Latest News

Today

 
Who Decides What Is ‘Proper’ Culture? The AfD, Art and the Dangerous Politics of Public Funding

There is a fascinating and rather uncomfortable cultural battle taking place in Germany which deserves much more attention in Britain.   It is not really about whether taxpayers should fund art.  

Yesterday

 
Are Politicians Counting on Us Not Understanding the Numbers?

Politics runs on promises.  Build more.  

Yesterday

Bill Asks Why Some Pensioners Should Look Again at Their Savings Accounts Before the Taxman Does

There is a financial habit that many pensioners have developed over the years which is perfectly understandable: keep some money in the bank, earn a bit of interest and leave it alone.   For people who have spent a lifetime saving, the attraction is obvious.  

Yesterday

 
We can afford nationalisation if only politicians understood it - Richard Murphy

Nationalisation has become the word British politicians dare not say, and the reason they give is always the same: it is unaffordable.   They claim that just taking water back into public ownership would cost over £100 billion, but that claim is outright nonsense, and it is worth understanding exactly why.  

Yesterday

 
Bookbug Hasn't Been Cut — So Why Are Its Services Being Squeezed

There are some government programmes whose real value is difficult to measure simply by counting the money spent or the number of items distributed.  Scotland's Bookbug programme is one of them.  

Yesterday

Britain Is Turning Off the Tap of Overseas Workers — But Who Will Fill the Jobs?

Britain has spent years arguing about immigration, but the latest figures reveal something rather more interesting than another argument about numbers.   The flow of overseas workers into Britain is falling rapidly.  

Yesterday

Smart Glasses: A Brilliant New Workplace Tool — Or Should They Be Banned?

The next argument about technology in the workplace may not be about computers, mobile phones or artificial intelligence.   It could be about spectacles.  

Yesterday

 
What is economic rent? It's much more than you think - Richard Murphy

Rent is not just the money you pay a landlord.  In economics, it means something far bigger, and far more significant.  

Yesterday

Retirement at 67: Why Are We Still Treating Everyone as Though They Have an Expiry Date?

Britain has a strange relationship with retirement.  We spend much of our political time worrying that there will not be enough people of working age to pay for the growing costs of an ageing population, while at the same time treating a particular birthday as though it marks the end of a person's useful economic life.  

Yesterday

Denmark Is Raising Retirement Age to 70. Should Britain Copy It — Or Do Something Better?

Denmark has done something that should make Britain sit up and take notice.   Its Parliament has legislated for the country's retirement age to reach 70 by 2040.  

28/8/2026

 
Measles Is Making a Comeback And Britain Has Lost Its Elimination Status

There was a time when measles was becoming something most parents in Britain barely had to think about.   Vaccination had changed the picture so dramatically that measles seemed to belong to another generation.  

28/8/2026

 
Britain's Immigration Numbers Are Changing But the Story Is More Complicated Than the Headlines

Britain's Immigration Numbers Are Changing — But the Story Is More Complicated Than the Headlines Britain's immigration system is changing rapidly, but the latest official figures suggest that there is no single story that can accurately be described simply as "immigration going up" or "immigration coming down".   The Home Office has published its latest Immigration System Statistics, covering the year ending June 2026, and the figures show significant falls in work visas, study visas, family visas and small-boat arrivals.  

28/8/2026 : Local Authority

 
Do We Need a New Kind of Cemetery? Could Highland's Greenspaces Help Make Funerals More Affordable?

There may be no more appropriate time to ask Highland Council whether we need to rethink the way we remember those who have died.   The Council has just launched a six-week consultation on its draft Greenspace Biodiversity Management Strategy 2026-2030.  

28/8/2026

 
Britain’s £3 trillion national debt is not what you think - Richard Murphy

The national debt is nearing £3 trillion, and almost everything said about that claim is wrong.  It is not a debt in the way a household mortgage or a credit card is a debt - it is just the nation's savings.  

28/8/2026

Almost One Million Young People Are NEET — What Does It Say About Britain's Future?

Almost One Million Young People Are NEET — What Does It Say About Britain's Future? There is a number in today's labour market figures that deserves rather more attention than it is likely to receive.   Almost one million young people aged 16 to 24 are currently not in education, employment or training.  

28/8/2026

Are Britain's Universities Becoming the Next Big Financial Crisis?

For generations, the university has been regarded as one of the safest institutions in Britain.   Universities may have argued about funding, complained about governments and fought over student numbers, but there was always an assumption that they would still be there.  

28/8/2026

Britain Helped Invent the Computer. So Why Is It So Difficult to Build Data Centres Here?

Britain Helped Invent the Computer.  So Why Is It So Difficult to Build Data Centres Here? There is something slightly strange about Britain's position in the modern data-centre race.  

28/8/2026 : Local Authority

Council Funded Advice services assist 25,000 customers and exceed £30.3 million in financial gains

Almost 25,000 customers were assisted by the Council’s Welfare Support Team and Citizens Advice during 2025/26 for support with welfare, debt and housing issues.   As a result, financial gains for clients exceeded £30.3 million, representing a £18.84 return for every £1 allocated to these services by the Council.  

28/8/2026

240 crypto millionaires revealed in new government data - HMRC publishes first official statistics on taxable cryptoasset gains

240 people reported more than £1 million in capital gains from cryptoassets in the 2024 to 2025 tax year official statistics show, accounting for £717 million of cryptoasset gains between them.   Total taxable capital gains from cryptoassets for 17,600 individuals were £1.38 billion in the 2024 to 2025 tax year, with an average gain of £78,000 reported per individual.  

28/8/2026

Britain's New Trade Strategy: Why the Cheapest Supplier Isn't Always the Cheapest Choice

Britain's New Trade Strategy: Why the Cheapest Supplier Isn't Always the Cheapest Choice For more than three decades, one principle has dominated the way we have thought about international trade: buy from whoever can supply something most cheaply.   It seems obvious.