Don’t silence Lord Lawson: We can’t leave climate change policy to the scientists July 14, 2014 The row between former chancellor Lord Lawson and the BBC has escalated over the past week. In a letter to a green activist, the head of the Beeb’s Editorial Complaints Unit Fraser Steel has reportedly apologised for Lawson’s appearance on the BBC Today Programme to discuss climate change and the extensive flooding at the start [...]
Smithfield has been saved from destruction – now we must rescue it from neglect July 14, 2014 Eric Pickles’s rejection of the redevelopment plans for Smithfield Market will have been as surprising and unwelcome to the City of London as Germany’s stunning World Cup defeat of the home team was to Brazil on the same day. But for both, the events of last week could turn out to be a blessing in [...]
Will a tougher national interest test for takeovers hurt Britain’s standing as an open economy? July 14, 2014 Dr Roger Barker, head of corporate governance at the Institute of Directors, says Yes. We are concerned that any extension of the national interest test could increase the politicisation of the UK’s takeover process. We don’t want politicians to meddle in takeover decisions based on populist considerations or due to the influence of lobbying by [...]
This Middle East tragedy will become a catastrophe if Obama missteps now July 14, 2014 My wife recently passed along to me an almost unutterably beautiful video from the Royal Shakespeare Company. In it, Camille O’Sullivan performs “Daughter, Dear Daughter” from the Bard’s moving The Rape of Lucrece, giving voice to the universal anguish of a parent burying a child. It ends with the harrowing plea, “Then live, sweet Lucrece, [...]
City Matters: Why the frustrating rejection of Smithfield redevelopment helps no one July 14, 2014 In 2018, the first Crossrail trains will come roaring in to Farringdon Station and commuters will spill out along its 200m platform. Some of them will be working in the new office buildings going up on Farringdon Street, as the railway helps revitalise the area. None will be working in the new Smithfield Quarter building [...]
Sunday trading laws are outdated: They hurt us consumers in our wallets July 14, 2014 If you woke up early yesterday morning and thought it might be a good time to get the weekly shop done, you would have had to forget it. Sorry, this is England. If you want to go shopping, move to Scotland, where big supermarkets like Sainsbury’s open early and stay open until 10pm on a [...]
Free sex, no strings: The role of twerking in building a brand July 11, 2014 Gotya… As a client said to me last week [not related to free sex…], “Craig, I need brand sizzle” – baffled and with the scent of a juicy sausage in mind [references to sausage and shameless innuendo will be present throughout this article], ignoring the eternal client desire for brand fame became futile. [...]
Some emergency: Why Whitehall won’t give up control over your personal data July 10, 2014 ACCORDING to the Home Office, the Prime Minister, and other senior politicians, it is important that police and officials of all kinds should be able to look at your telephone and internet records. In fact, it is so important that Parliament must act today to pre-empt the application of an April ruling by the European [...]
Welcome to the banker-poets: Why creativity thrives in financial services July 10, 2014 Why should I let the toad work/ Squat on my life?” With the summer holiday season upon us, it’s easy, even in a hardworking and ambitious place like the City, for the mind to turn to the pleasures of life outside the office. But Philip Larkin’s bitter question shouldn’t get the better of us for [...]
London’s future growth depends on bridging the east Thames chasm July 10, 2014 London is growing – and it is growing eastwards. A combination of large-scale redevelopment projects and underdeveloped land means that east London is in demand for both new homes and jobs. Over a fifth of all developments underway in London today are taking place in Newham, Tower Hamlets and Greenwich, while over a third of [...]