Inheritance tax shows just how antiquated our system is and how much we’re losing December 9, 2022 Ultimately, the UK tax system remains rooted in 19th century principles. It requires modernisation as well as simplification. But it’s not a priority for government,
Letters: Still clinging on to Bitcoin December 9, 2022 [Re: Bitcoin ‘on the road to irrelevance’, says ECB, November 30] Recent comments by the ECB and other banking stakeholders show that many central banks along with the regulators are missing the key point: Bitcoin is already being used to pay for goods while they are still debating whether crypto is an asset class or [...]
Britain’s social infrastructure is depleted and we need a blueprint for local success December 9, 2022 When Theresa May appointed me as her Minister for Civil Society, I was struck by an enormous sense of purpose. After all, she was the Prime Minister who had entered office promising to tackle the “burning injustices” that are a sad fact of life for so many in the UK – and my role was [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Conservatives’ money problems December 8, 2022 The Conservative Party is hiking its membership fees. Annual membership will go up from the current £25 to £39. The move might prove yet another point of friction in the party, with Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson calling it an “absolutely stupid idea” on Twitter. Yet the party’s headquarters must have felt they didn’t have many [...]
Try as Sturgeon might, Scotland can’t overcome the problem of geography December 8, 2022 There is a saying in Mexico, “So far from God and so close to the United States”, to explain how its proximity to a richer and larger neighbour has stunted its development and bedevilled its politics. They would likely have short shrift then for the plight of Scotland, which once dreamed of conquering Panama, and [...]
We can’t survive without North Sea drilling, but we also can’t continue in the same way December 8, 2022 The North Sea has occupied a significant place – not just geographically – but in the debate of future energy supply in the UK. It’s deeply polarising, to say the least. Protesters want us to stop drilling in the North Sea altogether, while other radical commentators insist we must extract whatever we can no matter [...]
Putin’s war with Ukraine is unwinnable but as a leader, he cannot afford to lose December 8, 2022 Ten months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine one simple fact has become abundantly clear: set against its original goal to completely conquer Ukraine, Moscow cannot win the war but neither can Putin afford to lose it. Ukraine has fought heroically to repulse the original Russian invasion and to push back Putin’s forces. But, for all [...]
Letters: A new look at supply chains December 8, 2022 [Re: UK business fear supply chain chaos will ruin Christmas trading, December 5] In the last week, City AM has run several stories on the continuing chaos engulfing global supply chains and the industries this is affecting. The articles rightly identify problems such as key materials shortages, a shrinking labour market, and rising energy costs, [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Who has time for farmers anyway? Not Grant Shapps December 7, 2022 Farmers aren’t always happy with the treatment they receive from government, and it’s fair to say they’re often not among the glossier industries that get prioritised in policy-making. This time though, they are annoyed at someone in particular. Grant Shapps, the business secretary, has apparently told leaders at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) that “there [...]
Whether it’s otters or guns, social media cannot exist without algorithms December 7, 2022 If you follow me on Twitter, you may have come for the digital rights content and stayed for the otters. I joined Twitter reluctantly for professional reasons – to find out what is going on in the world, connect with people doing insightful work, and to share my own professional content. But the more time [...]