Ghostbusters is the best case for capitalism you’ll ever come across February 27, 2014 YOU DON’T know what it’s like out there. I’ve worked in the private sector. They expect results!” Harold Ramis, the writer of the endlessly quotable Ghostbusters, died this week. It’s a sad loss of a huge talent, a man with the rare gift for blending insight with popular entertainment. Take Ghostbusters. Superficially, a silly 80s [...]
We can solve Britain’s housing crisis. Here’s how February 27, 2014 IF WE could build and heat homes with the hot air generated by the UK’s housing crisis debate, we would solve both issues in one go. Eighteen months ago, the issue was the availability of mortgage finance. We could not build because our customers could not borrow, and that was dragging the volume of new [...]
Letters to the Editor – 27/02 – Baby boom, Socialist Venezuela, Best of Twitter February 26, 2014 Baby boom [Re: In Britain, recessions mean more babies. In the US, births fall, yesterday] Allister Heath is right to draw attention to the remarkable rise in UK fertility rates in the 2000s, and that this is good news for our economic future, provided we build the houses and schools that we will need. However, [...]
The real reason squeezing the rich makes us all poorer February 26, 2014 RADICAL reform of income tax is not only desirable, but completely possible. To achieve it, however, proponents of change need to provide a strong evidence base for a much flatter tax system, with a much lower top rate in the UK in particular. We need to show that the optimal revenue-raising top rate of tax [...]
How Osborne could resurrect our lost savings culture February 26, 2014 CAST your mind back to 1978. The mighty Boney M had two number one hits, I was sheepishly starting big school in Cambridge, and Britain had a household savings rate of 12 per cent – more than double the current level. As a schoolboy, even I was bitten by the savings bug sweeping the land. [...]
Why Merkel’s EU reform shopping list isn’t enough February 26, 2014 GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in London today on an official visit that many are heralding as the start of David Cameron’s pitch to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU. Unlike Francois Hollande’s trip to an Oxfordshire pub last month, when the French President said he wouldn’t support treaty change, initial reports suggest Merkel is [...]
Bottom Line: This end is really the beginning February 25, 2014 THE DEATH of Bitcoin’s most popular exchange couldn’t have come sooner. The “transaction malleability” bug that hit Mt Gox is a known problem with the crypto-currency, and exchanges failing to take the proper steps will find themselves vulnerable. By the time a fix came, “the damage had already been done”, a document leaked yesterday said. [...]
Letters to the Editor – 26/02 – Peak holidays, Fantasy oil, Best of Twitter February 25, 2014 Peak holidays [Re: Holidays cost more at peak times. The reason is basic economics, yesterday] My argument is that companies don’t charge “extra” during school holidays. That’s the normal price. Instead, they offer discounts out of season. Mark Wadsworth It’s not just about supply and demand, but about when parents can take their kids on [...]
How socialism has destroyed Venezuela February 25, 2014 MILTON Friedman once said that, if you put the government in charge of the Sahara desert, there’ll eventually be a shortage of sand. No wonder that, after 14 years of socialist government, Venezuela – the country with the world’s largest oil reserves – is currently importing gasoline. This fact highlights Venezuela’s painful descent into chaos, [...]
Why boardroom psychology trumps consumer optimism February 25, 2014 MOST of the commentary on the UK’s economic recovery focuses on consumers. Are they taking on too much debt again to finance their spending? Is there a bubble in house prices, as people get more excited about bricks and mortar? Certainly, in terms of sheer size, spending by consumers is by far the biggest component [...]