Chatbot matrixes are an outdated betrayal of the strengths of our tech capabilities April 22, 2022 Have you ever solved your problem with the British airways chatbot? I certainly haven’t. It’s a trivial, and perhaps first-world gripe, but it was a startling experience to struggle with what should have been a straightforward problem as a result of clunky tech.
Self-confidence has left Nato and Britain unprepared for a threat against the alliance April 22, 2022 Earlier this week, General Sir Richard Barrons warned the Defence Select Committee that the United Kingdom (UK) would not be ready if Russia attacked British territory or that of Nato allies. Since 1949, the government has pledged to defend the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation alliance. Although one nuclear-armed peer is unlikely to attack another, the [...]
Rain Newton-Smith interview: Go for growth to turbocharge economic resilience April 22, 2022 Everyone knows the dismal time the UK economy is in for over the coming year – but let’s recap. Living standards are scheduled to fall at the steepest rate in 66 years as a result of wages failing to keep pace with an average annual inflation rate of over seven per cent, according to the [...]
Letters: Next episode might be better? April 21, 2022 [Re: Netflix shares tumble as streaming giant loses 200k subscribers, yesterday] Quelle surprise, as the French would say. After years of being trapped at home having little else to do except watch TV, people have started to cancel their subscriptions for Netflix. If the streaming giant wasn’t prepared for this moment, then they really were [...]
Has British politics finally become a meme? April 21, 2022 Is an Islington suit an Islington suit if it was bought in Camden? Does Keir Starmer have more “posh north London” vibes than Jeremy Corbyn? After all his time in politics was “a tiny brain” the best slur Boris Johnson could come up with for the Leader of the Opposition? Yesterday’s PMQs was an old-school brand of entertainment.
Our judicial system is failing as courts and the profession lose their lustre April 21, 2022 As we finally emerge from the worst of the pandemic, things like the Nightingale Courts might be a fading memory. Much like the Nightingale Hospitals, they were set up to deal with urgent cases and individuals who couldn’t have their needs addressed remotely. In the case of the courts, they were a genuine commitment to [...]
London could be revolutionised with an Oyster-card system for drivers in the capital April 21, 2022 Not since the advent of the motorcar a century ago have London’s roads undergone such rapid change. Some of this is driven by technology – electric cars, e-bikes, e-scooters – and some by policy changes to tackle the city’s carbon emissions.The latest is the Mayor of London plan to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone [...]
Time to talk about the price of milk: artisan cheese could save our dairy industry April 21, 2022 Milk has always held a curious place in the political psyche. It has long been used as a measure of affordability of everyday goods – and our leaders’ understanding of the challenges facing many Britons. As inflation, pressures on transport and the war in Ukraine have triggered a spike in prices, the price of milk [...]
Balancing the budget won’t win voters hooked on Sunak’s years of spending April 20, 2022 On a balmy September day eight years ago, Ed Miliband strode onto the stage at Labour Party Conference and proceeded to deliver a marathon 66-minute speech without notes. Unfortunately for the then Labour leader, he managed to forget a key chunk of his prepared remarks – the bit about tackling the deficit. Cue glee from [...]
Our high streets need a new lease of life but forced auctions could be fraught with uncertainty April 20, 2022 This week, the government unveiled plans to revitalise high streets up and down the country. Under the new policy – which will only be revealed in full during the Queen’s Speech next month – landlords will be forced to rent out shops that have been vacant for more than six months. The aim is to [...]