All Londoners want for Christmas is some kind of public transport December 20, 2019 This week, newspapers are reporting how the great Christmas get-away is about to begin — or better still, that the fabled seasonal shut-down is about to commence. For many readers, the break can probably not come soon enough. For sure, it has been a year of ups and downs for London and the South East’s [...]
The economics of gift giving: It probably isn’t worth it December 20, 2019 It is Christmastime, which means that on Tuesday I will be frantically rushing around doing some very last-minute shopping and attempting to wrap presents. I have a pretty good idea what I’m going to buy people this year, although my young nieces are proving to be particularly tricky. As I’ve never been a four-year-old girl, [...]
Business can help charities in more ways than just raising funds December 19, 2019 After a Christmas election where all the main parties claimed that they would boost social spending, the season of giving this year has become unusually politically charged. Yet with an estimated 14m people living in poverty in Britain, regardless of which party is currently in power, there will remain a significant role for private philanthropy [...]
DEBATE: Is it time to reform the civil service, as Dominic Cummings intends? December 19, 2019 Is it time for a full restructuring of the civil service, as Dominic Cummings intends? YES, says Duncan Simpson, research director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance. The “Rolls Royce” reputation of the civil service has long been in question. From hugely overpriced procurements in defence and transport, to overly-anxious advice on EU exit negotiations, the supposed [...]
Dear Santa, for this Christmas I want the nanny state to get lost December 19, 2019 What is the best thing about Christmas? Presents are nice. Spending time with friends and family is obviously a highlight. But for many of us what truly makes the season is the food. Mince pies, pigs in blankets, Christmas pudding, a snifter of sherry — the festive period is all about indulging. But will we [...]
How the Tories pulled off the best campaign of a generation December 19, 2019 One week on, post-election commentary continues to be dominated by analysis of Labour’s woes. In plummeting to its worst defeat since the Second World War, the party now faces an identity crisis, and the fear is that things can only get worse. This focus on Labour’s existential spiral, however, ignores one side of how the [...]
Introducing hemp, the UK’s secret green gold mine that could help save the planet December 19, 2019 It is with relief that I have been witnessing climate issues rise up the agenda for consumers, businesses, and politicians alike in 2019. In the General Election, the main parties all put forward their most ambitious, forward-thinking environmental policies ever. However, a big part of the solution may lie in past practices. I’m talking about [...]
Labour’s problem is the message, not London accents December 18, 2019 “There is no choice between being principled and unelectable, and electable and unprincipled. We have tortured ourselves with this foolishness for too long,” said Tony Blair, in his 1994 speech to Labour Conference, his first as leader. “If the world changes and we do not, we become of no use to the world. Our principles [...]
Despite its sky-high valuation, the Saudi Aramco IPO was no success December 18, 2019 When Saudi Aramco launched its IPO on the Tadawul (the Saudi stock market) earlier this month, it quickly became the world’s most valuable listed company, with a valuation of $1.7 trillion. It is now worth more than the next five largest hydrocarbon companies — ExxonMobil, Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and BP — combined. Yet [...]
All we want for Christmas is a pay raise — or an office cat December 18, 2019 At this time of year, many of us will have fond memories of writing festive wish lists in the fervent hope that we’d been good enough to receive a visit from the big man in red. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and while we still have wishes for the festive season, a few of these [...]