Banks are under threat – and this time it’s personal November 13, 2019 The launch of Uber Money, which provides payment and banking services to the company’s drivers, is an example of the next big trend in banking — the rise of the so-called “non-bank”. The establishment of a financial product for non-banks goes beyond simple revenue growth. It is about establishing loyalty, and in the case of Uber, loyalty [...]
In his pursuit of power, Farage is gambling with Brexit itself November 13, 2019 Single-issue campaign groups are curious beasts. They spring up, sometimes overnight, when the need arises. In many cases, they succeed in achieving their stated goal, and all the blood, sweat and tears involved in facilitating change is recognised as worthwhile. However, there is a bittersweet irony at play during the very moment of triumph. Victory [...]
Today’s apologists for socialism still won’t acknowledge the lessons of the Berlin Wall November 13, 2019 The media has been awash over the past week with stories about the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. My favourite vignette concerns a couple living in East Berlin who were delighted to have a telephone installed in their apartment only weeks before the Wall came down. They had been on the [...]
DEBATE: Is it worrying that the report on Russian interference has not yet been published? November 13, 2019 Should we be concerned that the government’s report into Russian interference has not yet been released? Liz Jarvis, a writer and a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Southampton Itchen, says YES. In just over four weeks, voters will go to the polls without knowing whether or not they can trust the Conservatives on the issue [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s support for authoritarianism abroad makes him unfit to be Prime Minister November 13, 2019 If you’ve managed to tear your eyes away from the flood of General Election coverage recently, you may have read about the political turmoil currently racking Bolivia. Following a narrow and contested election victory for incumbent Evo Morales in late October, protests broke out across the country in response to the President’s alleged cheating, culminating [...]
The rising abuse of short-selling tactics could have severe consequences on healthy businesses November 12, 2019 Share prices have always been subject to manipulation. The “pump and dump” phenomenon in penny shares has been such a common risk that many people avoid buying such volatile stocks to this day. Layers of legislation and regulation have been designed and policed to prevent companies and brokers from this kind of activity — broadly [...]
Time for firms to menopause for thought November 12, 2019 From 12-month statutory maternity leave to tackling the gender pay gap, the Labour party unveiled a package of proposals last week to transform the workplace for women. Among the lesser reported is a requirement that large employers have a menopause workplace policy in place. It is a positive sign that we are finally seeing politicians [...]
Killer robots? It’s only a matter of time November 12, 2019 Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere in the news at the moment, but there is little discussion of an area where huge sums are being spent by all the major powers: automated intelligent weapons — or killer robots, as they are usually called. Some strategists now envision military operations conducted entirely by automata. Such fully automated [...]
The vote-winning power of tax cuts November 12, 2019 As theGeneral Election clunks into gear, it’s already clear what Labour’s approach will be: promise to spend literally all the money. The Tories put out a dossier at the weekend costing the opposition’s pledges at a jaw-dropping £1.2 trillion. You can quibble with the detail, but it’s pretty clear that under John McDonnell’s guidance, the [...]
DEBATE: Are this week’s UK growth figures anything to celebrate? November 12, 2019 Are this week’s UK growth figures anything to celebrate? Ruth Lea, economic adviser at the Arbuthnot Banking Group, says YES. The GDP data for the third quarter of 2019 was a tad weaker than expected, and much has been made of the growth rate being the weakest since the start of 2010. But the data [...]