ConservativeHome has charted the change in departmental expenditure limits since 2009-10 in a “To The Point” article, How the departments have fared in this Austerity Parliament: Health spending is up. Communities and Local Government has been cut in half. I recommend this good summary article.
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Charlie Elphicke MP: Turbocharging growth
A new series from colleagues – Charlie Elphicke MP: Turbocharging growth: This series of articles looks at measures to help our country grow faster. None of us pretend we have all the answers. We do not look at every area. It is intended as a contribution of ideas to the growth […]
Read MoreConservativeHome’s Platform: Steve Baker MP: The Fed is very nearly bust and it is probably not alone amongst central banks
A review of the US Federal Reserve’s own document: “FEDERAL RESERVE statistical release, H.4.1: Factors Affecting Reserve Balances of Depository Institutions and ?Condition Statement of Federal Reserve Banks”, issued on August 23rd 2011, reveals some interesting information about the state of the Federal Reserve, the US central bank: it’s very […]
Read MoreConservativeHome’s Platform: It’s time for flat taxes
I appeared recently on The Daily Politics to advocate tax simplification. In the way of things, the Beeb only used the section where I straightforwardly called for lower, flat taxes. I didn’t object – I’m serious: low and flat taxes would be better for everyone. Our austerity programme only deals with […]
Read MoreConservativeHome’s Platform: Steve Baker MP: Accounting has never been so exciting!
Via ConservativeHome’s Platform: Steve Baker MP: Accounting has never been so exciting: There is a growing awareness that one of the main contributors – if not the main contributor – to the severity of the financial crisis was the system of accounting rules under which UK banks continue to operate. […]
Read MoreNew year honours for Wycombe
The Bucks Free Press are reporting local recipients of new year honours. Amongst them are an OBE for Cllr Mimi Harker with MBEs for Chauhdry Shafique and Bryan Edgley. Many congratulations to all the recipients: I know their awards are thoroughly deserved after many years of dedicated service to our community. And […]
Read MoreConservativeHome’s Platform: Steve Baker MP: The greatest threat to civilisation is not climate change but bad economics
Over on ConservativeHome, I have responded to one of Paul Goodman’s articles, The dog that didn’t bark on Thursday during Energy questions: So, the greatest problem humanity faces is how to use increasingly scarce natural resources to create greater prosperity for a growing number of people in the context of a […]
Read MoreCentreRight: Conservatism, liberalism and the little platoons – do ideas matter?
Yesterday on ConservativeHome’s CentreRight, I asked “Do ideas matter?” and began discussing the Big Society: The idea of the Big Society has a rich, pragmatic heritage. For me, it is about altruistic individuals in positive relationships. Some of those relationships will be charitable, some personal and some commercial. All are […]
Read MoreCentreRight: A political economy popquiz
On Conservative Home’s CentreRight, I have published a political economy popquiz. The article gives three charts and three related questions: State spending as a proportion of the economy since 1900. Consumer prices since 1750. Debt projections for the western world. I’ll publish some related thinking next week.
Read MoreCentreRight: The faith and folly of the Brussels elite
The Economist’s Charlemagne column prompted me to put the boot into the EU on ConservativeHome’s CentreRight blog: In this week’s Economist, the departing Charlemagne columnist reflects on “the faith and folly of the Brussels elite”. He explains that Brussels officials really do want more Europe because they believe nationalism is the […]
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