Stockholm riots and EU populism
24 May 2013Riots have plagued Stockholm satellite-towns over the last five days. Youths set fire to over 30 cars plus state buildings including a nursery, Rågsved police station and a school.
The Blog
Moving back to Mum?
23 May 2013Universal Credit is hoped to reduce both the benefit bill and levels of dependency from 2013. If it has an effect on people’s behaviour, then we can hope for it to show up in the household statistics. Before then, it is worth having a look to see what is happening already.
Large scale tax avoidance undermines capitalism
22 May 2013Yet another large company has recently been accused of tax avoidance: Apple has allegedly exploited US tax loopholes to avoid $9bn in taxes there. This follows all the controversy here in the UK over the tax affairs of Amazon, Google and Starbucks. The old adage, that only the little people pay tax, is becoming ever… [Read More]
Jeremy Hunt’s GP reforms face mixed reaction
21 May 2013Following on from recent coalition announcements on the Care Bill and integration, which I covered in last week’s post, it has today been reported that Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt plans to announce new rules for general practice this Thursday. This will include a move away from ‘box-ticking culture’ and the creation of a new post… [Read More]
Give the ‘swivel-eyed loons’ some glasses
20 May 2013The Tory party is in a perfect storm. A top Conservative, or indeed Cameron himself, allegedly called grassroots supporters ‘mad, swivel-eyed loons’. Swivel they might, given the civil-war splitting the party over today’s same-sex marriage bill and an amendment to extend civil partnerships to heteronormative couples, just as it opens marriage to homosexuals. Their crazy… [Read More]
Iceland: a return to the right, a retreat from the EU
17 May 2013Last month, the prospect of EU accession was enough to bring together Serbia and Kosovo towards normalising relations. But on the other side of the continent, Iceland has voted in a eurosceptic government that is determined to keep the EU candidate country independent. Iceland’s centre-right Independence Party, and their previous coalition partner the Progressive Party,… [Read More]
Green energy subsidies – the cost to households
Green energy subsidies will cost every British household £600 a year by 2020, a leading industry analyst warns in a Civitas paper published today. The cost to consumers of pursuing EU renewables targets is set to rise above £16 billion per annum, when VAT is taken into account, Dr John Constable writes in Are Green… [Read More]
Full-life tariffs are not the whole answer
16 May 2013Whole-life tariffs for murderers may appear to offer protection for police officers but they are not a substitute for proper resourcing. Anyone on the side of justice deserves special protection too.
To reignite growth: ban share buybacks?
Admittedly, the topic of share buybacks, when companies repurchase their shares to return money to investors, may not immediately set the pulses racing. However, if William Lazonick is right, cracking down on this practice may be crucial to getting investment rates back up and the economy back on track. Lazonick’s research has focused on the… [Read More]
Coalition outlines plans on care and integration
14 May 2013Integration continues to be a government priority, with the Care Minister Norman Lamb making an encouraging announcement today that the coalition aims to set the NHS on track towards full integration of health and social care by 2018. It is hoped that this will move patients better treated in community settings away from hospitals, prevent… [Read More]