You wouldn’t think it to hear the ecstatic, almost utopian announcements arising from the Northern Ireland G8 summit, but the much-vaunted ‘Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership’ (TTIP) has already run aground. Kenneth Clarke, minister very evidently without portfolio, wrote last month in the Telegraph that the proposed deal was one of the key reasons his… [Read More]
By David Conway, Professorial Research Fellow at Civitas Hot on the heels of the latest annual Bilderberg get-together in Berkshire, England, political leaders at the just-concluded G8 summit in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, announced that the EU and US intend to broker a free-trade agreement between them by the end of next year, with talks towards one due to… [Read More]
After the deal reached in February was rejected by the European Parliament, a new agreement on the EU budget has been reached by EU leaders. The budget has not changed in size, but in structure; the figure remains at 960 billion euros but more flexibility in spending will allow the money to be disbursed when… [Read More]
Stamp duty is an unfair tax on moving house and a barrier to economic growth. It needs reform.
An inevitable consequence of Nelson Mandela being critically ill in hospital is discussion of his legacy. No one doubts the profound political achievement of ending Apartheid and establishing democracy in South Africa. However, the country’s economy has not performed as well as may have been expected since 1994, when Mandela became president.
It’s now been a month since NHS England Chief Executive David Nicholson announced his intention to step down in 2014, during which time much discussion has taken place about who may replace him. Many of those suggested are already serving on the NHS England board or are experienced within the NHS. However, NHS England Chair… [Read More]
In a publication posted today by Civitas, Time for a reformation of NHS management, Dr Christoph Lees of the new Doctors’ Policy Research Group has argued that in light of recent care quality failings in the NHS and the seeming inability of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to prevent them, fundamental change is needed in… [Read More]
A series of announcements and leaks on Friday (21 June) reveal that the Dutch government is moving much closer to the conservative Prime Minister’s position. The Dutch were one of the six original founding members of the European Economic Community, so their 22-page ‘subsidiarity review’, which has substantial overlap with Cameron’s Bloomberg speech, carries diplomatic… [Read More]
A murky scandal has cast a cloud over the Czech Republic’s political landscape. Prime Minister Petr Necas resigned last week after losing the support of his coalition partners, leaving the country in a state of uncertainty.
Charles Saatchi was right to accept a police caution, never mind what gets said to the media.