Press release from the independent, non-party think tank Reform: A fiscal stimulus package would prolong the recession and damage the economy, according to a new report by the independent think tank Reform. The academic evidence – and the true finding of John Maynard Keynes – is that governments should restore confidence rather than unbalance the public finances further. The Chancellor...

New technology that can test drivers for illegal drugs in as little as90 seconds will be ready for police use as early as next year, The Independent has learnt.

The timetable for setting up a giant "Big Brother" database is slipping after the scheme was dropped from next month's Queen's Speech. The Independent has highlighted growing fury over government moves to collate details of every telephone call, email and internet visit.

New technology that can test drivers for illegal drugs in as little as90 seconds will be ready for police use as early as next year, The Independent has learnt.

Further to the post on what should Obama’s CTO be doing look who’s tackling the rather bigger and more general question What should Bazzer O’Bazzer himself do? It’s our old friend David Price, whose Debategraph service has done a deal with the Independent. Sounds a perfect match. Go David! Go Bazz! Yes we can. Heal this world. PS - It would have cleared up a lot of misunder...

Iain Martin in the Daily Telegraph on why David Cameron decided to change his policy on spending. And Anatole Kaletsky in the Times says Cameron's new initiative is a thoroughly bad one. Johann Hari in the Independent says the news that Charles wants to be a "political" King is the best news republicans have had for years. Fraser Nelson in the Spectator wonders whether Gordon Brown is prepari...

The Independent reports that Labour has found an extra £5bn of savings across Whitehall. These savings will be used to help justify next week's promise of recession-beating tax cuts and also to blunt the Tory case that there are further...

It’s walking on eggshells time again at the Throne and, as usual, please indulge me whilst I add the regular disclaimer; this blog has no time for racists (of any stripe) and utterly rejects the policies of the British National Party. So why do I feel more than a little uneasy about the sentiments expressed in this article by both senior police officers and the Independent Police Complaints ...

Hamish McRae in the Independent says recessions have their uses; they force society to become more efficient. The BBC's Brian Wheeler reveals that Labour MP Paul Flynn has been told he can't use his parliamentary allowance to fund his blog because it's too political. Dizzy Thinks on how unreliable the government's borrowing forecasts are. Sam Coates at Red Box says Lib Dems MPs...

The Independent's Hamish McRae - who's been on the money more often than most commentators during this downturn - today outlines the reasons to be wary of a Government spending boom in the PBR. They're worth quoting in full: "The first is international. Trust is vital and there is a danger of a systemic loss of confidence in British financial management. Already sterling has fa...