Our current membership of the EU is stifling British dreams of free trade June 29, 2013 CHAMPIONING transatlantic free trade at last week’s G8 summit, David Cameron saw off a rearguard action from European governments desperate to cocoon Mediterranean farmers and French film-makers from competition. Tory veteran Ken Clarke claims British dreams of free trade can only be realised through the EU. In reality, the EU’s ebbing value as a free [...]
Key lessons from Sir Alex Ferguson’s epic football reign June 29, 2013 AFTER 27 years in charge of Manchester United and unprecedented silverware to show for it, Sir Alex Ferguson has cemented his reputation as the most successful football manager of all time. But does his extraordinary track record have anything to teach leaders in the wider business arena? “Be lucky” might be the first lesson. Fergie [...]
It’s time for investors to engage with some accounting philosophy June 28, 2013 PEOPLE in accounting rarely talk philosophy. They tend to discuss technical detail, so it’s no wonder that financial reporting – the reports and accounts of major companies – has become ever more complex. But over the next few months, we have a once-in-a-generation chance to do something about this. And it’s up to chairmen, chief [...]
Printing site PhotoBox snaps up London-based Instagram firm June 28, 2013 THE COMPANY behind the PhotoBox online printers and the Moonpig greeting cards website has acquired StickyGram, a service that allows Instagram’s 130m users to turn their creations into fridge magnets. London-based PhotoBox Group, which was created in 2011 when PhotoBox and Moonpig merged, will announce the deal today. It has not disclosed how much it [...]
A new name in the frame for press watchdog June 25, 2013 WHAT’S in a name? The Press Complaints Commission’s rechristening looks to be drawing ever closer, after its funding body applied to trade mark the name of its possible replacement. The Press Standards Board of Finance, which charges newspapers the levy used to fund the PCC, applied to trade mark “Independent Press Standards Organisation” at the [...]
Incentives must be the foundation of a revolution in British education June 25, 2013 WITH aims including far more school choice for pupils from all backgrounds, and raising standards in state schools through competition, the goals of the 2010 Academies Act were bold. Autonomous groups would set up free schools, which in turn would revolutionise the education system. But current policy betrays such a revolution. Only comprehensive reforms, designed [...]
Bank official: Bond bubble is the biggest threat to financial stability June 25, 2013 OUTSPOKEN Bank of England official Andrew Haldane warned yesterday that the bursting of a bond bubble is the biggest threat to the world’s financial stability. Haldane, the Bank’s executive director of financial stability, told the Treasury Select Committee that central banks’ massive asset-buying programmes have created significant risks. “If I were to single out what for [...]
The Treasury will gain nothing from property tax hikes June 25, 2013 A S THEY consider a “back-door” mansion tax and another increase in stamp duty in today’s Autumn Statement, George Osborne and Vince Cable should take a quick look at a dramatic drop in tax receipts after the last Budget. In March, stamp duty was hiked to 7 per cent for people buying property over £2m [...]
Ukip targets support of City Eurosceptics June 24, 2013 UKIP is making a direct pitch to leading City figures and hopes the recently launched Business for Britain campaign will make it easier to convince top businessmen to join the party, it has emerged. Yesterday a Ukip spokesperson told City A.M. that the party is now regularly entertaining City grandees who are considering lending their [...]
Why micro-businesses could be Britain’s economic future June 24, 2013 IF you want to see how Britain has changed since the 1970s, look no further than our attitudes to entrepreneurship. There were around 820,000 small firms in the UK in 1971, according to an official report chaired by John Bolton, an industrialist; one of Britain’s great problems at the time was the terribly small number [...]