Green Belt shouldn’t be sacred: It can help solve London’s housing crisis February 25, 2015 There’s a good chance that, when you picture the Green Belt, it’s scenes of parkland, forests, and wetlands, thronging with animal and birdlife, that come to mind. So here is a question for you: how much of London’s Green Belt do you think is actually made up of environmentally-protected land, parks and public access land? [...]
As senior Tories call for him to play a big role in the campaign, should the party bank on Boris Johnson? February 25, 2015 Charles Lewington, managing director of Hanover Communications, says Yes Giving Boris a prominent role in the campaign may not have a dramatic effect on the election result, but if the Tories are going to win enough seats to form a government (especially in London), they need to use every asset at their disposal. When Boris [...]
Islamic State earnings call: The terrorist group’s finances point to a difficult year ahead February 24, 2015 The first quarter of every year brings a blizzard of financial reporting, as companies reflect on the past year’s achievements and (most often) make promises of greater things to come. Governments are no different, particularly in an election year. This quarter has seen record earnings from Apple, tax cut promises from the Tories, and anti-austerity [...]
The Oscars are over, but popular culture is still a driving force behind inequality February 24, 2015 The Oscars have come and gone for another year. Winning an Academy Award is very often the basis for either making a fortune or turning an existing one into mega riches. Jack Nicholson has an estimated net worth of over $400m, and stars like Tom Hanks and Robert De Niro are not far behind. Even [...]
There’s nothing dirty about profit – we have to stop demonising it February 24, 2015 It’s very difficult for companies to thrive and grow without the trust of consumers and employees. That’s why we launched the Great Business Debate, the CBI’s trust in business campaign, to combat myths and encourage a constructive conversation about what business does and how it does it. We also recognise that people’s direct experience of [...]
With Eurogroup approval for Greece’s reform plans, is Grexit now significantly less likely? February 24, 2015 Christian Schulz, senior economist at Berenberg, says Yes Greece’s list of reforms allows the Eurozone to extend the bailout. That keeps the economy afloat, as the European Central Bank can continue funding Greek banks. Capital flight should slow, and economic sentiment and tax revenues should stabilise – averting a catastrophic funding crisis that could have [...]
Five policies that will transform the UK into a truly capital-owning democracy February 23, 2015 As a nation, we are bad at saving. While the reasons for this are many and varied, the belief that house prices are a one-way bet, the design of our welfare system, and the inability of humans to properly judge their future financial needs all contribute to UK households putting less aside than their counterparts [...]
Forget cutting tuition fees – student finance needs a complete overhaul February 23, 2015 In an age of big challenges, the general election campaign seems to be throwing up a host of small ideas. The Labour Party is currently quibbling internally over how to finance a policy of cutting the cap on regulated tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000, for example. It’s unclear what problem this purports to solve. [...]
Britain’s legal sector is leading the world: It’s time we celebrated it February 23, 2015 This week, more than 2,000 delegates – lawyers, business leaders and ministers from around the world – are descending on London for the UK’s first Global Law Summit. Two years in the planning, its genesis lies in the government’s desire to promote the UK’s international standing in legal services in an increasingly competitive world-wide market. [...]
Following the latest cash for access allegations, should MPs be prohibited from outside work? February 23, 2015 Angela Eagle MP is shadow leader of the House of Commons, says Yes Voters rightly expect their MP to be representing them full-time – not earning thousands of pounds of extra money on the side. We must draw a line under these lobbying scandals, which do so much to undermine public trust in politics. That’s [...]