Does Hurricane Sandy have the potential to change the outcome of the US election? October 30, 2012 YES Ewan Watt It’s common for political pundits to overanalyse the impact of particular events on the US presidential race and Hurricane Sandy is no exception. But Sandy could potentially result in the closure of polling stations in key swing states, like North Carolina and Virginia, which may have a particular impact on early voting [...]
Rapid responses October 30, 2012 EU budget battles [Re: Cameron should wield the UK veto and block the EU’s bloated budget, yesterday] Priti Patel is emerging as the rising star of the Conservative party, and this spirited encouragement for David Cameron to stand firm on ridiculous EU budget demands just adds to her support for tax reform earlier this week. [...]
Cameron should wield the UK veto and block the EU’s bloated budget October 29, 2012 THIRTY years ago, Margaret Thatcher secured reforms to the European Economic Community’s budget – including the UK rebate – which have since saved taxpayers a total of some £65bn. She defied those who said this was impossible by standing firm, defending the national interest and fighting hard on a political and intellectual level. Negotiations are [...]
The austerity myth: Why the government is counting on unrealistic growth October 29, 2012 REGULAR readers of this column will be familiar with the theme of a paper I’ve just published. Called In Search of Austerity, and published by the Mercatus Center, part of George Mason University in the US, it probes the idea that there is far less austerity going on than people think. It’s a controversial topic. [...]
A radical proposal for privatising the UK’s road network October 29, 2012 GOVERNMENTS have used motorists as a cash cow for decades. Fuel duty and road tax raise around £35bn a year, while less than £10bn is spent on road maintenance and improvements. As motoring taxes have increased, investment in new road capacity has collapsed. Transport policy has gradually become dominated by an agenda that seeks to [...]
Will a merger between Penguin and Random House better place the firm to tackle Amazon? October 29, 2012 YES Lizzie Carr The merger of Penguin and Random House is ultimately about the survival of the fittest. Publishing is going through revolutionary changes, and this merger shows just how much some brands will need to adapt to survive in today’s marketplace. Given the size of the two companies, there are some obvious cost-savings the [...]
Rapid responses October 29, 2012 Tax nightmare [Re: How income tax has become such a nightmare for so many, yesterday] The main problem with Britain’s income tax system is that government gets larger with every tax rise. It’s about time we tried doing things the other way round. Jeremy Poynton Whatever problems our tax system causes, Labour would do nothing [...]
Cost is key in the coalition’s brave decision to fire up nuclear energy October 28, 2012 IN 1956, the Queen flicked a switch and Britain’s first nuclear generated electricity surged into homes from the Magnox reactor at Calder Hall. This was the world’s first large-scale nuclear power station. A decade later, several Magnox stations were producing power, but investment in new electricity generating capacity was still insufficient. In the winter of [...]
The City must do more to support London’s young people into employment October 28, 2012 YOUNG people are the lifeblood of London, like any great city. They bring the ideas, innovation, and enthusiasm needed to drive our economy forward. Consequently, one of the most damaging legacies of the recent recession has been the growing number of young people not in employment, education or training (Neets). In the capital alone, there [...]
UK ministers are failing to support business tourism October 28, 2012 DAVID Cameron recently said that, in the global battle to win jobs and contracts, he believes in leading from the front. It’s fighting talk but, when it comes to winning work for our major export businesses, Cameron and his ministerial troops are regularly absent without leave. Tourism, and that includes business tourism, is a vital [...]