Monthly Archives: June 2009

Yesterday I asked Mr Miliband if we could have some democracy in Europe, to mirror the democracy he says he wishes to support or introduce elsewhere in the world. I was wasting my breath. He is a keen supporter of the European project, which proceeds on its meddling centralising way despite the views of European [...]

We are not short of regulators, nor lacking rules. The last few years have seen a crisis of regulation as well as disastrous central banking and greedy and incompetent banking. We should expect less of regulators. They cannot guarantee us all against loss from financial transactions. We should also expect more of them. We should [...]

How many more of our young people have to die in Afghanistan? How are the US and UK going to prosecute this war, given the way the Taleban can operate over the Pakistan border, in a country that remains a key US and UK ally? What does winning look like? How many troops will it [...]

It’s good news that the rate of decline is slowing. It makes sense for the government’s spin doctors to be trying to inject some confidence, claiming that we are at the bottom, or near the turn. No-one sensible wants the downturn to go on for a day longer, and none of us want to see [...]

On Saturday the predictable calls came from Labour supporting papers. Would I like to confirm that the Tories will cut 10% from budgets? Would I like to send a message to the Conservative leadership that they need to spell out more cuts? They had all the finesse and subtlety of an elephant in a living [...]

I spent the last couple of days in the USA,(not at the public expense) to see how the recession is affecting them, and to see if there is any tangible sign of recovery. I visited the Chicago area, to see if the rust belt is still rusting, and to feel the pulse of the heartlands [...]

I have been a pessimist about UK commercial and residential property. Values of commercial property have been falling for months. Commercial rents are weak. There is a substantial overhang of space. Retailers have gone bankrupt, leaving empty shops. Considerable new space is being completed in the City when tenant demand is weak. Businesses under pressure [...]

I hear mixed reports about the banks. Some people and businesses report great difficulty in getting a bank loan for a good purpose, high fees and charges, even difficulty in keeping what banking facility they do enjoy. Others tell me things are more normal, and there is money to borrow for those who have a [...]

The PM’s sudden interest in a different way of voting looks like the action of a man who is worried that Labour cannot carry on winning under the tried and tested system of first past the post. Proportional systems have many drawbacks. They lead to more extreme parties with more chance of them securing elected [...]