Labour must ditch tribalism to reclaim London’s suburbs May 11, 2015 There is no getting away from it: last Thursday’s result was a crushing defeat for the Labour Party. This new era requires a new generation of leaders, who must have a vision that appeals across political and geographical divides, and the ability to reach beyond Labour’s core base. Those who turned away from Labour need [...]
As licence fee critic John Whittingdale is made culture secretary, is this bad news for the BBC? May 11, 2015 Sam Bowman, deputy director of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes John Whittingdale has described the licence fee as being “worse than a poll tax,” and wants to decriminalise non-payment. That is a good idea: 10 per cent of magistrate court cases are for licence fee non-payment. Every week that means 3,000 people are fined [...]
Memo to the Prime Minister: How you can save the Union from destruction May 10, 2015 To: Prime Minister David Cameron Re: Saving Scotland Mr Prime Minister, let me congratulate you on your famous victory, which almost none of us – including myself – saw coming. You have accomplished the almost impossible, securing an increase in parliamentary representation (of 24 seats) for an incumbent party after a full term [...]
Referendum opponents must now get behind the push for EU reform May 10, 2015 Not many people predicted Thursday’s monumental shift in the political tectonics, least of all the people paid to make the predictions, the pollsters. But there was one politician who foresaw the total collapse of the Liberal Democrats that contributed so largely to the Tory majority we have today. The result means that very same politician [...]
Twin threats of Brexit and Scoxit will mar a good result for the City May 10, 2015 “Were you up for Balls?” Or more likely, “were you up in time for Balls?” Reminiscent of “were you up for Portillo in 1997?”, former shadow chancellor Ed Balls’s loss of his seat was one of the most memorable moments in an astonishing General Election which will have far reaching implications for the country. It [...]
After an utterly disastrous election, is there a future for the Labour party as a political force? May 10, 2015 Chris Rumfitt, chief executive of Corporate Reputation Consulting, says Yes. There is no understating the scale of Labour’s defeat last week. Almost wiped out in Scotland, the party fared little better in England, where it barely made inroads into the Tories – even against the low water mark of 2010. But Labour can bounce back [...]
Why the next government must not take economic recovery for granted May 7, 2015 With results still likely to be trickling in from yesterday’s General Election, it is worth reminding ourselves that, whichever party – or combination of parties – ends up forming the next government, they will be faced with the same economic conditions. By and large, these are fairly good. But the recovery should not be taken [...]
It’s crunch time for London’s competitiveness – and alarm bells are ringing May 7, 2015 THE BIG question for London’s business community this morning is this: will our new government, whatever its make-up, help keep Britain open for business? London gives the UK a place on the world stage, and is the country’s principal gateway for investment and tourism. Last year, the city’s success allowed it to contribute £34bn more [...]
Why biotechnology is brewing a big bubble May 7, 2015 THE dot-com bubble of the 2000s is remembered as a period of mania, when investors cast aside time-honoured principles of how to analyse corporate health. In a kind of mass hysteria, sensible metrics such as sales, profit growth and cashflow were cast aside, and the market went bananas for fast-growing firms with plans to change [...]
As EU leaders say Grexit would be catastrophic, can we expect a deal sooner rather than later? May 7, 2015 Christian Schulz is senior economist at Berenberg, says Yes Syriza’s devastating reform reversals and reckless negotiating have weakened Greece so much that it will soon have to accept Troika demands. Empty public coffers, record deposit outflows, dwindling taxpayer morale, the Tsipras recession and the predictable failure to get Russian or Chinese funding have left Athens [...]