Why we need to leave the statues alone June 10, 2020 The statue of slave trader Edward Colston was dramatically pulled from its plinth in Bristol and hurled into the harbour amid raucous, even jubilant, scenes. That a memorial to a trader in human souls would cause offence and anguish is beyond dispute, but its destruction and the manner of its downfall has sparked a debate [...]
Get the Bank of England focused on the real economy June 10, 2020 Economic policy is returning to its usual position of prominence. Fears of a major rise in unemployment are starting to worry the government more than fears around Covid-19. The chancellor’s imaginative schemes concerning furlough and other measures to protect jobs create potential problems elsewhere. So much money is being borrowed that the ratio of public [...]
DEBATE: Is the government wrong to drop plans for all primary pupils to return to school? June 10, 2020 Is the government wrong to drop plans for all primary pupils to return to school? Joanna Williams, a former school teacher and director of the think tank Cieo, says YES. An email from my daughter’s school: she will not be returning before the end of term and, from September, might attend only a couple of [...]
Let the economy reboot itself June 10, 2020 How can the government best support the UK’s economic recovery after the crushing impact of the pandemic? Today, the Institute of Economic Affairs and Civitas are publishing a joint report on the economics of the Covid-19 crisis, written by Professor Len Shackleton and myself. Many are arguing that the crisis has demonstrated the need for [...]
Cheer up, crisis and trauma can spur positive growth June 9, 2020 Do you have a corona-buddy — someone you can talk to about your experiences during the pandemic and its aftermath? Psychologists suggest that a post-pandemic buddy system might help us get back to some sense of normality at work and in life. For many of us, the pandemic has been a traumatic experience. Even for [...]
Is the government brave enough to let markets fix the social care crisis? June 9, 2020 We have all seen, with the direst of consequences, the deficiencies of the current social care system. As Covid-19 has raged through the UK, tens of thousands have died in under-resourced, under-invested, and ill-designed care homes. With the focus in those early weeks on protecting the NHS at all costs, central planners sent potentially infectious [...]
DEBATE: Is the proposal to suspend Sunday trading laws misguided? June 9, 2020 Is the proposal to suspend Sunday trading laws for a year misguided? Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, says YES. Shop workers have been at the forefront of responding to our needs during this crisis. They immediately stepped up to meet the demands in their communities to ensure that everyone was able to receive [...]
The new counter-terror bill threatens our civil liberties and our justice system June 9, 2020 As More points out to Roper in A Man For All Seasons, if you flatten all the laws in England to get to the devil, you will have no protection when he turns round to meet you. This often goes to the heart of questions of individual liberty. You may one day need to rely [...]
The quarantine isn’t just absurd – it could be unlawful too June 8, 2020 Priti Patel’s new quarantine, which comes into force today, has sparked fresh fury from Britons who brand the measures as “too little too late”. I believe that the tardiness of these restrictions is by no means a clumsy error — it looks like a pricey, harmful stunt. Back in March, the UK blindly followed other [...]
Quarantine will hit the City’s vital connections June 8, 2020 Starting today, people coming into the UK from overseas by plane, train or ferry are being told they must self-isolate for 14 days – or risk a fine of up to £1,000 or prosecution. The Government’s new quarantine policy, which was set out by the Home Secretary last week, has raised a number of concerns [...]