This election has exposed Britain’s foreign policy vacuum November 14, 2019 The 2020 US presidential election will be heavily influenced by foreign policy debate. So was the last one, and the one before that. Barack Obama initially stood out against Hillary Clinton by defining himself in opposition to the Iraq War. Donald Trump represented a break from the typical interventionist nature of Republican candidates, and so [...]
Parity denied: Why ‘Girl Boss’ ad is the last thing women need to succeed November 13, 2019 Moving around London’s transport network I recently clocked a poster ad for a freelancing company. The caption read: “You do the girl boss thing. We’ll do the SEO thing.” The orange of the first sentence matched the hair of the lackadaisical-looking woman in the photo. Call me a snowflake, but I was offended. Maybe this [...]
Is Mark Barnett repeating Neil Woodford’s mistakes? November 13, 2019 A little over a year ago, many would have argued that following in the footsteps of Neil Woodford was a positive move. Now, after the recent scandal around the infamous fund manager and the collapse of his investment empire, most people would likely argue the complete opposite. Trust has been shaken, and investors are understandably [...]
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 [...]