How German politics went kaput November 12, 2024 After the collapse of its shaky ‘traffic light’ coalition, Germany is once again the sick man of Europe, says Rainer Zitelmann German chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has sacked his finance minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and delivered an aggressive speech personally insulting Lindner. This is a drastic shift in tone for the otherwise calm chancellor, who [...]
The banality of Welby November 12, 2024 Justin Welby has failed in his constitutional duty to provide moral leadership over the John Smyth abuse scandal. He must resign, says James Price Benjamin Franklin once joked that the only difference between Anglicanism and Catholicism was that: “the Church of Rome is infallible, whilst the Church of England is never in the wrong”. Revelations [...]
A four-day week for tube drivers is a slap in the face for Londoners November 12, 2024 Christmas has come early for tube drivers, who will now work less for more pay. But the government will regret making a deal that proves that strikes work, says James Ford More money for less work. If you’re a trade union official, that is the holy grail you are pursuing on your members’ behalf in [...]
Strong governments must be prepared to upset the markets (a bit) November 12, 2024 The bond markets are a potent opposition, but governments must be prepared to take risks if they are ever to reap rewards, says Charles White-Thomson With a large majority and an election years away, the Prime Minister and Chancellor likely don’t feel the need to worry too much about what the electorate think. But one [...]
The Notebook: Retail investing lessons from some of Britain’s top performers November 12, 2024 Looking to diversify your portfolio? Interactive Investor's Camilla Esmund lays out her no-nonsense guide to retail investing in today's Notebook.
All hail the regulator going for growth November 12, 2024 At last month’s Investment Summit in the City, Keir Starmer set out an admirably clear view of how he wants this country’s regulatory bodies to work, telling delegates: “we will make sure that every regulator in this country, especially our economic and competition regulators, takes growth as seriously as this room does.” There’s been no [...]
How ‘technocrat’ Harris became more controversial that ‘populist’ Trump November 12, 2024 The real reason Harris’ Democrats lost the US election was their failure to acknowledge what many voters have sensed for a long time: that the bureaucratic class has increasingly (even if unknowingly) become an enemy of the people, says Mark Brolin Losing is never fun, especially not in the very public gladiator arena of politics. [...]
You know what won’t improve state efficiency? More watchdogs November 12, 2024 Donald Trump and Keir Starmer agree on one thing at least: their governments need reforming and to be much more efficient. Sadly for those on this side of the Atlantic, our value-for-money policies inspire little confidence. The UK already needed radical attention but Labour’s first Budget has raised the stakes even higher. As the Office [...]
Forget a trade deal. Let’s use Trump’s victory to entice US students to the UK November 12, 2024 Trump's promised campus crackdown will prompt US students to look at other options. Let's welcome them here, writes Will Cooling.
Labour will be thinking global, but their fortunes depend on the local November 12, 2024 Labour strategists will be focused on what Trump’s victory means for Britain and the world, but the government will soon face big challenges at the local level, says James Nation Following on from the US election result, takes abound on what Trump 2.0 means for the world and for the UK. On the economy, there [...]