‘Handle with care‘
On the face of it many will have been relieved by the Budget announcement on Wednesday on the grounds that, ‘it could have been worse’. The broadly anticipated changes to Capital Gains Tax and Business Relief on Inheritance Tax (‘IHT’) came as expected and without significant shock. However, many will feel more aggrieved by the […]
‘Don’t Look Back In Anger‘
There has been much comment on the events of the last few days. First, we had Noel and Liam Gallagher announcing that they are re-forming ‘Oasis’ for a UK tour in 2025. Then we had the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, making his bleak speech from the so called ‘Rose Garden’ of 10 Downing Street. […]
‘Elective Dictatorships’ and ‘Supermajorities’
During this most recent general election campaign, two phrases have found their way into the public imagination: ‘Elective Dictatorship’ and ‘Supermajority’. When the former Lord Chancellor, Lord Hailsham, coined the phrase ‘Elective Dictatorship’ during his Dimbleby Lecture in October 1976, he was not being critical of large government majorities. What Hailsham was concerned about was […]
‘Future Legend’
Fifty years ago, on 24 May 1974, David Bowie released his eighth studio album ‘Diamond Dogs’. The opening track, ‘Future Legend’, is a chilling depiction of a dystopian urban landscape. The same year saw the publication of British writer JG Ballard’s novel ‘Concrete Island’, the plot of which is the struggle for survival by a […]
Things Can Only…
It will be too early to call the results of this year’s general election, however what seems likely is that today’s Budget could be the last to be announced by a Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer for some years to come. In November 1996, the then Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, delivered his fourth Budget statement. The […]
Target practice at the Bank of England
Today’s UK Consumer Price Inflation for January, steady at an annual rate of 4%, may still seem some way from the Bank of England’s target rate of 2%. However, there is a strong likelihood that this target will be met in just two months’ time when the end March data are released on 17 April. […]