DEBATE: Should the Conservative party deselect MPs who rebel this week? September 4, 2019 Should the Conservative party deselect MPs who rebel this week? Alex Deane, a Conservative commentator, says YES. Everyone, subject to exceptions not applicable here, has a right to stand for parliament. But nobody has a right to be the adopted candidate of a specific party. That party’s members, activists and leaders must be willing to [...]
How to end the injustice of the skewed university degree system September 4, 2019 Imagine a world where Eton awarded its own A-levels. No one else could take them and, if you got an A grade in, for example, chemistry, it was worth more than an A grade in the same subject from any other exam board. It would be hideously unfair. Etonians would have a huge, inbuilt advantage [...]
Economic theory can offer a lesson to struggling football clubs September 4, 2019 The expulsion of Bury FC from the English Football League last week continues to generate a huge amount of sound and fury. Regardless of the apparently dodgy nature of some of Bury’s transactions, the simple fact is that the club overspent massively in order to gain promotion from League Two last season. The surge in [...]
Entrepreneurs, learn to let go of your business September 3, 2019 For many entrepreneurs, successfully selling their business is validation that their years of hard work have paid off. It should be the happiest time of their lives, but it can actually be one filled with mixed emotions. I know this, because that’s what I experienced myself. In 2012, I co-founded an electronic point of sale [...]
This overblown rhetoric about ‘coups’ and ‘Nazism’ is in no one’s interests September 3, 2019 “This is Britain’s Reichstag Fire Decree moment.” That was one man’s reaction to Boris Johnson’s decision last week to prorogue parliament. It’s the kind of intemperate remark you expect in the wilder reaches of social media, where Godwin’s Law – the inevitability of someone bringing up Hitler in an online debate – is alive and [...]
Can’t name the UK technology secretary? That’s because we don’t have one September 3, 2019 Do you know who our secretary of state for technology is? Or can you name the tech minister? No? That’s not surprising, because they don’t exist. While we all might agree that technology is a key ingredient to a successful and vibrant economy and to our advancement as a society, there is still no one [...]
DEBATE: Is there any merit to Labour’s idea of a ‘right to buy’ policy for private renters? September 3, 2019 Is there any merit to Labour’s idea of a ‘right to buy’ policy for private renters? James Meadway, an economist and former adviser to John McDonnell, says YES. Labour looking into a right to buy for private tenants could be a godsend for those tens of thousands of private renters who find themselves on the [...]
Forget what you’ve heard, Facebook’s libra can help in the fight against money laundering September 3, 2019 The cost of anti-money laundering (AML) protocols and procedures for businesses is well-documented. Financial institutions sink billions each year into technology to identify suspicious activity and prevent their services being used for illegal transactions. Despite these efforts, money laundering remains big business, representing around five per cent of global GDP. That’s larger than the entire [...]
When business partners behave badly: How to rein in a shady coworker September 2, 2019 In the wake of the #MeToo movement, there has been a great deal of focus on how to tackle the toxic work culture that exists in some industries and businesses. Many companies have been pushing for cultural change, motivated by the desire to create inclusive work environments, and limit the reputational and financial damage that [...]
DEBATE: Does Ruth Davidson’s resignation show that politics needs to change to better support women? September 2, 2019 Does Ruth Davidson’s resignation show that politics needs to change to better support women? Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, says YES. Gender discrimination remains rife within society and our political system. Politics fails not only new mothers like Ruth Davidson, but also those with a range of caring responsibilities. Parliament has failed [...]