Coronavirus: The protectionists’ siren song must go unheeded The Coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we live, the way we work, and the way we see the world. Relationships are being made and affected. Geopolitics is in a state that we’ve rarely seen before. Political views are being disregarded and changed. It’s important, however, that fundamental aspects of our economic model, such as [...]
The world has changed, but Davos has failed to keep up As the fiftieth World Economic Forum’s annual Davos meet-up continues, “grounded” British ministers are, according to Boris Johnson, focusing on priorities at home — or forging stronger relationships with African states at the UK-Africa Investment Summit. It’s a shrewd move, not only because of the way it looks in the press for the Prime Minister’s [...]
DEBATE: Is a new ‘Trump deal’ the answer to the Iran nuclear problem? DEBATE: Is a new ‘Trump deal’ the answer to the Iran nuclear problem? Is a new “Trump deal” the answer to the Iran nuclear problem? YES, says Ben Kelly, a commentator for Reaction. Does anyone genuinely believe that Donald Trump’s objection to the Iran nuclear deal was based on detailed analysis of its contents? No. Trump rejected it as part of his obsession with dismantling Barack Obama’s legacy. [...]
This election has exposed Britain’s foreign policy vacuum November 14, 2019 The 2020 US presidential election will be heavily influenced by foreign policy debate. So was the last one, and the one before that. Barack Obama initially stood out against Hillary Clinton by defining himself in opposition to the Iraq War. Donald Trump represented a break from the typical interventionist nature of Republican candidates, and so [...]
Debate: Should rail firms be rewarded for running trains on time? September 23, 2019 Should rail firms be rewarded for running trains on time? Yes – Matt Gillow is a research associate at the Adam Smith Institute. Transport secretary Grant Shapps isn’t just offering incentives for operators to deliver an agreed service, but repercussions if they fail. If big rail monopolies commit to a service and fail to deliver [...]
The Conservative case for foreign aid August 8, 2019 Now that the Conservative party leadership contest is over, a raft of new ideas have entered the mainstream policy agenda. Many of these are liberal, exciting, and exactly what is needed to boost the British economy ahead of Brexit – but the very concept of international aid has taken something of a beating. Contenders for [...]