Monthly Archives: November 2011

I find myself in an odd position. I think today's strike are a bad idea, but as a loyal Labour supporter, (and a supporter of the movement, not just the Labour party), I find myself reluctant to say why. It … Continued

In my last post, I said I couldn't quite believe the Government was planning to increase benefits by over five per cent, while freezing Tax Credits and offering a market-distorting subsidy to employers who take on the young unemployed, rather … Continued

I don't particularly mind that we are governed by a narrow class of forty-something career politicians who have devoted the entirety of their adult lives to party politics. I just want all that effort to mean they're at least quite good at … Continued

First, a pop quiz: who said the following, and when? "For three long years I have been going up and down this country preaching that Government costs too much. I shall not stop that preaching. As an immediate program of … Continued

Today, I completed the first stage of my attempt to lose weight.   I've lost four and a half stone. That's sixty-three pounds for Americans, twenty-eight kilo's for continentals, or eight basement cats for the intenet generation. While I'm pleased to have … Continued

I thought this paper from Centreforum, on embracing a policy of cheap money and inflation as a way out of the debt crisis that encourages growth, was interesting economically. I leave the detailed commentary on that to those more qualified. … Continued

In my more ludicrous moments I wonder if the real crisis of accountability in modern British political life lies not in parliament, or in boardrooms, but inthe Opinion columns of our major national newspapers, where a tiny, self-selecting elite (which … Continued

The unemployment figures were terrible today. I didn't feel that surprised though, perhaps because, like a lot of people, the current not-quite-recession is affecting my own personal life, and as a result of various changes, I and those close to me … Continued

We have been given a trail of the Government's idea for Plan B. The good news. It's not obviously stupid or counter-productive, unlike their exciting plans to grow the economy by making it easier to sack people.* A mixture of infrastructure … Continued

I've been watching the gradual implosion of European economies with puzzled horror. It's as if we are watching slow motion film of dozens of people running toward a cliff edge, knowing that as they rush toward the precipice, each is demanding … Continued