Headings Header one Header two Header three Header four Header five Header six Blockquotes Single line blockquote: Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Multi line blockquote with a cite reference: People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to […] Read more »
Source: Right Angle | Published: January 12, 2013 - 3:22 am
Welcome to image alignment! The best way to demonstrate the ebb and flow of the various image positioning options is to nestle them snuggly among an ocean of words. Grab a paddle and let’s get started. On the topic of alignment, it should be noted that users can choose from the options of None, Left, Right, and Center. In […] Read more »
Source: Right Angle | Published: January 11, 2013 - 3:15 am
Default This is a paragraph. It should not have any alignment of any kind. It should just flow like you would normally expect. Nothing fancy. Just straight up text, free flowing, with love. Completely neutral and not picking a side or sitting on the fence. It just is. It just freaking is. It likes where […] Read more »
Source: Right Angle | Published: January 9, 2013 - 4:00 pm
Putting special characters in the title should have no adverse effect on the layout or functionality. Special characters in the post title have been known to cause issues with JavaScript when it is minified, especially in the admin when editing the post itself (ie. issues with metaboxes, media upload, etc.). Latin Character Tests This is […] Read more »
Source: Right Angle | Published: January 5, 2013 - 6:00 pm
Verify that: The post title renders the word “with” in italics and the word “markup” in bold. The post title markup should be removed from the browser window / tab. Read more »
Source: Right Angle | Published: January 5, 2013 - 5:00 pm
This post should display a featured image, if the theme supports it. Non-square images can provide some unique styling issues. This post tests a vertical featured image. Read more »
Source: Right Angle | Published: March 15, 2012 - 10:36 pm
We have lost a lot of freedoms during the battle against CV 19. Most have accepted the need to take tough measures to protect those at risk of serious illness and death. Now vaccines supply a way out of the public health imperative it is important we do not come to think some of these… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 25, 2021 - 5:02 am
Now is not the time for tax rises. Now is the time to promote a vigorous recovery as soon as it is safe to do so. Yes, the deficit is far too large, but it is affordable as long as it is a one-off. The deficit is the product of sensible support for individuals and… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 24, 2021 - 9:58 am
It was tragic news from the USA that the country surpassed 500,000 deaths this week from CV 19. The President and Vice President commemorated the sad landmark in a moving ceremony and with appropriate words. The USA and the UK make daily announcements of the deaths attributed to the virus, with Ministers and Administration representatives… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 24, 2021 - 5:01 am
Sir John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con): Will the Government do more to improve air flow, control and extraction in health settings, and to make more safe use of powerful ultraviolet cleaners to reduce cross-infection further? The Prime Minister (Mr Boris Johnson): My right hon. Friend raises a very interesting point. Our scientific advisers are looking at… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 23, 2021 - 11:09 am
I am in favour of the Union of the UK. I also believe Unions only work well when the main parts of them accept the Union’s authority and feel at home in it. That is why I supported the idea of having a referendum in Scotland to see how strong the feelings for independence… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 23, 2021 - 5:07 am
The BBC has a clear website presentation for BBC Scotland. It tells us about its flagship nightly News programme, the Nine. That takes “a global view on the news whilst maintaining a distinctive Scottish voice”. There are plenty of advertised Scottish news specials and supporting cultural programmes and events. There is no such statement about… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 22, 2021 - 5:01 am
Some MPs in the UK have rushed in to side with the Australian government and Parliament in their row with Facebook. The Australian government is proposing a law to make platforms like Facebook pay to use extracts from newspapers and media reports on their sites, so the journalism involved will not go unrewarded. Facebook has… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 21, 2021 - 5:12 am
I am glad to see Lord Frost has been brought in to sort out the remaining difficulties over fish, and the trade issues between GB and Northern Ireland. I hope he will also be a strong voice to deliver the wins from Brexit we have often discussed on this site. Next week’s budget offers another… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 20, 2021 - 5:01 am
