Britain’s solitary stance on energy policy is foolish May 24, 2012 THE government’s draft Energy Bill is an utter disaster. It reverses the course of UK energy deregulation, which cut prices, and will lead to confusion for companies and added costs for consumers. Lord (Nigel) Lawson, who as energy secretary was the architect of Britain’s energy market deregulation in the 1980s, has warned that the Bill [...]
Should Britain consider regulation to end the current model of no-charge banking? May 24, 2012 YES Alex McEvoy Banks sell a very complicated set of products and clarity is vital so that customers understand what they are paying for. It costs a bank hundreds of pounds a year to service an account – for cards, secure websites, statements, and anti-fraud systems, as well as complying with regulations. Banks currently make [...]
RAPID RESPONSES May 24, 2012 Europe’s cash cows [Re: Europe’s shared currency shouldn’t entail Germany bankrolling a debt union, Wednesday] An interesting article by Jamie Whyte, though it misses one crucial point. Whyte’s premise that Germany shouldn’t subsidise other EU members, by principle, forgets one long-standing policy – the Common Agricultural Policy. Germany has indirectly subsidised French agriculture for years. Of [...]
Tinkering with Britain’s economy won’t drive the growth we need May 23, 2012 DEBATE has raged for days over Adrian Beecroft’s proposed employment law reforms, exposing some fundamental problems in our politics. Having been asked to apply his expertise and intelligence to a serious issue, and having volunteered his time, the savaging he has received from some quarters shows why many of our finest minds outside politics are [...]
No more rewards for failure – how to claw back pay May 23, 2012 ONE by one, companies with either sub-par performance or poor compensation plans have been brought to account by shareholders. The most spectacular of these was at Aviva where Andrew Moss, recently stood down, but there have been major revolts at William Hill, Pendragon and Trinity Mirror. All of this has been achieved without one bit [...]
After the FTSE 100 fell to 5,266 yesterday, where will it close at the end of the year? May 23, 2012 LOWER Glen Jones The UK has entered into a double-dip recession. However, the FTSE 100 isn’t just a reflection of the UK market, it’s a proxy for the entire global economy, as a large proportion of its revenue streams come from overseas. The bullish recovery from the lows of last summer has been curtailed quickly [...]
RAPID RESPONSES May 23, 2012 Tax by extortion [Re: Don’t ignore the moral arguments against high taxation, yesterday] This is a drum worth banging, and banging again. The moral arguments against taxation apply not only to taxes that the government describe as such, but also to official extortion at the local level – tyrannically enforced and excessively high charges, fines for [...]
While the candidates play at Prince Charming their ugly sisters fling mud May 23, 2012 IN A Magnificent Catastrophe, Edward J. Larson documents America’s first truly competitive presidential election campaign, a most brutal affair in 1800 between President John Adams and Vice President Thomas Jefferson. It had it all, the vicious anonymous attacks, accusations of unpatriotic behaviour, and smears about religious faith. How things have changed. Two years ago, the [...]
Don’t ignore the powerful moral arguments against high taxation May 22, 2012 WE ALL know the moral arguments for taxation: it pays for police, roads, hospitals and other vital services. But there is a moral case against taxation too – and a surprisingly strong one. First, while most of us would happily make some voluntary contribution to essential services, it is only the threat of prison that [...]
Europe’s shared currency shouldn’t entail Germany bankrolling a debt union May 22, 2012 GEORGE Osborne and François Hollande want Angela Merkel to support Eurobonds. These would pool debt issuance among Eurozone governments, allowing them all to fund their spending at the same borrowing rate. The more creditworthy Eurozone governments would thereby subsidise the spending of the less creditworthy. Merkel thinks that subsidising the spending of profligate governments is [...]