Category Archives: Uncategorized

  The sudden deaths of the passengers on the airliner over the Ukraine has come as a dreadful shock. If it was mass murder we need to know who did it and why. The families of those who have lost loved ones have our deepest sympathy. The first requirement is for the establishment of an […]

    Lord Hill has to run the gauntlet of the European Parliament endorsement hearing. They will want him to be loyal to the Treaties Conservatives have opposed, loyal to a federally inclined Commission which we oppose, and keen on the project of ever closer union which the UK cannot accept. He will doubtless use […]

  This week Parliament has tried to sort out a serious legislative mess of the EU’s making. This is no way to run a serious country.  The European Court of Justice recently struck down a European Directive on Data Retention. This Directive, agreed to by the last Labour government, had been faithfully transposed into UK law. […]

  There was some good news in the reshuffle. Mr Hague’s decision to leave Parliament next May means we now have a Foreign Secretary who has stated he wants out of the EU if we do not get a much better deal. That is a better stance for our negotiation, and encouraging that he agrees […]

  In 2008-9, well into the financial crisis, the UK state raised £22.5 billion in Self Assessment Income Tax, with a top rate of 40%. The following year, the last year at 40%, saw another £21.7bn collected. The 50% rate then introduced was assumed by the Treasury to yield a lot more self assessment income […]

  Past Prime Ministers have often been damaged by their  reshuffles. The reason is simple. There is no sensible personnel function for Ministers in modern government. It begins with the failure to map the interests, experience and qualifications of the talent pool, the MPs and peers available for appointment. It is worsened by those who may […]

  Today I want to concentrate on the narrower definition of the nation’s debts – the £1300 billion of official borrowing in the name of the nation that gets measured in the international comparisons, some 80% of GDP. This excludes the  public sector pension deficits, the semi nationalised bank liabilities and the private finance guarantees. […]

Many parts of the private sector are being changed dramatically by digital technology. If you want to buy a house you can now visit a range of properties on line and see their floor plans and their inside and outside appearance from your home computer. If you want to buy any good or service you […]

  Yesterday Parliament debated whether to opt back in to 35 of the EU Criminal Justice measures.  We have recently rightly opted out of all 135 measures, as we were entitled do under our version of the centralising Lisbon Treaty. I and others told  Parliament why we do not wish to opt back in to anything. […]