The Bank of England Chief Economist has chosen a metaphor to reassure us about the economic future. I never mind a bit of optimism but I trust it will not deter policy makers from offering more assistance to the economy. He argues that because many people who have kept their jobs and decent earnings have… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 19, 2021 - 5:06 am
I am writing again to the new Secretary of State at the Business Department about our energy situation. I am asking him to reassert the priority of ensuring sufficient supply in the UK for our needs. We have become too reliant on imported electricity from the continent. They are embarking on closures of many nuclear… Read more »
Source: John Redwood's Diary | Published: February 18, 2021 - 5:04 am
Guido hears that after the chaos of the last month, Downing Street’s SpAd-based union unit is now dead in the water. According to multiple sources, the unit will be transposed into a “Union Cabinet Committee” consisting of the PM, Gove, Sunak, David Frost, Simon Hart, Alister Jack and Brandon Lewis, with Carrie Symonds ally Henry […] Read more »
In tonight’s LIVE with LITTLEWOOD: IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID Is the government prioritising social interaction over reopening business? DRAGGING ITS HEELS Are we unlocking too slowly? LESSONS LEARNED Does our education system need a fundamental rethink? Join host MARK LITTLEWOOD for 60 minutes of jam-packed discussion and debate with The Mail on Sunday’s DAN HODGES; SIAN GRIFFITHS of The Sunday Times; former MEP MARTIN DAUBNEY; LEN […] Read more »
Guido couldn’t let this nauseating love-in between Hancock and Ashworth lie, in which they used a Health Questions session in the Commons to lovingly compliment each other. The Health Secretary even got a dig in about Ashworth’s wife suing the Labour Party. Good to know that even during the pandemic, Matt has time to keep […] Read more »
In a point of order this afternoon, Liam Fox raised a Point of Order referencing the extraordinary intervention in proceedings in Scotland yesterday, where implicating the First Minister was censored from Salmond’s evidence against Sturgeon. Fox quoted Salmond as saying: “the complete breakdown of the necessary barriers which should exist between Government, political party, and […] Read more »
The front page of Bild, Germany’s best read newspaper, this morning was emblazoned with a large Union Jack and the words “Dear Britain, we envy you” written across it. Accompanying text read that “the English have announced their return to normality on June 21… and here there’s no hope”. The paper noted that a total of […] Read more »
Following up on the story Guido reported yesterday – that an EU-funded KCL and LSE research scheme sent MPs over a thousand fake letters mid-pandemic – a point of order was just raised in the Commons. Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing condemned the fury-inducing time-wasting casework stitch-up: “At a time like this it is hard to […] Read more »
One of Sadiq’s anti-racist statue commissioners has today been sacked by the Mayor for racism, after an investigation into his writings by Jewish News. One of the posts from Toyin Agbetu claimed there was an “immoral hierarchy of suffering” which had seen victims of the Holocaust “served well by Nazi hunters” compared to African victims of […] Read more »
Derek Twigg (Lab) Duncan Baker (Con) Keir Starmer (Lab) Andrea Jenkyns (Con) Ian Blackford (SNP) Damien Moore (Con) Ed Davey (LibDem) Neil Hudson (Con) Diana Johnson (Lab) Suzanne Webb (Con) Wes Streeting (Lab) Rob Roberts (Con) Rosie Cooper (Lab) Giles Watling (Con) Alex Cunningham (Lab) Jack Lopresti (Con) Stuart C McDonald (SNP) Christian Wakeford (Con) Read more »
Source: Guido Fawkes | Published: February 24, 2021 - 11:55 am
After last week’s Starmer speech flop, Labour is still trying to spin its way out of the hole their over-zealous briefing dug them into. The weekend before the speech we were promised a week-long “policy blitz”; the day before the speech it was trailed Starmer would be setting out a new vision akin to the Beveridge […] Read more »
Source: Guido Fawkes | Published: February 24, 2021 - 11:41 am
This week, the EU apparently signalled a major departure from its previously held dogma on free markets, trade and “vaccine nationalism”. In July 2020, the Government made headlines by announcing that it had been offered (and opted out of) membership of the European Union’s vaccine development and rollout scheme, a significant health and public-relations risk, […] The post The sweet, sweet irony of the EU-AstraZeneca vaccine row appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: January 31, 2021 - 3:58 pm
