For much of the last forty years, Britain’s economic direction appeared settled. Governments argued about tax rates, spending priorities and public services, but the broad framework changed little. Privatisation, deregulation, competition, independent regulation, free trade and globalisation became part of the political consensus. Even Labour governments largely accepted the settlement created during the Thatcher years. … Read more
I have finally given up on BT. Not just personally, but professionally as well. My business is moving away from them, and after the last few weeks I genuinely cannot understand why anybody voluntarily stays with them unless inertia, exhaustion or fear of changing provider finally overwhelms the instinct for self-preservation. The final straw was … 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