Category Archives: Economics

A strange subject to write about for someone who sometimes struggles to add up. However this is economics as it applies to the social and cultural fabric of our lives together.

Do your homework DfE


Infant Schools are currently under intense pressure to deliver hot meals from September despite the lack of appropriate kitchens in many places, and many of their teachers are now also to be used as a source of expertise for the private and voluntary … Continue reading

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Can we make trade work?


In just over 6 weeks all of us who are entitled to do so will have voted in the European Elections or chosen to abstain. There is a great deal at stake and one of the issues that I wrote … Continue reading

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EC public consultation on TTIP


Thursdays announcement that the European Commission was to hold a consultation on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is something of a wake up call. According to this website “Since June 2013 the Commission has held three rounds of stakeholder … Continue reading

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Power to the people


Our annual production of electricity in 2013 from renewable sources reached 52.8 Terra Watt Hours in 2013, a significant increase from 2012 when the production reached 41.3 TWH. Behind these statistics released yesterday by the Department for Energy and Climate Change … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Environment, Parliament and Democracy, Planning Rules | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Beer, Bingo and Pensions


There are times when real life proves that satire is only an amateur when it comes to poking fun at the people in power. In tweeting this yesterday and inviting people to retweet it, Grant Shapps who is currently Chairman … Continue reading

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Skills aren’t everything


This morning on Radio 4’s Today programme Adam Marshall from the British Chambers of Commerce was being interviewed as a result of the very positive predictions of growth by the Chambers for the year ahead. As part of the interview … Continue reading

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Politician, heal thyself and your chums


“There has been an argument in Government about how to get the right careers advice in schools and successive governments have frankly messed this up.” There is an adage that less is more, and in the case of Mr Cables … Continue reading

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Send in the engineers?


In the last few days the tension between religious leaders and the Government has peaked over welfare reforms. The immediate catalyst for this was an interview in the Daily Telegraph last week with Archbishop Vincent Nichols in anticipation of his … Continue reading

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Is it your round Norman?


There was a short exchange in Parliament last week regarding the minimum pricing of Alcohol. Jim Shannon MP is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party and the parties health spokesperson. With an eye on the final Queens Speech of … Continue reading

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Hypocrites, all of them


Our Political Parties have been clear in their rhetoric, any major change in our relationship with Europe will lead to a referendum. In particular if there was to be a proposal that we join the Euro we could be sure of a vote. … Continue reading

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