City Matters: Why Britain should be watching Italy’s reformist new leadership closely April 14, 2014 THE TURNOVER of Italian governments has been a regular feature of the European political structure for many years. Matteo Renzi’s recent elevation into the Prime Minister’s position has therefore been regarded in some quarters with ennui. He faces formidable challenges – not least questionable support within the Parliament, and attempting to reform the Italian political [...]
The airport debate has forgotten free markets April 14, 2014 IF YOU’VE ever wondered why the airport capacity debate has become so problematic, two contributions last week, each exemplifying one of the camps by which it is dominated, show why. First, International Airlines Group chief executive Willie Walsh warned that the UK economy risks falling behind if the government blocks airport expansion. He pointed to [...]
Letters to the Editor – 14/04 – Let the people vote, Housing bank, Best of Twitter April 14, 2014 Let the people vote [Re: Let voters kick out MPs between elections and watch standards soar, Thursday] The right to recall is a vital addition to Britain’s democratic toolkit. Some argue that it would mark the end of representative democracy – our MPs would become delegates, following the whim of public opinion. But who can [...]
City & Gild: Cities are brands too April 11, 2014 What is the brand of London, how is it being managed, who runs it and are we really capitalising on our greatest national asset? On landing into Heathrow recently, I was greeted with the same multi-storey billboards for the Tower of London that have been in place for years. But a few smiling Beefeaters stirred [...]
Letters to the Editor – 11/04 – Thatcher’s children, Problem with MBAs, Best of Twitter April 10, 2014 Thatcher’s children [Re: Why Sajid Javid could soon become the Tories’ great hope, yesterday] If the Conservative party wishes to win the 2015 election, it desperately needs a new leader and a change of political direction that encompasses the views of the electorate. Javid may be the only person who could pull off this dramatic [...]
Osborne may have sounded the death knell for private pensions April 10, 2014 THERE is a scene in The Italian Job in which the gang is testing how to gain access to the contents of a security van. The resulting explosion destroys the vehicle, prompting Michael Caine to comment, “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” Similar sentiments could be expressed about the Budget’s consequences [...]
Why Britain needs a culture secretary who cares about liberty – not art April 10, 2014 A CULTURE secretary from the Treasury – it is what John Maynard Keynes, the founder of the Arts Council, would have wanted. That hasn’t been the mainstream reaction: Sajid Javid, newly-appointed to the Cabinet in the wake of Maria Miller’s departure, has been given a cool reception from arts quarters. A former banker, an economic [...]
The boardroom debate needs to move beyond gender April 10, 2014 WEAK and ineffectual boards are a risk to the health of their companies and to the whole UK economy. As the Flowers chairmanship of Co-op Bank showed, a board that does not contain the right mix of skills and experience will not be able to prevent mistakes from happening. We need financial and technical experts [...]
Letters to the Editor – 10/04 – Housebuilding, Liberal vision, Best of Twitter April 9, 2014 Housebuilding [Re: How London can smash through the brick ceiling limiting housing supply, yesterday] A better idea would be to abolish the contradictory demand that developers build “affordable housing”, which actually puts the price of other properties up, thereby harming affordability. The housebuilding market is effectively constrained by such entry barriers. They mean that most development [...]
Why Britain’s changing economy needs a fresh monetary strategy April 9, 2014 THE PICK-UP in UK economic growth, which started last year, has continued into 2014 and appears to have gathered further momentum. Earlier this week, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Economic Survey painted a picture of strong demand at home and abroad in both manufacturing and services industries. The survey also showed that companies are [...]