Monthly Archives: March 2009

This government does not know how to spell “freedom”, let alone understand it. They now tell us they wish us to fill in details everytime we wish to travel abroad, as if were suddenly all locked into the USSR – or the EUSR as many of my correspondents would have it. This would, they suggest, [...]

From the government which brought you selective schools only for the rich, and driving in London only for the rich, we now might end up with drinking alcohol only for the rich. The government presumably sanctioned their adviser to demand higher prcies for alcoholic drinks. Is this being nice to the rich – letting them [...]

So there we have it. After millions of pounds, after endless drafting by spin doctors, after a good lunch and thousands of airmiles, the Finance Ministers conclude they will “do whatever it takes” to end the recession. When will that be then? And could we know “What does it take”? I suppose it is a [...]

The government just does not get it. Today we learn they are proposing new and much more extensive mortgage regulation, and regulation of everything else in the financial sector that they think should be regulated more. I remember Labour introducing massive amounts of new mortgage regulation before the crash. I wrote explaining that their style [...]

Mr Darling has three aims for the Finance Summit this weekend – to borrow more money, to borrow more money and to borrow more money. It’s a strange way of sorting out a crisis brought on by borrowing too much. His three way plan consists of 1. Countries to agree to borrow more to spend [...]

Most people now seem to agree the Regulators should have been tougher on banking cash and capital in the private sector, to stop the private sector credit excesses. Instead of talking about how to prevent the last crisis, as they are now doing,we need to look ahead. Shouldn’t the Uk Regulator today be warning about [...]

I have always been careful to go along with the conventional wisdom and with the government spin that there are banks that are too large to be allowed to fail. I have done so knowing how powerful the spin against me would be if I ever suggested otherwise. To concede that does not mean, however, [...]

Some have written in to praise, and some to express cynicism about the Conservatives announcement that they will be pulling out of the European People’s party. To those who think they are saying this now because there is a European election coming up, I say, Yes of course. But this is not a cynical ploy. [...]

Yesterday I heard an inspirational speech from a member of the Shadow Cabinet. Yes, honest, I did. Don’t stop reading. I am not fibbing. Central office did not ask me to write this. When I went to hear Caroline Spelman talk about the future of local and regional government in England I did not expect [...]