With the Labour Party in complete turmoil, does it have any chance of regaining power by 2025? July 13, 2016 Alex Thomson, director at Hanover Communications, says Yes. Politics is a bit like geology. For years it can appear that nothing is happening. But the tectonic plates are ever shifting under the surface, and finally things erupt. So while Labour may be facing a number of problems at the moment, including a fall in Jeremy Corbyn’s [...]
Brexit fundamentalists have destroyed the Tories’ reputation as the party of business October 3, 2016 The Conservatives used to pride themselves on being the party of business. Now that legacy is being turned on its head, as Theresa May moves closer towards a disastrous hard Brexit that would send Britain hurtling out of the Single Market. While businesses clamour for an end to the huge uncertainty they face, the government [...]
Gallery: When Barack Obama came to London April 23, 2016 Unless you've been living under a rock, you may have noticed that Barack Obama has been in town for a few days. And, he's been getting about. He's met Queen Elizabeth, David Cameron, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Prince Harry, Jeremy Corbyn, a bunch of young people at a town hall meeting [...]
Folly of the Corbynistas: There’s nothing mainstream about Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn’s economic plans September 1, 2015 A group of economists recently hit the headlines with their claim that Jeremy Corbyn’s policies are supported by mainstream economics. Perhaps the best known of them is David Blanchflower, a Monetary Policy Committee member when Gordon Brown was chancellor. He predicted before the 2010 General Election that, under the Conservatives, unemployment would rise [...]
Trident: Home secretary Theresa May wants a Commons vote before the summer recess July 5, 2016 Home secretary Theresa May has said Trident should be renewed as soon as possible, calling for a parliamentary vote before the summer recess. May, the Tory leadership favourite, said that it is necessary to renew the submarines to confront an insecure world, pointing particularly to the risk posed by Russia, as well as North Korea. The [...]
The RMT’s dangerous strikes are a cynical ploy to pave the way for rail renationalisation August 10, 2016 There is no general upsurge of industrial militancy in the UK: the latest figures show both numbers of stoppages and days lost to strikes remain low. The cluster of RMT actions – against Southern Railway/Govia Thameslink (now suspended), Virgin East Coast and Eurostar – will not be a harbinger of a new wave of damaging [...]
Nobody wins from a house price crash July 21, 2016 The full effects of the referendum on Britain’s economy are still unknown. Stocks are faring relatively well, with the FTSE 100 bursting over 6,700 and the FTSE 250 hitting a post-vote high. The pound remains slumped below $1.32, however, while consumer confidence appears to have taken a tangible knock. Many business leaders are worried, and some [...]
It’s pure hubris for politicians to think they can “rebalance” the economy September 8, 2016 Theresa May is reviving the idea of interventionist industrial strategy, and wants to “rebalance” the economy. Many people are jumping on the bandwagon. They should jump right off again. Even the more mature of today’s politicians were still in the school playground when these ideas last made waves. In the 1950s and 1960s, UK governments [...]
Jeremy Corbyn will apologise for Iraq War on behalf of Labour if he wins leadership contest August 20, 2015 Labour leader frontrunner Jeremy Corbyn has promised to apologise for the Iraq War on behalf of the party if he becomes leader. Corbyn will issue a statement saying sorry for the invasion of Iraq if he wins the battle to succeed Ed Miliband as party leader in the hotly contested race. He told the Guardian: [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s rise is no shock to famous author Stiglitz July 26, 2015 Outspoken economist Joseph Stiglitz said yesterday that the rise of extreme socialist candidates such as Jeremy Corbyn is a predictable consequence of austerity measures imposed across Europe since the financial crisis.