Britain is Broken says President of the Adam Smith Institute

It is evident that many institutions and policies in the UK simply do not work says Dr Madsen Pirie

In a new discussion paper, Dr Madsen Pirie, the President of the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) outlines the 16 major institutions and policy areas which are not working, including:

1. The Bank of England 

2. The Treasury

3. Transport

4. The NHS

5. Education

6. Justice

7. Immigration 

8. Housing

9. Social Care

10.  Childcare

11. Welfare

12.  The Pension System

13.  Energy

14.  Regulation

15.  Civil Service

16.  Government

Within the paper, Dr Pirie draws parallels between the present day and the 1970s and outlines his concerns that the current direction of travel is jeopardising the future of young people in particular. 

-ENDS- 

Notes to editors:  

For further comments or to arrange an interview, contact Emily Fielder, emily@adamsmith.org | 0758 477 8207.

Dr Madsen Pirie is the President and Co-founder of the Adam Smith Institute. 

The paper will be live on the Adam Smith Institute website from 10pm 30th November and is available here. 

The Adam Smith Institute is a free market, neoliberal think tank based in London. It advocates classically liberal public policies to create a richer, freer world.

The Adam Smith Institute Responds to the Chancellor's Autumn Statement

In response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, Daniel Pryor, Head of Research at the Adam Smith Institute, said:

“Today's statement was a return to managed decline.

Entering a recession promising the highest tax burden in three-quarters of a century does not strike the right balance between fiscal credibility and growth. The Chancellor highlighted the harms of inflation, then added fuel to fire by threatening yet more tax threshold freezes—undermining productivity whilst hitting the pockets of people across the income spectrum.  

There were some positive steps on making support for vulnerable households more targeted, but little in the way of genuine pro-growth reform: the only sustainable way of tackling debt, improving public services and giving people the chance of a better future. 

In five years time, the average household will be poorer than they were before the pandemic. If we want to avoid that scenario, the Conservative Party must address the imagination deficit at the heart of British politics.”

In response to the Chancellor’s welfare announcements, Emily Fielder, Head of Communications at the Adam Smith Institute, said: 

“The Chancellor’s decision to move towards a more targeted energy support system is long overdue. The combined approach of targeted cash transfers and benefits uprating protects vulnerable households and moves away from unnecessary subsidies for those on higher incomes. However, the Government should also be means-testing its untargeted £300 payment to pensioners—an unnecessary giveaway to many affluent households in an otherwise stark statement.

The Chancellor also promised targeted energy support for businesses. As we have previously highlighted, this should take the form of extensive government-backed loans, rather than further tinkering with business rates or continuing energy price freezes.” 

Notes to editors: 

For further comments or to arrange an interview, contact our press line, Emily Fielder, emily@adamsmith.org | +44 7584 778207

The Adam Smith Institute is a free market, neoliberal think tank based in London. It advocates classically liberal public policies to create a richer, freer world.