The UK housing market needs Help to Supply – not Help to Buy May 21, 2014 THE UK housing market needs Help to Supply, not Help to Buy. The government’s housing scheme has helped first-time buyers get a leg-up onto the property ladder, but that privilege has come at a price – with house prices higher than otherwise, as the subsidy became capitalised in prices. The planning system has created a [...]
How regional cities can match London’s success May 21, 2014 BRITAIN’S cities face a challenge: the economy may be powering forward, but London and the south east so dominate economic performance that some commentators have been questioning if the capital is becoming overmighty. It may not have the population density of a Tokyo or Mexico City, but London is the Bric capital of the world [...]
Letters to the Editor – 21/05 – Miraculous Modi May 20, 2014 Miraculous Modi [Re: Why India’s political earthquake is the most significant turning point of 2014, Monday] John Hulsman’s euphoric eulogy on India’s “political earthquake” is fully understandable, but may I put forward some reservations? Newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi may want to clear India’s Augean Stables – the corruption that has been strongly embedded [...]
Why the City should vote Conservative in the EU elections May 20, 2014 TOMORROW Britain will go to the polls to vote in the European elections. The choice could not be clearer: while other parties talk, the Conservatives are the ones who will deliver in Europe. The other parties stand at the extreme: Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband on one side, both of [...]
Why the City should vote Labour in the EU elections May 20, 2014 AFTER over 30 years of working for world-leading financial institutions, I know that most people working in the City think of the Tories as both better for them personally through low income taxes, and more pro-business generally. But the facts have changed. Today, if you work in the City and vote Conservative, let alone Ukip, [...]
Why the City should vote Lib Dem in the EU elections May 20, 2014 LEAVING the EU is the surest way to pull the rug out from under the City’s feet. The Square Mile is Europe’s financial centre, with twice as many euro foreign exchange deals done in London than in any other country in the Eurozone. Holding our position at the heart of Europe is essential if we [...]
Why the City should vote Ukip in the EU elections May 20, 2014 TOMORROW you will be able to vote in a once in a generation election that really will have a lasting impact on the destiny of this great nation. You will either choose not to vote; vote for a party that wants to remain in the European Union; or vote Ukip – a party that believes [...]
Carney’s football talk masks a transparency issue: Income targeting could solve it May 20, 2014 SINCE joining the Bank of England last July, Mark Carney has been keen to talk a good game on central bank transparency. He has even made a few fledgling steps in the right direction. Many of the interviews the governor gives are with regional media operations. A cynic might suggest that he prefers the softer [...]
The global recovery is gathering pace – but Eurozone doubts remain May 20, 2014 WORRIES are growing about some Eurozone countries slipping back into double dip recession. By convention, a recession is when national output (GDP) has fallen for two successive quarters. But this is far from being news. In a substantial number of economies, output is lower than it was not just two quarters ago, but three whole [...]
Letters to the Editor – 20/05 – Google judgement, Best of Twitter May 19, 2014 Google judgement [Re: Is the “right to be forgotten” online a real danger to freedom in Europe? yesterday] The Google “right to be forgotten” judgement is about the protection of personal data on the internet, not the freedom of expression. Google cannot say that its processes are carried out “solely for journalistic purposes”. But journalists [...]