Monthly Archives: March 2010

I promised to explain why I did not go by train to Manchester. My local station is a twenty five minute or so walk from home. The first available train to get me to London Waterloo leaves at 6.06 in the morning, and after a change of train gets me there at 7.31 if it [...]

The FSA says today it will in future monitor more and make judgements about the safety of various financial products and activities. The tripartite regulators led by the Chancellor made some very important judgements 2005-8. Between 2005 and 2007 they thought banks had more than enough capital and cash for their huge increases in lending [...]

Yesterday was another successful day for anti terrorism. I was especially grateful as I was travelling to and from Manchester by public transport in order to make a speech there. We should not tempt providence or take things for granted. The anti terrorist police and Intelligence services are to be congratulated for all the networks [...]

Yesterday the Conservative message for the next couple of months was unveiled to some of us. It is: “We can’t go on like this. Vote for change” Change includes: “Change the economy. Back aspiration and opportunity for all. Gordon Brown’s debt, waste and taxes are holding us back and threatening the recovery with higher interest [...]

This week’s poor balance of payments figures for last month revealed two worrying facts. Despite the sharp falls in the pound, there has been no surge in exports to show us gaining market share as we become more price competitive. At the same time, imports have increased sharply as destocking ends, with no sign that [...]

One of the triumphs of Labour spin over the last twenty years has been to caricature Thatcherism. Because they so feared its success, economically and electorally, they set out to associate it with a set of unpleasant characteristics so we would “never go back to it”. Their presentation of Thatcherism was a tissue of lies, [...]

Recently I was keen and happy to support Bill Cash’s proposed legislation to “reassert UK Parliamentary sovereignty.” His five clause Bill states “The sovereignty of Parliament is hereby reaffirmed”. It goes on to protect sovereignty from treaties, other legislation and the European Communities Act, itself the fount of EU power in the UK. It would [...]

I do not always agree with business lobbies, who often argue the case for larger and well established businesses at the expense of innovation and new competitors, and who often favour bigger government than is ideal. Today the business voice seems united in saying we need lower tax rates to allow more business and jobs [...]

Today there will be a strike of some public sector workers over cuts in redundancy payments. I don’t expect the government to suddenly give in owing to industrial action. The strikers might be disappointed at how little impact there is from their inaction. I can understand employees’ frustration at unilateral changes to their terms and [...]