As Marine Le Pen secures victory in France’s regional elections, does she have a chance of winning the presidency? December 7, 2015 Dr Paul Smith, associate professor in French and francophone studies at Nottingham University, says Yes We cannot dismiss the possibility of Marine Le Pen winning the 2017 presidential election. The Front National’s national vote on Sunday was a shade under 30 per cent, and this would get her through to the second round of the [...]
A Finnish plan to clean up the welfare mess December 7, 2015 Just days after George Osborne announced his latest mass of adjustments to Britain’s tax and spend system, reports from Finland revealed that its government is looking into a somewhat simpler policy – giving each Finn €800 (£576) a month. This may seem like madness. Why, I’m sure many of you will ask, should folk be [...]
Syria crisis: How to defeat Isis in five steps without misleading the public December 6, 2015 While the Prime Minister searches in vain for the 70,000 moderate Syrian troops on the ground he disingenuously promised were just waiting for UK air strikes to begin before they rose up against Isis, I thought we might better occupy our time by actually laying out how the terror state can be strategically defeated. Ironically, [...]
The City must get behind the European Commission’s sensible financial reforms December 6, 2015 The City played host to speeches by EU commissioner Jonathan Hill and the finance minister of Luxembourg Pierre Gramegna last Tuesday. The subject up for discussion was the Capital Markets Union – an excellent example of where the European Commission is taking a pragmatic approach in linking saving more effectively with growth and helping firms [...]
Heathrow has always been the answer – now there’s finally the political support for expansion December 6, 2015 UK infrastructure projects don’t tend to be speedy. Plans for a railway linking Paddington station to the City of London and the docks were approved by Parliament in the 1880s – but Crossrail will only be fully operational in 2019. William Gladstone, as chancellor of the Exchequer, was presented with a proposal for a tunnel [...]
After several warnings over energy supply, should Britain expect blackouts this winter? December 6, 2015 Lord Redesdale, head of the Energy Managers’ Association, says Yes. I wholly expect blackouts or brownouts this winter. Last year, there was a capacity margin of just 1.5 per cent in London. Last month, National Grid asked firms to reduce their power demand immediately, issuing a demand-side balancing reserve (DSBR) notice. This was in the [...]
Venezuela’s socialists are staring at defeat ahead of this weekend’s election December 4, 2015 People in Venezuela were asked, earlier this year, to name any “very big problems” in their country. Eighty-four per cent cited a shortage of basic goods. Eighty-two per cent said crime. Three quarters referred to healthcare, which is little surprise given that Venezuela’s hospitals are in crisis. Even less surprising is the fact that, topping the [...]
The US buyback frenzy should worry investors everywhere December 3, 2015 Twenty-five years ago, when I first started in the City, I remember share buybacks being viewed as a sign of weakness, a policy of last resort once all other growth options had been exhausted. To be fair, it was already a more established trend in the US, corporates there having shifted from a predominantly “retain-and-invest” [...]
How David Cameron can expand London’s Heathrow Airport without breaking his third runway pledge December 3, 2015 As the week draws to a close, there is some consternation that the anticipated government ruling on airport expansion, with ministers due to decide whether or not to reject the Airports Commission’s recommendation for a third runway at Heathrow, has – for obvious reasons – been deferred. Many business leaders have voiced their frustration. In [...]
City beware: The Serious Fraud Office has got its mojo back December 3, 2015 There have been times when the performance of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has left many, especially those in the City, with the impression that it is not fit for the purpose for which it was designed. Critics have had no shortage of ammunition: the SFO’s history is littered with controversy, criticism and setbacks. The [...]