According to a new study, Britain - far from being a basket case at education - is in fact ranked 6 in the world. But who was the ranking produced by? Does it stand up? And who is it really good for? Michael Bullen plays fly-on-the-wall at an imagined Pearson board meeting.

A finance insider reads Soros' intervention at Trento and wonders whether this is just a trading superstar talking up his own portfolio? 

In a lengthy response to Ann Pettifor's call for Europe to abandon the Euro's "fetters of gold", the author disagrees with almost everything, except for the conclusion that Greece should leave the single currency

Is there any reason to set top tax rates at anything but the rate which maximises government revenues? And what is that rate? Jeremy Fox has argued that the 50p rate does not constrain growth. Michael Bullen returned with the argument that 50p is too high for public revenue maximisation. Jeremy Fox countered that 50p was too little and that equality is a good in itself. Here, Michael Bullen questions Jeremy Fox's numbers and his levelling instincts

Sergio Bruno makes much of the recent rise in the cost of borrowing for the Italian government, blaming speculation for the disruption to public finances. But investors have every reason to be worried, and it is in our interest that they act on these worries

Should the marginal rate of income tax be reduced for very high earners? Jeremy Fox argues that there is no obvious link to growth. But the link to government revenue is much better understood, argues Michael Bullen, and the numbers suggest that 50% is too high