Liberal Vision

Achieving coalition with the Tories is a triumph for the so-called Orange Book tendency…

Recommended …. 

Telegraph article written by Mark Littlewood… (yes you know..once of this parish, now DG of the IEA)

In his article (which I wish I had penned btw) he basically argues that the formation of a Conservative-Liberal coalition government finally blows apart the idea that the Liberals are natural bedfellows of the Labour Party or some fictious centre-left “progressive alliance”.

Mark also identifies - as did we - the importance of David Laws in the formation of this coalition…. “From the Liberal Democrat perspective, achieving coalition with the Tories is a triumph for the party’s so-called Orange Book tendency of classical, market-orientated liberals. David Laws, who played a central role in the negotiations with the Conservatives, personifies this wing of the party“.

Hear hear.

Tags: coalition, Conservatives, IEA, Liberal Democrats, Mark Littlewood, orange book

The new progressive consensus..

… was identifed back in November 2007…

Above is an interview on GMTV from November 2007. Mark Littlewood (once of this parish) is being cross examined by Steve Richards (of slightly leftie Independent fame). Littlewood nails it on the blue-yellow coalition. He is now Director General of the IEA (Institute of Economic Affairs) , the original free market think tank. Looks like the IEA might again be ahead of the curve!

Tags: Chris Huhne, coaltion, Conservatives, election 2010, IEA, Instirute of Economic Affairs, Liberal Democrats, Mark Littlewood, Nick Clegg, progressive concensus, Progressive Vision

Thatcher’s think tank slams Tory policies..

A week or two ago I thought the Tories had it….They were the ones who were talking about the need for spending cuts… And the need for them NOW…. That seemed credible to me and I thought they were on to something.

Ok Ok the liberals were talking about cuts … and we had been more specific about where the cuts would come from….and Vince is …well Vince…. but we seemed reluctant to commit to them anytime soon  - and that worried me. I could not (still dont) get why we weren’t the “totally honest party” that actually said it as it was…we’re f*cked.. the cuts need to be bigger than anyone has told you, and by the way we can’ actually carry on with more people working on the “spending wealth” side of the scales, than the “creating wealth” side…  

The Tories on the other hand seemed to be grasping that spending cuts nettle with a vengence. Whoa I thought…these cats have got it. Any day now, the Tory’s will deliver the coup de gras and “come clean” with the voters about the future we must all face up to. And the liberals at that point might as well pack up and go home….

But no such thing.  The Tories look to me like they are determined to screw this thing up. No sooner have they marched down the spending cuts route like a well-drilled army …then they swerve off down some blind alley to have a some silly punch up with the Government about National Insurance and then stagger around blurting out some ill-conceived bribe for the “poorly weds“. Confused? You betcha…. 

Tough on debt, tough on the causes of debt one week…err….its a freebie giveaway ..the next week…. oh please someone get some sanity back into the debate..

..Ah, the big daddy of all Think Tanks - the IEA - enters (stage right obviously) to bring us back to the real world…. It blasts, all over the front page of the Business section of the Sunday Telegraph today , both main parties….

“Labour and the Conservatives both stand guilty of presenting vastly under-ambitious economic plans which fail to address the dire state of the public finance“….

and…..”The National Insurance row, which has dominated the headlines this week, disguises the fact that none of the parties have offered the scale of spending cuts necessary to heal the economy“.

The Telegraph goes onto report that the IEA “will this week launch a campaign urging the winner of the election to reconsider the entire edifice of public spending“.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

And why not start by getting the IEA and Vince Cable together? The IEA sits within 20 yards of Lib Dem HQ. And surely Vince has the number of the DG over there - afterall one of them used to work for the other.Then perhaps we stand a chance of getting this election debate on track……

Tags: economy, IEA, Labour, NI, Tories, Vince Cable

Does Cameron’s “favourite think tank” give us a glimpse of Tory Britain?

I dont know if many of you have heard about the delightfully mental report “Cough Up” by Policy Exchange. The report concludes British government have got tobacco tax pretty much spot on - well, they don’t tax tax cigarettes quite enough - citing a whole list of “costs” to society including litter collection, house fires and employee absenteeism, as well as, of course, the cost of treating tobacco related diseases etc….

Well if  Policy Exchange truly is “David Cameron’s favourite Think Tank” then heaven help the sovietised state we can all look forward to come May 7th, should he get into power. So much for liberal Tories - looks like central planning mentalism will be the order of the day if this lot have any influence….

