Israel’s elections are another nail in the coffin for Middle East stability March 22, 2015 Let us be clear. It isn’t that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to win an upset re-election victory in Israel’s parliamentary elections last week that spells the definitive end of the Middle East peace process; it’s the manner in which he did so. With the last opinion polls before the election showing him decisively losing [...]
The City thrives because it’s open to global talent: Don’t pull up the drawbridge March 22, 2015 This week, the City of London will host one of the UK’s major set-piece foreign affairs events. Foreign secretary Philip Hammond and I will address all the ambassadors to the United Kingdom, and other high-level Diplomatic Corps, at the Mansion House. Our focus is the “commercial diplomacy” that is at the heart of the UK’s [...]
Britons are back in love with borrowing – and it spells big trouble ahead March 22, 2015 There was a decisive shift in consumer behaviour last year, according to our latest Precious Plastic study. Published today, it charts Britons’ borrowing habits and their attitudes to debt. Over the previous five years, amid the post financial crisis recession, Britons retrenched, paying back almost a quarter of their consumer credit. However, once student debt [...]
As the Bank’s chief economist suggested, are interest rates as likely to fall as they are to rise? March 22, 2015 Adam Memon, head of economic research at the Centre for Policy Studies, says Yes. The Bank of England has kept interest rates at 0.5 per cent for six years; far longer than anyone imagined back in 2009. This extraordinary monetary stimulus has played an important role in the UK’s recovery. Nevertheless, the fact that the [...]
The one reason people trust Coca-Cola more than David Cameron March 20, 2015 Barack Obama reading trolls’ tweets on Jimmy Kimmel, Yanis Varoufakis in a lifestyle shoot in Paris Match, David Cameron on Buzzfeed (or “The Buzzfeed”, as he likes to call it). In our celebrity-obsessed world, we want to see the human side of our politicians. For this reason, a politician’s “brand” is critical. Why do you [...]
Budget 2015: George Osborne’s fiscal tricks are as bad as Gordon Brown’s: We need an umpire March 19, 2015 No New Zealander likes to be reminded of the infamous “underarm incident”. Cricketer Brian McKechnie, facing the final ball of a hard-fought series, needed six runs to clinch it for New Zealand. The Australian bowler walked in and rolled the ball – underarm – down the pitch to McKechnie. Even the Australian Prime Minister was [...]
Why you’ll need to abandon your privacy to embrace the driverless car revolution March 19, 2015 Driverless cars have hit Britain’s roads. The BAE Wildcat, a modified military jeep developed by the aerospace company, has been seen out and about in Bristol, while autonomous Lutz pods have been driving around public areas in Milton Keynes and Coventry. By 2030, autonomous vehicles are expected to reach a level of safety and sophistication [...]
Rise, Sir Taxpayer: Why we should knight those who contribute the most March 19, 2015 Election campaigns are about finding and emphasising disagreements between the parties. But wouldn’t it be much simpler for voters if politicians signed up to a statement of common ground, and then kept arguments to a limited number of defining issues? With this (unlikely) scenario in mind, I want to suggest a new idea that all [...]
Is the ECB speaking too soon in saying that QE is already helping the Eurozone economy? March 19, 2015 Danae Kyriakopoulou, an economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says Yes Central bankers in Frankfurt have been patting each other on the back as the euro has continued to slide. At first glance, why shouldn’t they? Their QE has sent the euro tumbling, making Eurozone exports more competitive and raising prospects for [...]
On life, taxes and Osborne’s chance to beat a £20bn target March 18, 2015 If taxes are one of life’s few certainties, then taxes on banks are becoming just as predictable. Just when HSBC thought its lot could not get any tougher, up pops George Osborne with his bi-annual hike to the rate of the charge on lenders’ balance sheets. The chancellor’s final pre-General Election Budget included a commitment [...]