Why the NHS now needs a radical strategy for survival March 31, 2014 THERE’S a new boss at the NHS. Today, Simon Stevens takes up the reins as chief executive of NHS England, the quango now responsible for the vast majority of the health service’s £100bn budget. Back in October, many welcomed his appointment to the top job in the NHS. After working for Tony Blair and Alan [...]
The Clegg cliché: How politicians turn fact into fiction March 31, 2014 IT’S TIME to cast aside the dogma and look at the facts”. Sound familiar? Anyone who watched last week’s Europe debate between Nigel Farage and Nick Clegg would have seen the latter use lines like this. But this is more than just rhetorical cliché. It’s part of a narrative that permeates far more widely than [...]
Businesses are ready to spend – but government can make it easier March 31, 2014 AGAINST a range of improving economic indicators, one metric has remained stubbornly sluggish: business investment. A well-balanced recovery requires a significant rise in corporate investment and a shift away from consumer-led growth. Deloitte’s most recent CFO Survey found that risk appetite is at a six-year high, while just 20 members of the FTSE 100 hold cash [...]
Globalisation isn’t keeping us safe – it’s blunting our punishment of Putin March 30, 2014 CALAMITIES often serve a useful purpose in foreign policy, overturning intellectual sacred cows that – until they so dramatically reveal themselves as unfit for purpose – pass for received wisdom. The long-held leftish shibboleth of interdependence presently seems ripe for the chopping block. This cherished nostrum declares that, since countries’ economic affairs are intertwined, mainstream [...]
City Matters: Companies must work with schools to fix Britain’s growing skills shortage March 30, 2014 THE KEY factor behind the success of any business – or indeed city – is its people. The capital is an international business hub, home to hundreds of different nationalities. But it must also demonstrate the local benefits for “ordinary” Londoners, especially young individuals looking to get their first foothold on the employment ladder. That [...]
A worrying drop in trust is endangering business March 30, 2014 TODAY marks the start of Responsible Business Week, Business in the Community’s annual initiative to inspire and equip businesses to do more to meet the world’s most pressing challenges. As society faces up to demographic changes, resource scarcity, the shift in economic power, and accelerating urbanisation, business has a powerful opportunity to make a positive [...]
Letters to the Editor – 31/03 – Energy market, Best of Twitter March 30, 2014 Energy market City AM’s suggestion that Ofgem has given in to politicians by proposing that the energy market is referred to the Competition and Markets Authority for investigation is completely untrue. The competition assessment was carried out by three independent regulators, Ofgem, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Markets Authority. Ofgem’s decision [...]
City & Gild: Does low cost have to equal low expectations? March 28, 2014 Easyjet has announced that it is cutting its expected pre-tax losses, with CEO Carolyn McCall attributing its success to “progress against strategic priorities”. One of those key priorities is allocated seating, introduced by the budget airline in November 2012 and very well-received by its customers. I have the frequent displeasure of flying Ryanair and have [...]
Letters to the Editor – 28/03 – Crossrail 2, Virtual future, Best of Twitter March 28, 2014 Crossrail 2 [Re: London will come to a standstill if we delay Crossrail 2, yesterday] Far from demonstrating a lack of political will on Crossrail 2, the mayor has long been the driving force behind getting this vital project moving. He strongly believes it is critical to boosting capacity and galvanising economic growth, which is [...]
Don’t just blame energy giants: Government is blunting competition March 27, 2014 IT IS not entirely unwelcome that the energy industry has been referred to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) by Ofgem. It may lance a festering boil; it may do some good. However, this will only be the case if the investigation is handled correctly. Too often, competition inquiries have created huge uncertainty and disruption. [...]