How to save £50bn: Bold cuts to state spending will deliver prosperity for all March 10, 2015 Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has accused the Conservatives of planning “extreme” spending cuts if they get into Downing Street after the election. But there’s no way we can know whether the Tories’ plans are extreme or not, because they haven’t given any real details on what they will cut or by how much. And Balls’s [...]
Plain packaging could put Britain’s reputation for intellectual property at risk March 10, 2015 It’s an acronym that might be thought to only excite lawyers, but the importance of IP (intellectual property) to the economy cannot be overstated. If we want a business environment that promotes trade and investment, it’s crucial that we’re seen as a global leader in this area. Thankfully, the UK has many strengths. We have [...]
Ed Miliband doesn’t get incentives – and it could cost his party Scotland March 10, 2015 Ed Miliband has long had a problem with voters not perceiving him as “normal”. His famous struggle with a bacon sandwich in some ways says it all. But at a much more important level, he seems to have little or no empathy with one of the most fundamental of human motivations. The most profound insight [...]
As Gordon Brown warns that a UK outside the EU would be Europe’s North Korea, is he right? March 10, 2015 Roland Rudd, the founding chairman of Business for New Europe, says Yes Brown is absolutely right to highlight the dangers of leaving the EU, and the potential impact on Britain’s standing in the world. We won’t be like North Korea, but we would certainly be more isolated in an increasingly uncertain world. As Brown says, [...]
Sorry, Nigel Farage, Judeo-Christian nationalism is no answer to failed multiculturalism March 10, 2015 What’s the best way to fix the problems created by state-sponsored multiculturalism? According to Nigel Farage, it’s using government power to confirm the worst fears of minority communities. Farage recently made his debut appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, just outside of Washington, DC. He used his time in front of American conservatives and [...]
Why the free school doom-mongers have been proven completely wrong March 9, 2015 Yesterday David Cameron announced the 49 new free schools that will be opened in England from 2015 onwards. This will bring the total number of these trailblazing institutions – set up by parents or independent groups, and free from local authority control – to over 400. This is twice the number of new academies opened [...]
There’s very little evidence that you can shrink government by expanding it March 9, 2015 The battle for the soul of the Conservative party post-election has already begun. This week, commentator and conservative activist Tim Montgomerie will officially launch his new agenda – “The Good Right” – a self-styled “compassionate conservative” call to arms for the Tories to become that bit less libertarian and that bit more willing to embrace [...]
Why Brits shouldn’t brag about beating the French March 9, 2015 Brits seem on track to notch up two victories against historic rival France in 2015. Bookmakers have the English team finishing higher in the Six Nations rugby championship than France. The UK is also set to leapfrog France as the world’s fifth largest economy – the consequence of stronger growth and a rising pound. The [...]
As Apple gives the lowdown on its new watch, will the hotly-awaited wearable disappoint? March 9, 2015 Simon Massey, global chief executive of The Gild, says Yes I have a mobile phone. I keep it on my person at all times, and it is usually in my pocket. When I need to look at my emails on the move, I take it out of my pocket – it’s really not very far [...]
Venezuela: No hope on the horizon March 9, 2015 In its sixteen years under the Chavista regime, Venezuela never had it worse than it has had in the last three months. For years, stories have circulated about rigged elections, brutal responses to public demonstrations, disregard for the rule of law, and growing poverty and scarcity. However, since the death of Hugo Chavez and the [...]