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is one of those regulatory bodies that often gets it in the neck from all sides. “Toothless” was the charge laid at its feet this summer by a parliamentary watchdog, the public accounts committee (PAC), for the UKGC’s seeming inability to regulate betting companies. The Guardian seems to publish an […] The post Four Successful Regulations That Show Real Bite from the UK Gambling Commission appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: January 10, 2021 - 4:41 pm
In the early afternoon of the 7th January 2021, a salmagundi of thugs, conspiracy theorists and neo-nazis, stormed the Capitol building in Washington D.C. Yesterday, for the first time in its history, a Confederate flag was flown through the Capitol in an act of violence, and it was flown alongside the imagery of the US […] The post An Ode to America Lost. appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: January 8, 2021 - 9:32 am
It’s December 2019 and Caroline Flack tweeted: “If you can be anything, be kind.” By February 2020, she was dead. Our planet has somehow managed to swirl around its sun again (still time for an extinction-level event though. Who had gamma-ray burst for January?) since then and I’m exhausted at being told to be kind […] The post Be Kind… Or Else! appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: January 5, 2021 - 1:05 pm
As I write this, the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election is not yet fully known. What is clear, however, is that the prospect of a Joe Biden presidency is now almost a certainty. With a few states still left to declare, it would take a political shock of divine proportions to see Donald […] The post Trump has lost the battle but is winning the war appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: November 7, 2020 - 9:34 pm
As we reflect on what seems to have been an interminable week in politics, the biggest standout seems to have been Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s defiance against central government, who are seeking to add the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester to the ever growing list of areas in the “last chance saloon” of Tier […] The post Burnham stands at crossroads between party, city and country. appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: October 21, 2020 - 9:13 am
Earlier this month Gerald Warner explained on the Reaction website why Joe Biden’s candidacy for the US presidency was, in his view, a bad thing. In a sense it’s refreshing to hear from a British pundit who is so very open about his support for Donald Trump, as polls have consistently indicated that the current […] The post A Response to Gerald Warner appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: October 2, 2020 - 8:03 pm
The popularity of online streaming is on the rise, and it’s had a direct impact on the gaming industry. This article by guest author and expert on the topic, Samuel Richardson, explores precisely what streaming entails. He also looks into what advantages it brings to your digital experience as a player and as a fan. […] The post How Streaming Is Changing The Gaming Industry appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: September 29, 2020 - 7:00 pm
Social media has influenced our lives in ways we can’t even fathom, but never does it seem as prevalent as when there’s an important political event. The suggestion that politics should be avoided as a conversation topic doesn’t gel with platforms such as Twitter and, during high-stakes elections, much of it is filled with people […] The post How Much Attention Should Political Bettors Pay to Social Media? appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: September 17, 2020 - 10:20 am
Four short years ago, Hillary Rodham Clinton headed into voting day as the clear favorite to become the first female President of the United States of America. The Democratic candidate had weathered the storm in the preceding months and was heavily fancied to win the race to the White House. Opponent Donald Trump had waged […] The post Will this year’s US Election go according to predictions? appeared first on The Backbencher. Read more »
Source: The Backbencher | Published: September 17, 2020 - 10:13 am
Antonio Horta-Osorio, who took over as Lloyds chief exec in 2011, is set to leave at the end of April. And although his pay last year was £1m less than in 2019, it took his rewards in the job to £59.5m. Read more »
Source: Articles | Mail Online | Published: February 25, 2021 - 6:31 am
The Education Secretary said staff will get to choose how they assess children - after exams were cancelled due to Covid. Teachers can rely on previous essays or other classwork if they wish. Read more »
Source: Articles | Mail Online | Published: February 25, 2021 - 6:20 am
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to shelve plans for tax rises, including a 5p increase in fuel duty and changes to stamp duty in what is being billed as a giveaway budget next week. Read more »
