The Great Tory Lie, and the Truth Behind the National Debt

February 15, 2013 by 1 Comment
george-osborne_david-cameron

Every pronouncement by ministers in this government contains the same excuse for every unpleasant policy and every perfidious financial  act. The mantra goes like this; "we have to repay the debt created by Gordon Brown", and: "we inherited this mess from the incompetent Labour government which … [Read more...]

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The Myth of Educational Opportunity

May 11, 2012 by 1 Comment
Children taking exams

The conventional wisdom in the education debate is that all children should be given an equal opportunity to gain the most appropriate education and equal access to the best schools and colleges. We do not like privilege and we do not like failure. But children have a range of ability and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education

Death of the Gatwick Express

April 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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We mourn the passing of the Gatwick Express. A casualty of untrammeled competition foisted on the railway system by a doctrinaire government.  Such competition, even with regulation, means that outcomes are driven solely by financial considerations which ignore wider social costs and benefits.  … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Transport

What Are Banks For?

December 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Picture of Whitehall, London, for Article, How the Deregulation of banks caused crisis

Everybody seems to have grasped that the banks are at the core of our problems today.  They are too big and too rich. But most would admit that they do not really understand why. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics

Misinformation about the EU

November 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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This is a letter I sent to Polly Toynbee on 25th October 2011 after the debate in Parliament concerning a referendum on membership of the European Union. Dear Polly, You seem to be one of the few people in public debate who is prepared to acknowledge the truth of the political and economic … [Read more...]

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Margaret Thatcher: A Warning (written 27/4/2010)

November 17, 2011 by 1 Comment
thatcher-12

Though still with us in body, the spirit of Margaret Thatcher still marches at the head of today’s Conservative Party. And it is clear now that she is a founder member of New Labour.  They are both the inheritors of ‘thatcherism’ and therefore cannot be trusted. Margaret Thatcher was Prime … [Read more...]

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