The cost of flexibility
8 August 2013Dealing constructively with surplus labour is part of planning sensibly for growth.
The Blog
The Youth Guarantee: why increasing the fund is not enough
7 August 2013by Giles Hall The rise in youth unemployment within the eurozone has been much publicised in recent times. Greece and Spain have in particular experienced rates as high as 62.5% and 56.4% respectively. The problem is seen as such a major issue that Angela Merkel called an EU summit early in July which resulted in… [Read More]
Compare the (medical) market.com? NHS comparison website announced
6 August 2013It was reported yesterday that the NHS is to set up an internal price comparison website for procurement (“designed on the price comparison websites that the public use for things such as energy and insurance quotes”), which will keep track of what trusts are paying for everyday medical supplies and for services such as construction.… [Read More]
Did Home Office ‘Go home’ vans backfire?
5 August 2013A Home Office initiative to seize control of migration seems to have backfired after being panned from all sides, derided as an Australian import and undermined by the Liberal Democrats.
Riots in France expose underlying tension
2 August 2013Riots in France were sparked recently after an altercation over a routine identity check in Trappes led to the arrest of a 21-year-old convert to Islam. Iance Mikael was accused of trying to strangle a police officer in the scuffle that ensued when police asked his wife to remove her face-covering veil, which is banned… [Read More]
Are employment tribunals worth £1,200?
1 August 2013A successful policy on employment tribunals should result in more private businesses becoming willing to employ staff.
A healthy economy needs a dynamic manufacturing sector
31 July 2013Previously, I blogged on the importance of manufacturing’s contribution to GDP. I argued that the small size of manufacturing’s GDP contribution relative to that of services is actually a sign of the sector’s strength. Why?
Are GPs right to support charging?
30 July 2013A finding from Pulse magazine’s online poll of GPs has drawn national newspaper attention and provoked intense debate in the past few days. The poll found 51% of GPs supported charging a fee for GP visits, with 36% against. This represented a substantial increase from just last September, when only 34% supported the idea.
Chinese solar panels win – everyone else loses
29 July 2013Over the weekend, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht capitulated in the trade war with China over the pricing of solar panels.
Ideological blindness to the facts on social mobility
26 July 2013There is an ideological blindness on the left which seems to preclude them from acknowledging any biological basis to cognitive differences. I discuss this in Social Mobility Myths and I experienced it yet again this week when I was a guest on Radio 4’s The Moral Maze.