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.
Tags: ConservativeHome, Ideas, Parliament, Spending
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 debate. Many of the building blocks are already in place – enterprise zones, labour market reform, regional growth funds and LEPs to name but a few. Others are being put […]
Tags: ConservativeHome, economics
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 nearly bust. As it is indirectly the lynchpin of the global financial system, that matters to the UK. via ConservativeHome’s Platform: Steve Baker MP: The Fed is very nearly bust […]
Tags: Banking, Central Banking, ConservativeHome, economics, Money
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 the deficit over five years, not the debt. We know we must lift our country’s economy and spirits in the context of an awful legacy. We know the public must […]
Tags: ConservativeHome, economics, Tax
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. In particular, the culprit is the system of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), an EU-sponsored regime which has applied to UK and Irish banks since 2005. It’s something Howard Flight […]
Tags: Accounting, Banking, ConservativeHome, Health, IFRS
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 via Newcomer of 2010 – thetorydiary, I find I have had one nomination and two mentions from the staff of ConservativeHome. I am surprised and delighted! Happy new year!
Tags: ConservativeHome, Honours, Parliament, Wycombe
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 changing environment. The study of that problem is surely economics. Read more via ConservativeHome’s Platform: Steve Baker MP: The greatest threat to civilisation is not climate change but bad economics.
Tags: ConservativeHome, economics, Environment
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 social, because society is the cooperative action of individuals, not the coercive power of the State. It generated some interesting comments: read more via CentreRight: Conservatism, liberalism and the little platoons […]
Tags: ConservativeHome, Ideas
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.
Tags: CentreRight, ConservativeHome, economics, Quiz
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 greatest of evils. They have faith that the European project is eliminating nationalism and that “the existence of the EU is a bulwark against fresh horrors”. I go on to […]
Tags: ConservativeHome, EU, Mises, Nationalism
Steve Baker is the Conservative MP for Wycombe.
Steve was first elected to Parliament in 2010. He was previously an RAF engineer officer then a consulting software engineer. Find out more...
Steve holds regular surgeries in High Wycombe. If you would like an appointment, please contact me.
