Remember levelling up Rishi?
24/03/2022
Jim looks at the implications of the Chancellor’s statement on the Levelling Up agenda and the date of the next General Election.
Cheery defiance to the gathering storm
28/10/2021
Jim asks if the Chancellor’s breezy Budget optimism is justified and the difficulty Labour has in opposing a high spending, high taxing government.
Spend, spend, spend – Rishi has traditional Tories scratching their heads
28/10/2021
Traditional Tories will see the Chancellor’s budget as heresy. But Sunak and Johnson won’t mind if it delivers them another election victory.
Does Debt Matter?
14/05/2020
In his 400th blog for Downtown, Jim asks how the huge bill for Covid-19 is going to be paid for. Some experts say let the deficit take care of itself, but Jim thinks some tax rises are inevitable.
We’re all in this together? Don’t tell that to the self-employed
09/04/2020
In his blog this week, Frank McKenna calls for more support for the self-employed; welcomes Keir Starmer’s election as Labour leader; and wishes Boris Johnson a speedy recovery.
There is a magic money tree after all
12/03/2020
The Tories have found the magic money tree that Theresa May said didn’t exist. But in his Budget review, Jim asks if there is underlying unease in the Tory Party about this dramatic switch from austerity to a bonanza of spending.
A solid eight out of ten for Sunak budget
12/03/2020
Frank McKenna offers his thoughts on the budget and Coronavirus in his latest Downtown blog.