“Cough up”? Throw up more like.

I started to write a suitable repost to this ridiculously poor report (you usually only get such ill-thought through documents from the Government rushing to get some cock up off the front pages),  then was alerted to Mark Littlewood’s excellent post over on the IEA blog.

He makes a number of excellent points - not least the following…

 “… The question isn’t how much smokers cost the NHS – but how much less would they cost the NHS if they didn’t smoke. The Policy Exchange research assumes they would cost nothing. But dying of Alzheimer’s as an ex-smoker (or non smoker) in your 80s is going to cost much more than dying as a chainsmoker of heart disease in your 50s. And that doesn’t start to factor in the saving made on state pensions by smokers having the courtesy of dying many years younger..“

Click on the above to read the full IEA article in all its glory.

Let’s see the Tory response……

UPDATE: There is another truly marvelous piece written  by Dick Puddlecote - delightful title to his post “That Policy Exchange Nonsense”. A must read!

Tags: Cough up, David Cameron, IEA, Mark Littlewood, Policy Exchange, tobacco tax

S’long and good luck Mark

Mark started as DG of the IEA on Tuesday. Here’s a short video remembering some of his moments on air in recent times (Liberal Vision, Progressive Vision, NO2ID…you name it..). Good luck Mark and “thanks for all the cigs”

Tags: IEA, Liberal Vision, Mark Littlewood, No2ID, Progressive Vision

Finally….a proper debate on climate change

Congratulations to the BBC . I dont say that often, so I will say it again. Congratulations to the BBC. Today on The Daily Politics show I finally got to see a proper discussion on climate change - and between two scientists no less! Prof Fred Singer ( Founder and President of the Science and Environmental Policy Project and Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science at the University of Virginia) and Prof Bob Watson (the chief scientific advisor at the department of the environment) met with Andrew Neil for a rattlingly good discussion.

I will put up the highlights of the programme up here later today or you can go to BBCiplayer to see the full programme.

This debate comes shortly ahead of the Copenhagen summit and, I am told, a debate being held tonight entitled ”The Copenhagen Summit: Do Science and Economics Support Government Action on Climate Change” . Judging by the discussion on air today it promises to be a must see event. Full marks IEA and can we have more of this on the BBC please, so that more of us can listen to the arguments from all sides, not just the spin.

UPDATE: Apologies for the delay. You can now see the climate change part of the programme here… or you can go to BBCiplayer to see the full programme.

Tags: climate change, Copenhagen, Defra, IEA, Prof Bob Watson, Prof Fred Singer

Mark Littlewood appointed as next Director General of the IEA

Liberal Vision’s Mark Littlewood has been appointed as the IEA’s next Director General. The IEA’s press release is below:

MARK LITTLEWOOD APPOINTED DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE IEA

 

The Institute of Economic Affairs has appointed Mark Littlewood as its next Director General.

 

Littlewood, 37, takes on the role from 1^st December 2009.

 

Mark Littlewood said:

 

“This is an enormously exciting opportunity. But it is also an awesome responsibility. The IEA has made an incredible contribution to the understanding of the importance of free markets over the past five decades. I am determined to ensure that the Institute builds on its rich history to ensure that the case for free markets is made loudly and clearly at this challenging time, when politicians of all parties show an alarming tendency to place trust in increasing regulation and statist solutions to cure many of society’s ills. The need for the IEA has never been greater and I’m honoured to be given the chance to play such a key role in building on the Institute’s reputation, influence and history.”

 

Mark Littlewood has previously worked as the Head of Media for the Liberal Democrats (2004-2007), the Campaigns Director of human rights group Liberty (2001-2004) and was the co-founder and first chief executive of NO2ID, the campaign against the introduction of identity cards. Since 2007, he has been the Communications Director of the classical liberal think tank, Progressive Vision.

 

Professor D. R.  Myddelton, the Chairman of the IEA Trustees, said:

 

“We are delighted that Mark Littlewood has agreed to join the IEA as our next Director General.  He brings the experience and skills the Institute needs to continue to make the case for free markets clearly and energetically.”

Mark has now resigned from the Liberal Democrats to take on this role. But you can be sure that Liberal Vision will continue to make the case for classical liberalism - loudly and clearly - within the party.

Tags: IEA, Mark Littlewood