From sugar to saving, this government is treating us like a nation of children January 4, 2019 The morning I turned eight, I woke up and told my father that I was “halfway there”. This, in my home state of Connecticut, was in reference to getting my driving licence, a process I could start on my sixteenth birthday. As a kid, this was the milestone that I was most excited to reach, [...]
DEBATE: Is transport secretary Chris Grayling right to blame the unions for rail fare hikes? January 4, 2019 Is transport secretary Chris Grayling right to blame the unions for rail fare hikes? Duncan Simpson, policy analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, says YES. This week’s fare rise is, quite understandably, infuriating for many commuters. But passenger outrage is being misdirected. Huge progress has been made since privatisation: passenger numbers and overall satisfaction are up, and [...]
The internet is a positive force, not a menace to be controlled January 4, 2019 There is no doubt that the internet industry faces many challenges. The same tools that allow information to pass from one user to another, or to join a business with a customer on the other side of the world, can be put to bad uses by bad actors. But amid the torrents of negative headlines [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Enola Gay can pay for the day at Sandown January 3, 2019 CHRISTMAS was a bit of a slog for punters. Unexpected results in the King George and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, as well as a fistful of unfancied winners throughout the festive period, meant the bookies rolled into 2019 on top. Tomorrow’s card at Sandown, where the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle is [...]
Horseracing: David Pipe’s City AM Column January 3, 2019 WITH only one runner over the next couple of days, it will be a relatively quiet weekend for us. RATHLIN ROSE takes his chance in the Veterans’ Handicap Chase (3.00pm) at Sandown tomorrow and this has been the plan for some time. He had a nice pipe-opener here back in November and seems in good [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Rose to prove a thorn in his rivals’ side January 3, 2019 A UNIVERSAL success is the only way that the Veterans’ Chase Series can be described since it was launched in 2015. It has revitalised the programme for older horses and tomorrow sees the fourth running of the Final (3.00pm) at Sandown, with a staggering £100,000 in prize money up for grabs. The roof of Sandown’s [...]
Ollie Phillips: All to play for at the halfway point of a tight and unpredictable Premiership season January 3, 2019 Saracens and Exeter may be streets ahead at the top of the Premiership, but at the halfway stage of the season every other position is up for grabs. Although I’m backing last year’s finalists to repeat the trick, there’s plenty of intrigue elsewhere to keep us guessing until May. There is very little consistency in [...]
DEBATE: Will this year be as politically tumultuous as the last? January 3, 2019 Will this year be as politically tumultuous as the last? Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies and author of The Great Acceleration, says YES. Sorry to puncture the New Year cheer, but the turmoil of 2018 wasn’t a one-off – in fact, it’s the new normal. The parliamentary situation, with the Tories supported [...]
Resilience, risk, and regulatory changes: What lies ahead for the UK finance sector January 3, 2019 As we look ahead to 2019, the banking industry could be excused for trying to catch its breath. A decade on from the financial crisis, the path forward still remains fraught with difficulties. Return on equity remains stubbornly low across the board, while cost-income ratios remain high. This year will clearly be defined through the [...]
With mobile technology, we can empower the world’s unbanked January 3, 2019 Financial inclusion must become the watch-word for 2019. An estimated 1.7bn adults worldwide do not have access to formal financial services – that’s 31 per cent of the adult population who do not have a bank account. Incapable of borrowing, saving, or investing money and protecting themselves, exclusion from the global money system denies these individuals [...]