The forecasts of job losses in public services as a result of the deficit reduction programme certainly are dramatic enough to grab the headlines, but how reliable are they?
Category Archives: Asides
New fuel for economic recovery
Forget sevices – the only get out from the current mess is making products other countries want to buy. The good news is there are some really good ideas in the UK – like a new carbonless fuel for your vehicle at around a pound a gallon. Continue reading
Inside but is this a total waste of cash?
The riots at Ford Open Prison over the New Year form a salutory reminder that our prison system is simply not working and it is far too expensive in cash, resources and time.
So easy to bitch in opposition
On the day that VAT goes up to 20 % in the UK the clamour from Labour’s leader Ed Miliband bitches that it is the ‘wrong tax at the wrong time’. Continue reading
Lessons to learn about monopoly
They go by names you are unlikely to know, but recent experience in the specialised market for rare-earth metals has a bundle of important lessons for the world. Continue reading
Living to be 100?
Do you really want to live to be 100 – the frightening prospect that faces a fifth of the current UK population? Continue reading
The prospects for lasting change
The most satisfiying aspect of coalition government is that politicans are being forced to adopt policies they dislike. Continue reading
Eye off the ball?
Once again the nation is in uproar about the wrong subject. The media and private conversations are discussing the claiming of excessive expenses by Members of Parliament and that is being described as a crisis for democracy.
Unfortunately, the more that the topic is discussed, the more the issues become blurred. Continue reading
The next media sting?
Parts of the British media are in danger of becoming ‘thought police’ with undercover techniques masquerading as signifiant investigative journalism. Continue reading