Nanny State Index: The UK is one of the most nannying states in Europe – but there’s little evidence to suggest sin taxes on sugar and alcohol are helping March 31, 2016 George Osborne’s decision to put a sin tax on fizzy drinks confirmed that there is no escape from the nanny state in Britain, but if the increasingly meddlesome tendencies of our politicians makes you want to emigrate, where should you go? Today’s publication of the first ever Nanny State Index suggests that Luxembourg, Germany or the Czech Republic [...]
Memo to the City: Why tackling mental health issues makes good business sense March 31, 2016 One in four of us will suffer mental illness during our lifetime. It’s a shocking statistic that demonstrates the seriousness of this public health crisis. Treatment can be very effective, but sufferers need to be sure they will get the support and help they need. For this to happen, we need better coordination and engagement from government, [...]
Secular stagnation: Economists have drawn their battle lines – this is just the start of the low growth debate March 31, 2016 Over recent weeks the debate over secular stagnation has been reignited (or perhaps the better analogy is that more fuel has been poured on the fire) in both the US and the UK. In the US, the Foreign Affairs journal has devoted a special issue to Surviving Slow Growth, with articles by former US Treasury Secretary [...]
Leverage is all the rage: The crucial future task for central banks March 31, 2016 People who believe that banks just move other people’s money around, and those who draw comfort from high savings levels, will tell you that bank lending is not critical to economic growth. And they’ll argue the issue is demand, not supply. This is a very old argument. You’ll find it in the remarkable Report of [...]
As Port Talbot’s future hangs in the balance, is propping up the UK steel industry in the national interest? March 31, 2016 Adam Marshall, acting director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, says Yes. Assuring domestic production of steel is vitally important to the UK’s future growth prospects, and to our aspirations for the manufacturing and construction sectors, which are having a hard enough time in an uncertain global market as it is. While there is [...]
South Africa’s tragic unravelling is the last nail in the coffin for the Brics March 31, 2016 There is no better example of the spectacular fall of the Brics concept than the tragic unravelling of South Africa’s hopes to finally make the world’s economic top table. Despite being blessed with abundant natural resources and having miraculously weathered the transition from the hateful system of apartheid to multi-ethnic democracy, South Africa is one [...]
What it’s like being transgender in the City March 30, 2016 Thursday marks International Transgender Day of Visibility – a day to celebrate and recognise the achievements of trans people – and a time when I reflect on my own time in the City. I have worked in financial services throughout my career and thought it would have to take a backseat when I made the [...]
Why we should worry about the Three O2 merger March 30, 2016 It won’t have escaped your notice that Three and O2 want the path cleared for a £10.5bn merger. Even with the owner of Three – Hutchison – proposing to keep O2 operationally separate, it would still leave Three/O2 with a 40 per cent market share. Ofcom has sounded alarm bells, and been uncharacteristically vociferous in its opposition. While [...]
Let’s bust the myth that women don’t like risk: It’s confidence, not appetite for risk, that women lack March 30, 2016 Among the most patronising, persistent myths about women is our supposed dislike of risk. It’s all over the world of business and finance – and is especially pernicious when it comes to looking at women and their financial security. An abundance of personal finance articles chide women for their risk aversion. “Cautious women risk running [...]
As George Osborne introduces yet more changes to the pensions system, what incentive is there for people to keep saving? March 30, 2016 What has the government got against pensions? Its confusing and ever-changing stance toward saving for retirement, particularly with regard to higher earners, will be thrown into sharp relief next week. On 6 April, the lifetime allowance for total contributions made to pension pots comes down again, from £1.25m to £1m. In 2006, the year it [...]