Absolutely Not The Daily Troll-o-Graph

This vote has confirmed further in the Prime Minister's mind that his backbenchers are not a serious impediment to his will. Source - Daily Telegraph 12/07/21 Link Let's be very clear about one thing: the government did not want this debate. When the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced last November that the government would not meet its statutory obligation to spend 0.7% of gross national income on international development in 2021/22, and would instead only reach 0.5%, the decision was made by fiat and presented to the House of Commons without an opportunity for a specific vote. There was an outcry in certain sections of the Conservative Party, led by the former aid minister, Andrew Mitchell, who has transformed himself into a sort of conscience for the party in this field. Labour was delighted to weigh in, of course. Anything which can revive the ‘Nasty Party’ tag - to quote Theresa May’s foolish hostage to fortune - is a godsend, and polished consciences like Steve Doughty a...

 There must be a reason the SNP leadership has gone missing in action   Is Sturgeon really going to spend her whole life pursuing the unachievable goal of independence?   Seven years of Sturgeon has made no difference to the alignment of Scottish politics Source - CAPX 12/07/21 Link Out here in seaward Argyll, people often say of worrying weather, “Aye, there’s a change on”. Since the inconclusive May election, I have begun to think that this expression applies to Holyrood politicians too. Something is happening today in nationalist politics which requires an explanation but so far has not been given one. What are the signs? The most important one is that the SNP leadership has largely disappeared from view. Apart from anodyne Covid briefings, Ms Sturgeon has fallen uncharacteristically silent. There was even a short period when she didn’t even deliver those herself. Then, last weekend, she resurfaced, but in Oban rather than her official residence in Bute House.  Th...

It will take a strong economic recovery combined with tough control of spending to head off higher taxes Source - Daily Telegraph 11/07/21 Link It is now just over five years since we voted to leave the EU and it is nearly six months since we actually did leave fully. Accordingly, this seems a good time to reflect on the economic advantages and disadvantages that we’ve noticed so far. I have been struck by how many erstwhile Remainers think that Brexit has already proved to be a complete economic disaster. This is news to me. Admittedly, many small companies have found the administrative burden of exporting into the EU too onerous and some are giving up on the EU market altogether. In time they may direct their attention to other markets but even so it is likely that their involvement in overseas trade will be somewhat lower than when we were members of the EU. This will be a loss. But on the whole this is not the picture for large companies and their trade volumes have held up well. O...

Red Arrows will perform fly-past over Wembley Stadium as God Save the Queen rings out ahead of kick-off Source - Daily Telegraph - 10/07/21 Link During an inevitably rousing rendition of God Save the Queen shortly before 8pm on Sunday, the Red Arrows will perform a fly-past over Wembley Stadium leaving a trail of red, white and blue vapours lingering in the skies. Children at Ernesettle Community School, Plymouth, show their support for England The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team’s patriotic display will signal the start of the most important game of Gareth Southgate’s young players' careers as they carry the hopes and aspirations of an entire nation. With 65,000 fans due to attend the London arena, the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy will be the biggest crowd at any sporting event held in the UK since the pandemic struck. For many people the match represents not only a chance for a heroic and historic victory, but also a clear signal that Britain is at last returning to n...

Dublin resists US push for a minimum corporation tax, deepening split with a President who trades on his Irish heritage Source - Daily Telegraph- 09/07/21 Link Ireland is still holding out against Joe Biden's plans for a minimum corporation tax rate of 15pc, despite G20 finance ministers urging opponents to sign up to the deal this weekend. The low tax country is one of eight nations digging their heels in against a global deal championed by the White House and agreed by 131 countries, amid fears the proposals will trash its economic model. Dublin's resistance will deepen a rift with US President Biden, who has spearheaded the reforms despite stressing his ancestral Irish heritage on the campaign trail. It came as Washington launched a new crackdown on big business in the US on Friday. Ireland - which has attracted a host of international businesses with its 12.5pc tax rate - is not a member of the G20, whose finance ministers and central bankers conclude their meeting in Venic...

 Buy British has intuitive appeal, but falls apart on closer inspection   If we want UK firms to succeed, insulating them from competition isn't the answer   What does it say about Labour that this is their big economic policy idea? Source CAPX - 05/07/21 Link Fresh from a not particularly rousing victory in Batley and Spen, Labour are taking the fight to the Tories with a plan to “Buy British” in public sector procurement. Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted her party’s plan “makes economic sense and common sense”. Well, one out of two ain’t bad. Reeves is right on the latter point, in the sense that there is an intuitive appeal to this kind of economic nationalism. That’s why politicians of all stripes indulge in it so much. After all, if we buy British goods that means more British jobs and that’s got to be a good thing, hasn’t it? Really, though, this is simply a rebranding of protectionism, which makes everyone worse ...

Source CAPX 07/07/21 You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the link. It's about half an hour but I think worth it.   Link Capitalism' as a term no longer appeals – people want to hear about 'economic freedom'   Boris must be the candidate of optimism – sterner messages must come from other ministers   Most swing voters think Britain is basically a good country, but too many on the left disagree Patriotism and the left: [Swing voters] believe in the country. They believe in traditions, they believe that Britain is inherently a good country. And there are a lot of people on the left who don’t.  The challenge for the Tories The Conservative challenge right now is that they don’t realise, I don’t think, that the public wants to help those who haven’t been helped…too often you don’t hear that, from the Conservative Party leaders. Too often you hear about the success stories, rather than ‘we need to do more, and we need to do better’. How Johnson can retain his appe...