Afternoon all, Donald Trump is back on the golf course, the US is signing up to Paris, and the QAnon loons have realised something is up. Nature is healing, albeit after the political equivalent of a nuclear winter. Here the currently peaking daily death rates are a sobering reminder of our failure to lockdown pre-Christmas. … Continued

Afternoon all, This morning brought news that UK economic output shrank 2.6 per cent in November, leaving it still 8.5 per cent below pre-pandemic levels. Output is almost certainly falling again now, but luckily as GDP goes down vaccinations are swiftly going up and indications are the government is doing a good job of further ramping … Continued

Afternoon all, Now I know this is going to be hard for some of you to accept, but there has been a full and fair process. None of the fraud allegations have been upheld. So it’s time to certify the winners of this year’s Resolution Foundation Christmas quiz. Almost 700 entries saw a mean score … Continued

Afternoon all, And no, I haven’t got a clue what’s going on either. Well, that’s not quite right, given it’s pretty clear what’s going on is a colossal failure by us and the EU to sort something in both of our economic and geo-political interests. But I’ve got no clue where this mess ends up. … Continued

The latest from Resolution Foundation Chief Executive Torsten Bell’s weekly Observer column, Hidden gems from the world of research and academia. Read more of the latest economics and policy research in our weekly reading email, Top of the Charts.   Vanity number plates are now status symbols not to be sneered at We humans care about social … Continued

Afternoon all, And happy “science is good” week to everyone. We’ve got vaccines being certified and protein structures getting determined – which all sounds very impressive. But the onward march of technology brings challenges too. This week saw retail reopen its doors but Arcadia and Debenhams on course to close theirs forever. So this week’s … Continued

Morning all, We started the week learning that we could all drive home for Christmas but ended it with fears for tiers confirmed across parts of the country, from Maidstone to Manchester. To be honest we haven’t got much Christmas prep/tiny turkey hunting done yet, with this week wiped out by examining the Chancellor’s new … Continued

Afternoon all, I can’t quite tell which bits of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn is and isn’t in these days, while the line appears to be that Priti Patel is a bully but not an intentional one (whatever that means). At least this style of facing both ways on personnel decisions is in no way … Continued

Afternoon all, I’m a little confused. Lee Cain was definitely offered Boris’ Chief of Staff job, but resigned. Dominic Cumming has most definitely not resigned, but will be leaving Downing Street before Christmas. It’s almost like some people think that reality is shaped by the words you say, rather than what you actually do. That … Continued

Afternoon all, It’s been a big week for decision taking. The US (probably) isn’t giving Trump four more years (🤞), but the UK has given the Job Retention Scheme four more months. UK politics nerds are horrified by it taking three days plus to count some ballots (while being secretly thrilled at the excuse to keep watching … Continued

The latest from Resolution Foundation Chief Executive Torsten Bell’s weekly Observer column, Hidden gems from the world of research and academia. Read more of the latest economics and policy research in our weekly reading email, Top of the Charts.   Protect the poor from being penalised by carbon taxes In those glorious pre-pandemic days we only had … Continued

Afternoon all, TOTCs this week comes from a misty South-West, which is a mixed blessing (low virus cases, high wind/rain). But even with low cases, the impact of the pandemic is everywhere – particularly in the face-to-face services in tourist reliant areas who, along with city centres, are in the front line of this crisis. … Continued

Afternoon all, The ramping up of restrictions is getting very real today – Wales is in hard lockdown and post-row Greater Manchester has entered tier 3. South Yorkshire has got less than eight hours left before it follows suit. All of which shows why the Chancellor was right to basically totally reinvent his Job Support … Continued

Afternoon all, This is the week the music consensus died. It’s hardly surprising, with political fracturing between parties and places reflecting the tensions all of us feel confronting the reality that this pandemic is here to stay. But it’s a disaster if public faith in collective decision taking is undermined in the midst of a … Continued

Afternoon all, Today is impressively managing to combine the (inevitable) end of the V-shaped recovery, with the overdue catching-up of policy with local lockdown reality. At 7am we learnt that GDP grew by 2.1 per cent in August, down from 6.4 per cent in July and 9.1 per cent in June. Almost all that growth … Continued

The latest from Resolution Foundation Chief Executive Torsten Bell’s weekly Observer column, Hidden gems from the world of research and academia. Read more of the latest economics and policy research in our weekly reading email, Top of the Charts.   How coronavirus piled misery on India’s workers Cities are the centres of this crisis, but not all … Continued

Afternoon all, I see the 2020 gods have decided we haven’t had enough uncertainty and chaos. At least Donald Trump seems to understand that you quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 – not something all our own politicians have got the hang of it appears. For the increasing number of you entering quarantine (or just … Continued

Afternoon all, Winter is coming and so is the Chancellor’s Winter Economy Plan, announced yesterday. Since the plan is a) brand new and b) fiendishly complex, we thought we’d devote a TOTCs special to it. It’s complicated, so there are inevitably good and less good elements. But the big picture is this – it is … Continued

Afternoon all, So we’re going from opening up to closing back down again. Local lockdowns, rules of six and (apparently) circuit breaks. All I’m saying is that the last remaining V-shapers out there must be smoking something very strong indeed. In fact, if rising cases and rising unemployment have one silver lining it’s to end … Continued

The latest from Resolution Foundation Chief Executive Torsten Bell’s weekly Observer column, Hidden gems from the world of research and academia. Read more of the latest economics and policy research in our weekly reading email, Top of the Charts.   Britain might look to Germany to heal the north-south divide Before the government was forced into locking … Continued

Afternoon all, Lawbreaking aside, the big news this week is that the rule of six is on, and Christmas is off. The kids are going to riot when someone tells them what’s going on, but the upside is a notably lower turkey-related divorce rate this year. That today’s GDP stats also followed the rule of … Continued

Afternoon all, Schools’ back. Well actually, ours isn’t – which I am totally, 100 per cent, relaxed about… But everyone other one seems to be, which is good news. I’ve always been in the “we should probably educate the kids” camp. It’s a rather basic civic duty. Like voting, which apparently Donald Trump is now … Continued