RAPID RESPONSES March 14, 2012 A knowing state [Re: Vince Cable’s vision for UK plc neglects liberty, yesterday] Jamie Whyte is right to sound alarm bells at the threat of government interference in business. He’s wrong to imply ministers have no role in creating wealth. Business leaders control many levers, but most are in the hands of Whitehall. We lack [...]
The three frontrunners for France’s presidency will all lead down the wrong track March 14, 2012 THERE will be no winners in the French presidential election this April. One leading candidate is the unrepentant socialist Francois Hollande, who thinks 75 per cent is an optimal tax rate. The other is Nicolas Sarkozy, who has just managed to nudge himself into the lead with a desperate speech calling for two of the [...]
Smarter choices on tax should be agreed on by all March 14, 2012 THE debate between the Occupy movement and its City neighbours was never clarified, but essentially was about bigger or smaller government. Not surprisingly those receiving benefits but not paying tax want more of both, while those paying the bills want less. Close proximity sadly did little to diminish the caricatures of greedy banker and welfare [...]
Vince Cable’s vision for UK plc neglects liberty March 14, 2012 VINCE Cable, the business secretary, wrote to the Prime Minister last week, lamenting the lack of a clear economic “vision”. He thinks the government must decide “how we will earn our living in the future.” By “we”, Cable was not referring to David Cameron and himself. How they will earn a living is clear, at [...]
RAPID RESPONSES March 14, 2012 Flight of fancy [Re:A third runway at Heathrow isn’t enough. Let’s allow regional airports to take off, yesterday] Paul Kehoe sets out some salient facts based on the business evidence. Integrated transport is the way forward, along with removal of the complex structures imposed on the aviation industry to control prices, including fuel subsidies. Part [...]
A third runway at Heathrow isn’t enough. Let’s allow our regional airports to take off March 12, 2012 A WORLD-CLASS city deserves world-class aviation links. Without them, businesses and jobs will drift away. With its crowded airports, limited long-haul options and unreliable air services, London faces exactly this threat. Something needs to be done. For some, the answer is “Britain needs a bigger hub airport”. This ideology seeks to conflate concern about Britain’s [...]
Chief executives earn trust with honest answers March 12, 2012 WHEN Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive of EDF, recently gave an interview, he knew that trust in energy companies was at an all-time low. The interview was the perfect opportunity to start rebuilding it. So he mentioned “trust” – 61 times in fact – and little else. Unsurprisingly he was pilloried. EDF will wrongly blame [...]
Doing nothing is not a realistic policy option March 12, 2012 I AM a rare thing in UK academia – an Austrian school economist. Few understand what that really means. If you know the term, you may wonder why my columns aren’t shorter, since many caricature the Austrian economic position as an unbending “do nothing”. But this is misleading. For example, Austrian school economists tend to [...]
RAPID RESPONSES March 12, 2012 Wrong diagnosis [Re: Economy is being knocked off course, yesterday] Both the Treasury and the Bank of England continue to fret about the dangers of deflation. I just wish that the British economy had such a problem – the result of quantitative easing and very low interest rates has been the debasement of our currency. [...]
Should NATO negotiate with the Taliban unconditionally? March 11, 2012 YES JOHN BARON MP THE shocking loss of six of our soldiers in one incident reminds us all once again of the heavy sacrifice being made by our troops. As an ex-soldier, I know we can be proud of their service. However, the incident confirms the recently leaked NATO report which claims the Taliban insurgency [...]