Golden Delusions
So many commentators talk about the UK’s public debt as if we were still operating a gold standard economy (and claim that debt is at unprecedented and dangerous levels) that […]
The Rational Policy-maker’s Guide to the NHS at Holyrood
This is an approximate transcript of the presentation given by Mark E Thomas at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood on 7 February 2024 at an event for MSPs and other […]
What Matters in 2024?
The UK faces huge challenges on many fronts. For 2024, we are prioritising three in particular: Voters’ #1 concern – reversing the process of mass impoverishment, which has worsened in […]
Two Perspectives on 2023
2023 was a tough year for the people of the UK. The combined effects of Austerity, Brexit and a severe mis-handling of the COVID crisis have left the country in […]
A Budget for the Wealthiest
All Budgets are important, but this one is especially critical: 13 years of market fundamentalist policy choices have left the UK in a state of decay, with a weak economy, […]
Should Cameron be Foreign Secretary?
Last week, Sunak faced a difficult conundrum. His hand had been forced by the ever-more-extreme Suella Braverman and, faced with internal and external pressure, he felt that he had no […]
Who is Behind the ‘Think Tanks’?
A recently published report from the ‘think tank’ Policy Exchange sets out what they would like to see in the King’s Speech. We have rarely seen such superficial and […]
A Tale of Two Conferences
Last week was the Conservative Party Conference, CPC23. Or perhaps there were two different conferences: The official conference, run by Sunak’s team, whose objective was to rally the party […]
Sunak or Truss – Who Shirks Better?
Liz Truss was the UK’s shortest-serving Prime Minister. Just over one year ago in the wake of her disastrous mini-Budget and seeing the state of the polls, the Conservative Party […]
Condemning Younger Generations to an Old Age of Poverty
Thirteen long years of increasingly far-right policies have left the UK visibly broken: we have a cost-of-living crisis; our NHS is on its knees and our schools are crumbling; and […]