The Guardian view on George Osborne’s fiscal surplus law: the Micawber...
Economic sunshine can no more be guaranteed by statute than sunshine proper. The proposed straitjacket to prevent future governments from borrowing is neither necessary nor credibleViewed from Mars, or...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne talks tough on debt – so why not on the banks? | Simon Jenkins
Britain still tolerates economy-threatening monoliths like HSBC. In America they know that small worksShock horror. A chancellor of the exchequer thinks we should not spend beyond our means. The habit...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne signals RBS selloff in Mansion House speech
Sale of bailed-out bank’s shares at present prices means a £13bn shortfall for taxpayer from 2008 part-nationalisationGeorge Osborne on Wednesday night signalled his readiness to start selling off the...
View ArticleRBS sell-off: George Osborne should wait at least 50p longer
With each 50p rise in share price the taxpayer gets back around £4.5bn of its 2008 bailoutGeorge Osborne, a chancellor itching to get shot of Royal Bank of Scotland, should not be criticised for his...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne unveils plans for permanent budget surpluses - video
George Osborne announces plans for permanent budget surpluses designed to cut the national debt. Speaking during his annual Mansion House speech on Wednesday, the chancellor says he will introduce a...
View ArticleLabour's Liz Kendall: I have no problem aiming for budget surplus
Leadership candidate admits there are merits in George Osborne’s plans, while two rivals struggle to get nominations to stand in race to succeed Ed MilibandLiz Kendall has become the first candidate...
View ArticleNorth Sea oil rebound fuels UK GDP growth
Economy doubles growth rate to 0.6% as NIESR predicts annual growth of 2.5% but drop in manufacturing deals blow to George OsborneA rebound in North Sea oil production in the three months to May helped...
View ArticleOsborne’s ludicrous surplus plan will be the biggest test for Labour’s...
Will any of the leadership contenders have the political nerve to tell the chancellor the truth: that this is economic nonsense?Here comes the great test for Labour’s candidates. At Mansion House,...
View ArticleWhat Charles Dickens tells us about George Osborne (and Sepp Blatter) | John...
The great novelist created characters who are still readily recognisable today. Here are five who can help us navigate contemporary lifeGeorge Osborne’s determination to pursue a budget surplus...
View ArticleAgeing UK population will increase strain on public spending, OBR warns
Office for Budget Responsibility says that national debt would come down from its current 80% of GDP to 54% by the early 2030s and then start rising againThe financial cost of Britain’s ageing...
View ArticleBlow to aim of Scotland fiscal autonomy as North Sea oil tax forecast slashed
Scottish Labour seizes on OBR figure for expected tax, cut from £37bn to £2bn, as Nicola Sturgeon repeats aim for maximum fiscal independenceThe Office for Budget Responsibility has warned that North...
View ArticleEconomic lessons for George Osborne | Letters
Your story “Osborne turns to ‘Micawber’ economics” (10 June) is very disturbing. As someone born in the mid-1930s who grew up in the postwar period and spent his working life studying, teaching and...
View ArticleThe Guardian view on the RBS sell-off: a bad deal all round | Editorial
Neither taxpayers nor the economy will benefit from George Osborne’s fire saleCredit to George Osborne: he can make even a fire sale look like a headline land grab. The chancellor has been all over the...
View ArticleOsborne plan has no basis in economics | Letter from Ha-Joon Chang, Thomas...
The chancellor’s plans, announced in his Mansion House speech, for “permanent budget surpluses” are nothing more than an attempt to outmanoeuvre his opponents (Report, 10 June). They have no basis in...
View ArticleS&P cuts UK outlook amid EU referendum warning
Credit rating agency joins other forecasters in warning about the potential damage to the UK economy from holding a referendumDavid Cameron’s decision to hold a referendum on EU membership has put...
View ArticleAcademics attack George Osborne budget surplus proposal
Thomas Piketty, David Blanchflower and other experts say chancellor’s law would risk crash by shifting debt from government on to householdsGeorge Osborne’s plan to enshrine permanent budget surpluses...
View ArticleFrances O’Grady: ‘My members are the wealth creators, but don’t get a fair...
Faced with government attempts to curb union power, the TUC general secretary talks of her fears for the recovery, EU membership – and the future of unionsStirring images of striking miners at...
View ArticleWage growth and migration could hold the key to UK interest rates
Official view seems to be rates will rise early next year as recovery takes hold, but a rise in working-age population could keep a lid on salariesBank of England policymaker Ian McCafferty excludes...
View ArticleFive ways George Osborne will fail the next generation
Analysis: Chancellor’s policies favour old over young and sow the seeds for another crash that will hurt those he professes to be fighting forLight-sabre wielding George Osborne says he is fighting for...
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