Public cash shouldn’t be for private gain January 20, 2020 Have you ever heard of Apton? It’s game-changing. It’s synergetic. It’s revolutionary. It’s self-actualising. It’s… costing you money with naught in return. You probably haven’t heard of Apton, though — it’s only got 3,000 subscribers. It’s an app to stream Welsh language music — kind of like Spotify, but with a much smaller catalogue, fewer [...]
Deep in the weeds: How to solve the legal problem of investing in cannabis January 20, 2020 A growing controversy exists which is being discussed with increased frequency by commentators concerning the restrictions on UK firms that wish to invest in the overseas cannabis industry. The controversy arises from the uncertainty regarding the legality of investing in a foreign company, based somewhere that cannabis is legal. In the UK, cannabis and synthetic [...]
Our fusty education system must embrace entrepreneurialism January 20, 2020 As we embark upon a decade of major change, with a new government racing towards Brexit, we must take a moment to consider how we are helping our next generation triumph in spite of all this upheaval. Our education sector has been stagnant for some time now and has failed to catch up with the [...]
In the impeachment saga, Trump Derangement Syndrome is destroying the Democrats January 20, 2020 In politics, as in life, hatred can get in the way. And the base of the Democratic party, even more than its leadership, hates Donald Trump beyond reason. Over the impeachment saga, hatred is killing them. There are, of course, myriad reasons — some of which I share — to despise the President. Trump’s ugly braggadocio, [...]
DEBATE: Is there any point to the World Economic Forum in Davos? January 20, 2020 Is there any point to the World Economic Forum in Davos? Ella Robertson, managing director of One Young World, says YES. Now in its fiftieth year, it might look like business as usual at the World Economic Forum. But with public scrutiny mounting every year, the pressure to keep the mountain air-induced rhetoric real is [...]
I can see clearly how to help London’s blind community January 20, 2020 London is a wonderful place to live and work. I meant to stay for just two years when I first came here in 1972 from my Yorkshire home. Today, 47 years later, I’m a true Londoner — though still a Yorkshireman at heart. I was partially sighted when I arrived in London. My sight continued [...]
In the rush to get an EU trade deal, the needs of the City must not be forgotten January 20, 2020 With 31 January less than two weeks away, after various twists and turns, the first chapter of Brexit is finally coming to a close. Although it has performed with resilience and strength in the face of a challenging economic climate, the City has been crying out for certainty and clarity for too long. And even [...]
Don’t run for the hills over alignment – the big question is where and when to diverge January 19, 2020 As we approach the 50-day point in Boris Johnson’s premiership, questions are still being asked about what kind of leader he will be, and how different the country will become under him. Londoners in particular are used to certain amount of showmanship in the Johnson approach to politics. As mayor, he was a high profile [...]
We should support Taiwan to the hilt January 17, 2020 Some years ago I did some work that brought me into contact with Taiwan and, more importantly, a small but powerful group of figures in Westminster who had long seen the moral and strategic case for being on the side of Taipei’s government. As a consequence of this fleeting association, I saw firsthand the way [...]
Forget Big Ben, the real rows are ahead January 17, 2020 One of the more ludicrous stories of the week concerns the efforts of a small band of pro-Brexit MPs to get the bells of Big Ben ringing out our departure from the EU at 11pm on 31 January. Parliamentary authorities have done their best to shut down the scheme, saying it would be too expensive [...]