EU referendum: London will be stronger if the UK remains as a semi-detached member of the club April 7, 2016 Any freedom gained by Brexit will come at the expense of opportunity and London will bear the brunt if Britain votes to leave. London will be stronger if the UK remains as a semi-detached but full member of the club, as negotiated by Prime Minister David Cameron in his reform deal. London has flourished by being [...]
Six reasons why London’s property market won’t collapse this year April 7, 2016 A recent report by UBS argued that London’s property market in London is exposed to the world's highest bubble risk and many would agree. But the reality is there are several good reasons why prices won't fall anytime soon. Here are just six. 1. Population growth London’s population grows faster than the UK national average and the supply of [...]
As the London Mayoral election looms, it’s time for Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan to think big on housing April 7, 2016 With just under a month to go until London votes for a new Mayor, and less than a week until City A.M. hosts a packed-out hustings between the two main candidates, one familiar issue has raised its rather ugly head – the soaring cost of living in our capital. Some housing market analysts believe that government [...]
Industry 4.0: How disruptive technology can rescue British manufacturing April 7, 2016 Industry 4.0 is revolutionising the way international manufacturers and construction companies approach business, but the UK has a long way to go if its industry is to keep pace with its European rivals. This new world is based on digitisation, which blurs the line between the virtual and the physical. Connected products and “smart” machines [...]
Leviathan’s tentacles: How the true size of the state is hidden from the electorate April 7, 2016 The Institute of Economic Affairs published a “Nanny State” Index last week, showing the UK was the third most meddling country in the EU for intervening in lifestyle choices around cigarettes, tobacco, food and alcohol. This reminds us yet again that the Total Intervention Index (TII) for the state includes both tax and spend and [...]
Why over-estimating the risk of terror just hands victory to the terrorists April 7, 2016 The terrible attacks in Belgium last month have further escalated fears of terrorism across Europe. As a result, policy-makers all over the continent are calling for new measures to fight extremism and populist politicians have been quick to demand the closure of Europe’s borders. But the clear risk is that the costs of such measures could [...]
Following defeat in the Wisconsin primary, has Donald Trump now lost his chance of securing the Republican nomination? April 7, 2016 Ewan Watt, a writer on state and national issues in the US (writing strictly in a personal capacity), says Yes. Not since a wounded Gerald Ford saw off a challenge from Ronald Reagan in 1976 has the Republican Party witnessed a contested convention. That might all be about to change. Even though Donald Trump still enjoys a [...]
The madness of chancellor George? The UK’s current account deficit is leading us into a debt trap April 6, 2016 In economics there are few unrelated events, so Britain’s whopping current account deficit (seven per cent of GDP) for the final months of 2015 is the latest wake-up call for bigger future problems. Deficits of this size warn of trade uncompetitiveness, but more worryingly the latest jump underscores the sharper on-going deterioration in overall UK private [...]
Competition works as cabbies up their game in the long-running battle with Uber April 6, 2016 The long-running battle between Uber and black cabs may be drawing to a civilised conclusion, and we can thank the beneficial forces of market competition for calming this mighty feud. Faced with the realisation that Uber isn’t going anywhere, the black cab industry has taken the sensible and welcome step of deciding to compete with [...]
The EU is adding fuel to the Brexit fire through new burdens on technology startups April 6, 2016 You might think, given Europe’s anaemic rate of growth and enduringly high levels of unemployment, that Brussels would be doing all it can to encourage small tech businesses to grow. After all, the evidence shows that SMEs are the motors of job creation and technology companies provide the best chance of new high-value, high-wage employment. [...]