The usual suspects on-line and in the old media are getting themselves worked up that families with a Polygamous marriage are getting an increase in benefits. This is typical of the hysteria from the Daily Express The not so hidden subtext is that these are Muslim families, and as such should not be allowed to … Read more
I’ve been overweight for about 30 years. Or at least, I’ve been over the “correct” BMI for my height. I doubt I’ll ever hit the official ideal weight on the NHS tables — and honestly, I don’t care. If anything, what I illustrate is that the definitions of what is and isn’t a healthy weight … Read more
I have lost count of the number of times politicians have declared that PFI is “dead”. It has been blamed for everything from collapsing NHS finances to dirty hospital wards and dodgy light fittings. In reality, PFI was never a policy as such. It was a capital-sourcing mechanism — a way of bringing private investment … Read more
What happened in the budget? Last week Rachel Reeves delivered the Government’s latest budget. It arrived amid a fog of leaks — some accidental, others clearly not — and a week of breathless speculation about market panic. In reality, there was a modest increase in the interest rate the Government pays on its borrowing. But … Read more
One of my old PCT colleagues died a couple of weeks back. A North East GP who was a staunch advocate of clinical leadership. If you have half an eye on the news, you’ll know something big is happening inside the NHS. But the scale of the NHS reforms 2025 is still flying under the … Read more
A year after Donald Trump clawed his way back into the White House, America looks less like a republic and more like a family business — and not a very well-run one. The wealth and security of the United States no longer matter. What matters is the wealth and power of Donald Trump and the … Read more
The Conservatives are in permanent decline, unable to arrest their slide in the polls. They haven’t managed to poll beyond third place since April, and defections to Reform UK are now dangerously frequent. Danny Kruger became the first shadow cabinet minister to jump ship last week. Few think Kemi Badenoch will still be in place … Read more
Once again, we’re talking about government debt and interest rates. At Labour’s last conference, Andy Burnham was criticised for suggesting the UK government shouldn’t pay so much attention to international financial markets and the price they charge for UK government debt. The criticism was justified: as long as the government has to borrow, it must … Read more
One of the defining principles of old-school Conservatives in the UK and the US was “sound money”: maintaining the value of the currency, keeping inflation in check, and controlling the money supply. Under Thatcher, this was elevated into the main tool of economic policy—with disastrous consequences. Modern right-wingers on both sides of the Atlantic have … Read more
I am woke. Totally woke. If someone wants me to use a particular set of pronouns, I’m happy to do so. I try my hardest to avoid discriminatory language or anything that would cause unwanted offence. I don’t always get it right, but I don’t mind if people point it out. For me, this isn’t … Read more