We all have a part to play in bridging the UK’s disability employment gap July 22, 2019 Your first job interview can be a daunting experience. For disabled people, that first time can be even more challenging. Imagine having to take on a job interview where the preparatory material has been supplied in a format that you cannot read. Or imagine having that interview in the car park, because you can’t access [...]
Could Jacob Rees-Mogg help Boris Johnson to revolutionise our planning system? July 22, 2019 Boris Johnson hasn’t exactly broken a sweat in this leadership election. He’s ducked debates, declined interviews and appeared generally unenthusiastic about subjecting himself to too much scrutiny. His defenders may point out that he’s participated in a large number of hustings for party members, but these have been treated as occasions to give his supporters [...]
The Extinction Rebels seem to care more about capitalism than climate July 19, 2019 If your commute to work this week has been blocked by a giant colourful boat, you have Extinction Rebellion (XR) to thank. The self-defined “non-violent civil disobedience activist movement” has begun its summer of disruption, shutting down traffic in five UK cities to protest against climate change “inaction”. A worthy and vital attempt to safeguard [...]
DEBATE: Has any technological development in the last 50 years matched the magnitude of the moon landing? July 19, 2019 Has any technological development in the last 50 years matched the magnitude of the moon landing? Ivan Mazour, chief executive and founder of AI-powered customer retention platform Ometria, says YES. When asked about the greatest innovation of the past century, would many of us point to the moon landing? A feat remarkable, yes, but unrepeated [...]
We need a bold new approach to tackle London’s housing crisis July 19, 2019 When I was a young boy in the 1970s, my family lived in council housing in Ladbroke Grove, and London was in decline. The depressed mood about London was reflected in the price of housing: the average property cost just £24,000. Mind you, the average income was only £6,000. The prospect of our family owning [...]
Let’s end the government monopoly of financial regulation July 19, 2019 The growth of financial regulation seems inexorable. Andy Haldane, chief economist at the Bank of England, has noted that in 1980 there was one UK regulator for every 11,000 people employed in finance, compared to one for every 300 people by 2011. At that rate of growth, the number of regulators will overtake the number [...]
May goes not with a bang, but with a whimper July 19, 2019 This time next week Theresa May will be embarking on her first weekend out of office. Her successor, most likely Boris Johnson, will be settling into the sofa at Number Ten. Prime Ministers, much like chief executives, can get obsessed about their legacy. City veteran Martin Gilbert once said that leaving is hard because when [...]
DEBATE: Would the railways run better with a ‘fat controller’? July 18, 2019 Would the railways run better with an independent “fat controller” in charge, as recently proposed? Scott Corfe, research director at the Social Market Foundation, says YES. Commuters are right to be angry with the state of Britain’s railway network, with its unpalatable combination of high fares, delays, and trains so packed that one feels like [...]
Young voters today care about far more than just tuition fees July 18, 2019 Student debt is, once again, pledge fodder as politicians jostle for power. Conservative leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt has promised to wipe student debt for successful entrepreneurs and reduce interest on loans, the Brexit Party has pledged to remove and reimburse interest altogether, while Labour has long vowed to scrap tuition fees entirely. It’s not hard [...]
Public speaking – why are we so scared of talking to a crowd? July 18, 2019 Public speaking. It is the stuff of nightmares. Standing in front of your peers, colleagues and managers, words that you’ve prepped for weeks rendered to a mere whisper. It’s incredible the number of senior professionals, business owners, chief executives and managers – highly intelligent, articulate, funny and above all inspiring people – who hate the [...]