News & Insight

Why Budget 2014 pension changes are doomed to failure

25 March 2014

No one should be in any doubt: this year’s budget was an historic day for UK pensions policy. Since the Finance Act of 1921, UK pensions policy has had as its foundation stone the ‘annuities deal’: in return for exceptionally generous...

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Being human: Is greater authenticity in politics possible?

24 March 2014

The need for greater authenticity in politics has become a truism, but is it possible? With the rise of so-called ‘independent minded’ politicians such as Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Alex Salmond and George Galloway it often seems that the new challenge...

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Budget 2014: A curse on all your vanities

20 March 2014

For George Osborne, economics is always an extension of politics by other means. The budget on Wednesday was predictably entirely about next year’s election and, given his limited room to manoeuvre, adept. With Labour still failing to provide a credible...

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England expects: Localising skills provision

20 March 2014

We ended last week’s essay with a nod to the English deal’s potential to chime with the responsible capitalism agenda. We touched upon the themes of partnership, Business Improvement Districts, social value and sustainability. But responsible capitalists have a meaningful...

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Is socialism back?

20 March 2014

Asking whether socialism is back immediately invites us to consider what socialism actually is. Since the early 20th century, it might be argued that the Labour party has adhered to three distinctive conceptions of ‘socialism’. The first conceives socialism as about...

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Budget 2014: LIVE BLOG

19 March 2014

13.47: The Budget announcement has wound down now so too is the blog. Thanks 13.45: Michael Gove (who made remarks about the number of Old Etonians in the Government in an interview with the FT over the weekend) has been banished...

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