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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 25/11/2008
It is breathtaking. The sheer size of our borrowing is horrific, and based upon some very optimistic growth assumptions indeed. Will it work? I doubt it. Will people rush out and spend simply because they will be paying VAT at 15% - in the scheme of things, and in the current atmosphere, I am sceptical. We [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 24/11/2008
This afternoon the pre-Budget Report will be announced in the House of Commons. It is worth looking back and examining Alistair Darling’s PBR of 2007. It is impossible to believe the sheer complacency and hubris of what he said when things were already so obviously starting to unravel. Alistair Darling told us that “the theme of this [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 21/11/2008
Nobody could accuse me of being a glutton. But for some unknown reason, I always like to read about what supermarket product has been taste tested by Which? Magazine, or some well known chef. So soups, jams, scones, moussaka or whatever are given different star ratings. This seems particularly to happen as Christmas approaches, with recommendations [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 20/11/2008
William Hague this week officially opened an exhibition in the House of Commons titled “Holodomor: Through the Eyes of Ukrainian Artists.” As Chairman of the British Ukrainian Society, I was delighted to have introduced William at the opening ceremony. The Ukrainian Ambassador, Ihor Kharchenko, told us that the exhibition forms part of the commemorative activities which [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 17/11/2008
The British economy is singularly dependent on foreign capital. We have a severe trade imbalance, but this has hithertofore been covered by overseas capital inflows, the financial services industry and the ease with which foreigners can purchase assets here. Similarly Government borrowing through gilt sales has been highly dependent on foreign purchases. So we have to [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 14/11/2008
There are now a number of awards ceremonies based around Parliament and Parliamentarians, but the one that gets the prize is the Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards annual lunch. It took place yesterday. It is a mixture of politicians, City types, journalists and others, and is extremely well organised. Politician of the Year, unsurprisingly, is [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 13/11/2008
It is one of the ironies of the moment that some people have elevated Gordon’s reputation because he is seen to be solving problems which he himself substantially created. It is clear that he is enjoying being Chancellor again, for that is what he is doing. Yet we were reminded so clearly yesterday of Gordon’s [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 12/11/2008
What changes will there be in U.S. foreign policy, now that Barack Obama will be the next President? Will he be more proactive in attempting to solve the problems of the Middle East which did not appear to be at the forefront of President Bush’s thinking, at least within the context of the Israel – [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 11/11/2008
Could anybody tell me what strategic health authorities do? In my area it is called NHS East of England. For years nobody has been in touch with me, as a local Member of Parliament, to explain – inter alia – how they are spending £520 million a year, and how they are remotely worth this [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 10/11/2008
In a recent Jeremy Clarkson programme, a list was read out of the precipitous drop in the prices of used luxury cars. We know that new car sales have slumped, and even General Motors is in trouble. Second hand values have plummeted for all cars. It is true that the price of petrol has come down [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 07/11/2008
Crimes against business of course include shoplifting and cyber crime, but the aspect which is truly shocking and suprising is the physical attacks on employees, and even their cars. By European standards it is a peculiarly British phenomenon. When we had a Conservative Business Relations retail seminar, this was one of the revelations. So we have [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 06/11/2008
Yesterday we spent almost all of the day discussing the future of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, of which I am a governor. The Foreign Office gives us just over £4 million each year. It exists to strengthen parliaments and political parties across the world. The WFD has successfully bid for democracy building funding from the [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 05/11/2008
As expected Barack Obama has won, and won decisively. John McCain is a true American hero but was up against the record of the Bush Administration, the declining economy and the exceptional oratory of the winner. We can only hope that Barack Obama fulfils the exceptional promise he seemed to offer the American electorate, who [...]
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Richard Spring MP (Free subscription) | 04/11/2008
Heathrow Airport now handles around 68 million passengers a year – a 21% increase from 10 years ago. The terminal facilities were originally designed for 40-45 million, which means that the airport is handling 60,000 more passengers a day than its design capacity. It caters for 35 per cent of aviation business traffic to the UK, [...]
