Unchallenged inflation will make strike action the norm in a new labour market December 1, 2021 Last Friday, London once again muddled through the inconvenience of yet another Tube strike. Another one is planned for the middle of December. They are just as much a feature of the metropolitan scene as Big Ben. Until more of the trains are automated, Tube staff will retain the capacity to cause disruption. But this [...]
Omicron Covid measures show our politicians still don’t know how to take risks December 1, 2021 According to the government, the Omicron measures are “proportionate and responsible”. This may be true when compared to the pinnacle of pandemic command-and-control, when scotch eggs were served with every pint, outdoor gyms were taped up, and hikers were pursued across moors with drones. But make no mistake, with these new restrictions the state is [...]
D’oh! Hong Kong and the extradition of Homer Simpson November 30, 2021 Streaming platform Disney+ was launched in Hong Kong this month, but something is missing. To be specific, it is episode 12 of season 16 of the beloved cartoon The Simpsons. In the episode, the Simpsons go to China and visit Tiananmen Square in Beijing. In the square stands a sign saying “on this site, in [...]
There is a wealth of talent in disabled entrepreneurs – if only we can harness it November 30, 2021 If you want to invest in someone with resilience, ingenuity and the ability to adapt to change, find an entrepreneur with disabilities. We are just as passionate about a great business idea as the next start-up founder. But having a physical or hidden disability , like I do, adds a daily need to innovate and [...]
When the chips are down: the tiny piece missing from our supply chains November 30, 2021 If you haven’t already bought your tech gifts this Christmas you may have to come up with some more primitive alternatives for your loved ones. Chronic shortages of chips, the tiny semiconductors that are essential to a myriad of technologies, as well as high labor and transport costs, mean that Christmas gifts this year such [...]
London’s transport system must not be sacrificed on the altar of ‘levelling up’ November 30, 2021 Dare to dream: Crossrail might be about to arrive. Delay after demoralising delay pushed back the original 2018 opening, but Transport for London has hailed the “significant milestone” of the start of trial operations. Thousands of volunteers will help TfL test the £19bn railway over the coming months, with the aim of finally opening the [...]
New EU data rules must not inhibit new challengers November 29, 2021 From the moment they are founded, startups have giant ambitions to disrupt, challenge and grow. They need laws that are designed with them in mind. The EU’s draft Digital Services Act and draft Digital Markets Act have passed through the legislative layers at lightening speed. And there is lot in the proposals that startups will [...]
Soho’s revival was a boon for the capital – the al fresco revolution must continue November 29, 2021 Eating outdoors with the sun beating down may feel like a distant memory now the nights have drawn in and the mercury has dropped. But we must not forget the critical role al fresco has played safeguarding countless jobs during throughout the pandemic. And what a joy it has been to walk around the West [...]
The law’s delay: Priti Patel must fix the asylum process to stop Channel boats November 29, 2021 Being Home Secretary is hard. It has long been known as the “graveyard of careers”, with headstones marked Smith, Clarke and Blunkett. One of the longstanding problems is that the Home Office is essentially reactive. Even after losing responsibility for courts in 2003 and prisons and probation in 2007, it oversees law and order, borders [...]
As we chart a new EU-UK relationship, our historic economic ties will help buoy us up November 29, 2021 From the threat of a resurgence of Covid-19, migration and climate change, to gas shortages and supply chain bottlenecks, both the UK and the rest of Europe are facing significant challenges. It is clear we need even closer cooperation to start to unpick these obstacles, but political turbulence has made collaboration elusive. Since the UK [...]