Beijing has done irreparable damage to Hong Kong after freezing top media mogul’s assets May 19, 2021 On Friday, the owner of Hong Kong’s biggest pro-democracy newspaper had his assets, amounting to HKD$500 million, frozen. Mr Lai was already facing trumped up charges under the National Security Law, but this step is the biggest blow to date for press freedoms and puts the long-run viability of his newspaper, Apple Daily, into question. [...]
Scientists’ dire warning of thousands of deaths from Indian variant is a dangerous abuse of public trust May 19, 2021 The epidemiologists are at it again. The Indian variant of the Covid virus has resurrected their projections of doom and gloom. The scientists who advise the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) have said the full lifting of lockdown on 21 June could lead to 1,000 deaths a day and no fewer than 10,000 hospitalisations [...]
KPMG Chair: We can only tackle social mobility once we confront falling numeracy levels May 19, 2021 Numeracy skills are vital to us all, whether at work or simply helping us to navigate daily life, like managing money. Despite this fact, far too many people are lacking in confidence where our maths ability is concerned. In fact, nearly half of the UK’s working population has the expected numeracy level of a primary school child. [...]
Dominic Cummings is Boris Johnson’s crazed ex-boyfriend threatening to post revenge porn on the internet May 18, 2021 We all know a Dominic Cummings. The crazed ex-boyfriend threatening to post revenge porn on the internet unless you give him his favourite jumper back, apologise for not turning up to that dinner with his mum and admit, in no uncertain terms, it was all your fault the relationship ended in tatters. Cummings has turned [...]
DEBATE: Should GPs continue virtual appointments post-pandemic? May 18, 2021 Dr Murray Ellender, a practicing GP and CEO of digital triage company eConsult says Yes: In a country with a chronic shortage of GPs, not everyone that wants an in-person appointment will get one. Even before Covid, only people with the fastest finger in the morning phone lottery would get a slot with their doctor: [...]
Levelling up must mean unleashing our post-Brexit potential to reel in global investment May 18, 2021 Our recovery from the pandemic, delivering the benefits of Brexit and fulfilling the levelling up agenda are the three cornerstone challenges Boris Johnson is facing. Investment is a key to all of those. Rishi Sunak recognised that in the budget with policy initiatives ranging from super deductions to special economic zones. Public investment alone, however, [...]
A new breed of activist investors: capitalism is the engine of corporate change May 18, 2021 The ESG naysayers – and yes, they do exist – have a large slice of humble pie to eat. The world as we know it, and how we choose to make our own individual mark on it, has changed drastically in the last 20 years. Our sense of personal responsibility has been supercharged over the [...]
Helicopter money: large-scale cash handouts are no panacea for economies May 18, 2021 As the Indian variant threatens a third wave of coronavirus and government deficits reach new heights, the notion of so-called helicopter money has been touted as a panacea for Central Banks. Economists on payroll are falling over themselves to claim it is the ultimate weapon to boost economist growth and avoid deflation. Trouble is, it [...]
Indian variant analysis: Keep calm and get a vaccine May 17, 2021 The debate around the pandemic and relaxation of lockdown and travel restrictions in the UK has become frenzied by fears over new variants. There is a dearth of calm and accurate presentation of facts by ministers and trusted voices. Exiting lockdown for good was never going to be a straight-forward task. Bumps in the road [...]
An unholy alliance between the Tories, Greens and Lib Dems could hold Sadiq Khan’s feet to the fire May 17, 2021 The London Assembly rarely cuts through in the news landscape. It’s committee structure does not quicken the pulse or stiffen the sinew. This is in some ways a pity, as the assembly has wide powers to scrutinise the activities of the elected mayor and can, in some circumstances, even amend his budget or reject strategic [...]