This week, the IEA welcomed Tom Clougherty as our new Executive Director, succeeding Mark Littlewood at the helm after 14 years in post

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I am writing these words as my first week as the IEA’s executive director draws to a close.

Being something of a think tank veteran, I have been close to the IEA – both professionally and intellectually – for a long time. And I am pretty well acquainted with the IEA’s history, thanks to books like Waging the War of Ideas ([link removed]) , Towards a Liberal Utopia? ([link removed]) , and Richard Cockett’s Thinking the Unthinkable ([link removed]) . Nonetheless, as I have been brought up to speed on all the IEA’s activities, I have been genuinely taken aback by their breadth and quality.

From research and events – the bread and butter of the think tank world – to our extraordinary international outreach and educational programmes, and our growing multimedia output, my new colleagues are doing outstanding work. At some point, I will start to feel awkward boasting about the IEA. But for now – since I can take absolutely no credit for it myself – let me just say that this is an amazing place, and I am honoured to have the chance to lead it. Thank you to everyone who makes what we do possible!

It may only be the first week of December, but the festive season is in full swing in Westminster. I was delighted to see so many of you at our gatherings this week. On Monday we welcomed back alumni of our internship programme to celebrate the ‘graduation’ of the latest class. And on Thursday, Works in Progress ([link removed]) editor Sam Bowman spoke to a tightly packed ground floor at Lord North Street, during our official Christmas Party.

I was particularly struck by the comparison Sam drew between the IEA and Berkshire Hathaway – the legendary conglomerate led by Warren Buffet and the late Charlie Munger. The link between their value investing and our work in political economy might not be immediately apparent. But as Sam put it, if you have the right principles and stick to them, if you take a long term view and embrace the power of compounding – whether it’s financial growth or the multiplication of ideas and talent – the eventual returns can be spectacular. Here’s to that!

Tom Clougherty

IEA Executive Director


** The COVID Inquisition
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The Covid-19 inquiry ratcheted up this week with former prime minister Boris Johnson giving evidence. But views dissenting from the pro-lockdown consensus are still notably absent from the committee’s agenda.
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** The cost of lockdown was too high
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IEA author Steve Hanke, BBC World News

Wrong questions, right answers… Understanding the full range of perspectives on what went right and what went wrong during the pandemic is crucial to learning lessons for the future.
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‘A complete pantomime’ ([link removed])

Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon, talkTV ([link removed])

One for the cameras… The inquiry seems to be a platform to settle personal scores rather than a quest to learn important lessons.
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Did lockdowns work? The verdict on Covid restrictions ([link removed])

By Steve Hanke, Lars Jonung, and Jonas Herby

Another perspective… While the inquiry focuses on the timing and severity of lockdown, they are yet to ask whether we should have locked down at all.
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Revisionist lockdown history ([link removed])

Christopher Snowdon, The Critic ([link removed])

Cover me… The inquiry seems destined to paint the public health establishment in a flattering light.

IEA Latest.
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A review of Britain’s airport slots is long overdue ([link removed])

Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz, The Spectator ([link removed])

The final step… Britain’s airline industry has been a free market success story. By creating a market for airport landing slots, the government can finally write the epilogue.
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What are the Benefits of Tax Competition? | IEA Podcast

Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh interviews Richard Teather, a leading British academic specialising in taxation, IEA YouTube ([link removed])

Taxation innovation… Tax competition between nations can boost growth while improving the efficiency of tax collection.
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Porn site users MUST show photo ID or have credit cards scanned under new guidance to crack down on underage viewers ([link removed])

New EPICENTER research ([link removed]) featured in The Sun ([link removed]) , The Daily Mail ([link removed]) , ISPreview ([link removed]) , The Yorkshire Times ([link removed]) & Silicon ([link removed])

A sensitive subject… Ensuring that adult content is safe and legal online is a vital task, but it should not come at the expense of privacy and innovation.
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Prohibition 2.0: The Future of UK Tobacco Policy ([link removed])

IEA Communications Officer and Linda Whetstone Scholar Reem Ibrahim (Chair), Christopher Snowdon, Mark Oates & Paul North IEA YouTube ([link removed])

A new front… The war on drugs has already proven a failure, so why is the government intent on doubling down?
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KFC is right to take on the public health zealots ([link removed])

Christopher Snowdon, The Spectator ([link removed])

Won’t somebody think of the children?… There is no evidence that more fast food outlets near schools or houses cause people to get fatter.
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It’s time to march on with defence privatisation ([link removed])

Keith Hartley, CapX ([link removed]) & IEA Blog ([link removed])

A radical shakeup… Defence is one of the areas where markets are rarely considered. But according to one of our latest papers ([link removed]) , there’s plenty of room for the private sector to take a leading role.
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Why won't the Tories trumpet the successes of Brexit when even the economics editor of the Guardian hails its benefits? ([link removed])

Has Brexit Really Harmed UK Trade? ([link removed]) by Catherine McBride referenced in The Daily Mail ([link removed])

Changing the narrative… The common wisdom that Brexit has been disastrous requires more careful scrutiny.
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The utter lunacy of Sunak’s smoking ban ([link removed])

Communications Officer Harrison Griffiths, Reaction ([link removed])

Iron laws… Prohibition has been tried countless times before. The moral and economic consequences have always been catastrophic.
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BBC licence fee set to rise once again ([link removed])

Harrison Griffiths, Times Radio ([link removed])

A rancid tax… Nothing the BBC produces is unique, so why does it claim the right to force people to pay for it?

IEA Insider.


** Should the UK adopt unilateral free trade?
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Free trade has been a key driver of economic growth and prosperity for millennia, and yet policymakers and politicians rarely support it. The Vinson Centre (University of Buckingham) and the IEA will host ([link removed]) Daniel Hannan and Terence Kealey to debate whether the UK should adopt unilateral free trade, and be open to the rest of the world regardless of what other economies do.

Date: 11th December

Time: 17:00

Venue: 2 Lord North Street, SW1P 3LA
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