Snooper’s Charter will undermine UK tech firms February 1, 2016 London’s technology scene is booming. To get an understanding of the scale of this growth, just consider that investment in the sector was ten times higher in 2015 than it was in 2010, with over $2bn (£1.4bn) of venture capital invested in the city last year. Half of this came from the UK, with 29 [...]
The EU’s mask has slipped: The dogma of political union is all that matters February 1, 2016 I have been fascinated by strategic simulations, or war games, since I was called upon to play them for various American diplomatic and intelligence services during my years in Washington. Games – if they are well enough designed to approximate reality and have good enough players – almost always get at hidden truths, and tend [...]
Falling oil prices are an opportunity for the City to help the Gulf States diversify February 1, 2016 I returned last week from an eight-day business visit to the Gulf, during which I moved between Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Every lord mayor in recent memory has made a point of visiting the Gulf, not just because of its economic importance but because the City can support the region’s countries in [...]
Cash isn’t dead and it isn’t even dying: Society won’t accept the demise of the humble banknote February 1, 2016 Seemingly every other day we see yet another article forecasting the death of cash and telling us that we will soon be making everyday transactions with wearable payment technology. Of course, the more tech-savvy of us probably will be, and many already are, but is the general UK consumer really ready and willing to adopt [...]
London house prices: Housebuilding is falling in the capital – so rip up planning rules and start again January 29, 2016 Help to Buy. The Help to Buy Isa. NewBuy. Right to Buy. Shared ownership. As the housing crisis worsened in recent years, there was no shortage of government schemes aimed at helping first-time buyers reach that crucial bottom rung on the housing ladder. In the capital, it is becoming increasingly obvious gentle encouragement from George [...]
Excessive politeness breeds poor quality work: What’s the point of praising people for incompetence? January 29, 2016 I recently came across a taped phone call in which a Tory MP snaps “shut up” at her caseworker. At the time of its release, the call prompted widespread accusations of bullying, and the caseworker went to the media complaining about the lack of “sympathy” she had received from her boss. How mild-mannered and proper [...]
Forget a tech bubble: This is the start of 50-year Digital Revolution January 29, 2016 The possibility that we are in a “tech bubble” is a hot and much contended issue in both Europe and the US. So why all the concern? Many market analysts and experts, drawing on comparisons with the dot-com crash, are warning of a similar trend in the current tech industry, characterised by inflated company valuations [...]
Lower emissions, bigger economic impact: Time to celebrate our world-beating aviation sector January 29, 2016 The environmental impact of UK aviation, from CO2 emissions to noise, has been a key focus of the debate about the sector in recent years. And that focus has only intensified over the last year, with ongoing political discussion about airport expansion in the South East. While the government continues to agonise over where to expand [...]
The Brexit disaster movie won’t happen – Britain can secure the deals it needs for a strong future outside the EU January 29, 2016 Something strange is happening to Britain’s Europhiles. Over the past few years I have had the great pleasure of debating many talented and articulate spokespeople. But recently, there has been a bizarre trend among those who want Britain to stay in the EU at all costs. They now seem to spend their time describing a fantasy [...]
With GDP up 0.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2015, should we worry that services are propping up growth? January 29, 2016 Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, says Yes. The dependence on services is a concern, but no surprise. Manufacturing, more exposed to overseas competition and demand, was faring well in 2014, before being hit by a strong pound and weak global growth. But this leaves us with an upturn that remains reliant largely on [...]