Best of 2020: Europe hurtles into decline, almost unnoticed December 21, 2020 As the year winds down, City A.M. is looking back at the columns that tell the story of our year. For a Europe that has made managing rather than solving economic crises into an art form, the time for paying the piper is fast approaching. The continent’s long-stagnating economy is perched at the edge of [...]
Businesses’ capacity for altruism came of age during 2020 — but it mustn’t stop now December 21, 2020 Cast your minds back to March, when the world watched as markets tumbled further each day. As the sheer magnitude of the global crisis gradually became apparent, charities were picking up the phone to corporate and private donors, asking them to give urgently. I remember the conversations vividly with our long-term supporters from the business [...]
In our lifetimes, cities will smell like the countryside December 21, 2020 Imagine taking a deep breath of urban air, and enjoying its crisp freshness as it fills your lungs. It’s not something city dwellers have experienced for centuries, if ever. Even before the industrial revolution, smoke and ordure hung heavy in the air. But we are now within grasp of the end of fossil fuels — [...]
The End of the Affair: The EU and UK have very different foreign policy destinies December 21, 2020 As the year draws to an end, City A.M. is looking back at the columns that illuminated the world around us. In The End of the Affair (1951), Graham Greene — to my mind the most underrated novelist of the twentieth century — perfectly encapsulates the chaotic feelings lying behind romantic breakup and emotional calamity. [...]
Mayor: The toughest Christmas since the Second World War December 20, 2020 Writing exclusively for City A.M., Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he can “barely contain his anger at the confusion and chaos” sowed by Downing Street’s Christmas promises The last-minute announcement of tougher restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19 over Christmas is a bitter blow for millions of Londoners. Our city faces the toughest [...]
It wasn’t all bad: 2020 hindsight reveals some good things, too December 19, 2020 Once upon a time, it was popular in the corporate world to have a “2020 Vision”. It was a snappy title for glossy brochures laying out long-term strategies. It suggested clarity, foresight and forward thinking. Sodexo, Siemens, the NHS, the Grand Union Housing Group and the University of Chester all published their own “2020 Vision”. [...]
India will be the big winner of this new world order December 19, 2020 Delhi benefits from the structural fact that though we presently live in an era epitomised by superpower bipolarity, it is a very different type of two-power standoff than was the Cold War. From 1945–1991, America and the Soviet Union so dominated the international scene that they easily lined up much of the rest of the [...]
As we look back on 2020, what can we learn from this unprecedented year? December 18, 2020 The end of any year is traditionally a time of reflection. It’s a chance to take stock and look back on the past 12 months: the successes, the lessons, and the opportunities for improvement. And while other traditions like the office Christmas party have been replaced by virtual events, taking time to step back and [...]
Time’s Up on financial silence: How to break the taboo on female investing December 18, 2020 The past few years have seen the overdue crumbling of long-held taboos that women have had to endure for decades. First, movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp exposed the magnitude of the sexual violence faced by women. Then #MeTooPay uncovered discrepancies in salaries that have fueled the fight for pay equality. And after November’s election, [...]
Selling off museum pieces to save jobs should not be a taboo — especially during a pandemic December 18, 2020 When a group of Royal Academy of Arts grandees recently suggested selling one of the institution’s masterpieces, it caused quite a stir. This was not just any artwork: it was Michelangelo’s Taddei Tondo, a great unfinished masterpiece that is considered among the Academy’s crown jewels. The proposal — auction it off for more than £100m [...]