Saudi Arabia’s gormless cheerleaders have failed to spot the looming crisis October 24, 2016 “Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking.” – The Wizard of Oz Conventional political risk wisdom is falsely sanguine about yet another looming crisis. The House of Saud, bullish proponents blithely declaim without giving the matter too much thought beyond simplistic headlines, has proven surprisingly supple and enduring. Yet in reality, Saudi [...]
Hard versus soft Brexit is a fallacy: There are over 40 ways to leave the EU October 24, 2016 Writing about how Brexit will unfold is like trying to provide a running commentary on submarine warfare – speculative, largely pointless, and predictably over-focused on the strategic picture. An expression Brexit secretary David Davis will have to keep deploying in the coming weeks will be his new favourite, “froth”, as writers attempt to fill column [...]
What should chancellor Philip Hammond prioritise in his Autumn Statement? October 24, 2016 Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, says infrastructure. Whether small or large, infrastructure schemes boost local business confidence, regenerate areas, create business opportunities for a vast array of UK firms, and “crowd in” related private sector investment. Given decades of underinvestment, chronic delays, deficient digital networks and lagging productivity, an infrastructure-focused stimulus [...]
Wearables at work: How businesses can avoid Big Brother syndrome October 21, 2016 News that 22,000 Metropolitan Police officers will be equipped with body worn video cameras to cut down on complaints, must count as one of the biggest roll-outs of workplace wearables in the UK to date. The move brings to mind Gartner's prediction that over the next two years two million US employees in high risk [...]
Theresa May: The first 100 days October 21, 2016 This week Theresa May marked her 100th day in power. We’ve seen already a very clear departure from the Cameron/Osborne way of government, including on policy and approach. Read more: Theresa May has been confirmed as the UK's Prime Minister May has confidently positioned herself as a Prime Minister that advocates ‘substance over style’. She [...]
We need to talk about free trade October 21, 2016 It is not enough to be outraged by Donald Trump. On 8 November, millions of Americans will overlook his sexism, racism and questionable commitment to democracy to endorse his protectionist agenda. Across the world's developed economies, free trade has become a whipping boy – a convenient explanation for why wages have stagnated and why low-skilled jobs have [...]
Editor’s diary: Threats to the City’s dominance come from home and abroad October 21, 2016 This week one of our front page stories caused quite a stir in parliament. Wednesday's paper reported on the growing levels of unease in the City regarding the way in which some people in government view financial services and its place in upcoming Brexit negotiations. We quoted a number of senior sources, all of whom [...]
Executive pay regulation will backfire if it’s not based on evidence October 20, 2016 Executive pay is the poster child for the disconnect between big business and the general public. It does need to be reformed. It needs to be fair given an executive’s performance – and performance as measured by long-run contribution to society, not short-run profit. However, 80 years of history shows that compensation reform has frequently [...]
The debates changed nothing: Trump’s attitude toward women is fuelling his polling decline October 20, 2016 The first two US presidential debates have been the talk of the town – and the world – since they aired. The third, and final, debate on Wednesday night has proven no different. But what’s new? Hillary Clinton won the third debate, just as she won the first. Clinton is ahead in the polls – [...]
As Stephen Hawking questions AI, will it be the best or worst thing to ever happen to humanity? October 20, 2016 Suranga Chandratillake, general partner at Balderton Capital, says the Best. Evolution is powerful but slow. As a result, we humans are stuck with the bodies and minds we have today – and we know that neither will change dramatically in our lifetimes, or in those of our children. It is technology that frees us from these [...]