Rochester killed the politics of triangulation – and that’s bad news for Ukip November 23, 2014 Labour and the Conservatives have just gone another 12 rounds with Ukip, and lost. The inexorable rise of Ukip and the Rochester by-election result last week have their origins in strategic calculations made by parties in the 1990s. The rise of the Third Way and the politics of triangulation, pioneered by Bill Clinton, brought to [...]
Business can’t rely on government to allay immigration anxiety November 23, 2014 The question of how to talk about immigration is one of the most convoluted of our time, despite the pivotal role migrants play in our economy. As the Conservative Party loses another seat to Ukip and anti-immigration rhetoric continues to influence the debate, it is clear that something is wrong with our conversation. On Thursday, [...]
As public borrowing remains high, is Osborne’s failure to tackle the deficit a cause for concern? November 23, 2014 David Kern is chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, says Yes. October’s public finance figures have provided further evidence that the government’s plan to reduce Britain’s deficit in the current financial year is unlikely to be realised. It’s a major concern that the deficit has remained unsustainably large since the crisis, and progress [...]
The poorest will suffer if we force renewable energy on the developing world November 20, 2014 YESTERDAY, the UK announced a contribution of about £720m to the Green Climate Fund, a UN initiative designed to help poor countries cope with climate change. It is right for rich countries to assist the developing world in their efforts to adapt to climate impacts, but they should not burden them with costly decarbonisation schemes. [...]
Rehabilitating Blair: Politicians must revive the spirit of radical NHS reform November 20, 2014 WE NEED to have a serious talk. The topic may be painful. Being faced with the warts of a much-loved figure often is. But it is crueller by far to let it die the death of a thousand cuts, a thousand scandals, and tens of thousands of needless deaths. The NHS – the jewel in [...]
This crude EU bonus cap will jeopardise efforts to really reform banker pay November 20, 2014 NIILO Jaaskinen, advocate general at the European Court of Justice (ECJ), recommended yesterday that the court should reject the UK’s challenge to the EU’s cap on bankers’ bonuses, which restricts bonuses to 100 per cent of a banker’s pay (or 200 per cent with shareholder approval). This wasn’t a big surprise, and it won’t have [...]
As RBS is fined for its 2012 computer failure, are IT meltdowns the biggest risk to banks? November 20, 2014 Paul Thomalla, senior vice-president and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at ACI Worldwide, says Yes. The antiquated IT infrastructure of many of our biggest financial institutions is a ticking time bomb. The payments community has been warning for years that it isn’t up to scratch, but retail banks have been like [...]
Only direct democracy can save Britain’s businesses from this rising populist tide November 19, 2014 WHEN the clowns start talking politics, alarm bells should be ringing not just about the state of our democracy but also the prospects for our economy. Russell Brand’s interventions may have faced ridicule, but it is worth reflecting on why such a blatant attention-seeker should be capturing the popular mood. After all, Brand’s book Revolution [...]
Selling public land is just the start: Three steps to solve London’s housing crisis November 19, 2014 WE HAVE got to the stage that, if you don’t know there’s a serious housing shortage in London, I’d assume you must be living in a cave. This shortage comes with increasingly obvious social and economic ramifications. London First recently published research showing that more than half of workers (56 per cent) have difficulties paying [...]
Abolishing the beer tie would be terrible news for British pub-goers November 19, 2014 THE British pub is much-loved, but they have experienced a difficult few years. Changing consumer tastes and the challenging economic environment of recent years have made life tough for pub landlords and companies like Punch. We are now on the road to recovery. At Punch, we were planning to invest over £400m over the next [...]