We need radical reforms to raise NHS productivity February 14, 2012 EVERY now and then academic disputes break out into the mainstream. In an article for The Lancet medical journal, Professor Nick Black claims it’s a myth that NHS productivity has fallen over the last decade. Productivity (what we put in against what we get out) may not actually be down 0.4 per cent a year [...]
Donating organs could prove a costly decision February 14, 2012 NEVER make yourself worth more dead than alive. This was the sage advice my father gave me as a boy and I have stuck to it ever since. That is why my life insurance pays out less if I die than the net present value of my likely future earnings. I trust my wife, but [...]
RAPID RESPONSES February 14, 2012 Account for waste It’s impossible to disagree with Anthony J. Evans’ article [A nation of tax cheats changed by new rules, yesterday]. The Greeks largely got into a pickle because their attitude was that paying tax was for wimps. However, one of the deterrents to paying taxes is waste by government. When we see pictures [...]
Freeing Abu Qatada showed that Europe is the new judge of Britain’s national security February 13, 2012 THE release on bail yesterday of the terror suspect Abu Qatada has generated headlines around the world. Once described by a Spanish judge as “Bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe”, Qatada is wanted in a host of countries on serious charges. Our own courts and Home Office regard him as a direct threat to our [...]
The Greek riots have unmasked its tragic future February 13, 2012 THERE is a sense of malaise in Brussels after the terrible riots in Greece over the weekend. Their growing ferocity and frequency mean that EU politicians dismiss them at their own peril. In fact, this could be a glimpse into Greece’s future. Assume everything goes to plan and the Eurozone manages to muddle through; by [...]
A nation of tax cheats changed by new rules February 13, 2012 TAX evasion is rife in the UK. In the last few months a friend of mine has spent over £1,000 on various household jobs. On each occasion the labourer was paid in cash. Was VAT included? Did the workman pay income tax? I have other acquaintances who consider themselves left of centre politically, but do [...]
RAPID RESPONSES February 13, 2012 Parental guidance Well written, David Crow [Too many children are being taken into care, last Friday]. In a free society such as ours, surely it is better to leave children in the care of their parents rather than in institutions – we must give back to parents, often single parents, the responsibility and authority they [...]
Gender quotas are wrong and don’t work – it’s time to treat people as individuals February 12, 2012 LAST week, the Prime Minister delivered a speech in Stockholm about diversity in the work-place, making the capitalist case that equality should drive more efficient business outcomes by realising a broader range of entrepreneurial talent. This welcome shift in emphasis highlights why mandatory gender quotas in the boardroom are such a bad idea. In Norway, [...]
There’s no logic in a punitive tax on bank bonuses February 12, 2012 LET us imagine two bankers. Let’s call them Jocelyn and Alastair. Last year they were both paid £2m. Jocelyn had a basic salary of £500,000 and a bonus of £1.5m. Alastair had a basic salary of £2m and no bonus. Who thinks that Jocelyn should pay more in tax than Alastair? Ed Miliband seems to [...]
Tokenism is no way to create cultural change February 12, 2012 AFTER a year in which the Centre for Economic and Business Research has estimated a total loss of around 27,000 jobs from the financial sector, and one in which it has been predicted by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility that the overall long-term unemployment figures will rise by a further 750,000 over the next four [...]