How John Lewis took over Christmas – and restored festive cheer to all Britons November 6, 2014 When I was young, Christmas was a magical time, filled with wonder and delight. But as I grew older, and Father Christmas was revealed for who he really was (thanks dad), the shine wore off. Sure, I still look forward to it, but the crass commercialisation has slowly chipped away at this special time, and [...]
Is Lord Hill right that everyone should calm down about the £1.7bn EU surcharge row? November 6, 2014 Alisdair McIntosh, director of Business for New Europe, says Yes. Lord Hill says that “the sensible thing now is to try to calm the situation down, and to look at the facts and look at a practical solution”. He’s right. The £1.7bn looks very different in context. It reflects adjustments over more than a decade, [...]
Lord Myners’ report into Royal Mail mustn’t get lost in the post November 5, 2014 It's the privatisation row that won’t go away. Royal Mail’s shares may have performed limply since their post-flotation peak earlier this year, but their initial surge makes it a safe bet that the sell-off will feature heavily during next year’s general election campaign. Two reports – from the National Audit Office and the Business [...]
Bitcoin is bust: Why investors should abandon the doomed cryptocurrency November 5, 2014 SINCE its inception, the market for bitcoin has experienced one of the most remarkable roller coaster rides of all time. Originally worth a fraction of one cent in 2009, the price of bitcoin rose to peak at not far short of $1,200 in December 2013. Since then, it has fallen erratically and is currently about [...]
London can solve its housing crisis – if the public sector stops sitting on land November 5, 2014 THERE is a wonderful description of London from 1622, written by the pamphleteer Donald Lupton. He evokes the “Great Beehive”, “swarming” with people, the capital “a glutton that desires always to be full”. Now the largest city in Europe, Lupton’s characterisation of 400 years ago will be one that many Londoners recognise today. Of course, [...]
The immigration debate has been poisoned – and the facts wilfully ignored November 5, 2014 This weekend, people across Europe will commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. They will celebrate the end of communism in Europe, the liberation of millions from totalitarianism, and the opening up of a continent to free movement between nations. In Britain, however, the politics of migration has become grubbier. Everybody [...]
As oil prices remain depressed, could this signal the end of the shale revolution? November 5, 2014 Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, says Yes. A period in which crude oil prices were below $80 per barrel would begin to hurt the US shale industry. Over the past four years, the average price of US-produced WTI crude has been north of $95 per barrel, and while this has triggered [...]
A devastating crisis of confidence is holding state school leavers back November 4, 2014 I WOULD love to believe that we now live in a meritocratic nation, in which success depends on talent and hard work, rather than connections and class. But it is evidently not so. Last week, the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) published a devastating study into the “old school tie” pay gap – analysing the [...]
Manchester is taking control of its own destiny: Other northern cities should follow November 4, 2014 THE NORTH is the flavour of the month. Wrangles over HS2 persist, and opposition to the scheme in the affluent Home Counties grows, but George Osborne is trumping this. His plans for High Speed 3, directly linking the Northern conurbations, have strong support. He has also announced that Greater Manchester will get its own directly-elected [...]
Holiday pay ruling: Three ways it will harm business November 4, 2014 Long after it was agreed, the EU Working Time Directive continues to pose a significant headache for business. Yesterday’s ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on holiday pay has its roots in a separate but related judgment from the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) earlier this year. It will continue to reverberate across the [...]