Ignore the parades, China has no claim to any kind of greatness October 3, 2019 Seventy years ago this week, Chairman Mao Zedong inaugurated the People’s Republic of China after his decisive victory in the Chinese Civil War over the rival Kuomintang. With the defeated Chiang Kai-shek having fled to Taiwan, the new dictator set in motion his vision of what China should look like and aspire to. Much of [...]
Few get to choose their manner of exit October 2, 2019 At least one of the corporate titans to announce their departure yesterday had been thinking about it for some time. Martin Gilbert told this newspaper nearly a year ago that picking the moment for a smooth exit is tough. “When things are going well,” he said, “you don’t want to leave — and when they’re [...]
Strength in numbers: The value of business associations October 2, 2019 In these uncertain times, adopting a united front can be a powerful way to overcome challenges. We only have to look at the political, social, and economic turmoil of the last decade to observe how making big decisions in a fractured fashion has negative long-term consequences. Understandably, the current news landscape has made UK business [...]
Trying to impeach Boris would be an unmitigated catastrophe October 2, 2019 Rumours are swirling in Westminster of a plot to impeach Boris Johnson. The news broke over the weekend that, inspired perhaps by the US Democrats’ move against Donald Trump, opposition parties are considering moving to strip the Prime Minister of his position. This is foolish and dangerous. For a start, it is entirely unclear if [...]
DEBATE: Have the Conservatives re-established themselves as the party of law and order? October 2, 2019 Have the Conservatives re-established themselves as the party of law and order? Jack Powell, editor of 1828, says YES. The home secretary stands in front of the police federation, berating them about everything from decades-long scandals to not working with her constructively enough Five years later, one of her successors pledges to give her full [...]
It may look shambolic, but this is functioning democracy in action October 2, 2019 Over the last three years, it has become fashionable to argue that the whole sorry Brexit saga has made the UK a laughing stock around the world. A government in chaos, a parliament unable to decide which way is up, a country divided straight down the middle. All very messy, unkempt, and disorderly. But messy [...]
What kind of person crosses the Nevada desert to investigate UFO conspiracies? October 2, 2019 Area 51 is a mysterious place. Located deep in the Nevada desert, it is home to highly classified US military operations. Rumours abound that it harbours secrets about extraterrestrial life. In June, a podcaster released an interview with someone who claims to have studied flying saucers in Area 51. The video spread like wildfire on [...]
The Beano’s message for brands: Think more ‘kid’ October 1, 2019 Once the epicentre of hacks, liquid lunches, and anonymous sources, Fleet Street now finds itself home to international Emmy-nominated content makers, creatives, and digital gurus. In fact, Beano’s London HQ has been based in Fleet Street since 2016. As well as taking the famous (and infamous) Dennis and Gnasher global in our new animation – [...]
How business rates reform can thwart the retail apocalypse October 1, 2019 When businesses like Thomas Cook fail to adapt, they are smited by new technologies with leaner business models and more efficient practices. This is Joseph Schumpeter’s creative destruction in action. Yet there is something profoundly bleak about boarded-up shops or “clearance sales” posters in the windows of once thriving businesses – particularly as the demise of [...]
The chancellor should deliver tax cuts, not more spending October 1, 2019 Sajid Javid used his major conference speech yesterday to announce a raft of new spending pledges. The chancellor’s focus was infrastructure and rural areas, with money promised for bus networks, roads, and the rollout of 5G. This sits alongside the strapline of this year’s Conservative party conference itself, which focuses on spending more on the [...]