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* TALKING POINT, WITH SAM COLLINS
* 30 IDEAS FOR 2030
* A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW
* iN THE MEDIA
* IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
* YOU'RE INVITED
* WE'RE HIRING!

One of the advantages of our gradual return to normality has been engaging face-to-face again with Parliamentarians, and help move the dial a few notches in a free market direction. This week the IEA and the Free Market Forum launched our first paper at a drinks reception.

The Free Market Forum aims to promote ideas and stimulate discussion over how we can make Britain economically and socially freer, boosting the economic opportunities for jobs and growth across the nation.

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With so much of the political conversation focussed on greater spending, higher taxes and ever more regulation, 30 Ideas for 2030 ([link removed]) is the start of the Free Market Forum’s efforts to reenergise the free market message.

The ideas are bold and fascinating, ranging from reforming the BBC into a subscriber-owned mutual to radically reforming employment law to encourage business formation and expansion, and from a range of tax reform measures to amending human rights legislation. The paper can be found here ([link removed]) .


Not even a surprise reshuffle could thwart our plans to mark the occasion, which was attended by over 100 key figures, including Parliamentarians, academics and journalists. The group's Co-chairs, Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison and Buckingham MP Greg Smith, gave rousing speeches underscoring the importance of private enterprise and individual responsibility.

If you are interested in learning more about FMF, please feel free to drop me an email (mailto:[email protected]) .

Sam Collins
Policy Advisor, Institute of Economic Affairs
30 IDEAS FOR 2030

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On Thursday, IEA Director General Mark Littlewood appeared on talkRADIO to discuss the launch of 30 Ideas for 2030 ([link removed]) .

In a discussion about the importance of economic liberalism, Mark said that "the state shouldn't be the first resort for every problem; it should be the last resort, and that we need to give more power to ordinary men and women". You can watch a clip here ([link removed]) .

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Ahead of the launch of 30 Ideas for 2030 ([link removed]) , Co-Chair Greg Smith MP appeared on GB News to discuss what the group stands for, and set out his contribution to the paper: to scrap Stamp Duty Land Tax. You can watch a clip here ([link removed]) .

Greg and co-chair Dehenna Davison MP also wrote a joint article for Conservative Home ([link removed]) on the launch. They argued that in order to build back better following the pandemic, we must embrace freedom and economic liberalism and challenge the increasing paternalism of the current administration.

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And on the IEA podcast ([link removed]) this week, IEA Communications and Marketing Assistant Kieran Neild- Ali was joined by IEA Head of Public Affairs Emma Revell and IEA Head of Regulatory Affairs Victoria Hewson to discuss their contributions to the Free Market Forum paper, including trade policy and tariffs elimination. You can listen here ([link removed]) .

The launch event was also featured in the 'Spotted' section of Politico's London Playbook ([link removed]) newsletter, with a number of high-profile guests given a mention, which you can read here ([link removed]) .
A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW

Our warm congratulations to former IEA Academic and Research Director Professor Syed Kamall on his appointment as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

It is fantastic news for Syed and, of course, the health of the nation. But it is tinged with sadness on our part, now that Syed has left the Institute of Economic Affairs.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Syed for the hard work and dedication he has given the Institute over the past two years, and we look forward to welcoming him back as a guest speaker before too long.
iN THE MEDIA

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On Thursday evening, IEA Director of Communications Annabel Denham appeared on BBC News to preview the papers. The panel discussed the government's overhaul of the 'traffic light' rules for international travel, the geopolitical implications of the Aukus alliance, and the ongoing protests by Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion. You can watch the episode back here ([link removed]) .

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Shuffle the decks... The long-awaited Cabinet reshuffle finally materialised this week, with some notable promotions, including Michael Gove MP, now Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Nadhim Zahawi MP, now Education Secretary.

Responding to the news that Elizabeth Truss MP has been promoted to Foreign Secretary, IEA Director General Mark Littlewood noted her "spectacular time" as International Trade Secretary in demonstrating the benefits and opportunities of Brexit, and forging new trade deals at record pace. You can watch a clip here ([link removed]) .

To jab or not to jab? The government has chosen to go ahead with the roll-out of Covid vaccinations to children aged between 12 and 15, following advice from the UK's Chief Medical Officers.

In a debate column for The Telegraph ([link removed]) , IEA Director of Communications Annabel Denham argued that while the health risks are low for this age group, inoculation would help slow the spread of the virus and help prevent further lockdowns or school closures.

Annabel said: “Kids may be resilient, but this has been a grim year. Many will have lost elderly loved ones to the disease. Ultimately, government has come down on the side of parental choice. How disappointing that others – especially those of a supposed libertarian disposition – have not".

Taking a different view in her column for Conservative Home ([link removed]) , IEA Head of Media Emily Carver argued that ministers were wrong to overrule official advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), and that the decision should have been made on purely medical grounds.

Soldiering on... This week European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said it was time to take EU military integration to "the next level" independently of NATO.

To discuss this, Director of EPICENTER Adam Bartha took part in a head-to-head debate on GB News, arguing for a deepening of military cooperation between EU member states.

Adam argued that an EU army could benefit Europe both from a financial and geopolitical perspective. First, it could remove duplication of capabilities and ensure specialisation which would save a lot of taxpayers' money, and second, an EU army could support a more restrained foreign policy, resisting unnecessary foreign interventionist ventures.

