Making it work: Why we need to start talking about who gets access to a coronavirus vaccine August 12, 2020 There is an unprecedented international scientific effort underway to develop an effective vaccine for SARS CoV-2 — the cause of Covid-19 — and we are all desperate for some good news. I have spent my life fighting infectious diseases around the world, from HIV to SARS to Ebola. Unfortunately, our collective track record for speedy [...]
We should never have to choose between pubs and schools — but if we do, schools must come first August 11, 2020 It is a “moral duty: and a “national priority” to return all children to the classroom in September. So wrote the Prime Minister in an op-ed at the weekend, in which he pinned his colours to the mast of the schools debate in no uncertain terms. Boris Johnson’s intervention comes in response to mounting concerns [...]
In love with Amazon? It’s just a marriage of convenience August 11, 2020 And just becauseI call you upDon’t get me wrong, don’t think you’ve got it madeI’m not in love, no no, it’s because…. I’m sure you recognise those lyrics from the 1975 hit “I’m Not In Love” by 10cc — which was precisely 20 years before Amazon was launched onto an unsuspecting world. If only we’d [...]
Is there any method to the market’s madness? August 11, 2020 “Unprecedented” has been the most overused phrase to describe this year’s events. “Mystifying”, however, might be the word a visitor from Mars would use to describe some of 2020’s market moves. The world economy is set to see the largest contraction since the Second World War, and the UK the largest fall in economic activity [...]
The City is the best regulated financial centre in the world — it must shun those calling for a bonfire of regulation August 11, 2020 As we approach the end of the Brexit transition period, the siren voices advocating for a bonfire of the current regulatory system grow louder. Their argument is that regulation is costly, stifles innovation, and holds back our banks and financial institutions. They look at other jurisdictions, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in [...]
The future of urban transport is human-powered August 11, 2020 In recent months there has been precious little to celebrate as the pandemic has taken away so much and pushed us apart into isolation. Much of the rapid change we have had forced upon us has been negative. But there’s one change that we can choose to make that will benefit all and create the [...]
Welcoming Londoners back to Finsbury Circus Gardens August 10, 2020 This month, the Square Mile’s largest open space and London’s first public park is opening once more after being closed for 10 years due to Crossrail works. We are delighted to reopen the beautiful Finsbury Circus Gardens for the public to enjoy this summer, as staff begin to return to the City for work. Finsbury [...]
The world may seem bleak right now, but Team Human can still have the last laugh August 10, 2020 “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Words of wisdom from the twentieth century comic genius that was Charlie Chaplin. But whatever 2020 is ultimately remembered for, it seems set to be a year where very few of its days will have been characterised by cheerfulness. The epic challenge presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, [...]
Monzo? I’d rather invest my tuppence in the bank August 10, 2020 “Railways through Africa. Dams across the Nile. Fleets of ocean greyhounds. Majestic, self-amortizing canals.” So enthuses Mr Banks to his dubious son Michael. An investment in the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, in the words of director Mr Dawes, “fires the imagination”. And tuppence is all you need to open an account. Never has the promise of [...]
Lebanon’s greatest tragedy is its political class August 10, 2020 Following this past terrible Tuesday, it is easy to think about what happened in Beirut as a horrible act of God, of impersonal fate intervening to devastate this already crumbling country. But instead it is rage at Lebanon’s corrupt and incompetent political class that ought to be the dominant emotion. Following Tuesday’s gargantuan explosion — [...]