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• Private individuals (and companies) are entitled to their privacy

• By Richard Northedge
• Tony Blair introduced the Freedom of Information Act but later called it dangerous legislation. It is there to expose government workings but in publishing the names of people who have rejected honours, the law is intruding into private lives.
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• Return to recession – but for how long?

• By Richard Northedge
• Britain is back in recession. The only question is whether the slump is limited to the minimum two consecutive quarters or extends into the summer of 2012.
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• High dividends mean the business outlook is bad

• By Richard Northedge
• If companies are so cash-rich why are they handing out dividends instead of spending or investing? But having pushed up the yield on shares with increased payments, why are share prices not higher? Companies have got their balance sheets in order far quicker than governments or consumers.
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• Sir Fred’s knighthood was fair at the time

• By Richard Northedge
• No-one would give Fred Goodwin a knighthood now, but that’s not a reason to take away the one he’s got. If the ex-banker loses his gong, then a lot of athletes, actors and artists should be ready to return theirs too.
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• Miliband’s short-term policy on takeovers

• By Richard Northedge
• Labour leader Ed Miliband is attacking financial short-termism in his quest for the high ground of responsible capitalism. But his ideas for changing takeover rules are political short-termism.
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• Scotland loses most from independence

• By Richard Northedge
• Scotland’s proposed referendum is not a vote on that country’s independence, but on independence for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Losing 5.2m people is a small loss for the rest of the UK, but losing 65m is a big blow for Scotland.
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• Clegg’s company ownership plans: Employee owners are a good thing

• By Richard Northedge
• If the wheel’s been invented and is being ignored, there’s no harm in re-inventing it. So don’t knock Nick Clegg just because he is a latecomer to employee share-ownership.
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• Eurozone downgrades: Where’s the Third World now?

• By Richard Northedge
• The latest downgrade of eurozone countries’ debt should make us ask just who are the world’s economic powerhouses. There are developed nations whose borrowings are now ranked as junk but emerging market countries with debt that is investment grade.
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