Our school system needs tinkering, not ripping up December 4, 2019 Education, education, education. Brits of a certain vintage will remember those three words, underpinning the foundations of New Labour’s message in 1997. The effectiveness of Tony Blair’s reforms is still being debated, not least with regard to his policy of sending 50 per cent of students to university, but one cannot question how effective those [...]
Avoiding the mistakes of the British Steel pension scandal December 4, 2019 For those of us who haven’t been blessed with gold-plated pensions, the mere thought of sacrificing a guaranteed income in retirement might seem insane. So it may come as a surprise that around 210,000 people transferred out of defined benefit pension schemes in 2018/19, more than double compared to the previous year, according to figures [...]
Stop comparing business with football December 4, 2019 There are many similarities to be drawn between the executive boardroom and the football pitch. Both are high-stakes environments, full of competition and ruthlessness. They also host some of the most meaningless jargon in the history of the English language (think “game of two halves” and “reaching out about disrupting industries”). And, dare I say [...]
The conflict of interest around pension transfers December 4, 2019 Going back 40 years, most employees were members of defined benefit pension schemes. Things have certainly changed. Access to defined benefit schemes has dropped significantly, while the proliferation and membership of defined contribution schemes has soared. In April 2015, the pension freedoms liberated funds by offering individuals easier access to their savings from age 55 [...]
Corbyn can’t fix your miserable commute December 3, 2019 Jeremy Corbyn is well and truly getting into the Christmas spirit — he’s making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty or nice, Jeremy is coming to town. Momentum activists could turn that into a Christmas number one. But who’s on the Labour leader’s list? Well, he’s pretty clear about who’s been [...]
The woes of the IPO market show the problems with the stock exchange model December 3, 2019 A lot has changed since the early 1600s. For a start, we’ve stopped burning people at the stake for suggesting that the world is round. But some things have remained surprisingly similar over the past 400 years — like the stock exchange. Today, most exchanges remain similar in format to the very first stock market, [...]
It’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and we need more inclusion in society December 3, 2019 As I type, it is impossible not to be reminded that my ability to do so — as someone who is registered blind — is because of the typewriter’s role as a 200-year-old example of disability inclusion. Early iterations of what led to perhaps the most ubiquitously used invention in the world — the keyboard [...]
Should Tory strategists be nervous now Donald Trump is in town? December 3, 2019 Should Tory strategists be nervous now Donald Trump is in town? Ben Rich, chief executive of the think tank Radix, says YES. Of course they should be nervous. With nine days to go, the Conservatives have got everything to lose and little to gain. The Tory strategists have worked hard to minimise the opportunities for [...]
Labour isn’t even trying to make its slapdash sums add up December 3, 2019 General Elections are always an uncomfortable period for those of us who like our facts straight and our figures honest. All too often, politicians of all stripes seem to be treating the Liberal Democrats’ infamous bar charts not as a scandal, but an inspiration. Even by modern standards, however, there is something rather special about [...]
Green belt reform isn’t political dynamite, it’s a major part of fixing the housing crisis December 3, 2019 As in every election campaign, the need to build huge numbers of new homes for voters is common ground across the main political parties. Yet, also treading a well-worn path, both the Conservatives and Labour continue through their manifestos to promise to protect the green belt and to prioritise development of brownfield land. Will this [...]