Truss’ China truth-telling has done us all a favour November 2, 2021 One of the simpler but more important truths about dealing with authoritarian regimes is that they respect only strength and resent truth-telling. By those measures, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is outpacing her peers with a refreshing show of rhetorical honesty and hard-nosed realism, especially on the greatest threat the free world faces: Communist China. Here [...]
The age of Brexit Blairism: Rishi Sunak bet his budget on New Labour’s success November 2, 2021 Last week, while many in Westminster were gripped to the BBC’s ode to New Labour, the Blair & Brown documentary, Boris Johnson seemed to take it literally. His boosterism has finally defeated Treasury orthodoxy. As such, this is a very different Conservative Government to the ones in the last decade. It is one that will [...]
Questions for Barclays board remain even after CEO departure November 1, 2021 The board is disappointed at this outcome,” said Barclays statement to markets yesterday morning. As understatements go, it’s up there with Spike Milligan’s “I told you I was ill” epitaph. That Jes Staley has left the firm is not, necessarily, a surprise. It has been rumoured that he was ready to give up the gig [...]
Finance can’t just stop funding emissions – it’s time to put a real price on carbon November 1, 2021 Expectations are high for Cop26. Many have described the coming years as “a decisive decade”, and the summit in Glasgow is possibly one of our final chances to strike an agreement to tackle climate change and its devastating effects. The science is clear. Only action will save us. But nothing will be possible without urgently [...]
Capitalism is doing the heavy-lifting on greening our climate October 31, 2021 As on-the-nose metaphors go, the entirety of Britain’s climate class being unable to get to Glasgow on time because of a tree falling onto the train tracks is right up there. Let us hope it is not an omen for the rest of the Cop-26 conference. Our expectations are, to be frank, low. It is [...]
Close trade ties with India will give us leverage to claim climate wins October 29, 2021 International trade and climate change are two of the most vexing global policy conundrums. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that we are at a final catalyst: human activity is damaging every region across the world, at an unprecedented rate. World leaders must accelerate comprehensive action working to minimise damage to the [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Social care loses out to its greedy older sibling October 29, 2021 The investment into technology and digitisation announced in this week’s Budget is a big step in the right direction. However, this level of modernisation needs to extend into social care – particularly when it comes to reducing hospitalisations and freeing up much-needed beds in hospitals. Through technology, policy and investment, the NHS and social care [...]
Letters: Stepping into Rishi’s shoes October 29, 2021 [Re: Hey, big spenders, October 28] If I were Chancellor for the day, there would certainly be a long to-do list. While I appreciate it’s a balancing act – starting to seriously address the long term deficit would be a priority. Making a dent in the £304bn black hole (net borrowing at the end of [...]
Editorial: Turning discrimination into diversity isn’t just social justice October 29, 2021 Yesterday, we published the (long overdue) news that the Waterloo and City line is set to return to a full weekday service by the end of next month. It’s not before time, and it’s a wonderful marker of the Square Mile’s nascent recovery from the pandemic. All around the capital are signs of life returning [...]
More shame than a name: Will the real Mark Zuckerberg please stand up? October 29, 2021 What’s in a name? asks a star-crossed lover. The answer, she discovers, is everything. The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is the realisation that neither can escape the fate dictated by their two names: Montague and Capulet. In Silicon Valley, one firm has alighted on a similar problem. Facebook’s leadership has realised, at last, that [...]