Author: julianhjessop

Better news on growth, but still not good enough

The latest GDP data should ease fears that the UK economy is sliding back into recession. But growth is still too weak to fix the public finances, or encourage hiring and investment, and there are already signs that any positive momentum is fading again. First, though, the good news. GDP grew by 0.3% in the … Continue reading Better news on growth, but still not good enough →

The Government cannot take credit for the cuts in UK interest rates

The Bank of England’s decision to trim its key interest rate by another quarter point this week was widely expected, but there is still plenty to write about. Unfortunately, little of this is good news. For a start, why on earth is the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) still cutting rates when the Bank itself now … Continue reading The Government cannot take credit for the cuts in UK interest rates →

Entry to the Civil Service should never depend on what your dad once did

Imagine the following exchange between a bright young student and a Civil Service recruiter. "Hello, I'm passionate about social care and would love to be an intern at the Department of Health" "Great, but what do your parents do?" "One is a doctor and the other runs a dementia charity" "Sorry, you're not working class … Continue reading Entry to the Civil Service should never depend on what your dad once did →