Our obsession with inequality is dangerous – the emerging world knows better October 20, 2014 Forget political polls and voting intentions. The most important survey of recent months came from Pew Research on the attitudes of populations worldwide to capitalism and inequality. As many Western economies labour under the strain of slow growth, an intellectual narrative has taken hold, arguing that free market capitalism causes unacceptable levels of inequality. But [...]
London is no Silicon Valley – here’s why that may be a good thing October 20, 2014 Geeks and startup types are again gathering today in Billingsgate for TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference, a celebration of London’s tech sector. There’s a lot to celebrate: the sector hasn’t been this hot since the days of the dot-com boom. Investors are toasting two billion-dollar exits this year: games designers Natural Motion and artificial intelligence wizards Deep [...]
As the FTSE slips back, could the recent panic in global equity markets continue? October 20, 2014 Kerry Craig, global market strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management, says Yes. We have been warning investors to expect more bumps, and this is exactly what we are seeing. During the summer, many worried that very low levels of market volatility spelt investor complacency – now, there is concern that volatility has swung the other [...]
Ebola to Ukraine: The West has failed to pay the piper – with terrible results October 19, 2014 Something truly terrible happened in Hamelin, Germany in the early Middle Ages, something so dire it has become embedded in western consciousness as the fairy tale “The Pied Piper.” Whether the town experienced a severe case of the Black Death, a rush of emigration to Eastern Europe, suffered through the Children’s Crusade, or was the [...]
If London didn’t have a lord mayor, it would be in our interests to invent one – City Matters October 19, 2014 What is the role of the lord mayor in the twenty-first century?” It is a common question that has been posed to me and my recent predecessors countless times. The role has come a long way since the era of four-time incumbent Richard Whittington, immortalised in pantomime. Some parts have remained the same – [...]
Don’t let Ukip define the terms of the EU debate October 19, 2014 Ukip’s rise has led to fear in Westminster. Politicians see how the party has gained momentum, and they fret about the impact on the outcome of the general election next year, and in some cases their own jobs. This anxiety is having several consequences. Eurosceptic voices have become bolder, and balanced debate has become rarer. [...]
As Labour proposes giving football fans seats on club boards, would this improve the sport? October 19, 2014 Robin Osterley is chief executive of Supporters Direct, says Yes. Pretty much everyone working in the game likes to argue that football clubs are a special form of business that hold a very significant place in cultural and social terms – not just as actual sports businesses. Clubs are prepared to invest significantly in promoting [...]
How to keep your cool in a job interview October 17, 2014 A big job interview can be one of the most stressful things you will do in your professional life. So much is riding on such a short amount of time. Your future earnings, your home and where it is, your lifestyle, how you and your family live and how your kids are educated – and [...]
The new iPlod: How Apple’s iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 disprove Darwin’s theory with pure brand power October 17, 2014 If Darwin really did say it’s not the strongest or most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change, then the world of mobile tech had better watch out. The lumbering dinosaur that was once Nokia wonderfully proves the point: one moment all conquering and powerful, the next gobbled-up by Microsoft [...]
Patent trolls are a threat to competitive markets – and the UK may not be immune October 16, 2014 LONDON’s technology sector is booming. Driven by big venture capital investments (tech firms attracted a record $1bn in the first nine months of 2014), and encompassing everything from finance to fashion, it is one of our greatest recent success stories. But this nascent sector also faces a worrying potential threat. A fresh menace to the [...]