Source: Articles | Mail Online | Published: February 25, 2021 - 6:13 am
The B.1.526 variant first appeared in samples collected in New York City in November and has two versions, which contain the E484K and S477N mutations. Read more »
Source: Articles | Mail Online | Published: February 25, 2021 - 6:08 am
The hulking 72-year-old star of Cyrano De Bergerac and Jean De Florette has been charged with rape and sexual assault on an actress in her 20s. Read more »
Source: Articles | Mail Online | Published: February 25, 2021 - 3:51 am
The WHO said proof of a jab should not be required because there remain 'critical unknowns regarding the efficacy of vaccination in reducing transmission'. Read more »
Source: Articles | Mail Online | Published: February 25, 2021 - 2:17 am
Coronavirus cases have started to increase again in Germany with only four per cent of the public vaccinated, while Britons are already counting down the days to freedom. Read more »
Source: Articles | Mail Online | Published: February 25, 2021 - 2:14 am
A new report has revealed just how large your personal wealth needs to be to be considered among the wealthiest people in the world - with people in the UK needing to have £1.4million. Read more »
Source: Articles | Mail Online | Published: February 25, 2021 - 2:06 am
All of this has not gone down well with many backbench Conservative MPs, few of whom would be well-disposed towards a more conciliatory strategy. Read more »
Source: Conservative Home | Published: February 24, 2021 - 6:00 pm
Nicola Sturgeon said it was a conspiracy theory to think she had anything to do... The post It’s a “dangerous conspiracy theory” to think I had anything to do with the redaction of evidence from Alex Salmond. appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 24, 2021 - 6:49 pm
You couldn’t make this up. The EU denies a grace period extension to when single... The post Grace period for N.I. denied, Grace period for the EU to ratify future relationship agreement accepted? appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 24, 2021 - 11:19 am
Today, Michael Gove meets Vice President of the EU Commission Maros Sefcovic to talk about... The post EU Vice President – “There are inevitable consequences of Brexit, and simply we have to follow EU law”. There can be no grace period extension in Northern Ireland. appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 24, 2021 - 9:38 am
A vocal Rejoiner, Jason Hunter decided to boast to fellow Rejoiners on Twitter writing odds... The post Rejoiners rejoice over bookies giving 5/1 odds on the UK rejoining the EU by 2026. appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 24, 2021 - 1:07 am
Disenfranchisement grows after EU commission send letters to multiple countries in the EU threatening legal... The post PUNISHED FOR PROTECTING CITIZENS – EU Commission sends threatening legal letters to nations around the EU for closing borders to stop the spread of Covid. appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 23, 2021 - 4:16 pm
Today, on Good Morning Britain, Matt Hancock was interrogated by Piers Morgan regarding PPE contracts.... The post Piers Morgan kicks off at Matt Hancock live on TV over PPE contracts. appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 23, 2021 - 3:31 pm
As we know, the EU love to play dirty when it comes to individual countries... The post EU play dirty to cut Britain’s financial competitiveness. Economist exposes EU’s agenda. appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 23, 2021 - 2:17 pm
The post Liverpool Labour Councillor moves to Spain claiming £10k pay packet for taking zoom meetings and phone calls. appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 23, 2021 - 12:09 am
Today, the UK Government plans to hit back at Brussels after the EU snubbed a... The post BORIS HITS BACK – UK minister snubbed by EU Commission after meeting to speak about the UK shellfish export ban was rubbished. appeared first on BRITANNIA NEWS. Read more »
Source: BRITANNIA NEWS | Published: February 22, 2021 - 12:39 pm
Jonathan Eida | Opinion As Parliament returns to its chambers, eyes will begin to turn to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and, more specifically, the Autumn Budget. There suggestions that Rishi Sunak will delay the Budget until the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, however there is still likely to be some form of Budget […] The post Why we should be dreading the Autumn Budget appeared first on Turning Point UK. Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: September 12, 2020 - 7:34 pm
Oscar Holdway López | Opinion I, like many on the 12th of December, turned up to my local polling station and reluctantly put a cross next to my local Conservative Party candidate. For years, I’ve been a skeptic of Boris, seeing him as a liberal centrist Tory with no real conservative beliefs to him. However, […] The post This “Conservative” Government has failed us appeared first on Turning Point UK. Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: August 26, 2020 - 4:54 pm
