A YouGov poll this week says 85% want the next government to promote a stronger UK manufacturing base, with 62% believing it will give the country more economic security. They’re absolutely right of course, and that is the centrepiece of my book The State We Need: Keys to the Renaissance of Britain. But it isn’t going to happen unless there is a profound sea-change in the conventional wisdom of the 3 main political parties.

As long as economic policy is driven by austerity-first, there will almost certainly continue to be desperately low levels of investment, little or no growth or rise in output per head, no increase in living standards, all accompanies by rising national and government debt, increasing unemployment and relentless relative if not actually absolute decline. Continue reading →