We must stand up for academic freedom against government restrictions October 22, 2012 WHEN academics extol “free wheeling” research, they risk being accused of an ivory tower arrogance that disregards their obligations to the public. But they should strongly counter such allegations. Choices of research project are anything but frivolous: what is at stake is a big chunk of our lives, and our professional reputation. The traditional compact [...]
A worm could turn the close fight for the US presidency October 22, 2012 LAST night, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney met for the third and final US presidential debate before November’s elections. The latest polls suggest the race is a lot closer than many expected – not least because Romney was judged to have won the first debate in Denver. Research on the psychology of elections underlines the [...]
As David Cameron outlines new justice plans, is he right to criticise current prison policies? October 22, 2012 YES Andrew Neilson If the Prime Minister wants prisons to work, the first question to ask is whether the right people are being sent there in the first place. The Ministry of Justice faces 6 per cent cuts year on year. And the agency running prisons and probation is forecast to spend £32m more than [...]
Rapid responses October 22, 2012 Female disclosure [Re: Is the coalition right to force firms to disclose the number of senior women they employ?, Friday] I’m not in favour of quotas, but there are many eminently capable women who are failing to make it to the top of their chosen professions. We know that greater gender parity at board level [...]
Elected police chiefs should be given more powers to protect us October 21, 2012 IN LESS than a month, all communities in England and Wales outside of London will undergo radical democratic change. On 15 November, 41 Police and Crime Commissioners will be elected with the one objective of cutting crime in their local areas. London isn’t being left out: the Mayor already has similar powers. Police and Crime [...]
The City is poised to benefit from economic development in Latin America October 21, 2012 SOON after taking over as lord mayor last November, I had the honour of hosting the President of Colombia at Mansion House. In his thoughtful lecture, Juan Manuel Santos outlined the striking progress that his country, and Latin America more generally, has made in recent years – across governance, security and economic management. He also [...]
Why stammering didn’t hold back my career at E&Y October 21, 2012 WHAT do Moses, George VI, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin, Emily Blunt, Bruce Willis, and Julia Roberts have in common? They all suffered, or suffer, from a stammer. Today is International Stammering Awareness Day. And an increasing number of organisations in the UK are now waking up to the potential that stammerers hold. They’re taking [...]
After China’s growth rate fell to 7.4 per cent last quarter, can we expect a hard landing? October 21, 2012 YES Detlev Schlichter The international consensus is not bearish enough on China. Its strong growth rates since 2008 have been the result of massive state intervention, particularly through huge money printing and state-sponsored investment spending, possible on this scale because China is still Communist. Its money supply has doubled since 2008 and is still growing [...]
Rapid responses October 21, 2012 Start-up nation [Re: Google’s awful day reminds us it is becoming less special, Friday] I was interested to read Allister Heath’s comments on Google settling down to mundane normality. I have started half a dozen tech businesses in my time, and I agree that turning a tech start-up into a successful company is a path [...]
The reason Cameron is wrong in humiliating energy tariff debacle October 18, 2012 IT IS always disappointing for politicians when a confused announcement turns a popular idea into a communications disaster. George Osborne experienced that pain earlier this year when he announced a freeze in fuel duty and, thanks to the timing, the front pages the next days were about U-turns and not lower taxes. At Prime Minister’s [...]