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IN THIS BULLETIN:
- THOUGHTS AND IDEAS: New report, blogs, and policy wins
- WEBINARS: The case against Covid-19 tax hikes; The Power of Innovation; Vape Nation
- HISTORY LESSON: We're telling the True Reality of Communism
And much more!
BUT FIRST...
Well, Boris has declared it’s spring, the crocuses are out, and ASI is planning its SUMMER PARTY! So don’t book anything in the last week of June — date to be confirmed soon. And we are also planning other physical events, such as Freedom Week (our boot camp for gifted young freedom fighters), lectures (for the oldies), and other summer and autumn events.
Of course, it’s less of a declaration than a ‘roadmap’ to reopening. It’s a ‘map’ rather than a ‘plan’ because that leaves open the opportunity to do a few U-turns. But those of us bursting with antibodies after our jabs are taking the optimistic view. (Can’t really be optimistic about schools opening on 8th of March, of course — the teachers don’t actually like doing their job, it seems.)
In other news, there’s much speculation about what will be in the 3rd of March ‘Get us out of here’ Budget (but since the Treasury still don’t have a clue themselves, speculation seems pretty pointless). And Trade Secretary Liz Truss has applied for Britain to join the Pacific free trade bloc (Stop there. We're no longer allowed to make jokes about women’s sense of direction — Ed.) Downing Street has also been keen to clarify that Carrie Symonds, the Prime Minister’s fiancée, does not tell him what to do. (Really? Doesn’t sound like the way things happen in my house — Ed.)
Meanwhile, opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer has set out his own vision for Britain, comparing himself to the postwar PM Clement Attlee. (Though it’s not obvious why Sir K would want to model himself on the guy who devalued the pound, brought us power cuts and strikes, sold jet engines to the Soviets, was the first to recognise Red China, split his government with an austerity Budget and then got booted out. Nowt so strange as politicians.)
Still, must press on...
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Another ASI Win
We often say we look 5-10 years into the future when making policy proposals, but what about 31 years? Well, we’ve recently had another ASI policy picked up, which was first floated by Dr Madsen Pirie in 1990. The topic in question is, believe it or not, taxation of electric vehicles.
In his report Green Machines Madsen posited that electric vehicles would be the future of transport and would transform the way in which we commute. Specifically, Madsen argued that tax incentives towards electric vehicles would be politically desirable and good for the environment. He pointed out that government tax relief for company-owned cars should only apply to electric vehicles to incentivise the use of greener vehicles.
Now, the government has announced that starting in the 2021-2022 tax year, electric vehicles used under a company car scheme will be subject to 0% benefit in kind rate, as opposed to 37% BiK rate for other types of vehicles.
Better late than never...
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Global Britons:
Global Britons: A fairer pathway to British Citizenship by Henry Hill and Andrew Yong
Let’s end the idea of second-class British citizens. The Windrush generation, veterans, citizens overseas and others are all victims of an over-prescriptive immigration system — barring long-term UK residents who don’t meet excessively rigid rules. And even those who do succeed face citizenship application fees of nearly £15,000 per family. Only now is the UK Government making it easier for British Nationals (Overseas) passport holders (like those in Hong Kong) to come in — but without permanent leave to stay, they are left in stateless limbo. The whole system needs an overhaul. So we say: simplify the rules and scrap the charges (especially for veterans, key workers and children). The report is endorsed by former Conservative Party Leader and co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China Sir Iain Duncan Smith, and Policy Director of Hong Kong Watch Johnny Patterson.
Strong Suburbs:
Strong Suburbs by Samuel Hughes and Ben Southwood for Policy Exchange
Our friends at Policy Exchange have published a landmark report on housing policy co-authored by former ASI Head of Research and current ASI Fellow, Ben Southwood. We just have to make sure you give it a look, as it could see millions of houses being built in the areas they are most needed. Strong Suburbs proposes that local residents should have control over the development they see, including its architecture and design, and by giving them a share in the wealth created, ultimately creating more beautiful, walkable, and sustainable neighbourhoods.
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Our webinars feature real experts challenging orthodox thinking on key issues. They get thousands of viewers and win praise from politicians (and normal people) around the world. To see them in real time, just reply to this email and I’ll send you invites.
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Coming Up:
Join us at 6pm GMT Tuesday 2nd March to discuss the leaks of proposed tax rises on the way from the Budget on Wednesday 3rd March.
One of these, Corporation Tax, is seen as the most likely to be implemented and the least likely to meet resistance from the public at large — with the Treasury said to be thinking of the tax rise as an appropriate measure to impose on companies that have done well during the pandemic to help get the country’s finances back on track.
But what signal would the tax rise show? Why is the Chancellor ignoring calls from the Left, Right, and previous Prime Ministers to avoid raising taxes at all costs while the economy remains closed? Why is a Conservative government looking at imposing austerity on the private sector?
