Treasury watchdog has huge task ahead October 24, 2019 Westminster isn’t a happy place these days. MPs leave under police escort while protesters from both sides of the Brexit stalemate berate them; conventions in parliament are tested almost to destruction by the Speaker and ministers alike; a domestic legislative agenda exists only on paper; the government cannot govern and the opposition demand an election [...]
How businesses can take power into their hands October 24, 2019 Having your phone run out of power is one of the pitfalls of modern living, which is why battery packs are a must in most people’s bags. But while we are happy to be proactive about power protection in some ways, that usually doesn’t extend to our homes and businesses where it is even more [...]
This House divided must act with honour, stop hiding, and seek a new mandate from the people October 24, 2019 At times of crisis, it is sometimes tempting to seek solace in scripture. As the US Civil War approached in 1858, a senatorial candidate for Illinois – a certain Abraham Lincoln – clearly thought so. In his famous “House Divided” speech – during what proved to be a failed campaign but one that set him [...]
Winning the global race: Britain needs social enterprises to help business rediscover its purpose October 24, 2019 What seemed like a lifetime ago, former Prime Minister David Cameron used to talk about the “global race”. When he spoke about getting fit for this race, his argument was that the state needed to shed a few pounds in order to free up businesses to drive growth. Like most politicians at the time, he [...]
The UK’s AI talent race just stepped up a gear October 24, 2019 Technology has the power to improve lives and tackle the great challenges of our time. At the University of Exeter, for example, Tim Dodwell is about to start a five-year project looking into how technology can make the aviation industry more sustainable and safer. He is one of the first five recipients of a new [...]
Let’s take a closer look at Neil Woodford’s dubious investment decisions October 23, 2019 The man with the Midas touch. That was how people saw Neil Woodford only a few short years ago. But things didn’t work out that well for King Midas in the end, and the same can be said for the former star manager, whose reputation is in tatters and whose investment empire now set to [...]
Facebook vs. democracy: Let’s get serious about disinformation October 23, 2019 On Monday, Facebook announced new measures to help combat the spread of disinformation in the looming UK General Election. Plans include working with fact checkers, tracking the origin of political ads, and doing more to take down content that breaks Facebook’s rules. Read more: The number of deepfake videos online has almost doubled While positive, [...]
Debate: Is the re-election of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister good news for Canada? October 23, 2019 Is the re-election of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister good news for Canada? Yes – Dr Joe Zammit-Lucia is a co-founder and trustee of Radix, the think tank for the radical centre. Both Justin Trudeau’s re-election and the fact that he will not command a majority are good news for Canada. Canada is essentially a [...]
Until Scotland’s currency puzzle is solved, independence is economically delusional October 23, 2019 The possibility of Scottish independence is back on the political agenda once again. And one question – which currency would an independent Scotland use? – that was crucial in the 2014 referendum has still not been resolved. The informal use of the pound is a very risky option. To see why, the Scottish National Party [...]
We all need a refresher course in how to disagree with civility October 23, 2019 Leavers tend to see their fellow Leavers as intelligent, open-minded and honest, and Remain voters as closed-minded, hypocritical and selfish. In return, Remainers are even less generous in their views of Leave voters. On both sides, only a minority said that they would be happy if their child married somebody from “the other side”, and [...]