Storm in a teacup as Yorkshire Tea wins Twitter February 26, 2020 The story was predictably silly: Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak poses with a big bag of tea, and anti-Tory Twitterati say they will never drink that brand again, dropping a fair few expletives in their ranty responses to a completely imagined outrage. What have we learnt from this storm in a Yorkshire Tea cup? On the [...]
The Democrats face a beating if they choose Bernie Sanders as their presidential nominee February 26, 2020 In December 2019, a peculiar experiment in British politics hit the buffers in a most brutal manner. One of our great political parties — Labour — had gambled that it could swing radically leftwards away from the ideological centre ground. Its expectation was that it would win a sweeping victory with an enhanced coalition of [...]
Citizens assemblies are no solution to the climate challenge — we need innovation February 26, 2020 At first sight, long-term swings in individual seats in Australian elections are a definite niche interest, one for the real trainspotter. But during a visit to Sydney University’s Complex Systems Institute, I noticed a fascinating piece in The Australian newspaper. The Australian Labor Party had a good result in the 2007 federal elections, and a [...]
It shouldn’t take a global pandemic for firms to see the benefits of flexible working February 26, 2020 News that the coronavirus outbreak has sparked the world’s biggest work-from-home experiment in China, alongside advice to Brits returning from Italy to “self-isolate”, will have been met with mixed reactions. Some will be delighted to avoid the risks to their own health and maximise their productive hours from the relative comfort of their own homes. [...]
Another UK-EU battle seems almost certain February 26, 2020 Remember the summer of 2018? The sun shining almost constantly, England’s footballers marching to the latter stages of a major international tournament, and interminable battles between Westminster and Brussels over the future relationship between the UK and the European Union. Alas, the first two can’t be guaranteed — though we deserve some vitamin D after [...]
DEBATE:Has the #MeToo movement had a meaningful positive impact on women in the workplace? February 26, 2020 Has the #MeToo movement had a meaningful positive impact on women in the workplace? Sheila Flavell CBE, chief operating officer at FDM Group, says YES. The #MeToo movement has elevated a wider debate about the way women are treated within businesses and industries on a global scale. This week’s conviction of Harvey Weinstein not only [...]
How to unleash the potential of the health data revolution February 26, 2020 Danny Boyle’s tribute to the NHS at the Olympic opening ceremony in 2012 didn’t feature doctors with filing cabinets or nurses with laptop computers. That’s understandable — at the time the data-driven healthcare boom was only just beginning. But today, there is growing interest in the data about the 55m patients for whom the NHS [...]
Greggs gifts Stormzy VIP card to tap into younger market February 26, 2020 Last week high street bakery chain Greggs reached out to rapper Stormzy to reveal he was the first member of an exclusive “next-level VIP” service for its most famous fans. The invite-only VIP card, which was accompanied by a promotional video describing the benefits, allows users to order Greggs whenever and wherever they want. This [...]
If we want better immigration policies, we first need better immigration debates February 25, 2020 It seems odd to suggest that we should talk more about immigration. It is the policy area which attracts perhaps the most wide-ranging and outraged of political commentary, and was undeniably a key driver in the vote to leave the European Union. Yet the quality of the debate, concerned primarily with numbers and rules, has [...]
DEBATE: Does the ‘royal’ brand hold any cachet anyway? February 25, 2020 Harry and Meghan have dropped the word ‘royal’, but does the brand hold any cachet anyway? Max Ottignon, co-founder of branding agency Ragged Edge, says YES. There’s a huge amount of value in the royal brand. It comes with a rich legacy, one that has been carefully curated and protected over time. And it carries [...]