Mark Pack

Even the keenest, most aggressive deficit cutting rhetoric used in any of the main political parties still envisages a large deficit for many years to come. Politics over the next decade is likely to be hugely shaped by this backdrop. It won’t squeeze out all other issues but, just as the 9/11 terrorist atrocities caused [...] »

Despite their professed enthusiasm for having a bonfire of the quangos, in practice the Conservative Party keep on announcing new ones – and have rather run in to trouble when pressed to explain what’s going on the bonfire (both points I wrote about here). The tally of new quangos the Conservatives is now at least 19, [...] »

Rowland Manthorpe reports Earlier this year, NatWest surveyed 9,000 young people about their salary expectations. The gloomy economic forecasts seem to have influenced the respondents, because their expected average earnings fell from last year's estimate. Instead of saying they would be earning £70,000 by the time they were 35, they modestly anticipated £45,000. It is a [...] »

David (Danny) Blanchflower was a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee 2006-9, and is best known for having been repeatedly in favour of cutting interest rates sooner and by more in the face of the worsening economic situation. Here's his take on where we are headed next: In my view, unemployment will probably not [...] »

Nick Clegg has today launched a detailed plan for cutting the costs of government, “A Better Politics for Less”: Balancing the government books isn’t just the political equivalent of an accountancy exam; Liberal Democrats seek austerity for the purpose of delivering a better Britain. The best way to reduce government expenditure is through significant reform, identifying [...] »