The good, the bad, and the orange: In search of the perfect 2020 Christmas ad November 24, 2020 To call 2020 a “garbage fire” of a year would not be unfair. This year has turned people’s worlds upside-down in so many ways. But at least a few things remain a constant presence in life — one of which is the return of the blockbuster Christmas TV advert. While the advertising budgets look a [...]
Don’t bid farewell to all the Brexit fish just yet November 24, 2020 So long, and thanks for all the fish. Not only book four in the Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (“in five parts”) by Douglas Adams, but also, apparently, a negotiating strategy. The UK-EU trade talks are said to be trapped on a handful of unresolved issues, and one of them swims. We could be [...]
Labour’s bid to ban anti-vax content from the internet is well-meaning — but misguided November 24, 2020 How to combat anti-vaxxers spreading misinformation online and hampering the government’s efforts for UK-wide immunisation? The answer, according to the Labour party, is for an emergency law to be brought in introducing financial and criminal penalties for social media platforms who repeatedly fail to remove anti-vaccination content. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth suggested the law [...]
We can no longer ignore the link between human and planetary health November 24, 2020 As businesses across all sectors make their way through the final week of a second lockdown period away from the City, there is a widespread expectation that the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic must include a lasting environmental legacy. Sustainability has become a key motif of recovery strategies not just in the UK, but at [...]
We need a British Development Bank to level-up the regions November 24, 2020 Tomorrow, chancellor Rishi Sunak will address the nation and announce the government’s National Infrastructure Strategy. While the focus has primarily been on what infrastructure investments and tax reforms might be on the horizon, there is an opportunity here to think bigger. What Britain needs is a new financing institution, like a British Development Bank, to [...]
A.M. Debate: Should drinking alcohol be banned in parliament? November 23, 2020 Matthew Jukes, wine taster and founder of Jukes Cordialities, says YES The most notorious bill in the Palace of Westminster is the bar bill. It’s no secret: while parliament’s bars are temporarily closed during lockdown, in normal times our MPs are knocking it back, left, right and centre. Don’t get me wrong, I am as [...]
Need a way out of recession? Look to the stars November 23, 2020 “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.” These words by President John F. Kennedy are as important today as they were [...]
Love him or hate him, Trump is right to wind down America’s endless wars November 23, 2020 In my last book, To Dare More Boldly: The Audacious Story of Political Risk, each chapter represents a key precept, based on a specific historical story, as to how to do political risk analysis right. One of my favourite of these 10 commandments is what I term “the Losing Gambler’s Syndrome”. This directly relates to [...]
HS2 is a shot in the arm for the post-pandemic economy November 23, 2020 It is no exaggeration to say that 2020 has been one of the most difficult years in modern history for many businesses. But as the year draws to a close, we have great reason for optimism: widespread roll-out of a vaccine is edging closer, and it looks like we will be able to begin to [...]
Time for a new chapter in the City’s special relationship with America November 23, 2020 Over the years, we in the UK have often stressed the “special” nature of our relationship with the US. While this is usually considered in the context of foreign policy, with regards to bilateral financial service trade, it has certainly developed into something truly special — and something we should be grateful for as Thanksgiving [...]