Monthly Archives: March 2014

The details of the government’s planned cap on welfare budgets is published in the OBR’s Economic and fiscal outlook. It’s interesting to see what’s in and what’s out. The main benefits for the unemployed and, of course, pensions, are outside the … Continue reading →

It’s becoming a bit of a tradition this. One day, the government proclaims the brilliance of its budget, talks up the economic forecasts and claims that ‘the plan is working’.  Then the next day, the Institute for Fiscal studies pours … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s Guardian led with the headline “Britain’s five richest families worth more than poorest 20%“. The story came from this Oxfam report which said: The richest 5 families in Britain are wealthier than the bottom 20 percent of the population in the UK (with a wealth of £28.2 billion … Continue reading →

As others have noted, now he’s dead, even the people who once portrayed Bob Crow as a militant fanatic seem to have nothing but praise for him. Out of the way and no longer a danger, it’s safe to eulogise … Continue reading →

My late father-in-law used to joke about the pensioners jugging up in the pubs and clubs of South Wales. He reckoned the old folk drank more than the youngsters. It certainly seemed that way last time I was in his … Continue reading →

I’m slightly surprised by the lack of discussion, in the media or online, about the Future of Work report from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. There was a flurry of interest in the idea of the 4 Generation workforce … Continue reading →

There’s plenty to pick over in the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) report The Future of Work: Jobs and Skills in 2030. It contains some thought-provoking (and quite disturbing) scenarios about the world of work in 2030. I will probably … Continue reading →