DEBATE: As RBS trials a fingerprint bank card, is biometric technology the future for digital payments? March 14, 2019 As RBS trials a fingerprint bank card, is biometric technology the future for digital payments? YES, says Ann Cairns, vice chairman of Mastercard. As we shift towards using digital services, and the need to protect our data becomes ever more critical, the use of passwords is woefully outdated. Many people simply have more passwords than [...]
Raising corporation tax may seem like a vote winner, but it makes all of us poorer March 14, 2019 Last year, parliament passed a law requiring the UK’s overseas territories (OTs) – including Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and the Virgin Islands – to publish lists of the “beneficial owners” of the companies registered in them. The sponsors of the law claimed it was a crime-fighting measure. Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell justified the law by [...]
The UK’s elites have a habit of ignoring the will of the people March 14, 2019 On 20 April 1653, Oliver Cromwell marched into parliament saying, “you have sat here too long for any good you have been doing here lately” – words that surely chime with current events. Cromwell was utterly frustrated with an establishment which denied the will of the people. Obviously, no one is suggesting that the army should [...]
Ray Kelvin held Ted Baker too tight March 14, 2019 Yet another big-name chief executive has stepped down from their position at the helm of a well-known British business. The founder of fashion retail brand Ted Baker, Ray Kelvin, announced last Monday that he was going to be resigning from his position as chief executive, as the firm investigates allegations that he behaved inappropriately toward [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Unlikely to be a walk in the Park but Paisley can win the Stayers March 13, 2019 LIFE has not been easy for Andrew Gemmell, who has been blind since birth, but the owner of PAISLEY PARK knows how to have fun and the celebrations will be wild if his pride and joy can win today’s Sun Racing Stayers’ Hurdle. It is a wonderful story and his horse, who nearly died from [...]
David Pipe: Hoping to strike with lively outsiders March 13, 2019 THERE is nothing quite like the Cheltenham Festival and I’m excited about heading back there today with two lively outsiders. We’ll be looking after our owners in the facility we have at the course and if you join the City Syndicate you can be part of that this time next year. Look out for the [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Monalee still my Ryanair fancy but Road warrants plenty of Respect March 13, 2019 PLENTY have swerved the Ryanair Chase (2.50pm) in recent years, but this year’s renewal is one of the races of the week. Having once been considered an afterthought for those shying away from either a Champion Chase or Gold Cup challenge, it is now being targeted in its own right. The Irish, who have won [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Not deserting Kildisart but Defi worth a saver in JLT March 13, 2019 DESPITE being upgraded to Grade One status in 2014, the JLT Novices’ Chase (1.30pm) doesn’t quite yet have the same pulling power of the Arkle or the RSA Chase. The intermediary trip is attractive to those who feel they might not quite have the gears for the former or the stamina for the latter. Last [...]
DEBATE: With just 16 days to go until Brexit, is there any point to the Spring Statement? March 13, 2019 With just 16 days to go until Brexit, is there any point to the Spring Statement? Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG, says YES. While Brexit is likely to dominate minds again this week, and continue to bring a fog of uncertainty over the outlook for the UK economy, the Spring Statement is still important. [...]
Economics could teach Theresa May a thing or two about tackling knife crime March 13, 2019 Knife crime continues to dominate the headlines. What can be done about it? Economics does not pretend to provide all the answers. But, perhaps surprising to some, it has a lot of useful insights to offer on crime. Gary Becker was a professor of both economics and sociology at Chicago. One day he was pushed [...]