Public debate in Britain has very rapidly become dominated by an obsession with cutting state spending.  Not only has Cameron made the notion of swingeing cuts to reduce public debt his sole offer to the electorate, David Davis has now waded in with a list of bits of the public sector to chop.
We should be [...]

Filed under: Economics, Financial crisis, Politics, Public services, Science | 2 Comments »

The ‘brain drain’ scare tactic should be ignored
Paul Sagar at Liberal Conspiracy argues that the 50p tax brain drain scare probably won’t happen, and even if it does it probably won’t be that big, and even if it is it probably won’t make any difference, and even if it did we’d probably actually want them [...]

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There’s  a fantastic letter in the Financial Times today by Simon Hallett, who has bucked the trend of people likely to be affected by the new 50p tax rate for those on over £150,000 a year. Since the budget, the FT has been full of articles about how greedy rich people will feel the pain of punitive [...]

Filed under: Budget 2009, Tax | 2 Comments »

RIBAJOURNAL.COM – Vote for the RIBA Journal/Schüco Stirling of Stirlings
The TUC's Congress House headquarters has been nominated for the ‘Stirling of Stirlings’ architecture prize – a prestigious one-off award being run by RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects. We’re shortlisted in the early modernism section covering 1934-1958. There is an on-line vote, and [...]

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Alistair Darling has robustly defended the new 50 per cent tax rate to the Institute of Directors this morning. He didn’t get a very warm reception for this. I doubt whether he will be surprised. Their Director-General Miles Templeman has made the predictable criticisms that it will not yield very much and drive people out [...]

Filed under: Budget 2009, Politics, Tax | Comments Off

New cultures & the post-bureaucratic age
Another contradiction in David Cameron's speech from Chris Dillow

Scandanavian Social Democracy = Excellent Business Climate | Inclusionist
It turns out that regulation doesn't destroy economies and that Denmark is best for business
(tags: Employment law)

Women take a back seat in David Cameron’s Tory party – Times Online
The Times reports on the new [...]

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Stephen Byers has attacked the Government for introducing the 50p tax band for those earning over £150,000 as a “cynical, political” move that serves no wider economic or fiscal purpose. 

Filed under: Budget 2009, Economics, Tax | 5 Comments »

In a useful and timely contribution to the financial crisis debate, PIRC – the Pensions Investment Research Consultants – has published a manifesto outlining its recommendations for reform of corporate governance and capital markets.
PIRC recognises that alongside a catastrophic failure of financial regulation, the financial crisis represents a failure of corporate governance, and its analysis [...]

Filed under: Corporate governance, Financial crisis, Pensions | 2 Comments »

The national roll-out of a money guidance service could not come at a more urgent time
A little noticed progressive policy in the budget package

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David Cameron’s proclamation that we are now in the age of austerity will please much of his grassroots. The small state right may be in a minority in the electorate, but they remain strong in the media and among those Conservative core voters who hanker for a return to Mrs Thatcher (though actually she spent [...]

Filed under: Budget 2009, Politics, Public services, Recession, Tax | 4 Comments »