“Treasury Orthodoxy” gets a bad rap. Shuffling responsibilities is pointless unless the policy choices improve. And the fiscal rules, OBR, and bond market vigilantes will all still be big constraints. Andy Burnham has announced that responsibility for national economic growth policy will move from HM Treasury to No.10 North. I am surprised that this announcement … Continue reading A sceptical first take on moving growth policy from HMT to No.10 North
Category: UK economy
Weekly wrap – Has Andy Burnham already run out of ideas?
Including thoughts on the PM's “everyday fixes”, why we shouldn’t pick on mandarins, the downsides of emergency alerts, seasonality in the GDP data, and who is really “queuing up” to join the EU… Theme of the week Andy Burnham’s latest big idea is a series of “everyday fixes” to help with the cost of living. … Continue reading Weekly wrap – Has Andy Burnham already run out of ideas?
A sceptical take on Nick Boles’ proposal for a “European Confederation”
The former MP has compiled a wish list of grand plans for world peace and global free trade, patched together with a half-baked proposal on UK membership of the EU’s Single Market. I'm not convinced... This weekend the Telegraph ran a story with the striking headline “Burnham told to trade nuclear umbrella for access to … Continue reading A sceptical take on Nick Boles’ proposal for a “European Confederation”
Weekly wrap – The heroes, villains, and victims of the Arday scandal
Like many others, I spent much of the week both amused and angered by the Jason Arday scandal (mostly angered). But there's also still plenty to write on the latest UK economic data and policy news. Theme of the week If you missed it (well done!), Jason Arday is a plagiarist, a serial liar and … Continue reading Weekly wrap – The heroes, villains, and victims of the Arday scandal