Jonathan Eida | Opinion If there is one thing we can take from our current predicament with regard to China, it is the fact that economic liberalisation doesn’t change the nature of the beast: an evil regime will remain an evil regime. Following the decline of Chairman Mao, the West came up with a strategy […] The post If our foreign policy has failed with China, why would it work with Iran? appeared first on… Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: August 26, 2020 - 12:55 pm
Dean Brooke | Opinion A nation, insofar as we understand it, has always been defined as a group of people who share a common culture, value set and history and who inhabit a particular geographical area. This might seem like a controversial statement from the outset because these days lots of ire is thrown at […] The post I’m a Nationalist, Baby, Yeah! appeared first on Turning Point UK. Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: August 17, 2020 - 9:25 am
Jonathan Eida | Opinion The reverberations emanating from calls to defund the BBC are gaining traction within the country at large. Increasingly, people are beginning to take issue with how the BBC is run and the decisions being made, which continually grind the gears of the public. The criticisms of the BBC are essentially two-pronged. […] The post It’s time for a national conversation about the BBC appeared first on Turning Point UK. Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: August 13, 2020 - 1:23 pm
Jonathan Eida | Opinion 1933 was the year that the Nazi Party really began to tighten their grip on the German halls of power and the foundations for the years to come were laid. Political opponents began to be rounded up and all opposition was crushed. Conservatives and Communists alike were persecuted until there was […] The post We are watching 1933 in real-time appeared first on Turning Point UK. Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: July 24, 2020 - 2:05 pm
Jonathan Eida | Opinion The next election is still a long time away. Already, though, the problems for the Conservative Party are beginning to manifest themselves. The basis for the Tory pitch at the last election was twofold. Firstly, the aim stated in their chief campaign slogan: “Get Brexit Done.” The second line of attack […] The post What is the future of the Conservative Party? appeared first on Turning Point UK. Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: July 20, 2020 - 3:45 pm
Jonathan Eida | Opinion We are already beginning to see the results of China’s ruthless takeover of Hong Kong. The moment the Chinese Government broke the ‘one country, two systems’ treaty by passing the ‘Security Bill’, the results were inevitable. At least ten people have now been arrested under this law, including one man who […] The post We must re-evaluate our approach to foreign policy in the light of Hong Kong appeared first on… Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: July 9, 2020 - 12:08 pm
Jonathan Eida | Opinion As the dust begins to settle after the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey from her role as Shadow Education Secretary, one cannot help but feel as though the consequences of this decision have not yet been fully understood. The divisions in Labour Party are well-documented. There were no deceptions surrounding the fact […] The post Starmer was right to sack Long-Bailey – but what next? appeared first on Turning Point UK. Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: July 5, 2020 - 10:48 am
Jonathan Eida | Opinion The world is often seen as a picture, when in fact it is a movie – one must only see where we are headed. It is very easy to support one action in isolation, but seeing the results down the line is a much harder feat. Very small shifts in public […] The post We must be wary of an ever-growing state appeared first on Turning Point UK. Read more »
Source: Turning Point UK | Published: July 1, 2020 - 3:10 pm
Certain facts about the retail estate:Online sales soared more than a third last year, according to data experts IMRG - the highest growth in 13 years and in stark contrast to overall retail sales that fell into negative territory. Meanwhile, oversupply in the casual dining market means the biggest restaurant chains are shutting sites rather than opening new ones.This has forced property owners to find new ways of tempting customers back to shopping centres and… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 25, 2021 - 6:01 am
2021 will define politics in the US for the next ten years. With the 2020 census complete, state legislatures have now begun the redistricting process.For those of you that don’t know, every ten years the American political system undergoes a major shakeup, known as redistricting, in which congressional district lines are redrawn to accommodate for population changes amongst the states. Article 1, Section 2 of the US Constitution requires that Representatives are reapportioned amongst the… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 24, 2021 - 4:56 pm
