What was really in George Osborne's Budget? Last night we held an event, in association with Aberdeen Asset Management, to discuss just that. Click here for a free pdf copy of the briefing paper produced for the event.
A new world flavour to Shelf Life this week, as the novelist Sean Thomas Russell joins us from Vancouver. He has been getting to grips with Shakespeare — an attempt, perhaps, to escape the pervasive influence of Bill O'Reilly. His latest novel, A Ship of War, is published in Britain next week. 1) What are you reading at the moment? Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber. I've been on a Shakespeare kick recently. I just finished Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt and A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro. I recommend all three. 2) As a child, what did you read under the covers? The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
George Osborne’s plans for more tax transparency have been widely interpreted as a political masterstroke. People will be horrified to learn the cost of servicing Britain’s national debt, or paying our welfare bill, goes the argument. The move will create downward pressure on public spending, driven by the public itself — a classic example of aligning policy with politics. But what if none of this is true? The logic fits, but the evidence suggests something different altogether. Experiments with tax receipts in the United States, where the Third Way Institute has been making the running on this, have show that more transparency tends to reinforce people’s beliefs rather than challenge them.
...here are some posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the weekend: Fraser Nelson provides an insight into the man behind the Budget and asks if Lansley's time is finally running out. James Forsyth examines Osborne's logic behind local pay rates and reports on Downing St's plans to boost construction. Peter Hoskin asks why Balls attacked Brown and looks into Osborne's appeal to Britain's grafters. Martin Bright is delighted that Wales won the Grand Slam. Rod Liddle believes that, with Rowan Williams going, it's time for Sentamu. On the Book Blog, Jacob Rees-Mogg is this week's bookbencher. And on the Arts Blog, Tessa Marchington explains why your office should start a choir.
