I enjoyed meeting Jim Wallis in Parliament through The Bible Society. He’s undoubtedly a great orator with a huge heart for service to other people in fulfilment of the Christian faith we share. I mostly delighted in his book, On God’s Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned About […]
Read MorePost Tagged with: "economics"
The central banks have backed their economies into a corner
Yesterday, the US Federal Reserve decided not to reduce its money creation programme of $85 billion a month. The Cobden Centre publishes a response, No tapering, no surprise: It was not too surprising that there is going to be no tapering for some very good reasons. The commencement of tapering would […]
Read MoreHouse price inflation and the madness of monetary socialism
Via House price inflation should be capped at 5pc, RICS says – Telegraph, House prices should be prevented from rising by more than 5pc a year to stop another bubble destabilising the economy, a top property institute has urged. For comparison, the UK inflation target is 2%. The RICS story […]
Read MoreThe injustice of easy money is going mainstream
The Daily Mail reports Interest rates: How keeping them at a record low is a deliberate government ploy to pay off its debts: A stealth raid by the Bank of England has stripped savers of more than £170billion, a Money Mail investigation can reveal. By slashing the base rate to a […]
Read MoreMark Carney’s grand experiment began today » The Cobden Centre
An article for The Cobden Centre following my World at One appearance: The essence of what the Bank has announced is well known: they have begun using forward guidance to anchor both inflation and interest rate expectations as a cover for more active monetary policy. This will usher in a […]
Read MoreHow conscientious consumers can combat global poverty with a cup of coffee
Via LearnLiberty: See also Fair Trade Without the Froth: When it comes to the purchase of everyday goods such as coffee, tea and sugar, most consumers believe that sellers of Fair Trade products occupy the high moral ground. Despite its strong statements, however, the claims of the Fair Trade movement […]
Read MoreUnemployment down nationally, regionally, and locally
Unemployment in the UK is down by 57,000. It is lower than in May 2010. Unemployment in Buckinghamshire is down – falling by 404 in June to stand at 5,437. It’s now at its lowest level since December 2008. Unemployment in Wycombe is down by 194 from June 2012 and stands […]
Read MoreBank reform demands monetary reform – an essay for Banking 2020
Today sees the return of the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Bill to Parliament. It does not do enough. In the book Banking 2020: A vision for the future, my essay summarises the institutional problems with our monetary and banking orthodoxy: The features of today’s banking system As Governor of the Bank of England […]
Read MoreHS2 – a study in why politicians make bad choices
Yesterday, a number of us voted against the preparatory bill for High Speed 2. I remain opposed for the reasons I have given. As if the economic case were not weak enough already, yesterday another £10 billion was added to the cost: Patrick McLoughlin said that the projected cost has […]
Read MoreHaldane: Bond bubble is the biggest threat to financial stability
Via City A.M., Bank official: Bond bubble is the biggest threat to financial stability | City A.M.. OUTSPOKEN Bank of England official Andrew Haldane warned yesterday that the bursting of a bond bubble is the biggest threat to the world’s financial stability. Haldane, the Bank’s executive director of financial stability, told […]
Read More