Hard Brexit or soft Brexit, does it matter? October 17, 2016 So is it going to be a “hard” or a “soft” Brexit? Since our new Prime Minister began to lay out her Brexit negotiating stance this question has become a persistent preoccupation, particularly in business circles. To consider the answer we need to separate the politics of hard and soft, from the financial and stock [...]
Theresa May is angering both Leavers and Remainers October 17, 2016 Theresa May’s approach to Brexit has proved immensely frustrating to those who found themselves on the losing side of the referendum debate. This frustration, based at first on the idea that the government lacked any kind of plan, is turning into despair at the realisation that the PM does not intend to give any ground [...]
We’re winning the war against Isis in Iraq but the peace has already been lost October 17, 2016 It is the saddest, and easiest, prediction to make in global political risk analysis today: we will “win” military victory in Iraq, only to lose the peace. For the dire, ghostly, maddening conclusion must be that the West and its Middle Eastern allies are incapable of learning from history. The press salivates about the imminent retaking [...]
Let Nicola Sturgeon have her referendum – and find out that a Hard Brexit is better than a Hard Independence October 17, 2016 It could not have been staged better. Like a general on the battlefield making a final appeal to her troops, Nicola Sturgeon’s use of the SNP’s annual conference to announce the publication of a draft bill to pave the way for Indy Ref Two could not be matched. The legions cheered, ready to go over the top [...]
As Mark Carney warns of troubles ahead, should the Bank of England tolerate rising inflation? October 17, 2016 Scott Corfe, associate director at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says Yes. Inflation will rise next year, and it is likely to rise sharply as sterling’s remarkable decline feeds through into higher import costs. CPI inflation of 3 per cent is well within the realms of possibility and inflation of 4 per cent – [...]
Financial and professional services are our entire nation’s Crown Jewels October 14, 2016 I have spent much of the past year speaking to employees, employers and entrepreneurs from across this great country. In December I went to Northern Ireland, in March to Scotland, in July to the North of England, and last week to Bristol and Cardiff – 12 UK cities in total. After each of these trips [...]
Marmitegate: A typical story of belligerent boardrooms October 14, 2016 Marmitegate – it divided the nation. You might even say it spread fear. Either way, Tesco revealed last night that it has resolved its feud with Unilever, producer of everything from Marmite to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, after the consumer goods giant tried to impose a blanket 10 per cent price hike on its products due [...]
Wake up, policy-makers: The fintech paradigm shift could change everything October 13, 2016 Nowhere within the financial firmament does enthusiasm abound more right now than in the arena of fintech. Just as it has disrupted and revolutionised our social interactions and shopping habits, the internet is breeding new ways to cut the cost of transacting and pair those with capital with those seeking it. Peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding [...]
Higher taxes and more debt are the only alternatives to real state pension reform October 13, 2016 Engineering an exit from the European Union will be the most significant administrative challenge faced by Whitehall since the Second World War. But ministers must resist the temptation to put the public service reform agenda on the backburner. The economic uncertainty created by June’s referendum means that driving efficiency is now more important than ever. [...]
How to cut EU migration without leaving the Single Market October 13, 2016 The Tory MEP Vicky Ford has taken a major step back from the idea of closing frontiers to European citizens which still appears to be the throbbing desire of Tory-Ukip hard Brexiters. In a newspaper interview, she set out ideas for reducing inflows of European workers within EU rules. She cites Liechtenstein, which was allowed [...]