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Nursery slope... In her column for The Spectator ([link removed]) , IEA Director of Communications Annabel Denham explored how state intervention in the childcare sector has raised costs – for nurseries, taxpayers and parents – with little to show for it. Government has pumped up demand with subsidies, while limiting supply with regulation and formalisation. A fundamental rethink is needed.

Annabel also wrote on childcare reform for 30 Ideas for 2030: you can read her contribution here ([link removed]) .

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En route to freedom... The Fraser Institute released its 25th edition of the Economic Freedom of the World report this week, which placed the UK 12th (up one position from last year) but still a long way from 4th position, which we held in 2000.

In an article for CapX ([link removed]) , IEA Policy Analyst and Director of the Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity Alexander Hammond argued that pushing back the encroachment of the state since March 2020 won’t be politically easy, but it is economically necessary.

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Sweet taste of sovereignty... In an article for The Critic ([link removed]) , IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon commented on the announcement that the UK has been chosen by the World Health Organisation to lead a new Sugar and Calorie Reduction Network "to take global action on sugar and calorie reduction".

Christopher detailed previous sugar reduction strategies that failed under Public Health England, noting: "If there was any doubt that the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities would be Public Health England with new stationery, it has been confirmed by its embrace of this dog’s dinner of a policy."

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And in his column for City AM ([link removed]) , Christopher wrote on Scotland’s "failed experiment" with a lower drink driving limit. He noted that the drink-driving policy is "another example of politicians going after soft targets with grandstanding legislation rather than enforcing the laws that already exist“.

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Zoomer socialism... IEA Head of Political Economy Dr Kristian Niemietz took part in this year's Hayek Conference ([link removed]) , organised by the Friedrich A. von Hayek Society ([link removed]) .

The title was Risen From The Ruins: The Revival of Socialist Utopias 30 Years After The Fall of The Eastern Bloc. Kristian spoke about the findings of our Left Turn Ahead? report.

He made the case that believers in the market economy have to confront the popular misperception that socialism was “a good idea, which has just been badly done in practice”, and get better at explaining why socialisms turns out the way it does every time.

He also said that he would like to see more liberals and liberal-conservatives get active on social media, because, for better or worse, that is where the battle of ideas takes place these days. You can watch here ([link removed]) (although, unfortunately, there are no English subtitles!)
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

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In this week's episode of The Swift Half with Snowdon, Christopher is joined by Anthony Warner, British chef, food writer and author of the Angry Chef blog. His first book, The Angry Chef, looks at the 'bad science' around health eating fads.

They discuss all things from public health and Covid-19, to obesity and fad diets. You can watch on the IEA YouTube channel here ([link removed]) .

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You can now watch Dr William Easterly's presentation from this year's THINK conference on "the tyranny of experts".

William Easterly is Professor of Economics at New York University and Co-director of the NYU Development Research Institute. He is the author of three books: The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor (2014), The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Harm and So Little Good (2006), and The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists’ Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics (2001).

You can watch here ([link removed]) .
CALLING ALL STUDENTS

The IEA has launched this year's Monetary Policy Essay Competition ([link removed]) in conjunction with the Institute of International Monetary Research and the Vinson Centre, with a cash prize of £1,000 for the winning entry.

This year’s question is: Does inflation matter? And will the current inflation upturn be transitory or not?

The competition is open to sixth formers, undergraduates, and postgraduates and the deadline is Friday, 21st January 2022. Please note that the competition is open to international students, but all entrants must be able to attend the final at the Vinson Centre in Buckingham in March 2022. For more information on how to apply, click here ([link removed]) .

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We have also launched this year's Budget Challenge ([link removed]) – a joint competition between the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Vinson Centre for the Public Understanding of Economics and Entrepreneurship at the University of Buckingham.

For a chance to win £1,000 for you and your school, enter a team of up to four students and put together a submission that will outline a budget with taxation and spending policy for the United Kingdom in the coming financial year. The deadline to submit is Friday 28th January 2022. You can find more information here ([link removed]) .

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We've also announced the dates for our A ([link removed]) utumn sixth form conferences ([link removed]) , including our popular Oxbridge training day – details of which you can find here ([link removed]) .

The conferences will be a mixture of virtual and in-person events to allow people from all over the UK to attend. If you have questions about particular conferences, or are interested in hosting one, please contact IEA Education, Outreach and Programmes Manager Brittany Davis, at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
IEA PATREON

Thank you to all of you who have already signed up to become an IEA Online Patron. Becoming a Patron grants you VIP access to our latest videos, priority invites to our virtual events, and the opportunity to engage directly with IEA Director General Mark Littlewood and the IEA team. For just a small donation you can get all these benefits and more.

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To visit the page and find out more about the IEA’s Patreon, follow the link here ([link removed]) or watch our trailer here ([link removed]) .
YOU'RE INVITED

A reminder that the Institute of International Monetary Research at the University of Buckingham will be kicking off its Autumn Money Webinar Series at 6pm on Wednesday 13th October, with a discussion with James Ferguson, Founding Partner of MacroStrategy. Please click here ([link removed]) to register, and here ([link removed]) for further details on forthcoming IIMR events.

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