Better squeezed than baffled by tax breaks February 27, 2012 WHEN my wife was pregnant last summer we received a £100 voucher from the government to ensure she was eating enough fruit and vegetables. She already was eating enough fruit and vegetables, but the money came in handy for other things. This is just one small example of how a well-intentioned policy is a waste [...]
RAPID RESPONSES February 27, 2012 Smart and simple [Re: The energy policy paradox: cheap tariffs for the savvy mean higher bills for most, yesterday] Will Straw is right to highlight the unfair impact of predatory pricing on all energy bill payers. Ofgem clearly needs to look at this issue, particularly as the most vulnerable members of society are likely to pay [...]
The energy policy paradox: cheap tariffs for the savvy mean higher bills for most February 26, 2012 AT A time when energy bills are soaring, many families will be angry that British Gas reported profits last week of over £500m. It follows the news ten days ago that EDF’s profits rose to almost £1.6bn and announcements from the other “Big Six” energy firms are due in the coming weeks. But politicians and [...]
London needs to have world-class education for all February 26, 2012 IN 2004 the opening of Mossbourne Academy marked a turning point in the London Borough of Hackney. Built on the site of the former Hackney Downs school (described by the then government as the “worst school in Britain”), Mossbourne became a symbol of academic excellence in one of the most deprived parts of London. Under [...]
Build for the future to keep the City running February 26, 2012 THE recent Court of Appeal hearing regarding the St Paul’s protest will be welcome news to many working in the City. Although peaceful protest is a democratic right and often sparks important debate, it is equally important that the rights of people working in the City are also respected. The mess and nuisance generated by [...]
RAPID RESPONSES February 26, 2012 Fluid thinking [Re: Time to invest in infrastructure we actually need, Monday] Water shortages will continue to be a problem unless we tackle them, but unfortunately the real solutions are not “sexy”. A national water grid is impractical, economically and environmentally, and a major undertaking. It couldn’t be done in the near future. Any comparison [...]
With the state out of money we have much to learn from the American way of giving February 23, 2012 TAKE a walk on Park Avenue or Wall Street and you’ll see countless posters and banners profiling the wide variety of cultural activities on offer in New York. And at the bottom of each you’ll see sponsorship from a large private company – usually a bank, and usually a big one at that. Goldman, Morgan, [...]
Britain’s growth will be powered by smaller firms February 23, 2012 WHEN Xavier Rolet, chief executive of London Stock Exchange Group, said in City A.M. on 9 January that small and medium enterprises provide the best hope for reviving the UK economy, I cheered. “Without the growth of fledgling companies, there will be little meaningful job creation,” he said. How true. When regulators and politicians talk [...]
Greece’s history holds its hope for the future February 23, 2012 PEOPLE say that Greece used to be great. That’s not quite right of course. They mean Athens. Ancient Greece was a jumble of city-states, some even worse than the political and economic disaster of Greece today. Sparta was a totalitarian state, a role model for the Nazis. Ancient Athens, however, has a strong claim to [...]
RAPID RESPONSES February 23, 2012 Not for sale [Re: A market solution will save money and end the dispute over Falklands sovereignty, Wednesday] Steve Hanke’s article is a classic example of the American economics academic’s mind at work. Monetise everything. After all, the world is only about money. Politically and historically, however, it doesn’t stack up. Hanke signally ignores the [...]