DEBATE: Is it fair for businesses to go completely cashless? July 27, 2021 Tom Spencer, chief organiser of the London Neoliberals, says YES A move to a cashless economy has long been met with fear due to the small impracticalities it will have on few people. But we should be embracing this change because it will bring about significant economic benefit. This is because the problem of the [...]
China is not the next superpower and we should stop fearing it July 27, 2021 Back in the 1980s many people expected Japan’s economy to overtake America’s. The world would see a new superpower. Today we hear the same said of China. Its GDP will be the world’s biggest and China will challenge the US for world leadership. China’s GDP may indeed make it to number one, but not GDP [...]
Digital credentials are not the enemy – they are the next step of innovation and efficiency July 27, 2021 They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes, significant challenges force us to innovate and we find solutions not just for the current need but ones that will endure in the future. We should continually set new standards of efficiency and resilience. Today, we are used to trusting technology to make our lives [...]
The Northern Ireland Protocol was only ever a placeholder to get Brexit over the line – now the real work begins July 26, 2021 Mention Northern Ireland to a British politician and he or she will edge towards the door. With some notable exceptions such as John Major and Peter Mandelson, our leaders have tended to regard Northern Ireland as a strange land where normal rules do not apply: sectarian divisions they don’t understand and political parties which don’t [...]
Work from home isn’t flexible work if it’s the only choice you have – and it’s failing young people July 26, 2021 When a group of teenagers are told to dress smartly for a first event at a city firm, what they wear tends to vary hugely. Some go for a full suit and tie; some for their school shirt or blouse with trousers. There are shoes and trainers, long skirts and short ones and coats and earphones that sometimes stay [...]
Cop26 is our last chance to tackle climate change as extreme weather takes hold July 26, 2021 With less than 100 days to go until the UN Climate Change Conference – also known as COP26 – kicks off in Glasgow, preparations are well underway for the most important summit since that held in Paris back in 2015. Expectations are high, and rightly so. After all, to quote Sir David Attenborough, this is [...]
The wellness tax: providing healthy meals and fitness classes for staff should be tax-free for employers July 25, 2021 Over the last 18 months, we’ve heard a lot about the impact of the pandemic on mental health, and with good reason. According to the Office for National Statistics, around 1 in 5 adults experience some form of depression in early 2021 – more than double the number before the pandemic. More than half of [...]
Context is everything when it comes to solving the pingdemic, we need measured rules on self-isolation July 24, 2021 Rising app deletions, over 600,000 pings in one week, stores trying to quell panic buying, conflicting advice from the Government when it comes to notifications. The NHS contact tracing app is facing a nightmare backdrop as infection rates rise across the country. It should be a major asset. Instead, the frequent un-contextualised notifications demonstrate that [...]
Can you really afford a puppy? Britain is facing a petcare crisis after a lockdown boom in demand for dogs July 24, 2021 Even the Chancellor of the Exchequer has succumbed to the lockdown-induced rush for puppies. It’s easy to do when one of those furry little faces is staring up at you, especially after the dreary year we’ve had shut up in our homes. While Rishi Sunak can probably afford to look after his new pup, there [...]
Listed luxury: Ermenegildo Zegna’s decision to go public comes at a crossroads for high-end fashion July 23, 2021 Luxury Italian brand Zegna has decided to go public via special purpose acquisition (SPAC), in an interesting blend of the old and the new. The move to go with a listing model that some still consider untested for the long term comes after a track record of over a century of excellence in high quality [...]