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August 2019

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Welcome to the IEA Weekend Newsletter


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* Joint effort
* Deal or no deal?
* Fully Automated Luxury...Communism?!
* i on the Media
* Do we need a welfare state?
* Job opportunity!
* You're invited!


** Joint effort
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Last month, our Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon joined Conservative MP Jonathan Djanogly, Liberal Democrat MP Sir Norman Lamb and Labour MP David Lammy on a research trip to Canada as part of a BBC documentary ([link removed]) (which aired this week) to assess what the UK could learn from their recent legalisation of recreational cannabis.

Chris wrote about his experience on the trip for The Spectator ([link removed]) , explaining that while legalisation has been a “noble experiment”, Canada has thus far failed to quash the cannabis black market due to “over-regulation, taxation and a lack of competition” designed to deter consumers from the product.

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He argues that this approach “amounts to a concerted effort to suck the fun out of cannabis shopping, which makes sense if your aim is to deter people from buying the stuff, but not if your aim is to switch people from street cannabis to high street cannabis.”.

Read the full article here ([link removed]) .

Chris also spoke to LBC, and David Lammy referenced IEA research in his piece for The Guardian ([link removed]) .

Chris’s ‘Joint Venture’ report ([link removed]) , published in June 2018, estimates the size of the UK cannabis market and its potential value after taxation. The current black market in cannabis is worth £2.6 billion per annum, with 255 tonnes sold to three million users in 2016/17.

Chris concludes that if cannabis were legalised, tax revenues alone before considering savings to public services could exceed £1 billion per year.

Read the ‘Joint Venture: Estimating the size and potential of the UK Cannabis Market’ report here ([link removed]) .

And watch the BBC documentary here ([link removed]) .


** Deal or no deal?
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As we inch ever-closer to the October 31st Brexit deadline, concerns over a potential no-deal have resurfaced or been restated.

But how to separate fact from fear? Over the past year, the IEA has written a number of no-deal “fear-checkers”, aimed at separating theoretical risks from reality.

These short briefings each examine a particular warning about the impact of leaving the EU without a deal, assess the problem, and outline what can be done to fix it.

Read our nine no-deal fear-checkers here:
1. Planes won’t fly ([link removed])
2. Mobile phone bills will soar ([link removed])
3. Generators on barges in the Irish Sea ([link removed])
4. Grand National would be hit by a no-deal Brexit ([link removed])
5. GDP already hit 2.1% - and it will only get worse ([link removed])
6. Brexit is sexist ([link removed])
7. Chaos at UK ports would weck supply chains ([link removed])
8. A no-deal Brexit could knock 10% off UK GDP ([link removed])
9. Supermarkets will run out of food and people’s health will be at risk ([link removed])


** Fully Automated Luxury...Communism?!
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On our podcast ([link removed]) this week, IEA Digital Manager Darren Grimes sat down with the IEA’s Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz to discuss the recently published ‘Fully Automated Luxury Communism’ by Aaron Bastani and ‘The Socialist Manifesto’ by Bhaskar Sunkara, each book advocating a 21st-century attempt to centrally plan the economy.

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With a recent YouGov poll finding that Britons are more likely to view socialism favourably than capitalism, Kristian argues it is critical that we understand the appeal of these tried and failed ideologies and how to combat them.

The pair discuss the two books, highlighting the utopian thinking and worrying attempts to popularise communism, in light of the ideology’s long history of unmitigated failure.

Listen to the podcast here ([link removed]) .

And to subscribe to our podcast, IEA Conversations, click here ([link removed]) .

As well, click here ([link removed]) to read Kristian’s Quillette review ([link removed]) of ‘Fully Automated Luxury Communism’.


** i on the Media
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Boris Bounce... As Boris Johnson took over as the new Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party, IEA spokespeople gave their views on what the new leadership, and cabinet, could mean for future policy decisions.

Mark Littlewood, IEA Director General, wrote his fortnightly column for The Times ([link removed]) on why the ‘Boris bounce’ in the polls will only last if the policy matches the rhetoric.

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Catherine McBride, Head of the IEA’s Financial Services Unit, spoke to BBC Business and Al Jazeera about what the next government means for trade, and Julian Jessop, IEA Fellow, spoke to TalkRadio on the new PM and the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit.

On wider Brexit issues, the IEA’s Acting Research Director Richard Wellings was quoted in the Daily Express on how much delaying Brexit is costing the UK in ongoing contributions to the EU.

