Hurricane Sandy has stormed through the race but not blown it off course October 31, 2012 AFTER well-publicised but ineffectual interventions by both Donald Trump and celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, this year’s “October Surprise” looked poised to be as meaningless to the presidential race as the “revelation” four years ago that Barack Obama’s aunt was living in the US illegally. But with Hurricane Sandy slamming into the East Coast, Mother Nature [...]
The real reasons why living costs are still going up October 31, 2012 ED MILIBAND is said to want to fight the next election on the issue of living standards. This week a report by the Resolution Foundation gave him the intellectual ammunition he needed. It highlighted how income growth for middle and low income households will be constrained by technological and global pressures and the continued structural [...]
After energy minister John Hayes criticised UK wind farms, should Britain build more? October 31, 2012 YES Clare McNeil Onshore and offshore wind power is a hugely important source of future growth for the UK. Onshore wind alone provides almost 9,000 jobs and boosts the economy by £548m per year. It is also one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy around – costs will be on a par with fossil [...]
Rapid responses October 31, 2012 Heseltine’s project [Re: A corporatist economic growth plan that won’t rescue UK Plc, yesterday] It is good the government is exploring ways to support growth. But Michael Heseltine’s solutions, including greater state intervention and regulation, are unlikely to help businesses. Better access to funding and national insurance holidays, for example, would be of more practical [...]
The government should learn from big companies on local pay policy October 30, 2012 THE Heseltine Review, written by former deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine is published today. It recommends how growth might be spurred across the country by public sector bodies interacting more effectively with the private sector. One essential part of this plan – although unfortunately not included by Heseltine – is reform of how public sector [...]
If corporation tax didn’t already exist it would be madness to introduce it October 30, 2012 CORPORATION tax is back in the news. Starbucks is the latest company to be in the spotlight, having allegedly paid £8m corporation tax in 14 years, despite sales of more than £1bn. This became noteworthy when the Prime Minister waded into the debate, expressing his concern with the levels of tax some companies are paying. [...]
Europe’s new ban on short selling is a failed old policy October 30, 2012 TOMORROW, new regulations on short selling come into force across the European Union. Although designed to stabilise prices, they will have harmful effects on market quality, while producing few of the benefits claimed by their supporters. We’ve been here before. During the early stages of the financial crisis, politicians pulled every plug they could to [...]
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 [...]