I HAVE done a number of media interviews over the last week, and they all suggest that the message I have been trying to impart about the cost-of-living crisis is beginning to get through to some journalists. When I was asked by a BBC reporter “Can our economy survive the crisis that is coming?” I really thought that at long last the scale of the problem that we are facing had begun to be understood. But, of course, my answer did not get on air.

Nicola Sturgeon says the independence referendum campaign is on again. I really do hope that she is right.

AS someone who spends most of his time thinking about the political economy of countries it is easy for me to forget the importance of local government.

THE boss of the World Bank, which is based in Washington DC in the USA, but which operates in just about every country in the world and is an inter-governmental agency created after World War II, rather like the United Nations, has issued two sober warnings to the world this week.

THERE are moments in the history of any government that are pivotal. I mentioned one with regard to the current Westminster government in my column a week ago. Sunak’s deliberate imposition of poverty, starting on 6 April is one turning point in the history of this government. Partygate will be another. They debacle of Sunak‘s tax affairs provided a third. It is especially rare that these things come in threes.

I HAVE been writing about the inadequacies of the Conservatives in government since the day David Cameron became prime minister in 2010. My argument has been consistent. It is that whenever the Conservatives spot a problem they claim that there is nothing that they can do about it, and that it is down to the markets to sort the problem out.

WE learned from the Office for National Statistics this week that consumer price inflation in the UK has reached a new 30 year high of 5.5%, which represents a very small increase over that recorded in December.

NICOLA Sturgeon has been amongst many politicians who have criticised the UK’s approach to money laundering, fraud and the facilitation of corruption in the last week or so.

THERE is a relationship between telling the truth and economics. After a week when even Ant & Dec have rather publicly doubted the Prime Minister's explanations of his staff’s conduct this is worth exploring in a bit more detail.

IN a report issued last week the London based Institute for Government offered its opinion on currency and borrowing options for an independent Scotland.