It’s make or break for the telecoms sector’s shot at reform November 8, 2018 One of the great ironies of the telecoms industry is that, for a sector that is primarily focused on technological innovation and future infrastructure, certain aspects of it are decidedly backwards looking. There’s a clear divide between, say, the gathering momentum in the roll-out of ultrafast broadband and the distinct stasis when it comes to the [...]
The government is finally turning its attention to the housing crisis, but what’s missing? November 8, 2018 There's no question that the housing market is in need of drastic reform. So it was welcome news last week when the chancellor announced that the government was turning its attention to reforming the supply side of the market through a £500m Housing Infrastructure Fund and British Business Bank guarantees for SME house builders. In broader terms, there seems to [...]
Be wary of taking the golden goose of London for granted November 8, 2018 Last week’s Budget saw two infrastructure spending announcements for London. The first was a cool £291m to buy more DLR trains and convert a depot into housing. This will facilitate 18,000 homes – in reality, about four months’ worth of London’s annual need for housing. The second was £5m for a Westminster Ceremonial Streetscape project. [...]
DEBATE: In losing the US House of Representatives, has President Trump lost his mandate? November 8, 2018 In losing the US House of Representatives, has President Trump lost his mandate? David Waywell, author and political commentator, says YES. Republican losses in the midterms were not as overwhelming as some might have predicted, but defeats in the House of Representatives do mean that Donald Trump loses the mandate he took rather for granted. [...]
The tech revolution could be a catastrophic setback for civilisation November 8, 2018 Social earthquakes are looming fast from the emerging wave of automation and the tech revolution. We’ve all seen the headlines about artificial intelligence (AI), the rise of the robots, self-driving cars, and leaps forward in machine learning. But does society realise what is coming? Will it prepare itself? Can the scale and speed of change [...]
Mind your own business and stay out of Persimmon’s bonus scheme November 8, 2018 The news that Jeff Fairburn has been asked to leave Persimmon in the wake of the furore over his £75m bonus should not come as a surprise. There is a febrile atmosphere of media scrutiny when it comes to such matters, and shareholders had already branded the long-term incentive scheme pay-out as “grossly excessive”. Unfortunately, [...]
Chris Tremlett: Ben Foakes already undroppable after amazing first two days of England debut against Sri Lanka November 7, 2018 If you had turned on the television to see Ben Foakes bat for the first time against Sri Lanka yesterday you wouldn’t have guessed he was making his Test debut. He came to the crease with England in strife at 103-5 but played with such calmness and authority to guide the tourists away from danger to [...]
The hyperloop train is leaving the station – and the UK must be on it November 7, 2018 Britain can reasonably claim to have invented the railway. Stephenson’s Rocket represented the pinnacle of British industrial-era innovation. The ability to move products and people by steam locomotion had a transformative effect on society. British ingenuity saw railways knit communities together across the country, and eventually the globe. And for the next couple of centuries, [...]
The sky’s the limit: Solving the housing crisis involves unlocking the UK’s air rights November 7, 2018 The biggest and brightest cities in the world are known for their skylines, where towers and skyscrapers made of glass and steel jostle with one another, vying for our attention. Skyscrapers are the hallmark of bustling and healthy cities – a sign that a lot of people want to live and work within a few square [...]
DEBATE: Is Tim Berners-Lee right that we need to save the web from abuse? November 7, 2018 Is Tim Berners-Lee right that we need to save the web from abuse? Sven Hughes, chief executive and founder of Verbalisation and Global Influence, says YES. When info.cern.ch went live in 1991, it was the address of the world’s first ever website and web server. Sir Tim Berners-Lee was the man to create that website, and [...]