Early signs suggest Osborne’s gamble is not paying off
George Osborne’s ‘emergency budget’ was a huge gamble. The latest trade figures as well as consumer confidence and housing data show it’s unlikely to pay off.
Green Politics
Confusion over coalition planning policy and Lib Dem attitude to new nuclear
In an interview about new nuclear power stations on the Today programme this morning, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said the coalition was fully behind the construction of new nuclear plants by 2018 and said “my views on nuclear power havetest
Will the Labour market take a turn for the worse this week?
This week we should find out whether the labour market has taken the turn for the worse that many economists have been expecting for some time.
Cameron’s one-sided crusade on cheats
David Cameron has announced a war on ‘welfare cheats’. But the £5.1bn welfare gap – only £1.5bn of which is cheating – is dwarfed by the £40bn tax gap.
Winning the argument on taxation is the key to reviving the left
One issue yet to be dissected by contenders to the Labour crown is taxation – and more specifically its principles. We may still be licking our wounds from one of our worst electoral defeats in history, but timidity is no recipe for renewing and building a revitalised progressive force to counter the growing threat posed by the ConDem coalition government.
Abbott: green tech key to deficit reduction
Dianne Abbott has called for the next Labour leader to make the party greener. In an interview with Resonance FM she said green tech was the key to deficit reduction.
The loophole in the coalition’s 10:10 carbon pledge
The Coalition are using a loophole to help achieve their 10:10 carbon pledge. The Sustainable Development Commission warned about the ruse before being scrapped.
Lawson to councils: Do “absolutely nothing” to cut your carbon
Tory peer Lord Lawson says local authorities should do “absolutely nothing” to reduce their carbon emissions and that people are “ignoring the benefits of global warming”, something he describes as the “new religion”.
Banking needs rules
Today the business of banking is business. Banking is about almost anything. As the news comes of a steep return to profit among state-supported and state-owned banks, and rumours of bonuses and dividends abound, it is worth remembering this.
Tax breaks for Big Oil as coalition breaks with US & EU to back deep sea drilling
Despite the emerging global trend to ban deep sea drilling, as The Independent reports today, the UK has rejected calls for a moratorium in our waters.