Against the Grain: It’s time to fight the claim that consumer choice doesn’t improve public services November 5, 2013 DO CHOICE and competition between suppliers improve the quality of outcomes for consumers? The answer may seem so obvious to City A.M. readers that it’s hardly worth asking. But a powerful strand of political opinion is building up to an attack on the concept. The new Labour shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh said last week [...]
We must not ignore the economic evidence on immigration’s benefits November 5, 2013 CONCERNS about immigration continue to gather strength. A recent poll by Survation for Sky News found that 67 per cent think the coalition’s attempt to reduce net migration to 100,000 per year does not go far enough. More than a quarter feel that immigration in the last decade brought no positive benefit to the UK. [...]
Letters to the Editor – 06/11 – Save capitalism, Best of Twitter November 5, 2013 Save capitalism [Re: There is sadly mass support for nationalisation and price controls, yesterday] I read the poll findings with concern, but without surprise. For my part, I do not believe that the British public has become enamoured of socialist solutions, let alone has developed an enthusiasm for some of the half-baked schemes (such as [...]
This is the eye of the financial storm: UK banks are far from being healthy November 4, 2013 PRIVATISATION at Lloyds, but losses. An internal quasi-bad bank at RBS. Co-op bank falling into the hands of its bondholders. How healthy is the UK’s banking sector? With GDP growth picking up, and crisis in the Eurozone in abeyance, it’s natural to imagine that the worst of the UK’s banking crisis is now behind us. [...]
We should question the CBI’s claim to represent business opinion on Europe November 4, 2013 ONE OF the biggest myths in UK politics is that the free-market and Eurosceptic wings of conservatism are beholden to the interests of big business. Many mistake a shared desire for a lower tax and regulatory burden for a common agenda. Yet in reality, some of the biggest divergences in economic opinion occur between these [...]
Beware the unintended consequences of making a Living Wage mandatory November 4, 2013 IT’S LIVING Wage week, and many are endorsing the principle of raising low pay, whether by boosting the minimum wage, or by forcing local authorities and pressuring other private employers to pay the Living Wage. It’s an attractive proposition, advocated by politicians as varied as Ed Miliband and Boris Johnson. But it is worth pausing [...]
Letters to the Editor – 05/11 – Minimum wages, Startup lending, Best of Twitter November 4, 2013 Minimum wages [Re: Help the low-paid by slashing their tax and boosting education, yesterday] I agree the best way of boosting low-paid income is to increase the tax threshold to, say, £12,000. A minimum wage increase would only lead to more outsourcing and automation. Chris Hobson As the economist Paul Krugman said in 1998, “the higher [...]
Big business must support startups and help create the jobs of the future November 3, 2013 ONE of the clearest signs of a strong economy is a healthy and thriving startup and small business sector; these are the real engines of job creation and growth for any country. The US has always prided itself on a vibrant startup culture, with people from flocking from around the world to California’s Silicon Valley [...]
Financial services are vital to the UK economy November 3, 2013 AT THE CBI conference today, my message will be that Britain can only succeed in the future as an open, internationalist and outward-facing trading nation, with enterprise, risk and innovation valued and rewarded. But when, after years of stagnation, most people are still seeing their living standards falling, we cannot take public support for this [...]
Letters to the Editor – 04/11 – Scientific progress, Best of Twitter November 3, 2013 Scientific progress [Re: Antibiotics are in critical condition: An open culture will help us find alternatives, Friday] The article highlights some very real concerns regarding antibiotic resistance, and rightly calls for more openness to ensure technological advances. But simplifying regulation is only one part of the solution to winning the fight against bacteria. Medical researchers, [...]