An Opposition Debate on Trade, Exports, Innovation and Productivity highlighted the fragile nature of our economic recovery. The fundamentals for a strong economy have been overlooked by a Government more interested in short term headlines than our long term economic interests. The Government’s promise to “rebalance” the economy has not materialised with the UK now having […]
Posts under ‘Economy’
The UK “recovery” cannot be sustained. Osborne has failed to rebalance the economy and boost productivity
Jan 26th, 2016 by Grahame Morris.
Let’s hear it for the “right to own”
Jan 22nd, 2016 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.This is more like it. From the BBC: “The Tories have offered a Right to Buy, Labour would seek to better this. We’d be creating a new Right to Own,” he [John McDonnell] said in a speech in Manchester. He said the “biggest hurdle” facing co-ops and other small businesses was getting initial funding from high […]
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What level of investment should Corbyn & McDonnell aim for?
Jan 22nd, 2016 by Michael Burke.The policies outlined by Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have the capacity to transform the economic debate in Britain. More importantly, if the ideas outlined for an investment-led recovery are implemented then they could alter the trajectory of the British economy, from stagnation and rising inequality towards sustainable growth and a general rise in living […]
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The last chance to save student grants
Jan 19th, 2016 by Newsdesk.Labour is holding a debate and a vote on the floor of the House of Commons this afternoon, to challenge the government decision to scrap student maintenance grants. The government are planning to scrap maintenance grants for students from poorer backgrounds, replacing them with additional loans. This change would mean that the poorest 40% of students going […]
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Demand doesn’t create its own supply – a national investment bank is needed
Jan 15th, 2016 by Michael Burke.The second [pillar of my leadership] is a new economy that puts public investment front and centre stage: in science, technology and the green industries of the future. Instead of Osborne’s economic house built on sand, our focus will be on the reindustrialisation of Britain for the digital age, driven by a national investment bank […]
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Understanding the economics of Britain’s wars
Jan 5th, 2016 by Michael Burke.Britain is a very frequent participant in US-led wars. This stands in contrast to many other European states ranging from countries such as Sweden, to Spain, to Italy and Germany. The piece below examines the material reasons for this difference, and explains British politicians’ determination to join in US military adventures. The widely held view […]
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UNISON activists need to move on from the General Secretary election
Dec 23rd, 2015 by Andy Newman.I am not a member of UNISON, and I am neither qualified nor inclined to comment on the respective merits of the various candidates who recently contested their election for General Secretary. However, I do think that there is cause for concern for the whole labour movement that such a large and important union may […]
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Bring a new politics into local democracy
Dec 21st, 2015 by Newsdesk.The following statement has been issued by the Labour Representation Committee On the basis of a hasty and highly selective reading of the letter sent to Labour councils by Jeremy Corbyn, together with John McDonnell and Jon Trickett, some right-wingers are claiming that the leadership has endorsed their existing strategy towards implementing the cuts. Likewise some […]
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Dave Prentis re-elected general secretary amidst allegations of ballot rigging
Dec 18th, 2015 by Keith Wright.Dave Prentis was yesterday declared re-elected as leader of UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, amidst allegations of ballot rigging, in face of a call by one-third of the union’s national executive committee for his suspension and with a public petition calling for an independent inquiry and the election to be re-run. One candidate has now issued a legal […]
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Thatcher: should we pay out all that money for Trident?
Dec 9th, 2015 by Ann Pettifor.There is a fascinating review by David Runciman in the LRB of Charles Moore’s: Margaret Thatcher: The Authorised Biography, Volume ll Everything She Wants. In it Runciman recites the tale of Mrs T, the Labour leader Neil Kinnock’s support for nuclear disarmament, and President Reagan’s sudden conversion (in 1986) to nuclear disarmament. It turns out that […]
