Theresa May is right to back academic selection in schools – as long as we don’t return to the rigid grammar system of the 1950s September 9, 2016 The chattering classes often complain that debates about schools are dominated by anecdote, as if ordinary people’s experience of education is totally irrelevant. So what if parents feel their local school is sub-standard? Who cares if most unskilled workers believe permitting more academic selection would give their children a better chance in life? Grammar schools are [...]
“What is Aleppo?” Gary Johnson’s Syria gaffe was bad but also emphasised his integrity September 8, 2016 The presidential campaign of Gary Johnson, candidate for the US Libertarian party, received one of its biggest boosts in this election cycle on Wednesday evening – a tweet from the 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, expressing hope that the Johnson ticket would be allowed to take part in the upcoming presidential debates. The following morning, [...]
After suffering military defeats and the loss of several leaders, is this the beginning of the end for Islamic State? September 8, 2016 Fawaz A Gerges, author of Isis: A History and professor at the LSE, says Yes. There is increasing evidence that Isis is on the defensive – bleeding, losing territories in Iraq and Syria, leaders, field commanders and thousands of combatants. Its mini-financial empire is also being systemically dismantled by the US-led coalition, exacting a heavy toll [...]
It’s time Chicken Licken Remainers admitted the sky hasn’t fallen in post-Brexit September 8, 2016 Before the referendum, the Remain camp did not hold back from listing the catastrophic consequences of Brexit. The banks and financial services sector would abandon London overnight, they said. Vital funding would be lost for farming, science and regeneration schemes. The British economy would immediately stall, then spiral into a crash. Eleven weeks on from [...]
It’s pure hubris for politicians to think they can “rebalance” the economy September 8, 2016 Theresa May is reviving the idea of interventionist industrial strategy, and wants to “rebalance” the economy. Many people are jumping on the bandwagon. They should jump right off again. Even the more mature of today’s politicians were still in the school playground when these ideas last made waves. In the 1950s and 1960s, UK governments [...]
This is what Apple’s EU tax bill story can teach us about brand ethics September 8, 2016 Apple garnered the tech world's spotlight yesterday with the launch of its shiny new iPhone, overshadowing for many last week's decision by the European Commission to issue the company with a €13bn (£11.1bn) tax bill. The EC's decision was unprecedented, and its severity has been met with surprise by many. However, the fact that a big corporate [...]
Don’t make Southern Rail a scapegoat for the ideological war between Whitehall and the trade unions September 8, 2016 Southern Rail is raking in tens of millions of pounds in profit from its disastrous management of a crucial commuter line while careering head first into a row with unions and nabbing a £20m taxpayer bailout due to the ensuing problems – at least if you believe the company’s critics. The reality of the situation [...]
Forget trade deals: Unilaterally tearing down our tariffs would be Britain’s Berlin Wall moment September 7, 2016 The Aussies are itching for a free trade deal and the Prime Minister is said to want to lead the world against protectionism. For most people such issues are economic, pure and simple. Unfortunately, what is missing is the moral dimension, which needs to be far better understood. Adam Smith argued that “all commerce that [...]
As Fabric closes its doors for the last time, is arbitrary state intervention killing London’s night life? September 7, 2016 Alex Proud, founder of Proud Galleries and Proud Camden, says Yes. Possibly the world’s greatest club has been closed. A club held by most in the industry (and until recently by the Met and Islington Council) as an example of good practice, run to the highest standards of professionalism, crime prevention and drug prevention. Six tragic [...]
Britain must be boldly pro-enterprise to master the Fourth Industrial Revolution September 7, 2016 Business leaders and politicians gathered in Davos at this year’s World Economic Forum annual meeting were told a revolution had started. Not a bloody revolution, but an economic and strategic one, with its impact felt across every industry and every country. This unprecedented, disruptive fusion of digital, physical and biological technological developments has been dubbed [...]