Mark Littlewood is Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs. Follow him on Twitter. Over the last ten months I’ve been acting as an independent adviser to the government’s Red Tape Challenge, which seeks to extinguish unnecessary, burdensome regulations that impede growth. It’s been a long drawn-out business, but since the reshuffle the coalition […]
Christopher Snowdon is a Fellow of the Institute of Economic Affairs. Follow Christopher on Twitter. They say that laws are like sausages, it is better not to see how they are made. If so, the 2005 Gambling Act was of the supermarket own-brand, ‘sixteen for a pound’ variety. It began with some sensible proposals from the distinguished […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Andrew Lansley's consultation on plain packaging for tobacco products ends today. The Health Secretary has support from backbench MP – and medical Doctor – Dan Poulter, in the Guardian today. Dr Poulter argues plain packaging… "…could certainly help to reduce the brand marketing appeal of cigarettes to teenagers, and […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. This morning's growth forecast figures were disappointing. David Cameron, speaking to LBC radio, said: "Obviously the growth forecasts are a matter for the bank of England, but they’ve all been coming in line with the reality, which has frankly been disappointing. I think what’s happening is there’s a rebalancing […]
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter A very quick post to point ConservativeHome readers in the direction of the Institute of Economic Affair’s new pamphlet on the LIBOR scandal. It contains everything that any normal, interested person could want to know about intra-bank lending rates: a Q&A on what went wrong, a timeline, and a […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter A few reactions to today's disappointing GDP numbers. First from the Institute of Directors: “Today’s figures come as a severe blow to business. The Eurozone countries show that we absolutely cannot afford to waver from the deficit reduction programme, but there are several steps the Government must take to […]
James Stanfield is a director at the School of Education at Newcastle University, and also the Editor of "The Profit Motive in Education: Continuing the Revolution, a new publication released this week by the Institute of Economic Affairs. It is fair to suggest that many politicians are still cautious about combining the profit motive with […]
By Harry PhibbsFollow Harry on Twitter Eight years ago a group of Lib Dems contributed essays to a volume called the Orange Book which sought to shift thinking in the Party away from socialism and towards liberalism. While social liberalism in the Party was well represented, the case for economic liberalism was not. Nor had it […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Following George Osborne's Mansion House speech, and announcement of new bank lending programmes, several think-tanks and campaign groups have reacted to the news. The Institute of Economic Affairs' Editorial Director, Prof Philip Booth said: "The government has got itself into a terrible muddle over this crucial policy area. On the one hand, […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Following the Queen's Speech this morning, several think tanks have reacted to the legislation announced (full details of which can be found here). I've collected them below. 8pm update: Open Europe have given their reaction to the proposed European Union Bill: "The UK government is likely to sell the […]
Professor Philip Booth is Editorial and Programme Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs. The concept of “community-based” solutions to environmental problems should be attractive to both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, given the former’s interest in decentralisation and the latter’s interest in free-markets. What do community-based solutions to environmental problems involve? Professor Elinor Ostrom, the […]
The TaxPayers' Alliance is, on the whole, pleased with the Budget: “There is a lot of good news in the Budget for families who have struggled in the recession. The cuts in corporate and top rate taxes will improve the incentive to invest and innovate, meaning higher wages before tax. Then a higher personal allowance […]
Ruth Porter is Communications Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs The very language of cuts has been markedly austere and depressing. It is now well established that the reductions the government will make to overall spending are actually tiny. Carving it back to around 40% of GDP by 2017 will take it to roughly the […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Following the release of a report by credit rating agency Moody's, which adjusted Britain's credit rating outlook to negative, several think-tanks and campaign groups have reacted to the news. The Institute of Economic Affairs' Editorial Director, Philip Booth, said: "The downgrade threat from Moody’s should come as no surprise. Whilst Moody’s […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Pasted below are some reactions to the GDP growth figures announced this morning. Updated at bottom. Prof Philip Booth, Editorial Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “It is not surprising that the latest economic growth figures are grim given the headwinds from the Eurozone. However, this should […]