Even if the anticipated advances are made in medicine, some question whether the outlook for people’s health should be on balance optimistic. Despite major medical advances in recent years, analysts point to obesity, smoking, unhealthy diets and lack of exercise as factors that have, for many, contributed to poorer health than progress in medicine might have suggested would come about.These factors are for most people lifestyle choices, and are susceptible to change if people decide… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 24, 2021 - 11:59 am
The Guardian tells us that the “living wage” for West Virginia is $20 an hour or so. This is ludicrous:Despite Manchin’s insistence on an $11 minimum wage, according to MIT’s living wage calculator, even a $15 minimum wage would only provide a living wage for single West Virginians without children. For a West Virginia family with two working parents and two children, both parents would need to be making at least $20.14 an hour to… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 24, 2021 - 6:01 am
Carl Menger, the founding thinker of the Austrian School of Economics and pioneer of the concept of marginal utility, was born on this day, 23 February, in 1840. His revolutionary, individual-focused approach to economics influenced many others, including his compatriots Friedrich von Wieser, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk, Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek; and his influence still resonates widely today.Menger studied in Prague and Vienna before becoming a business journalist. In that role, he realized that… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 23, 2021 - 4:01 pm
Victoria Street SW1 “Humphrey.” “Yes, Minister?” “Why have you dragged me into the office on a Saturday?” “The Cabinet Secretary was on last evening. The PM wants a draft of Monday’s statement to the House to discuss with senior Cabinet ministers by tomorrow morning.” “I thought Dom Cummings did that sort of thing.” “He left us some time ago, Minister. My understanding is that the PM’s Jack Russell was considered to have rubbed along with him with excessive enthusiasm.” “I wondered why I… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 23, 2021 - 1:38 pm
John Harris has one of those we must build back better pieces. We need a new Beveridge plan and all that. We’re fine with that idea of discussing the base structures of the welfare state. We just think there are a few base points that have to be understood about it:Despite the self-evident caveat that wars and pandemics are very different things, the parallels between the uneasy historical moment that story captures and the current… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 23, 2021 - 6:01 am
With a pandemic putting much of the world into lockdowns or quarantine, it might seem counterfactual for anyone to be optimistic about the future of diseases and the medical responses to them. Modern travel gives diseases that mutate and cross the species barrier from animals to humans the ability to spread rapidly, but modern medicine increases the speed and range of our responses to them. The development and testing of several vaccines against the coronavirus… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 22, 2021 - 11:59 am
A report that we might be getting into a trade war:The import of European mineral water and several food products into Britain could be restricted under retaliatory measures being considered by ministers over Brussels' refusal to end its blockade on UK shellfish. The Telegraph can disclose that ministers are looking at proposals dubbed "Water Wars" which could see the UK end a number of continuity arrangements it has agreed with the EU.Senior Government sources pointed… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 22, 2021 - 6:01 am
Universities are struggling to protect freedom of speech in the face of overzealous demands from a small but vocal mob of student activists. These activists seek to sterilise life on campus. They have been particularly successful at toxifying student politics. Student unions now concentrate on a narrow “social justice” virtue-signalling political agenda focused on tackling alleged “structural oppression” against minority groups. Universities have a legal and moral duty to ensure that the freedom crucial to… Read more »
Source: Blog - Adam Smith Institute | Published: February 21, 2021 - 8:40 am
School closures over the past year have been damaging to the mental health of some of our children and the educational progress of almost all of them. It has also damaged the wellbeing and sometimes the finances of those of us forced to become home-schoolers. Too often, support for locked-down children has been inadequate. Some … Continue reading "Education reform after Covid: let’s go back to first principles" The post Education reform after Covid: let’s… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 24, 2021 - 12:42 pm
