RBS’s mad rise and catastrophic fall can’t all be blamed on Fred Goodwin September 23, 2013 IN THE boom years at the start of the twenty-first century, the Royal Bank of Scotland management came up with a marketing slogan. They would – it promised customers and rivals – “Make It Happen”. In giant type, the words were emblazoned on airport billboards and printed on tons of promotional material. A four minute [...]
Ed Miliband wants to take Britain on a stealthy path towards socialism September 23, 2013 WHEN will you bring back socialism?” Ed Miliband was asked on Saturday. “That’s what we’re doing, sir…” Miliband replied. “…democratic socialism. And what is that about? That is about a country that works for all and not just for some.” Some might question Miliband’s understanding. As the economist Thomas Sowell once said: “Socialism… has a [...]
Merkel’s triumph may mean check mate for Cameron’s EU reforms September 23, 2013 WITHOUT doubt, the German election is the critical political contest of the year. Chancellor Angela Merkel has won the most resounding German electoral victory since 1957, coming a mere five seats short of an absolute majority in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house. The decisive re-election of David Cameron’s closest European ally must be good news [...]
Letters to the editor – 24/09 – German results, Shady chancellor, Best of Twitter September 23, 2013 German results [Re: What Germany’s shock election results mean for UK politics, yesterday] I would go a lot further than saying that “David Cameron is no Angela Merkel”. In fact, the Prime Minister is quite the opposite of Merkel. He has no clear vision to offer voters, and his personal popularity is a shadow of [...]
Forget Miliband: Today Ed Balls will define the terms of the next election September 22, 2013 TODAY’S speech by shadow chancellor Ed Balls is the most important event at this week’s Labour Conference. Ed Miliband will get all the attention, but Balls’ speech is the one that matters. What he says – and how he says it – will determine the fate of British politics for the next two years. Miliband [...]
City Matters: Why business must have a rational debate about the UK’s place in the EU September 22, 2013 THE EUROPEAN debate has always had a tendency to stir emotional responses on both sides that miss – or ignore – the real facts. That makes it all the more important to make the case for a rational analysis of our relationship with Brussels. And as part of this analysis, it is vital that we [...]
We can’t wait until 2015 while politicians dither over the UK airport crisis September 22, 2013 I LEARNED long ago not to listen to what politicians say, but to watch what they do. All parties pay lip-service to doing what it takes to be globally competitive, to create jobs and wealth in a fast-changing, ever more challenging world. But simply by doing nothing, those we elect to govern us are in [...]
Letters to the Editor – 23/09 – Future of gaming, Care robots, Best of Twitter September 22, 2013 Future of gaming [Re: Computer games have grown up – and they’re an economic powerhouse, Friday] This is an excellent article. While George Osborne goes on about the march of the makers, the gaming industry shows exactly what Britain can do if creativity is allowed to combine with technical and scientific know-how. I even think [...]
The Fed’s taper surprise highlights a wider problem with monetary policy September 19, 2013 THE US Federal Reserve’s surprise decision not to scale back its stimulus programme on Wednesday night should not perhaps have been so unexpected. Back in 2010, in those early days of quantitative easing by the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, I suggested that both institutions would be tempted to make sure the [...]
The Long View: Computer games have grown up – and they’re an economic powerhouse September 19, 2013 COMPUTER games are serious business. Grand Theft Auto V took $800m (£497m) in 24 hours this week, a record-breaking achievement that rivals the success of blockbuster films. Warner Brothers’ Man of Steel, the third-best box office earner this year according to Variety, only took in $663m. Some are predicting sales for the latest installment in [...]