Paul Johnson at The Ropetackle Art Centre

Paul Johnson, Director for the IFS, introduces new book “Follow The Money – How Much Does Britain Cost?” Friday 24th February, 7.30pm at the Shoreham Centre, Pond Road. What is the truth about Britain’s finances?

Join us at this important literary event, featuring Paul Johnson and Professor Sasha Roseneil.

Ropetackle Arts Centre is delighted to announce the visit on Friday 24th February of Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and one of the country’s leading economists, to mark the publication (on 23rd February) of his book “Follow the Money” – his forensic examination of the way the state raises and spends £1 trillion of our money every year.

Paul will show how bad politics has resulted in damaging policy decisions, why taxes are rising to unprecedented levels and how we have neglected the young for too long.

He will also challenge us to recognise that there are no easy solutions and that we, the electorate, need to support politicians in making tough choices, and the trade-offs that are the inevitable - if rarely acknowledged - prerequisite for good policy-making. Paul will be in conversation with Professor Sasha Roseneil, Vice-Chancellor of Sussex University.

Paul was brought up in Shoreham and attended King’s Manor School (now Shoreham Academy) and always draws a sell-out crowd. City Books, Hove will be selling copies of the book on the night, which Paul will sign after the event.

What they are saying about “Follow the Money”:

Laura Kuenssberg Read it, absorb it, and understand how the country works. Robert Peston This is an important book by the economist who has set the terms of so much political debate over the past decade. If you want to understand why crazy politics routinely trumps economic rationality in government choices, read this. Polly Toynbee Fire and passion, combined with the facts. Every politician should get a copy, as the tales of short-sighted, election-fixated, cowardly decision-making are so depressing. And your way forward looks so blindingly sensible.

Tickets cost £10 and are available from the Ropetackle Box Office, which is open from 10am to 4pm. Telephone: 01273 464440, or online at www.ropetacklecentre.co.uk