Refresh

Today saw the launch of a new initiative by the Telegraph. 

Refresh is a policy discussion forum, run on social media, with the express aim of reinvigorating support for free markets in Britain. Opinion across much of the UK’s political spectrum is turning against free markets, and young people in this country are continually painted as only being interested in left-wing solutions. Refresh rejects this kind of thinking. It is apolitical, instead it focuses on how capitalism can be harnessed to improve living standards, create freedom and unleash the potential of individuals.

Refresh exists primarily to promote good policy and ideas that, if put in place by governments in Britain, would have a real and positive impact on this country. It challenges closed thinking with radical ideas that cut against the political grain.

Run by Helena Horton and Daniel Capurro at the Telegraph it is a truly refreshing idea to try and persuade the young of the benefits of the free market – not by bribes or gimmicks, not by appeal to identity, but by ideas and argument. Something set out excellently by Lee Rowley MP today. 

We're proud to say that we're part of this. Reaching out to the next generation by presenting them with ideas that will change this country. Specifically aimed at, and written by, those under 35 years of age our writers will be directly engaging and persuading Britain's youth. We're going to see more and more pieces written by ASI staff and friends over the next few months.

But to get you in the mood, here's a piece by Matt Kilcoyne on how it's not it is not capitalists that have led to our broken housing market, but the state – by imposing rationing.  

And here's Sophie Jarvis explaining why, if the Tories want to rebuild the entrepreneurial spirit in Britain, they might need the self-starting, meritocratic, liberty-loving and wealth creating attitudes that immigrants bring to the country.