate for the world’s most boring book is the Office for National Statistics’s National Accounts: Sources and Methods. This book, all 502 pages of it, is currently available in hardback on Amazon for just 1p. It does exactly what it says in the title, giving a detailed description of how the data in [...]
Complacency about Jeremy Corbyn is dangerous: He could push UK politics in a populist direction September 15, 2015 It wasn't that long ago, but it is easy to forget the market uncertainty that preceded the General Election in May, and the relief rally in UK shares that followed it. We saw particularly strong performance in equities sensitive to the outlook for domestic consumption after the election of a modest Conservative majority, deemed [...]
As the UK inflation rate falls back to zero per cent, does this reinforce the case for keeping interest rates low? September 15, 2015 Ruth Miller, UK economist at Capital Economics, says Yes We probably haven’t seen the back of negative inflation in the UK. Petrol prices have fallen further this month. The British Gas price cut will show up in September’s figures. Meanwhile, the strength of sterling should continue to put downward pressure on import prices. Admittedly, the [...]
Federal Reserve US interest rates hike: This is no Doomsday for emerging markets – The City View September 14, 2015 The prospect of a Federal Reserve rate hike looms large. On Thursday we will learn whether nearly 10 years of record low interest rates in the world’s largest economy are finally over. The date is a landmark because for much of this year consensus among economists has been for a September lift-off. The [...]