Gangs of wild youth rule our streets. Even Waitrose isn’t safe

I spend a lot of time in my local Waitrose because I find it relaxing, even if I don’t buy much. It’s a kind of temple to soft British capitalism – that benign, eccentric mix of relatively high-quality food whose chemicals and packaging are kept in check by countless regulations, while the prices, no matter … Read more

The world is using more oil, coal and gas than ever before and will continue to do so. Net Zero is dead

A key point of consensus regarding global oil demand is the expectation that it will remain robust, driven by a combination of factors including economic recovery, increased travel and rising industrial activity in non-OECD countries. The only major body not seeing sustained, massive growth is the International Energy Agency (IEA), which revised its figures this … Read more

Four reasons why interest rates could stay higher for longer

The result is that even if nominal interest rates fall below the official 2% target in the coming months, as seems likely, they could pick up again later this year. This is already happening in the eurozone, where headline inflation, core inflation and services inflation all rose in May. Although the ECB has cut interest … Read more

Corporations and universities are getting rich by shifting the costs to the rest of us

If we discovered that a business leader had made his fortune not only by making a large profit on the goods or services he sold, but also by stealing the incomes and savings of innocent members of the public – people who had no connection whatsoever their company – we would be outraged. Demands would … Read more