Let’s be honest, spending three years at university is a waste of time for too many August 29, 2022 As hundreds of thousands of students prepare for their first day at university, they should know: most of them are wasting their time.
Stop throwing around cash promises and cut red tape July 27, 2022 THE Conservative party leadership candidates agree that the British economy is in dire straits. Inflation is biting incomes, growth is stagnant while public services are faltering. In response, Liz Truss backs a bold new approach encompassing supply-side reforms, while Rishi Sunak promises a “radical set of Thatcherite reforms that will unleash growth and strengthen our [...]
Rest (hopefully) in peace: tech safety laws would have spelt disaster for free speech July 15, 2022 The Online Safety Bill has been pushed until the autumn, which hopefully means it will finally be dead in the water.
Conservative ideology is in turmoil as they cling to online speech crackdowns June 29, 2022 A little known internet safety green paper was the genesis of the Online Safety Bill. It was initiated by the Cameron government and published five years ago, with a focus on a voluntary code of practice and transparency requirements for social media. This would have been a relatively incremental step, a collaborative approach to addressing [...]
Elon Musk wants free speech on Twitter? Time to meet Nadine Dorries April 27, 2022 If Musk thought finding financing would be the most complicated part of the Twitter deal, he hasn’t met Nadine Dorries.
Relaxed subsidies rules are a free rein to pick winners without transparency March 16, 2022 Not too long ago the thorniest issue in the United Kingdom’s relationship with Europe was about the “level playing field” and “state aid”. It may seem crazy in retrospect, but there was a serious prospect in late 2020 that the UK would sacrifice a trade deal with our closest neighbour to be freer to subsidise [...]
Fears of privatising the NHS are stopping us from saving our health service – and lives December 2, 2021 The United Kingdom is becoming a health service with a country attached. The National Health Service is on track to command almost half of all state spending. For all that, British healthcare outcomes come in at the bottom of the pack among comparable western European countries. Waiting lists are the biggest issue facing the NHS, [...]
DEBATE: Should the government introduce legislation to ensure business is a force for good? April 21, 2021 Martin Bunch, Managing Partner at Bates Wells says Yes The Companies Act as it stands doesn’t get in the way of good corporate practice, but neither does it actively encourage corporations to embrace their responsibilities to wider society and the planet. The Better Business Act aims to amend the Companies Act and embed commitment to [...]
DEBATE: Is Universal Credit fit for purpose? March 4, 2021 Jonathan Reynolds, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions says NO Universal Credit has failed on its own terms. It is not offering a route out of hardship instead it is perpetuating a cycle of debt and destitution that is hurting our economy. The system starts people off in debt through the five week-wait, [...]
Greta is wrong, environmentalists need markets to protect the planet June 29, 2020 Free market advocates have too often vacated the environmental battlefield. And they have been scared off for good reasons. At best, climate politics is dominated by those who see little to no role at all for markets. At worst, environmentalism is a thinly disguised excuse for advocating far-left economic and social policies. Some have labelled [...]