Monthly Archives: September 2011

Last week John reviewed our new book Masters of Nothing, and he has invited us to reply to the comments left on the site.   We’ve found that you keep learning about a book you’ve written after you’ve written it, thanks to the comments of others, and the discussion it provokes, so we are grateful [...]

       PFI was coming in when I was a Cabinet Minister. I remember surprising officials by turning down seeking  a PFI proposal for a new hospital and saying we should do it from state borrowing as it would be cheaper.         Andrew Lansley is right to highlight bad value contracts, and to try to do [...]

               In opposition Mr Cable told us “the road to Harare is not as long as we might hope”. Widely reported then  as a staunch opponent of printing money, owing to his colourful language about “Mugabe economics”, his argument was more hedged if you actually read what he said. He recognised that monetary easing [...]

               In opposition Mr Cable told us “the road to Harare is not as long as we might hope”. Widely reported then  as a staunch opponent of printing money, owing to his colourful language about “Mugabe economics”, his argument was more hedged if you actually read what he said. He recognised that monetary easing [...]

             I am pleased to report that this website was ranked Number One amongst MP websites in the  Total Politics rankings this month,  Number Four amongst  Conservative websites, and Number 20 overall. That is only possible with your interest and comments.            This site is entirely written by me and by you, the contributors. [...]

              Last night news broke that some Ministers think the government should kick start the economy with an extra £5 billion of capital spending. The BBC’s Economics Correspondent waded in giving it some credibility, revealing her lack of understanding  of the public spending figures and the economic situation.              The UK economy is slowing [...]

        I am glad Mr Huhne understands that high and rising energy prices are a serious problem. They make fuel poverty worse, and make it more difficult to attract and retain industry in the UK as our prices are higher than in competitor countries.      The question Mr Huhne needs to answer is “Should he  put [...]

            Western governments mainly know just one refrain. They say they  need to spend more, so they need increased  revenues. When the economy is doing well they want to spend more, so the public sector participates in the success and modernises to keep up with the private sector. When times are bad for the economy they [...]

            As we listen to a new round of banker bashing, with demands for bankers to go to prison, we need to ask who is to blame for the current serious sovereign debt crisis. Should they also be in line for prison?            At the heart of today’s crisis is  Greek debt. There are dangers [...]