Articles by John Redwood MP
John Redwood MP
Lambs for the slaughter?
I wish to examine the curious case of the possible resignation of Mr Norman Lamb. Many people will not have known until the last couple of days the importance of Mr Lamb. He is a trusted adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister. He is a Lib Dem NHS expert, [...]
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John Redwood MP
The government’s paradox on spending
Listening to Mr Clegg this morning, I was struck by the central paradox. He said the most important thing the government was doing was a short term fix to cut the deficit. He rightly argued that getting on top of the deficit was essential for economic growth and stability [...]
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John Redwood MP
The state of the economy
The week-end press had started to wake up to the private sector squeeze which we have been talking about on this website for the last year, the squeeze which was even heralded by the Bank of England itself. The high rate of inflation coupled with a low rate of wage [...]
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John Redwood MP
Banking on Vickers
On Monday 11th April we will hear or read the preliminary conclusions of the Vickers Report into banking. A lot is riding on a successful outcome to this important Inquiry.
Politically John Vickers has to say enough to persuade people he understands the anger many feel about the conduct [...]
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John Redwood MP
Bail outs are not the right medicine
First we are told that providing a new loan to Greece, or Ireland, or Portugal, creates a line in the sand, prevents the contagion spreading. As each sucessive loan demand showed, that did not work. The incoming tide of debt erased the lines. The contagion spread. The mixed metaphors [...]
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John Redwood MP
Follow the polling?
I am told that there is a new welcome emphasis on the public’s views at Downing Street. They are taking polling more seriously. It was worries by the public about the Health reforms that lies behind the recent decision to consult again and if necessary to change the plans.
I trust [...]
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John Redwood MP
The pursuit of excellence
The British public debate is schizophrenic when it comes to excellence, and its ally, selection. Most socialists want the most stringent tests and selection to ensure the leading football and athletics teams in the country only contain the best sports people. They encourage vigorous selection, promotion on merit, tough training [...]
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John Redwood MP
How do you promote social mobility?
The government wants to do more to promote social mobility. It wants more children to enter higher paid employment from home backgrounds that brought them up on benefits or low incomes.
There are many ways for young people to aspire to much higher incomes than their parents. They all entail lots [...]
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John Redwood MP
John Redwood’s contribution to the Statement on NHS Reform, 4 April
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con): Colleagues on this side of the House will know that the Secretary of State has a great passion for the health service, and great mastery of his brief. Will he confirm, for the sake of all hon. Members, that the object of getting rid of [...]
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John Redwood MP
John Redwood’s contribution to the Statement on Armed Forces Redundancies, 4 April
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con): Will the Minister remind the House how many uniformed armed services personnel will need to leave the service over the next two years under the current plans, and will he tell us why this cannot be done by means of natural wastage rather than redundancies?
The [...]
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John Redwood MP
A visit to a library
I visited a public library recently. It was not in my constituency. It was housed in a great new building, in a large and well appointed room. I was told it was not about to close. It was run by friendly Council staff. Money had been found to set [...]
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John Redwood MP
In praise of Mr Lansley
This week-end has seen numerous briefings against the Health Secretary. I have found him to be one of the best informed, and most accessible of Cabinet Ministers. He knows his brief well, is aware of the problems of piloting through change to the NHS, and has already secured the [...]
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John Redwood MP
How should we account for loans to Ireland and Portugal?
Readers will know I am against the UK lending any money to Euro member states in trouble. We kept out of the Euro thanks to some of us arguing that case. Some of us forecast the likely problems and do not see why the UK should pick up any of [...]
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John Redwood MP
How much more capital do the banks need?
As a critic of the regulators in 2006-7 I said the banks should be made to hold more capital. In those days they were too heavily geared. The banks were allowed to lend far too much money with far too little capital to pay the losses if some of the [...]
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John Redwood MP
A tale of two squeezes
The media and politicians concentrate on the coming squeeze on the public sector. It is struggling to live within an extra £485 billion overdraft to tide it over the next five years, and to live with an increase of just £93 billion a year by Year 5 for current [...]
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John Redwood MP
What do Conservatives want from the Coalition?
Based on doorstep conversations recently, and visits to speak to Conservative Associations, I encounter the following attitudes. Many Conservatives now see the Coaliti0n government as heavily Lib Dem influenced. They tell me they want changes in policy, to reflect the poor financial condition of the country and the preponderance [...]
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John Redwood MP
If you want to tax the rich more, cut the rates
The Chancellor said in his budget the Revenue will study the effects of the 50% tax rate on tax revenues.
The Adam Smith Institutue has already published some of the important findings. (In the Revenue and Growth effects of Britain’s high personal taxes)They show that the Howe Lawson income tax [...]
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John Redwood MP
Article for Wokingham Times
When 250,000 people march in Central London to complain about cuts the government should listen, and should engage with their leaders in a sensible dialogue. There are many things I felt I wanted to say had I been invited to talk to them as Mr Miliband was able to do.
I would [...]
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John Redwood MP
Transport policy and carbon dioxide
The government wants to make its transport policy a big contributor to lowering the UK’s output of carbon dioxide. Many people just want a transport system that works for them.
The idea that switching people to trains from cars will do the job needs careful examination. Clearly, shifting more [...]
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John Redwood MP
Responding to the protesters
I was surprised how the government handled media interviews about the TUC protest against the cuts. They could have used them to set out more of the detail of the difficult financial situaiton we find ourselves in. They could have used it to ask how come we are going [...]
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