Pitchforks at the ready: the banks are at it again. This week it emerged RBS (81% tax payer-owned) will be investigated by the Serious Fraud Office over allegations their Global Restructuring Group – the team tasked with ‘supporting’ businesses in financial trouble – forced hundreds of companies out of business. The accusation is that rather… [Read More]
In recent years, political discourse has promoted civic action in society, due to the perceived limits of what the core state can at times do – this is Phillip Blond and Jesse Norman MP’s ‘Big Society’ or Lord Glasman and Jon Cruddas MP’s ‘One Nation Labour’ (Norman, Glasman and Cruddas have all spoken at Civitas… [Read More]
Romanian and Bulgarian migrants might face continued restrictions to rights and benefits in the UK after 1 January 2014, according to sources near David Cameron. He wants to double (or possible quadruple) the time-period migrants have to live in Britain before they can receive benefits, from three months to six (or a year). Details are… [Read More]
The EU is finally taking a dose of its own medicine after the European Court of Justice rejected the Commission’s proposal to increase the salaries of EU civil servants. In 2011, in the midst of a Europe-wide recession, the Commission proposed a 1.7% pay rise for its staff, despite the draconian cutbacks that it was… [Read More]
Asking what truly mattered to the other side has turned a blocking minority over women’s consecration as bishops into a broad consensus.
Yesterday the ONS released one of its most comprehensive studies of the UK labour force. The headline findings were that 1) the number of graduates among the working-age populace now stands at 38% – double that of two decades ago, and 2), that inner London has a working-age population in which 60% have degrees. Good… [Read More]
The government’s long-awaited official response to February’s Francis Report recommendations is being published today, following on the from the government’s initial response in March. At the time, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s main pledges were to bring about a ‘zero-harm’ culture in the NHS, to detect and tackle problems more quickly and to strengthen staff standards… [Read More]
On 1 January 2014, Romanian and Bulgarian citizens will gain all the same rights as French, German and Dutch ex-pats in the UK. Some will come to Britain, although nobody is sure how many. The government are cagey about their estimates after spectacularly underestimating the number of ‘A8’ citizens wanting to come in 2004. MigrationWatchUK… [Read More]
Their names don’t fit together as comfortably as Europe’s former famous duo ‘Merkozy’ – but far-right leaders Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders are joining forces to take down ‘the monster of Brussels’ from within. The leaders of France’s National Front and the Dutch Freedom party are building up alliances under the political grouping the… [Read More]
September’s trade gap was dire. The recovery would be a whole lot healthier if we could make the things ourselves that we are so happy to buy.