There is an interesting article in the FT that suggests we should be abolishing the House of Lords in order to fix the democratic deficit. Regional inequality, the same article suggests, is entwined with the democratic deficit. I rather thought that the democratic deficit was something that was supposed to be unique to the EU… Read more
Category:
Economics
Economics Theory
The problems of logistics…
There was a good article on the supply chain and especially lorry driving in the Guardian a day or two ago. It turns out that : Conditions, as much as pay, underlie the refusal of British workers to do these jobs. Having run a small lorry fleet in the past, that doesn’t a bit surprise… Read more
All the power but no energy
One of the advantages of Brexit was, according to Johnson, that we could abolish VAT on energy bills. Of course we’ve never seen any mention of it since, and now amid spiralling gas prices and allegedly failing wind speeds, and of course a fire in Kent affecting supply of nuclear powered electricity in France –… Read more
Clive Lewis starts to get on the case..
And is beginning to call out how the ‘economic choice’ is used to disguise the political one that is really made (just over a minute):… Read more
Mutual Banking…
I think it is worth drawing attention to the latest newsletter of the South West Mutual – a fledgling co-operative bank that is trying to establish itself as the first such institution in the UK. Those that consider we have already a Co-operative Bank are obviously correct – but not in reality – as it… Read more
Anxiety is good for you
Said no-one ever. But it’s what, I suggest, government thinks. Unless we are anxious and worried, we, their electorate, allegedly, do not strive for better things…. ….in, of course, a personal endeavour, for, supposedly, the benefit of all society. A bit like Adam Smith’s invisible hand. It is not true – and since most government… Read more
Brexit has not been done
Given that this Independent report suggests that food distribution shortages will, according to Downing Street, be over by Christmas (is that before or after?) supposedly there is little to worry about with our current intermittent and unpredictable shortages. Mind you at least in saying the problems will be over by Christmas Downing Street admits that… Read more
What about the workers?
The fact that the HMRC thinks that the recent, proposed National Insurance rises could lead to the breakdown of struggling families means at least that somebody is thinking of them, even if, remarkably, it is only the UK’s tax authority. (Government seem to have ceased to take either workers or struggling families into account.) I… Read more
Beware of abstract nouns!
I like the ‘Stumbling and Mumbling’ blog and its author, Chris Dillow has pointed out how, what he calls the politics of abstraction is so undermining.. Personally I’d prefer to call these problems abstract nouns. But they are broadly the same… Thus we had the war on terror – when the only war was actually… Read more
Traditional lefty economists….
I think that the desire for safe assets should be a factor influencing any fiscal rule.. So says Simon Wren Lewis. To me (but possibly not him) those basic safe assets are a proper functioning state with the rule of law, resources to do things, food to produce to feed everyone and probably some earth… Read more