Around 2000, something remarkable happened to the Italian economy. It stopped growing and went into a 20 year long-decline. Even if you adjust for population, Italy’s performance was strikingly worse than its main competitors. If we look at productivity, Italy fell far behind. It has effectively lost two decades with real wages remaining virtually stagnant. …
Since 2000, there was only one major economy which has seen a fall in real GDP per capita – Italy. In this period, Italy has experienced a shocking fall in productivity, rising debt, and prolonged economic turmoil. We are told the Italian economy is riven by cronyism, falling birth rates, and a regional divide. Yet, …
The British Wage Disaster – Why Wages Lower than EUWatch this video on YouTube Compared to many major European economies, UK average wages are lower and this is before we take into account relatively higher housing costs and longer working hours for British workers. In the past 15 years, the UK has seen pretty much …
In May 2010, the Conservative coalition entered government against a backdrop of the great financial crisis, which had sent the pound tumbling, a deep recession and record government deficits. Cameron and Osborne blamed the crisis on high debt and wasted no time in imposing austerity measures on the economy. Yet, 14 years after the start …
Why The Russian Economy Defied Predictions of CollapseWatch this video on YouTube Following the invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, the Western powers introduced unprecedented levels of sanctions, freezing $300bn of Russian assets, the Ruble collapsed, inflation rose, and the Russian economy headed into recession. It seemed the perfect storm to create deep economic problems. …
In the past 15 years, there is a general sense that many public services have been deteriorating. This isn’t just pessimism but backed up by longer waiting lists, crumbling infrastructure, even a record number of potholes. But this fiscal blackhole is likely to get worse before it gets better. The Hidden Financial Black Hole Waiting …
New Labour – The Economic Impact of Blair and BrownWatch this video on YouTube By 2007, New Labour had presided over the longest period of economic growth in the post-war period. It was the goldilocks economy with low inflation, low unemployment and an impressive rise in spending on the NHS and education. But, the devastating …
Rail Privatisation Failure – Why we pay more for TrainsWatch this video on YouTube In the Victorian age, the UK led the world in building railways, it was an invention that changed the world. But, by the 1980s, the state owned British Railways was the butt of jokes, stale sandwiches, declining passengers and closed lines. …