Author Archives: Rick

Last week’s post on the strange disappearance of Italy’s gender pay gap reminded me to do an update on what’s happening with ours. The ONS published its latest figures a couple of months ago so I have added them to … Continue reading →

The question of Britain’s EU membership is causing chaos in our governing party again. So much so that our Prime Minister was forced to answer trivial questions about it when he was trying to look statesmanlike. However much you might … Continue reading →

IFS director Paul Johnson reckons the June spending review is going to be bloody. George Osborne will have to tell us where the next round of spending cuts will fall. That’s the cuts on top of the cuts he’s already … Continue reading →

Scene: A plush riverside office. [Sound of irritating iPhone ring.] “Hello. Joseph Bloggs.” “Hi Joe. It’s Jeremy.” “….Minister! Good to hear from you. Er…how’s things?” “Bit fraught actually Joe. This A&E thing is a right mess.” “Yes, I saw the … Continue reading →

Sometimes you come across counterintuitive facts that make you step back and wonder if everything you thought you knew was wrong, like America spending more per capita on healthcare than Britain or Stephanie Flanders not being head girl at school … Continue reading →

Boris Johnson and some Conservative backbenchers called for ‘Thatcherite zeal’ against the trade unions, as they renewed demands for tougher strike laws. I’ve already had a go at Boris about this in a previous post but let’s just recap on … Continue reading →

In the end, after a lively debate, the New Statesman’s audience decided that the left won the 20th century. That still seems slightly odd to me, given that the left has suffered considerable reverses on the economic front since the … Continue reading →

Last weekend, I was over in Belgium for the biennial Toer De Geuze, when the brewers of geuze and lambic beers open their doors to the public to show off their beers. Geuze and lambic beers are, to say the … Continue reading →

Remember the government’s ‘shares for employment rights’ idea? It was rejected by almost every business surveyed during the consultation, many coming to the same conclusions as I did when it was first announced. The House of Lords thought it was … Continue reading →

This is the question posed in the New Statesman’s centenary issue and in a debate this Thursday. I’m disappointed that I can’t go. Fortunately my good friends Mervyn Dinnen and Niki Rosenbaum will be there so I trust I will get … Continue reading →