The Supreme Court’s judgment on the Uber case last week has been welcomed rather too easily by commentators such as the Financial Times editorial team. It seems likely that the benefits of the Uber app for both customers and drivers will be lost. If the business survives at all, it will be a poor shadow of … Continue reading "The court ruling on Uber is bad news for both drivers and customers" The post The court… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 23, 2021 - 8:43 am
Do you remember the PISA study, the international league table of educational outcomes? Back in the good old days when schools were still a thing, it used to attract a lot of media coverage every three years. The British school system usually did not do brilliantly in those rankings, a fact which would prompt plenty … Continue reading "Viral Myths: a response to my critics" The post Viral Myths: a response to my critics appeared… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 22, 2021 - 11:04 am
Life under lockdown may be a profoundly, relentlessly monotonous existence but Conservative politicians floating a different tax increase each week is no way to spice things up. No, Minister, headlines about raising Corporation Tax or hiking fuel duty will do little to shatter the chronic sense of timelessness that has characterised the past 11 months. … Continue reading "Wealth taxes – another failed idea that never dies" The post Wealth taxes – another failed idea… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 18, 2021 - 9:51 am
In many ways we take the financial sector for granted. We tend to assume that we would be more prosperous without it. Commentators often lament that clever mathematicians or physicists, for example, end up in the financial sector rather than becoming engineers and building bridges. Indeed, people down the ages have criticised the financial sector … Continue reading "The financial sector: unpopular but useful" The post The financial sector: unpopular but useful appeared first on… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 17, 2021 - 11:02 am
We are not having a very good pandemic so far. With over 1,500 deaths per million people, Britain has one of the highest Covid death rates in the world. You can quibble a bit with those figures, but only at the margins. The number of excess deaths – that is, the number of deaths over … Continue reading "No, “austerity” is not to blame for Britain’s poor Covid performance" The post No, “austerity” is not… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 15, 2021 - 9:53 am
The Sunday Times has reported that UK officials are mulling two new taxes on digital businesses – an online sales tax and an “excess profits tax” – in order to help fill the hole in the public finances and support the high street. In my view, both are bad ideas. In general, economists quite like … Continue reading "The pros and (mostly) cons of an online sales tax" The post The pros and (mostly) cons… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 10, 2021 - 2:18 pm
Last spring, my colleague Chris Snowdon compiled an amusing Twitter thread highlighting examples of commentators and activists who were using the pandemic as a new excuse to peddle their old pet causes. The format was always the same: someone would make up some spurious reason why Covid-19 has supposedly “vindicated” the case for X, or … Continue reading "Enough of the “coronfirmation bias” – the pandemic has not vindicated anyone" The post Enough of the… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 9, 2021 - 11:19 am
There is still plenty of speculation that the Treasury is thinking of raising UK corporation tax in the March Budget. The Financial Times has suggested that the Chancellor believes it would be fair to ask businesses for more after receiving taxpayer support during the pandemic. In my view, this would be a mistake. For a start, there … Continue reading "Hiking corporation tax: bad idea, worse timing" The post Hiking corporation tax: bad idea, worse timing appeared… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 5, 2021 - 12:18 pm
In September, the UK Climate Assembly (an experimental ‘citizen’s assembly’ of sorts), which had met over six weekends last spring, produced its final report of recommendations to the government on how to achieve Net Zero goals. Since convening, it has been hailed as a breakthrough, overcoming an impasse that has beset climate policy since the … Continue reading "“Citizens’ Assemblies” and mandate manufacturing" The post “Citizens’ Assemblies” and mandate manufacturing appeared first on Institute of… Read more »
Source: Blog – Institute of Economic Affairs | Published: February 4, 2021 - 11:41 am
