Tim Worstall

While the IMF has already named London as an onshore tax haven, That’s the same IMF report that said that Monaco was not a tax haven is it? The actual calculation was that if a place had a financial services sector larger than needed to service purely domestic needs then therefore it must be catering [...]

[Read more →]

There are also two main courses for the British government to follow at home. It is unbelievable that RBS, in which taxpayers own a 70% stake (and rising), is still not bound by a formal regulation to cease tax avoidance. One must be put in place immediately – otherwise the government are subsidising a bank, [...]

[Read more →]

The Guardian has identified at least 13 such deals, many using the offshore facilities of the Cayman Islands, in the Caribbean, in ingenious ways. Would any of those 13 include the Guardian’s own use of Cayman Islands offshore facilities to avoid (entirely legally) Stamp Duty? Or would that make it 14 deals identified?

[Read more →]

There are suggestions, meanwhile, that the US will reimpose the "uptick" rule, abolished in 2007, which forces traders to sell shares at a price higher than the previous trade. You know, I’m pretty sure that’s not what the uptick rule says. Because of course if it did then share prices could only ever rise. The [...]

[Read more →]

Telegraph headline…. Man bites dog:

[Read more →]

Some people think so. This is, in caricature, the controversial thesis offered by David Stuckler, Lawrence King and Martin McKee, in The Lancet recently. The scientists – Dr Stuckler and Dr King are sociologists at Oxford and Cambridge respectively, and McKee is Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical [...]

[Read more →]

THE WHIP is contacted by a source who works for the company involved in the G20 Summit being held at Excel in London’s Canning Town next month. �Although smoking is banned within work places in the UK and has been a vigorously enforced Labour policy, it is being allowed at the G20 summit – indeed, [...]

[Read more →]

So. This piece. It’s about the things that liberated women the most during the 21st century. I think you’ll find that everyone is talking about the 20th century. Just a gentle hint….

[Read more →]

It’s appalling isn’t it? This expectation that people have for a bonus, simply for doing their job? Why can’t they understand that they simply get paid a wage to do it? And we all know that the bonus culture is what has led to the wrack and ruin of our economy. No, I’m with Polly. [...]

[Read more →]

That’s roughly what Paul Collier is saying here to the Guardianistas. We need to ignite those processes that can scale up without limit, that are "explosive". I don’t want to be negative [about Katine]. That’s where there are poor people – let’s help them. But it’s not transformational. You have got to find what’s going [...]

[Read more →]

OK, amongst the usual catastrophilia comes this: If things continue, a one-metre rise by 2100 looks more than likely: indeed, the Thames Barrier is already being raised more and more often to protect London, and some studies suggest a new and bigger barrage could be needed as soon as 2030. Now as we know, some [...]

[Read more →]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4974322/EMB-TIL-1700-UK-TIME-Britain-to-become-the-biggest-country-in-Europe-by-2050-United-Nations-report-says.html I assume that means " embargo untill 1700 UK time"? I understand the point of course, but it’s a bit weird to have it in the URL isn’t it?  

[Read more →]

The Prime Minister has been named the most boring public speaker in the country – well ahead of other boring speakers such as footballer David Beckham and actress Kate Winslet, according to new research. A survey of 1,000 adults found that one in five named Gordon Brown as the worst public speaker, followed by Beckham, [...]

[Read more →]

Both economic institutions and climate change and energy policy will need active planning, though the mistakes made by previous generations of planners have to be avoided. Wonderful. Now, any bright ideas about how this might be achieved? Or are we going with just general wishful thinking here?

[Read more →]

No, not this bit. A group of around 20 men in traditional Islamic dress held up banners and placards that read: "Anglian Soldiers Butchers of Basra", "Anglian Soldiers Criminals, Murderers Terrorists" and "Baby killers". As the battalion, which is nicknamed The Poachers, reached Luton Town Hall the small group shouted and yelled "Terrorists" and "Anglian [...]

[Read more →]

Isn’t this appalling? The way that the workers are being kicked in the teeth by the vile capitalist money grubbing bastards? MEN Media, publisher of the Manchester Evening News and related weeklies, has told staff that 150 jobs are to go and all weekly editorial offices will be closed. Staff on the newspapers, part of [...]

[Read more →]

Neal Lawson and John Harris call for a new type of politics. As part of their analysis: The dysfunctional consequences of uncontrolled markets have allowed government to grow ever more intrusive and controlling. Eh? Less government means more government? The purpose of free markets is to maximise profits. What? Erm, it’s rather an assumption of [...]

[Read more →]

This is a first. George Monbiot has discovered some economics. Cars manufactured this year will put out an average of around 160g/km, which means a saving of 48g/km. This translates – with a mean annual driving distance of 16,500km – into a cut of 792kg/car/year. Assuming that drivers are each paid £2,000, that’s a cost [...]

[Read more →]

The Prince spoke at a dinner in hosted by Michelle Bachelet, the President, for 300 guests from the world of politics, business and the arts. “How can we begin to address poverty if we haven’t first ensured our planet is habitable?” he said. You might like to ask someone starving to death whether they’d prefer [...]

[Read more →]

Mandy’s slimer in custardy They do have fun with words over there, don’t they?

[Read more →]