A new cold war with China, leading to a hot one, is not a great idea. There are many benefits from having a good working relationship and many costs from allowing righteous indignation warriors to wreck it. My piece for @Independent https://t.co/05uTuL6JlW
Why has @RishiSunak thrown his weight behind petty, short-sighted decision to scrap years of work on industrial strategy @IndStrategyComm. Business and unions angry at triumph of ideology over practical, cross-party work for British industry. #manufacturing
I see that @hmtreasury trying to sneak through nasty cuts in Further and Adult education. Yet again treating less fashionable post-18 education as easy target. Time for @GavinWilliamson to show some fight. @AoC_info @tesfenews
I haven’t shifted at all from my view that #Brexit was a historic, costly mistake. But we cannot live in the past. We should now be looking at every possible way to turn this dubious new world to our advantage. My piece for @indyvoices this week. https://t.co/3NDEVGC0dA
The stimulus contrast between the US and UK arises both from a different ideology on this side of the Atlantic, and on a judgement that the US can take more risks. America has a basically sound economy; the UK has poor productivity and skill shortages, aggravated by #Brexit.
The Biden administration is making bold moves to reduce inequality and to spend big for social policy objectives. It is shaping up to be a properly social democratic administration. My piece for @indyvoices @independent https://t.co/dgzK7iIgRw
Despite the rumours a few weeks back about “taxes on the rich”, there was nothing in today's Budget to redistribute income to working families from prosperous pensioners. My piece for @theipaper https://t.co/SPSIRSBCjQ
My pre-budget piece for @indyvoices @independent. https://t.co/5iwxPc89Fc
Ahead of the Budget, the obsession of Conservative backbenchers with tax cuts regardless of circumstances is an economic nonsense. And Labour’s sudden conversion to stopping all tax rises, while demanding more spending, is equally unconvincing and wrong.
While the recovery is uncertain and interest rates low, it would be foolish to rush the process of deficit reduction. And the legacy debt from the pandemic can be ignored for the time being. But in the end, decent services have to be funded by fair taxes.