The auction continues. One week, Chancellor Philip Hammond is said to be contemplating a large increase in the national minimum wage in an attempt to ‘end low pay’. Next, Labour has responded by extending its plans for a higher £10-an-hour minimum wage to include workers under the age of 18. These might sound like great ideas, … Continue reading Let’s try to keep politics out of setting minimum wages
Author: julianhjessop
Should we try to do without food banks?
I first visited a food bank in 2017 at the invitation of the Trussell Trust, the admirable charity which runs the UK’s largest network of emergency centres providing food to people in crisis. Since then the use of their food banks has continued to grow rapidly, largely due to problems in the benefits system and the transition to … Continue reading Should we try to do without food banks?
Why the IMF’s no-deal Brexit warnings are way over the top
The IMF is the latest official body to predict economic catastrophe – or at least a prolonged recession – if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. To be fair, the analysis presented in the IMF’s April World Economic Outlook is a good example of its kind and relatively easy to understand. Nonetheless, the conclusions are … Continue reading Why the IMF’s no-deal Brexit warnings are way over the top
Common Market 2.0 would be a Brexit capitulation too far
The 'Better Brexit’ website provides a clear explanation of the proposal known as ‘Common Market 2.0’, or 'Norway Plus', which is being pushed hard as a solution to the current impasse in parliament. However, it also exposes the fundamental weaknesses of this plan. Rather than being a reasonable compromise, my fear is that it would … Continue reading Common Market 2.0 would be a Brexit capitulation too far
Plain-speaking Economics 