Faced with a black hole in public finances, the Labour government have announced an end to universal winter fuel allowance for pensioners. It will now be means-tested. It means 9.4 million individual pensioners will lose the £200-£300 a year allowance. It will save the government an estimated £1.6bn a year, which as we shall see …
Imagine an economy with high wages, low debt, public services which work, a short working week and free university tuition. It’s kind of the opposite to the UK, which has seen wage stagnation, growing debt, unaffordable housing and long waiting lists. How Danish Living Standards Surpassed UKWatch this video on YouTube This model economy does …
The UK is experiencing record levels of immigration and although it will fall a little in coming years, it will still be a record decade for immigration. The big question is why are immigration levels so high, how will it affect the economy and can the housing market cope with such a rise in the …
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. …
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 …
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 …
It’s official the UK entered into recession last year with GDP falling over a period of six months. However, with only a 0.4% fall in GDP some argue the recession is relatively mild. This is Not a Mild RecessionWatch this video on YouTube But, if we look at real output per capita, the UK economy …