Monthly Archives: June 2010

Yesterday was another bad day on the markets for the Euro. The European Central Bank withdrew longer term facilities from European banks, and triggered fears in the markets. The currency slid further. The ill judged Euro experiment is doing considerable damage to Euroland economies. The southern states need to cut their wages substantially to compete [...]

Torquil Norman has sent me his book, “Kick the tyres, light the fires” for review on this website. He bought the Roundhouse with a charitable fund which he had established from his successful toy business, and renovated it for young people to use for performance and media. Around 6000 young people a year use it, [...]

The government needs to change its rhetoric about pubic sector cuts. It should not allow Labour the space to campaign against “deep and damaging” cuts by giving any credence to the idea that pubic spending is being cut by 25% or some such fictional figure. There will be hotheads in the Labour movement who wish [...]

The policy of printing pounds and running a huge public sector deficit under the last government led to a large slide in the value of the pound. This was the main force behind the rise in inflation, taking the RPI to a 5.3% annual rise at the worst. It is early days, and so far [...]

Only in the public sector is an increase a cut. The current debate over public spending is bogged down in the parade of the bleeding stumps, arguments over 25% cuts, and an argument over allowing the health budget to rise when most else is set to tumble. So let’s try again. Total spending will go [...]

Yesterday I played cricket, sparing myself the painful experience of watching the English soccer team. My team won. It was a rare and glorious summer day. It was an unusual treat to feel warm. We kept in touch with how the English team were faring. The icing on the cake for us was hearing that [...]

The battle of Basel continues. At the G20 leaders will briefly consider some of the complex issues over how banks will be regulated after the Crash. Later in July there will another important meeting to seek global agreement on how to control banks and to avoid another banking disaster. Basel I in the 1990s said [...]

Eric Pickles has been as good as his word in opposition. He is letting Councils out of jail. His blistering pace of reform includes scrapping Comprehensive Area Assessments, regional plans and top down housing targets. Out goes all that box ticking, gold star and black mark awarding and all that national and regional bureaucracy. In [...]