Is Keir Starmer an authoritarian?
Funding the Future
Is Keir Starmer an authoritarian?
In this morning’s video I note that  the EU has offered the UK the chance of free movement for people under the age of 30, but Keir Starmer is a...
 The EU has offered the UK the chance of free movement for people under the age of 30, but Keir Starmer is adamant that this must not happen. He has offered no good reason, just like the parent who says no to a child without offering explanation as to why. Could it be that having the chance to say no without good reason is why he sought power?
There is no economic crisis in the UK. So why is Rachel Reeves making people suffer?
Funding the Future
There is no economic crisis in the UK. So why is Rachel Reeves making people suffer?
I posted this thread on Twitter this morning: Would the UK economy really have collapsed as Labour is saying if it had not cut the winter fu...
 Labour is claiming that cutting the winter fuel allowance and keeping children in poverty has prevented UK economic collapse. That is untrue. No cuts are necessary as many alternative sources of funding are available to the government. Reeves is prioritising financial markets over public welfare. Her decisions are harming vulnerable populations.
Labour is a neoliberal to its core
Funding the Future
Labour is a neoliberal to its core
In this morning’s video I argue that Labour was built on the basis of a proud left-of-centre tradition that was based on support for working peop...
 Labour was built on the basis of a proud left-of-centre tradition that was based on support for working people and a belief in the power of the state to build well-being for everyone, and not just a few. But that’s gone. Just like the Tories, it is now dedicated to the cult of the individual and is opposed to the state and all it can do for us. The question is, what can we do about this?
There’s a void at the heart of Starmer’s government where vision and ideas should be
Funding the Future
There’s a void at the heart of Starmer’s government where vision and ideas should be
I re-read the speech Starmer gave yesterday before writing this post. I wanted to be sure I was being fair.  I am left with a number of impression...
 Starmer made clear yesterday that Labour is focused on maintaining the status quo rather than enacting meaningful change, missing, as it does, the ethical values and strategic thinking needed for delivering effective government. His is a government without purpose, and that's deeply troubling.
Land value taxation is not a panacea
Funding the Future
Land value taxation is not a panacea
In this morning
 Land value taxation is a 19th-century idea that has very rarely been used. Its proponents say it is the great unavoidable tax that could potentially replace all other taxes. The problem is it is based on assumptions that might be fine in theory but which would be incomprehensible in practice – and that’s no way to impose a tax charge.
Words can incite hate
Funding the Future
Words can incite hate
I read this yesterday in the conclusion to a newsletter from the Institute for Economic Affairs: Speech is not violence. Words cannot injure or co...
 In a newsletter, the Institute for Economic Affairs has argued that words cannot incite harm. I disagree. I find their position morally troubling and potentially deeply dangerous for society.
Rachel Reeves would make a mess of any household’s finances
Funding the Future
Rachel Reeves would make a mess of any household’s finances
I have published this video this morning. In it I note Rachel Reeves keeps saying that we should manage the economy as if it were a household. That...
 Rachel Reeves keeps saying that we should manage the economy as if it were a household. That is completely wrong. But if it were true, the decisions she is making would end up destroying the finances of any household, she’s making such a mess of things.
Why has Richard Tice had an offshore trust?
Funding the Future
Why has Richard Tice had an offshore trust?
The Mirror has an investigative article this morning looking at the offshore finances of Richard Tice, the Reform Party MP. As they note: The m...
 A question needing an answer
It’s time to bring the Bank of England back under government control
Funding the Future
It’s time to bring the Bank of England back under government control
I have published this video this morning. In it I argue that it’s claimed that the Bank of England is independent of the government. Almost certa...
 It's claimed that the Bank of England is independent of the government. Almost certainly, that's a complete sham. But it's one that's been used to impose policy against the best interests of people in this country. This pretence has to end, and the government has to be accountable for all our economic policy.
What we need is action to improve lives
Funding the Future
What we need is action to improve lives
As the FT notes this morning, in an article by a couple of their senior political journalists: The “demonising” of asylum seekers, immigrants ...
 Rioters promoting racist hate do not have legitimate political concerns. On the other hand, millions of people who are concerned about inequality, poor jobs, failing public services and poor housing have wholly appropriate grievances in the UK. Tackle those, and the opportunity for racists would disappear.