It’s curious that liberal is a dirty word for both the European left and the American right. For the European left liberal means free market economics, laissez faire, capitalism red-in-tooth-and-claw. For the American right liberal means the opposite: big government, intervention, the welfare state.

Blutherup will be unashamedly liberal in both senses. In favour of free markets, convinced there is no alternative to the capitalist system. But equally sure that the invisible hand can occasionally slip, that the free market can create unacceptable casualties, and that intervention from democratically elected governments is necessary.

These are the beliefs that will underpin our analyses and commentaries. We hope readers will find them interesting. We look forward to reading your comments.