So, who’s going to be our new prime minister? Or will Theresa May manage to wrestle on in the mud at No. 10? Never a dull moment these days. If nothing else, we should at least appreciate the theatre –…

Almost two years ago now, during my old job as a financial adviser, I attended an “annual masterclass” for fellow advisers. The event was held in a scenic location by a horse racing track in the Scottish countryside. During these…

A medical emergency left my keyboard out of reach yesterday. I was unable to write to you on one of the most interesting days in British politics for many months. After six attempts to take a blood sample by nurses…

Jokes about there not being an EU to exit from next year are making the rounds in the papers. My book about exactly how this will happen hit the printworks last night. You can get a copy here. But today…

For all the talk of ending austerity, you might think there was any in the first place. But I can’t see any budget surpluses on any charts. Government debt to GDP flatlined for three years around 88%, it didn’t really…

It’s Giovanni Tria’s 70th birthday tomorrow. His political career might not last that long though. The Italian government budget proposal is due by midnight tonight. Sort of. The finance minister must submit finance and growth targets. As the Bank of…

On Monday we looked at the future of the UK and EU. Yesterday, my thoughts turned into front page news. Prime Minister Theresa May threatened the EU with its worst fear. Turning the UK into a low-tax and business-friendly environment…

What do the US Open umpire Carlos Ramos, Australian Greens Senator Adam Bandt, and Brexit voters have in common? They might have plenty in common, as far as I know. But I’m going to write about the odd abuse they’re…

There is hope for Brexit yet. And I’m not talking about Tony Blair’s comment to delay it. Although that is still my preferred outcome. Continuing Brexit negotiations after the May 2019 European elections would make things very interesting. French President…

If you haven’t been reading Capital & Conflict for long, add some sugar to your coffee before you read it today. Or something stronger. The newspapers are building their own Project Fear over a no-deal Brexit. You might call it…

Since the Brexit negotiations began, I couldn’t work out why they were so acrimonious. Free trade is mutually beneficial. Restricting it is mutually harmful. What is there left to argue about? The answer comes from British intelligence. At least that’s…

The Bank of England (BoE) raised interest rates by 0.25% last week. It was an unanimous decision by all nine members of the committee. The Telegraph called it the second rate hike in a decade, but the first real one….

Today, I will show you a crafty scheme to make German taxpayers pay for your French cheese and wine. It’s called a hard Brexit. Which is now looking more likely. Another week, another Brexit deal falls by the wayside. You…

Before England got booted out of the World Cup last week, I asked you why politics has come to dominate so much of our lives, and what vacuum it is filling. I received many thoughtful responses – thank you to…

A colleague has just informed me he’s put a bet on. Not for money either. If England win the World Cup, he’s going to get his first tattoo: the three lions crest, with “thirty years of hurt” in bold beneath…

Brexit is roiling markets. The pound dumped, jumped and dumped again as ministers resigned. Is a soft Brexit more likely than ever? Is a hard Brexit on the cards now? Which of the two is good for Britain and bad…

I’m having a tough time trying to persuade the Japanese future in-laws to let their first-born move to London. Relations between Japan and our capital city have been strained since former mayor Boris Johnson flattened a ten-year-old Japanese child trying…

In 2016 I joined the Free Market Road Show. We travelled around Europe giving speeches about things like the EU and the sharing economy. The troupe mostly visited eastern European countries, where the battle of ideologies is still distinct. In…

I’ve argued for years that Britain should draw out the Brexit process as long as possible. Every week, the EU weakens. Every week, warnings about Brexit fade. But this week has me wondering if I was wrong. There seems to…

My resignation from Capital & Conflict is pending. It hinges on the Brexit negotiations. And the suitability of property for sale in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Perhaps you can help. I’m looking for a pair of properties – one either…

The absurdities of Brexit roll on. Boris Johnson supposedly told Germans that Brexit is a mess. No doubt everyone can agree some aspect of the process is a shambles. So why the controversy? Brexit negotiator David Davis found himself reassuring…

Negotiations between the British government and the EU are hotting up. The new question is how many agreements they need to establish a trade agreement. If they can’t agree on this, there won’t be an agreement. Do you need an…

Government shutdowns are practically tradition in the US. They never impact anything in the end. I think it’s some sort of deal between politicians and the media to manufacture some airtime. So let’s look at our neighbours on the other…

We interrupt your coverage of Brexit, bitcoin and central banking to cover something far more important. According to The Sun, experts are concerned chocolate will run out in the next 30 years. Climate change will make it too hot to…

One of the longer running themes of newsletter writing is to stand up for the downtrodden. The meek and weak. The people who newspapers and politicians don’t take sides with. It’s gotten us into plenty of trouble in the past….

The war is over, but the battle has only just begun. That’s the summary of Prime Minister Theresa May’s agreement with the EU. We now know how much we’ll pay the EU… well, approximately how much. What’s a few billion…

Reading the latest news about Brexit makes me feel sick. The whole debate is entirely absurd. The problems are artificial. The political posturing self-serving. A thousand political problems and structures have created a thousand more, none of which need exist…