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Classical liberals in Britain today often feel lonely – and even more so in many other parts of the world. This is why the annual get-together of over 800 free market think tankers and their supporters at the Atlas Liberty Forum in New York is one of the most reenergising events of the year. A strong delegation of IEA staff had the pleasure of attending this week. |
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| Sir Anthony Fisher’s decision to establish the IEA had a profound impact on Britain – but this did not end at the borders of the United Kingdom. Hundreds of free market think tanks were established across the globe over the last 60 years, mirroring the mission and structure of the IEA. Many of these organisations are still working hand-in-hand with the IEA and the Atlas Network – that Sir Anthony set up in 1981 – to make their societies freer and more prosperous. |
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IEA Communications Officer & Linda Whetstone Scholar Reem Ibrahim interviewed Linda Kavuka, Director of African Programs at Students For Liberty
More barriers… across the African continent, the majority of the labour force operates in the informal economy. |
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This week has provided a great opportunity to meet and celebrate with our amazing partners from all corners of the globe. Both for veterans like myself and young talent from across the IEA, this week provided a great opportunity to remind ourselves that we are not alone in fighting for freer and more prosperous societies – and compared to many of our friends, we are lucky to have a head start! |
Adam Bartha IEA Head of International |
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The Consumer Price Index, released this week, showed a welcome fall in the rate of inflation in October to 4.6 per cent. Economics Fellow Julian Jessop responded: |
“The sharp fall means that inflation is back on track to the Bank of England’s 2% target next year. This should slam the door on any further increases in interest rates and bring forward the timing of the first cut. “The sharp drop also fulfils the Prime Minister’s target of halving inflation and removes at least one obstacle to tax cuts in the Autumn Statement. These are likely to focus on business taxes, with any big changes in personal taxes held back until the Budget in the Spring.” “The government will claim that inflation would have been slower to fall if it had not taken tough decisions on fiscal policy, notably on public sector pay, spending and tax. But this is debatable. The drop in inflation mainly reflects the tightening in monetary policy, the global economic slowdown, and the decline in commodity prices, rather than anything the government has done.”
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Julian’s comments were quoted in Daily Express, City AM, Daily Mail, and Scottish Financial Review. |
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| The Capitalist Manifesto with Johan Norberg | IEA’s Kristian Niemietz interviews Johan Norberg | Free markets will save the world… Norberg argues that large sections of the political and economic establishment wrongly view the global economy as a geopolitical zero-sum game, where we have to fight to control new innovations and introduce trade barriers. |
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| Levies on Imported Carbon | Energy Analyst Andy Mayer, The Epoch Times | A betrayal of voters… Without the CBAM, British industry can compete with the EU to attract investment in industries that are reliant on high carbon products in their supply chains. This includes turbine towers, nuclear reactor casings, pipes for carbon capture, and the majority of construction products in eco-homes. |
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| | IEA’s Daniel Freeman interviews Bernard Connolly | An intellectual error… Connolly’s book argues that central banks have been guilty of a generation-long arrogance of ignoring the interwar lessons and the crucial importance of intertemporal disequilibrium. |
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| Is the News Industry Broken? | IEA’s Matthew Lesh and Marc Edge, IEA YouTube | Breaking the news… The internet has challenged the traditional news publisher business model by increasing competition for audiences and advertising revenue. Are major digital platforms responsible for the problems faced by news publishers? |
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| Britain after Brexit: a 10-point response to Peter Foster | Trade economist Catherine McBride, IEA Blog | Addressing the criticisms… the Financial Times’ Peter Foster has written an article critiquing Catherine McBride’s recent IEA paper about Brexit and UK trade. While McBride welcomes the heightened interest in this topic, she believes the original arguments still stand. |
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| Boost for Silicon Valley as tech giants granted power to appeal fines
| Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh, The Telegraph and Politico | Digital markets… The DMCC provides the CMA with expansive powers to intervene in one of the world’s most dynamic sectors with extremely limited accountability – and in the process risks regulatory overkill, reducing innovation and investment into the UK. |
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IEA-Vinson Centre Sixth Form Conferences |
This week, the IEA and the Vinson Centre headed up to Northern England to deliver a range of talks to students at three different schools.
Steve Davies, Christopher Snowdon, Kristian Niemetz, Juan Castaneda and Matthew Prescod spoke about wide variety of topics, including the economics of football and the NHS. |
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Tech Turmoil: Does the Digital Markets Bill threaten Britain’s economy? |
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Later this month, the IEA is hosting a panel to discuss the government’s Digital Markets and Competition Bill, building on the recent publication of Digital Overload: How the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill’s sweeping new powers threaten Britain’s economy.
Panellists Matthew Lesh (Chair) Bim Afolami (MP for Hitchen & Harpenden) Stephen Hammond (MP for Wimbledon) Matt Sinclair (Senior Director at the Computer & Communications Industry Association) Verity Egerton-Doyle (Antitrust & Foreign Investment Counsel at Linklaters)
Date: Monday, 27th November Time: 17.30 – 19.30 Location: 2 Lord North Street, SW1P 3LB RSVP: Spaces are limited and will be given on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please RSVP to [email protected] or call 020 7799 8910 |
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In October, Rishi Sunak announced plans to introduce a generational ban on tobacco sales which will forbid anyone born after 2008 from ever buying cigarettes, loose tobacco, heated tobacco, shisha and cigarette papers. The policy is based on a similar prohibition introduced by the New Zealand Labour Party last year and represents a step change in the UK’s approach to tobacco. Until now, British governments have also respected the right of adults to smoke.
Where does this leave smokers today and in the future? Is the government opening a new front in the war on drugs and what are the implications for crime, tax and personal liberty?
The discussion starts at 18:00 and will be preceded by drinks from 17:30.
Panellists Reem Ibrahim (Chair) Christopher Snowdon (Head of Lifestyle Economics) Madeline Grant (Assistant Comment Editor and Parliamentary Sketchwriter at The Telegraph) Paul North (Director of Volteface) Paul Cheema (the Association of Convenience Stores)
Date: Wednesday 29th November Time: 17:30 – 19:30 Location: 2 Lord North Street, SW1P 3LB RSVP: Spaces are limited and will be given on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please RSVP to [email protected] or call 020 7799 8910 |
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| With the government moving forward with its cigarette sale prohibition, our Reem Ibrahim will appear on a Forest panel on the ‘Nanny State of the Nation’ alongside Baroness Fox, Henry Hill (ConservativeHome), Ella Whelan (Academy of Ideas), and Simon Clark (Forest).
Date: Monday 20th November Time: 18:15 - 21:00 Location: 6 Old Queen Street London SW1H 9HP United Kingdom RSVP: email [email protected] or visit eventbrite to reserve a place. |
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