High performers in any field are in many ways naturally Conservative, given that to get there you must have several of our trademark values: aspiration, hard work, resilience, competitiveness and excellence. It is lazy thinking to view artists as any different.
There are many things more exciting than IR35 reform, but it is important. The rules are a mess. A number of high-profile entertainment cases have spoiled the pitch for the ‘nuts and bolts’ part of the economy that urgently needs a growth boost. It needs sorting out.
Those pre-election assurances have proven to be worthless, eroded by multiple u-turns on things that matter and a sense among investors that the executive is hostage to the legislature.
I am now the most worried about the economy I have been since I started my career in the financial markets in 1994. Since then I have seen many crises, but never this unequivocally bad combination of circumstances.
The new leader should propose repeal of the 1998 Act and introduce a framework where the Chancellor and the Bank’s Governor jointly make decisions on the direction of interest rates
The British political experience since the exit from the Gold Standard has been that major turning points in the fortunes of parties are marked by crises that sees interest rates rise rapidly.
Too much sports funding is directed to glamorous and competitive indoor activities, rather than ones which foster resilience and build character.
There was absolutely no way that the name was changing and, once the media had picked it up, the story began to rip. The combination of woke, dogs and the sheer arrogance of PETA has caught the public’s mood.
A critical first step would be a reboot and reorganisation of the Monetary Policy Committee, with greater scrutiny of appointees, with shorter terms.
Policy coordination needs to be improved.The Bank of England must be more accountable and aligned with broader macroeconomic objectives. It needs to do its job better. There is no alternatives. Desperate economic circumstances require hard-edged small state policies.