An all-out trade war with Trump is more likely by the day June 7, 2019 Donald Trump jets back home today after a predictably tumultuous week during which the US President betrayed his ignorance of the NHS, the Irish border and, more amusingly, the existence of Michael Gove. Thankfully the circus witnessed earlier in the week subsided in time for D-Day commemorations, allowing people on both sides of the Channel to [...]
Corbyn allies join protest at Bank of England demanding transfer of gold to Maduro regime February 7, 2019 Two of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's most prominent allies joined a protest outside the Bank of England today, demanding that it release over £1bn worth of gold to the regime of Venezuela’s socialist strongman Nicolas Maduro. Members of Maduro's regime have laid claim to the country's gold reserves held at the Bank. Former Mayor of [...]
Bank of England governor Mark Carney tries, and fails, to prevent Brexit analysis frenzy November 28, 2018 House prices plummeting 31 per cent. Unemployment shooting up to 9.5 per cent. GDP collapsing by 4.3 per cent amid a sharp recession. These were the scenarios the Bank of England used to conduct its mandated “stress test” for some of the UK’s biggest financial companies back in 2016. Last year, the wonks at Threadneedle Street [...]
Philip Hammond should be unashamed to show he is a true blue in the Budget October 25, 2018 With extra funding for the NHS and an end to austerity already announced, Philip Hammond must be wondering if it is him or John McDonnell delivering next week's Budget. While the cash boost for the health service is welcome, and the narrative of ending austerity popular with certain commentators, Hammond must use the Budget to [...]
With one person escaping extreme poverty every second, young people must be shown the arguments in favour of capitalism October 23, 2018 The World Bank released some seemingly depressing news last week: nearly half the global population live on less than $5.50 a day. That means that, for all the economic growth we have enjoyed in recent decades, 3.4bn people continue to struggle to meet basic needs. Also last week, you may have caught an old Teen [...]
There’s nothing to fear from the latest easing back of Dodd-Frank’s reach October 17, 2018 Shortly after his inauguration as President, Donald Trump pledged to do “a big number” on Dodd-Frank regulations, labelling the post-crisis measures “a disaster” and promising to “kill” parts of the legislation. While the rhetoric was typically Trumpian, the reality has proven to be somewhat more modest. Nonetheless, a change in the White House's direction of [...]
Europe’s banks are right – the EU must act to avoid a Brexit cliff edge disaster October 16, 2018 Retail king Lord Wolfson raised eyebrows at the weekend when he insisted that a no deal outcome to Brexit talks “would not be a disaster”. The Next boss was referring to the overall effect on trade and, politically, he articulated his point well – you have to be prepared for no deal in order to [...]
IMF data shows there’s even less cash to splash October 11, 2018 Positive news around the public finances has been forthcoming in 2018, following years of disappointingly slow deficit reduction. Borrowing fell to a 16-year low in the fiscal year that ended in April, while in July the Treasury recorded its biggest surplus since 2000. Thus it was a shame to be brought crashing back down to [...]
Tax cut plan shows Tory MPs are focused on winning back young professional voters October 8, 2018 Oasis playing to more than 100,000 fans at Knebworth. John Major clinging on to power in Downing Street. England’s footballers crashing out of the European Championships on penalties to Germany. The year, of course, was 1996. It may seem like yesterday to many of us, but life in Britain is markedly different today. This morning the [...]
Raising stamp duty for foreigners won’t fix Britain’s housing crisis September 30, 2018 It can't be easy, being Theresa May. The Prime Minister faces constant battles on several fronts – grappling with negotiators in Brussels, rebutting opposition parties in Westminster, and fending off leadership plotters within her own ranks. Little surprise the domestic policy agenda can sometimes seem like an afterthought. Ahead of this week's Tory party conference [...]