To discuss all this and more ahead of the Budget our Matt Kilcoyne is joined by Daniel Bunn of the Tax Foundation, John O’Connell of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Emma Revell from the Institute of Economic Affairs, and Tom Clougherty from the Centre for Policy Studies.
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Catch Up:
The power of innovation: Economic historian Dr Anton Howes, an expert on the role of inventions in the Industrial Revolution, talks to Dr Madsen Pirie in another of our weekly webinars, explaining the role of invention, innovation and entrepreneurship in economic growth and social progress — and how to create the conditions to encourage it. With all the holes in our economy right now, moth-eaten as it has been by the Covid bug, we’re going to need all the innovation we can get. So this is well worth a look.
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Vape nation: Just as well we no longer have to follow EU regulation on e-cigs, conclude our expert panel Dan Pryor of ASI, former ASH Director Clive Bates, Mark Oates of WeVape and Martin Cullip of the New Nicotine Alliance. In terms of reducing the harm done by tobacco, banning or overregulating vaping is the worst thing you can do. Vaping gives people a way off cigarettes — it’s the smoke that kills you, not the nicotine — so shutting off this escape means more tobacco-related disease and death, not less.
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Podcasts:
No pictures. Just great words.
If you’d like some soothing voices on in the background to distract you from lockdown loneliness, look no further than the dulcet Aussie tones of our Matthew Lesh and Essex twang of our Daniel Pryor - the co-hosts of our podcast ‘The Pin Factory’. A new episode is released every week with the latest ASI hot takes on current affairs, with recent episodes covering Government proposals for a free speech champion, the British backlash against Big Tech, and the EU’s vaccine woes.
Find The Pin Factory on all your favourite podcast providers: iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Podbean
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History Lesson
With more happening online, we’re branching out more into video. You may already have seen our TV documentaries on Magna Carta — and why we could use another defence of our rights in this crazy cancel-culture world. All backed up with a book, teaching clips and lesson guides.
Well, we’re doing the same again. We’re planning a new documentary — or more than one if we can raise the budget — outlining the True Reality of Communism. It’s needed, and needed right now because the system that killed 100 million people is popular again, particularly among younger people who are too young to remember the Gulags, the Berlin Wall, or the genocides of the Cultural Revolution and the Killing Fields of Cambodia.
The economic and military imperialism, not to mention the internal repression, of the big communist powers (even if they don’t call themselves communists) is just as worrying today as it was in the 20th Century. We will be bringing together unique archive footage and first-hand interviews with the victims of this sorry system, again backed up by a book and thought-provoking educational materials. We are still fundraising, so if you can help, let us know by responding to this email!
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We may be locked down, but we’re not locked out. We’ve been out there doing virtual talks to schools, universities and other organisations. This week I did a seminar for the Eton College Economics Society. (Fully understand them not smoking cigars, but disappointed that none of them were wearing top hats and watch-chains. Quite normal kids, actually.) But if you would like a virtual speaker for your school or society, just let us know at [email protected].
My colleagues are hard at work spreading the good word of liberalism too. Early next month, our Daniel Pryor is speaking to the young Conservatives of Blue Beyond as part of a discussion on the devil’s cabbage (cannabis). He’ll be joined by Dr. Daniel Poulter MP and Jake Scott of The Mallard and you can sign up for the event here.
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Donate:
Doesn’t it feel good (fellow Brits, at least) to have a road map out of lockdown at last? And we have a road map to getting out of the present economic mess and building a great economy and society for tomorrow. A sunlit vision of smaller government, lower taxes, free trade, choice, competition, enterprise and lots of other good things awaits. But we need your help to explain to everyone the way to get there. Donate now by clicking the button below to help us help everyone.
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We’ve been telling it like it is: why stamp duty is a pest (along with new taxes in general) right now, why Facebook was right to square up to Oz politicians, why student unions should get real on free speech, what the government can do to speed up the vaccine roll-out, and more. Here’s a few:
In light of the Budget: John Macdonald, writing for ConservativeHome, wondered when the Tories became the party of high taxes and picking winners, while Matt Kilcoyne’s comments appeared in The Telegraph warning Chancellor Rishi Sunak against such tax rises. You can find Matthew Lesh’s comments on the topic appearing in the same paper (confusing, having so many Matts and them being so prolific –– Ed.). Daniel Pryor’s thoughts on the stamp duty freeze also splashed across The Telegraph, while Matt Kilcoyne spoke to talkRADIO warning that tax hikes in the next budget would signal that the UK is closed for business. Matthew Lesh wrote for CapX reminding us that a panicked tax grab won’t help anyone and for The Telegraph warning that treating business directors like potential criminals will stifle entrepreneurship.
