Anne Marie Waters Tuesday October 27th 2020 Two articles have caught my eye this morning; how jobs are continuing to be lost due to local lockdowns, and the impact this will have on the next generation. According to the BBC, there is a ‘long winter’ ahead for those seeking work, as job advertisements continue…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday October 20th 2020 The world economy is moving fast and it isn’t easy to keep up. Last week I gave you some detail on the latest scheme offered by the Chancellor to help those out of work as a result of these increasingly absurd COVID-19 government restrictions. (I will return…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday 13th October 2020 I’ll return to my series of reviews of Thomas Sowell’s Economic Facts and Fallacies in the coming weeks, but for now, Rishi Sunak has announced his latest plans for the economy. It will involve a lot more spending, and a lot more uncertainty as to where that…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday October 6th 2020 In recent weeks, I’ve been covering the work and ideas of American economist Thomas Sowell by reviewing his book Economic Facts and Fallacies. I will continue this review in the coming weeks, but for now, a look at the current economic situation in Britain is warranted. Once…
Anne Marie Waters September 29th 2020 In this series of blogs, I’m looking at some of the ideas of the American economist Thomas Sowell, and specifically his book Economic Facts and Fallacies. You can read parts one and two here. This week’s topic is highly topical and Sowell puts forward the most fascinating arguments…
Anne Marie Waters September 22nd 2020 In the first of this blog series (you can read part one here) I looked at the concept of fallacy as put forward by noted economist Thomas Sowell in his book ‘Economic Facts and Fallacies’. In part one, I described Sowell’s definition of the word ‘fallacy’, which he…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday September 1st 2020 You may be familiar with Thomas Sowell, the American economist. If not, I recommend his work. He grew up in Harlem and is now a senior fellow at America’s prestigious Stanford University. Sowell is not your average “PC” academic, he’s willing to put forward the sensible view…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday August 11th 2020 It feels as though this column only ever features bad news, but that is hardly surprising given the times we are in. Those times are tough and getting tougher. It’s worth a quick recap to remind ourselves where we are. It began in mid March, just about…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday August 4th 2020 The word that takes centre stage this week is unemployment. Big names are laying off staff in increasingly worrying numbers, and we are still in the midst of the government’s furlough scheme. The state footing the staff bill for business will come to an end soon, and…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday 28th July 2020 The UK hospitality sector, it was reported today, dropped a massive £30 billion worth of sales during lockdown. Revenue plummeted by 87% between April and June, in comparison to the same time last year. This means the state will be down £38 billion in tax revenue in…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday July 21st 2020 I say the state of the economy today is unknown because it felt like the only appropriate word (other than “terrifying” which probably wouldn’t help the situation!) The government’s furlough scheme will soon end, and then UK business will need to stand on its own feet again…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday July 7th 2020 It’s back! Our economy has now pretty much re-opened, so how is it going? The short answer is: mixed (again). The re-opening of pubs and restaurants (and others) on July 4th did not deliver the economic boost that was hoped. High street footfall for that weekend was…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday 23rd June 2020 So, we’ve got the first week of post-lockdown high street trading under our belt, but how did it go? A mixed bag. The economy is gaining momentum, according to the Telegraph, and we’ve had “a record surge in activity”. Manufacturers led the biggest growth spurt since 1998…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday 9th June 2020 The news doesn’t get much better. The coronavirus crisis carries on and on, our economy gets weaker and weaker, and the pinch is now beginning to bite. Among job losses now being announced as a result of the virus are from BP. The oil giant has announced…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday 2nd June 2020 On the 15th of June, some shops in Britain will re-open, but we’re not quite clear yet how this will work. Will we be required to wear masks? Will there be a limit as to numbers inside the shop at any given time? What we do know…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday May 26th 2020 Former BBC ‘Dragon’ Theo Paphitis has declared that “retail will never ever be the same again” when economic life begins to stagger back to normality. The coronavirus lockdown has closed all shops except those selling food and medicine, and it has been this way for more than…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday May 12th 2020 If you’re a book lover, like me, there will be books in your life that fundamentally change the way you view the world. I have recently read (and am re-reading) just such a book. ‘Grip of Death – A Study of Modern Money, Debt Slavery, and Destructive…
Anne Marie Waters Tuesday May 5th 2020 Almost a quarter of the UK’s workforce is currently funded by the Government. Figures show that 6.3 million people are now paid through the government’s job retention scheme that funds 80% (or £2,500) of workers’ wages. This amounts to 23% of the workforce. In addition to this,…
Anne Marie Waters April 28th 2020 The Government has promised £60,000 to the families of health workers whose relatives die from coronavirus. The measure was announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on April 27th. This will no doubt bring some relief to devastated families and very few people would object. However, as it is…
Anne Marie Waters April 21st 2020 An extraordinary thing has occurred on the world markets; the price of oil has fallen below zero for the first time in history. In what can only be described as a surreal situation, traders were actually paying people to take their oil. The causes of this are largely a…
ANNE MARIE WATERS’ SUNDAY COLUMN Why we must ban the buyback of shares Sunday April 12th 2020 Why now? The coronavirus crisis has once again necessitated a government bailout of business. While this one was caused by biology (and the negligence of China), market forces have also brought us to the brink of economic…
Anne Marie Waters April 3rd 2020 When a person comes to the end of their working life, they have paid their dues. It’s time to relax and enjoy life, something that is earned having worked and contributed to society for decades. For Britain believes strongly in pursuing the most dignified and most comfortable retirement…
by a retired fund manager and For Britain member Our economy and indeed, the global economy, is in a far more fragile state than we are being told. There is one word for it and that word is debt. We are drowning in the stuff yet it remains largely invisible until something like Carillion or…