On 14 April the New Statesman published an article which was intended to show that the Irish economy is booming at the expense of ‘Brexit Britain’. This conclusion was backed by some striking graphics, which are still being gleefully shared by the usual suspects. But it was also baloney. People have been taken in here … Continue reading Are Irish incomes really twice those of the UK?
What the IMF is really saying about interest rates
The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook has received more attention than usual, thanks to some eye-catching work on the long-term trend in interest rates. This has prompted headlines ranging from “Ultra-low interest rates will return in Britain, IMF says” in the Telegraph, to “New IMF prediction is good news for homeowners” in the Mirror. So … Continue reading What the IMF is really saying about interest rates
The OECD’s minimum tax plan is dangerous showboating
On Wednesday, Liz Truss will use the Margaret Thatcher memorial lecture in Washington to call the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) a “global cartel of complacency” whose high tax policies are holding back growth. I fear she is right. In particular, Ms Truss will warn against the OECD’s plan for a minimum 15 … Continue reading The OECD’s minimum tax plan is dangerous showboating
No, our inflation problem is not due to Brexit
It is so much simpler to interpret the UK economy if you attribute every single problem to Brexit. But it is also wrong. Last week, for example, the EU statistics agency Eurostat released preliminary data suggesting that consumer price inflation in the euro area fell from 8.5pc in February to ‘just’ 6.9pc in March, including a … Continue reading No, our inflation problem is not due to Brexit
Plain-speaking Economics 