A Whitehall balance sheet will revolutionise the public finances debate February 4, 2015 With the General Election less than 100 days away, a central aspect of all party manifestos will be how best to reduce our public debt and deficit. In yesterday’s IFS Green Budget, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) contributed a chapter looking at the UK’s public finances. We believe that it [...]
Tech firms’ confidence will help us build a UK Facebook or Google February 4, 2015 Tech City’s UK’s Tech Nation report today confirms what many of us in the tech sector have long known to be true: the UK’s digital businesses are flourishing and are set to become even more vital to our economy in the next few years. Fortune favours the brave, and we have the potential in this [...]
Why a failure to update archaic laws will hinder the rise of the smart city February 3, 2015 With Uber and Google now going head to head in the battle to develop driverless car technology, the spotlight has fallen once again on the concept of the Smart City. There is no absolute definition of what a smart city is. But the broad idea is to use digital technologies to create more efficient, responsive, [...]
Can game theory save the Greeks from euro oblivion? Don’t count on it February 3, 2015 Game theory is a big topic in academic economics. Indeed, it is scarcely possible to graduate from a good university without exposure to its abstruse logic. So perhaps the Greek government, replete with economists, is using game theory to plan its tactics for the coming negotiations with its creditors. Or is Chancellor Merkel herself being [...]
Paying lip service to CSR won’t help companies recover lost public trust February 3, 2015 How companies play a part in society and are viewed by the communities they serve remains a crucial challenge for business leaders. Since the financial crisis, confidence that businesses will “do the right thing” has never been lower. Restoring that credibility should be high on the agenda for every leader today. Often, businesses will point [...]
Will the Tory plan to give English MPs a veto on England-only issues kill the United Kingdom? February 3, 2015 Mark Wallace is executive editor of ConservativeHome, says Yes Tony Blair fudged devolution in the late 1990s, leaving us with an incomplete and unequal arrangement which has driven the Union right to the brink. A 2015 fudge won’t do anything to preserve it from nationalist ambitions north of the border or growing resentment to its [...]
What to consider when writing a speech February 3, 2015 Writing a speech is a daunting task for anyone. Sitting in front of a depressingly blank piece of paper or a blank screen, you can go around in circles. You are thinking about how to start, what to say, what to miss out, how to get your ideas out, how to communicate in a coherent [...]
London airport expansion: Parties must pledge action now before we fall further behind February 2, 2015 Today, the Airports Commission’s public consultation on the three shortlisted proposals for airports expansion – which include a third runway at Heathrow, extending an existing Heathrow runway, or a second runway at Gatwick – at long last comes to an end. By the time Sir Howard Davies publishes his final recommendations later this year, we [...]
How paving over London’s rail routes could end the miserable commuter squeeze February 2, 2015 London’s population is forecast to hit 10m in 2030 and it’s difficult to see how the transport system will cope. A high proportion of commuters already endure severe overcrowding, standing in jam-packed carriages or even struggling to find enough space to get on trains. The government sees additional rail capacity as the best way to [...]
Government surveillance policy is having a chilling impact on UK tech firms February 2, 2015 Does the digital economy matter to this government? If this question were asked anywhere in Whitehall, the answer would be a resounding yes. After all, the government has prided itself on being the most digital friendly yet; setting up Tech City, pouring in millions of pounds of investment, and leading on a digital-by-default agenda. [...]