After accusations he is unfit to run BSkyB, should Rupert Murdoch be forced to sell? May 2, 2012 YES Joe Cox Whether or not Rupert Murdoch is forced to relinquish his dominance over the British media landscape should be more than about whether he is a “fit and proper” person. The important question is whether it is in the public interest for someone to be so dominant in the media market and, by [...]
RAPID responses May 2, 2012 Fresh appeal [Re: Why Boris Johnson is by far the best choice for Londoners, yesterday] It’s good to see support for a candidate on the basis on his character, the worth of his policies, and how those coincide with the nature of London itself. There’s no better example of how directly-elected mayors can rejuvenate politics [...]
Recession in the Eurozone reminds us why economic reform is so vital May 1, 2012 MUCH of the Eurozone has now tipped back into recession, prompting cries for pro-growth policies and increased spending. In these difficult times, austerity has become a dirty word, but this masks the wider failings of individual government policies and is a diversion from the collective challenge of keeping the Eurozone intact. Any attack on austerity [...]
People calling for an equal tax burden ignore how wealth is generated May 1, 2012 IN A recent article, Times columnist Philip Collins implied that an individual’s income is really the collective property of all citizens. He did not use those words, of course. He is a former speech writer for Tony Blair and a political moderate, not a communist. But he said something that makes sense only if all [...]
Contradictions in new bank rules create fresh risks May 1, 2012 ECONOMIC issues will dominate political discussions about the votes taking place across the EU in the coming month. As well as our own local elections, there are local elections in Germany and Italy, presidential elections in France and Hungary, a general election in Greece and a referendum in Ireland on the EU’s new fiscal treaty. [...]
Are the huge queues at Heathrow airport a problem for Britain’s reputation overseas? May 1, 2012 YES Willie Walsh London rightly aspires to be the business capital of the world. And the government keeps telling us that the UK is “open for business”. Why, then, are ministers apparently content to see potential overseas investors, and UK business people returning from securing vital job-creating contracts, frequently queue for over an hour just [...]
RAPID responses May 1, 2012 Brain drain [Re: It’s time for the supporters of the single currency to apologise, yesterday] An excellent article. As someone who works in recruitment, many of my best applicants are from Greece, Portugal, Spain and increasingly Italy. But not too many from Ireland, yet. The irony is that these are the most highly-skilled and mission-critical [...]
The mayoral debate: Boris and Ken issue their final message to voters April 30, 2012 THIS election comes when we have been going through the toughest times that anyone can remember. The big question is therefore blindingly simple. It is about who has the best plan for the jobs and growth that will help bring prosperity to all. It is about who will deliver the investment – from central government [...]
Double-dip alarm is premature and politically driven April 30, 2012 ACCORDING to the latest figures, Britain has fallen back into recession. Some have seized the opportunity to pin the blame on the coalition’s austerity measures, but I don’t believe that’s right, for two reasons: first, this isn’t austerity, and second, I’m not convinced there’s a recession. Let’s be clear: a budget deficit equal to 7.7 [...]
A year after Osama Bin Laden’s death, is the world now a significantly safer place? April 30, 2012 YES Robin Simcox The world is undoubtedly a safer place following Osama bin Laden’s death. Al-Qaeda finds it easy to replenish mid-level commanders and footsoldiers, but a figurehead like bin Laden is virtually irreplaceable. Bin Laden’s sermons inspired Islamist extremists around the world to fight and die in his name; he also had military legitimacy, [...]