George Osborne is bound to crow at the Conservative party conference about the superior performance of the British economy under his stewardship. After three years of “hard slog”, there is at last some good news to report. In the second quarter of this year, the economy grew by 0.7 per cent after “flatlining” for the … Continue reading Osborne may gloat about recovery, but his “hard slog” will leave Britain worse off
Category: Journalism
Letter to the editor
It’s very hard to get a sensible discussion on fiscal policy going right now. Perhaps Keynesian economics was always too paradoxical to impress the plain men and women who write Times leaders on the subject. In their world view, Labour’s modest spending pledges — notably on childcare — would, if implemented, “draw money from business”. … Continue reading Letter to the editor
The Russian Janus
Russia presents two opposing faces to the world: one menacing, the other benign. Both have now combined, somewhat unexpectedly, to break the momentum carrying the United States, and possibly other Western powers, toward a disastrous military intervention in Syria. Russia’s domestic situation remains deplorable. With the collapse of the planned economy in 1991, Russia proved … Continue reading The Russian Janus
Why does our service economy offer such bad service?
By Robert Skidelsky and Nan Craig Britain is a service economy with a lot of lousy services. The paradox is easily explainable. Service and cost-cutting are contradictions in terms. Good services are intrinsically expensive because they require a high ratio of labour to product; hence the old view that services could not be automated. Yet … Continue reading Why does our service economy offer such bad service?
John Kerry’s Tricky Bid
In Why You Lose at Bridge (the funniest book about bridge ever written), my uncle, S. J. Simon, advised players to aim “not for the best possible result, but the best result possible” with the partner you have. This advice applies to the long-stalled Israel-Palestine peace process, newly revived by US Secretary of State John … Continue reading John Kerry’s Tricky Bid
Labour should hammer home one simple message on the economy
The Labour party faces a political dilemma. Barely a day goes past without the more excitable parts of the British press trumpeting some new signal of Britain's economic success. Every other headline screams that Britain is "booming" or that its factories are "roaring to life". Every little jump in the flimsiest of economic indicators, every … Continue reading Labour should hammer home one simple message on the economy
Nonsense Economics
In the UK, the Labour Party's Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, has been calling on his party to 'shout louder' about the failings of the governing coalition. His main concern was with the National Health Service, but Labour has an even better story to tell on the economy. The Prime Minister and Chancellor are keen … Continue reading Nonsense Economics
Real wages and Employment
This week, the British Labour Party has launched a new attack on the government on falling living standards. Real wages have been falling consistently since the coalition took power; OBR figures project that the median worker will be £6,660 worse off in real terms in 2015 than in 2010. Labour is right to point out … Continue reading Real wages and Employment
Vix Pervenit
by Robert Skidelsky and Peter Mills The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby’s attack on the payday loan company Wonga is a modern manifestation of an ancient theological prohibition. Just as Jesus threw the moneylenders out of the Temple, and medieval popes banned their flock from charging interest, today’s Church is waging its own battle against … Continue reading Vix Pervenit
Gays and the New Public Philosophy
With humanity’s millennia-old focus on collective survival no longer a primary concern, a few fortunate societies in the West have become preoccupied with matters of human, or individual, rights. In recent decades, we have experienced a second flowering of the individualism associated with such nineteenth-century thinkers as John Stuart Mill. The rights of the individual … Continue reading Gays and the New Public Philosophy
Robert Skidelsky 