May 2011

This Week in Economic Self-Harm: Enter the Donkey

Submitted by Alex on Mon, 30/05/2011 - 10:55

So, about that GDP. It's not looking so good, again. And the Financial Times's blog points us to Dr. Tim Morgan, global head of research for City stockbrokers Tullett Prebon. Dr. Morgan has noticed that the government's financial plans depend on economic growth, and that it is unlikely that net trade alone can provide enough demand for that growth to occur. Therefore, for the cuts to actually reduce the budget deficit, the consumer sector has to load up on debt.

Light reading

Submitted by Alex on Sun, 29/05/2011 - 18:23

This bank holiday we will mostly be reading the Resolution Foundation's report, Growth without Gain, about how badly we've been screwed. Much recommended.

Free Schools: It's The Logistics, Stupid

Submitted by Tom on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 21:08

Back in the first flush of the Coalition, when men were men, Toby Young was merely an annoying bald prat off the telly and a few people still thought Michael Gove was a serious politician, we pointed out that the biggest issue facing the proposed Latin-and-propaganda Academies, madrassas, etc. was sourcing the actual premises.  Toby's method quickly ran into problems caused by basic lack of common sense amongst its devotees:

Libya

Submitted by Tom on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 21:13

How's that going, then?

Teresa May: What's All This Then?

Submitted by Tom on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 21:59

While we're on predictions, another side-bet of mine is 'how long before principled Lib Dem liberty fans realise that the Tories are merely authoritarian Blairites in blue ties?'.  Well, consider this wake-up time.

Police Transparency: AC-Poo Special

Submitted by Tom on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 22:04

"We can say with some absolute justification that we have one of the most transparent police services in the world"

Thus spake Sir Hugh Orde, head of the Association of Chief Police Officers, until recently one of the least transparent, yet most powerful publicly-funded bodies in the country.

Nothing To Gain By Waiting?

Submitted by Alex on Sun, 08/05/2011 - 11:54

OK, so the scores are in. Unsurprisingly, Labour did well except for Scotland, the Tories held their core vote, and the Lib Dems got massacred. No won the referendum.

Our original mission was to report on how the coalition parties would settle their differences. As it turned out, the Tories adopted a plan of going as far and as fast as possible on their policy goals in the hope that the differences wouldn't be tested - as a result, this blog has been more of an attack dog than we originally thought.

Beating the bounds

Submitted by Alex on Sun, 08/05/2011 - 12:06

With the AV referendum lost, it's time to consider what's happening with the boundary review. (Personally, I thought linking a Tory help yourself exercise to the AV vote rendered the whole thing illegitimate.) You may recall that Lord Falconer's filibuster in the Lords resulted in various amendments to the bill in order to get the referendum done on time. I've yet to find what they actually got out of the Tories in a summarised form.