Elsewhere’ IEA Associate Director Kate Andrews spoke to BBC World Service about what the recent changes might mean for Britain’s pathway out of the EU, as well as writing for The Telegraph ([link removed]) on the prospect of the new PM looking to the US for an early win on global trade.

Kate also wrote for City AM ([link removed]) on the need for the new government to restructure the social care system, and for the Times Red Box ([link removed]) , on the most free-market, liberal cabinet appointment’s Britain has seen in decades (dubbed by Kate, the ‘libertarian comeback kids).

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Hot under the collar...As temperatures soared, the Labour Party announced plans to force employers to send workers home if the mercury hit 30 degrees.

Andy Mayer, IEA Chief Operating Officer, hit out at the plans, saying the proposals wouldn’t make anyone better off as employers already have a duty to provide a “reasonable” temperature in the workplace. His comments featured in The Sun ([link removed]) and the Daily Star ([link removed]) .

IEA Communications Manager Emma Revell also spoke out on climate issues, joining TalkRadio to discuss comments by Prince Harry that he would only have a maximum of two children to help “protect the planet”. Emma criticised the comments, saying previous warnings about overpopulation had proved wrong.

Media browsing...Members of the IEA Media team all cast an eye over the papers, with Kate reviewing the headlines on Sky News and BBC Radio London, and Emma joining TalkRadio’s Breakfast show to catch up on the day’s top stories.

Pen to paper...IEA staff also penned a number of op-ed pieces over the last few weeks. Blythe Edwards, Communications Intern, argued in favour of scrapping the salary threshold for migrants on CapX ([link removed]) ; our Senior Academic Fellow Philip Booth urged an end of government monopoly on financial regulation in City A.M. ([link removed]) ; Mark wrote his fortnightly column for The Times ([link removed]) on expanding school choice; and Kate wrote for The Telegraph ([link removed]) criticising Donald Trump’s rhetoric on immigration, saying recent events showed how far the Republican Party has moved away from Ronald
Reagan’s liberal vision.

A trifling matter...The nanny state never rests - and office cake is the latest pleasure to fall on to its radar.

Research shows 86% of us are offered treats in the workplace at least weekly - and Mark told the Daily Mail ([link removed]) a crackdown would be yet another example of the state nannying adults who are capable of making their own dietary choices.

A load of (red) bull...In the same week, Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics, branded a proposed government ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-16s “unnecessary and draconian” in comments reported in the Daily Mail ([link removed]) .

Out of pocket...And Kate Andrews spoke to Sky News following reports of a gender pay gap in pocket money. Kate argued the research had a number of flaws.


** Do we need a welfare state?
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On our blog ([link removed]) this week, former IEA Research intern Carolin Bollig asks if we ‘need a welfare state at all?’.

This post concludes her four-part series investigating the flawed implementation ([link removed]) and design ([link removed]) of Universal Credit (UC) as well as similar problems in other welfare systems ([link removed]) .

Carolin writes that while Universal Credit has enhanced efficiency “there remains room for improvement in order to bring as many people back into employment as possible, and debates fought in other countries can be an inspiration here”.

Read Carolin’s full post here ([link removed]) .


** Job Opportunity!
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Interested in working for the UK’s original free-market think tank? This may be your chance!

We are currently recruiting for a new Operations Officer ([link removed]) , a full-time entry level position to start in October 2019.

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The role will involve manning the reception desk at the IEA and managing all aspects of our front-of-house service, ensuring the IEA’s office environment and operational systems meet a high level of professionalism. It will also entail managing various operational tasks and assisting all aspects of the IEA when necessary.

Applications will be accepted until August 16th. Learn more about the post, and how to apply, here ([link removed]) .


** You're Invited!
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Canvassing Opinions... ([link removed])

The IEA is pleased to announce our partnership with the Big Tent Ideas Festival ([link removed]) .

Big Tent brings together people from all backgrounds and political affiliations for a day of political and cultural debate to consider how to tackle some of society’s most serious challenges.

This year the festival will be held at the Mudchute Park & Farm in Tower Hamlets on Saturday, 31 August 2019.

The IEA will be hosting a 10:20am panel on ‘Capitalism - Success or Failure?’ including participants Lee Rowley MP and Miatta Fahnbulleh of the New Economics Foundation.

To purchase a ticket for the Big Tent Ideas Festival, click here ([link removed]) .

GET INVOLVED

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