On Covid: almost two months on from the publication of our report on UK vaccination policy, we are still making headlines on the topic. Report author James Lawson appeared in the Express, the Daily Mail, the Daily Mail again, and again here, here, here, here, and once more here (I calculate that’s a circulation of tens of millions –– Ed.). I teamed up with Paul Saper to write for CapX on how the EU seems to be learning from the UK’s vaccine success, finally. Matt Kilcoyne commented on the future of Wales’ role in vaccine manufacturing for i Newspaper and ASI Fellow (and fellow vaccine report author –– Ed.) Jonathon Kitson wrote for CapX urging cautious optimism during the lockdown lifting period, in order to avoid a resurgence of the virus. Finally, Matthew Lesh reminded us in CapX that we cannot trust a WHO inquiry into Covid if they allow China to dictate the narrative.
And in miscellaneous news: the ASI’s work on CANZUK featured in the Express, while our work supporting the rights of Hong Kongers appeared in the Scottish Daily Mail. Matthew Lesh told CapX how Facebook’s standoff with the Australian government and media establishment has far greater implications than many realise. ASI fellow Terence Kealey writes for CapX on the inevitable failings of ‘British ARPA’ while Tim Ambler writes a letter to the Independent on the failings of UK green policy. In the Times this week, James Forsyth writes that the Government is considering how to revive high streets, and many of the suggested levers sound suspiciously like those suggested in our paper High Street Heist (another ASI policy win in the works? –– Ed.).
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On our hyper-blog
Despite everything over the last year, Dr Madsen Pirie has found 20 reasons for optimism. Like this one, medicines. And this one on health. Could it be that our discoveries in gene editing will help us eliminate inherited diseases and overcome life-threatening conditions? And do our breakthroughs in vaccine technology mean that other nasty ailments will be a thing of the past? Might this actually have been a breakthrough year for disease control?
Durham University Students’ Union says it will vet speakers who pose a ‘high risk’ of upsetting students — banning them both on and off campus, or at the least demanding ‘balance’ from other speakers. Max Young says that student unions have no business policing free speech on campus. They are unrepresentative (on average only 10% of students vote) and are run by political activists.
And Tim Worstall warns not to get silly (or worse) about Brexit. ‘Government sources’ (We have their names and addresses — Ed.) say that if Brussels gets even nastier, the UK could block their goods. “This is not just silly, it is insane,” concludes Tim. If they don’t want to eat our delicious shellfish, why should we deny ourselves their mineral water and seed potatoes? If people dump rocks in their own harbours, why should we drop rocks in ours?
Seen Elsewhere...
Our friends and former ASI-ers at Works in Progress have released the third edition of their online magazine. Works in Progress is dedicated to sharing novel ideas and stories of progress, and features original writing from some of the most interesting thinkers in the world. This edition features writings like the evolution of psychiatry, how to build a state, how to stop worrying and love the debt, and the speed of science. Each edition is packed full of bright ideas so it's well worth a look.
The Virus has Killed the Liberal Order: The newly-minted Lord Hannan of Kingsclere writes for the John Locke Institute on how we may never return to ‘normal’ after the pandemic. He tells us: “An epidemic flicks switches in our brains. We become warier and less tolerant of dissent. We demand the smack of firm government. And our mood won’t fade when the virus does. Think of the political changes that followed the Second World War, the last time people felt collectively threatened on this scale. Restrictions that were supposedly brought in on an emergency basis remained in place long after the emergency had passed – food rationing, identity cards, conscription, a controlled economy.” Not the most optimistic reading, but very worthwhile.
The Code Breaker: Walter Isaacson, best selling author of Leonardo Da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with the story of Nobel Prize winning scientist Jennifer Doudna, who hit upon an invention that will transform the future of the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as CRISPR, it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions. It has already been deployed to cure deadly diseases, fight the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, and make inheritable changes in the genes of babies. But what does that mean for humanity? Should we be hacking our own DNA to make us less susceptible to disease? Should we democratise the technology that would allow parents to enhance their kids? After discovering this CRISPR, Doudna is now wrestling these even bigger issues.
Meet the most important man in Britain: Deano. Deano, so the yoofs tell me, is a meme. He is the average man; he loves his wife, getting a pint down the pub with his mates, and the football. He's also a key voting block for the Tories; the swing voters the party needs to retain are of working age, especially younger men who did not attend university, but who nonetheless very much want to make something of themselves and enjoy the finer things in life. Deano, ultimately, doesn’t care as much as fiscal responsibility as he does about how big his bonus is going to be this year and whether or not he can afford to pay for some childcare. Will the Tories be able to win him over?
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AND I QUOTE...
Spring being in the political air, I cast my mind back to the Prague Spring — Czechoslovakia’s hesitant and short-lived revolt against Soviet oppression — and thought of the words of the Czech economist (and later President), Vaclav Klaus:
“I was 25 years old and pursuing my doctorate in economics when I was allowed to spend six months of post-graduate studies in Naples, Italy. I read the Western economic textbooks and also the more general work of people like Hayek. By the time I returned to Czechoslovakia, I had an understanding of the principles of the market. In 1968, I was glad at the political liberalism of the Dubcek Prague Spring, but was very critical of the Third Way they pursued in economics.”
— “No Third Way Out: Creating a Capitalist Czechoslovakia”, Reason, 1990, (June): 28-31.
Bye...
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