Osborne calls for more centralisation

That is the effect of calling, similar to Alex Salmond, for a two year council tax freeze. Ploughing national revenue into local government may sound attractive in the short term, but in the longer term it means even less fiscal autonomy. Given this will be happening during a higher than average period of inflation, we’re… Continue reading Osborne calls for more centralisation

High Speed Rail: Tories and Greenpeace are right

Theresa Villainous is absolutely correct to call for the cost of a third runway in Heathrow to be ploughed into a new high speed rail link between St Pancras, Manchester and Leeds. But Greenpeace are even more correct to say this: “The true test of their commitment will come when, like the Liberal Democrats, this… Continue reading High Speed Rail: Tories and Greenpeace are right

The week Labour finally abandoned liberalism?

Last week I attended Labour’s autumn conference as an exhibitor. These are my thoughts on how it went. By Labour’s own standards, they have had a good conference – but it is a sign of how far they have fallen that those standards were so low. Simply put: the widely predicted civil war didn’t happen,… Continue reading The week Labour finally abandoned liberalism?