Antisocial media: How to reform our narcissistic internet culture January 30, 2019 The social media and technology backlash – or “techlash” – has begun, and the tech companies are scrambling to catch up. Earlier this month, Sheryl Sandberg talked compellingly at the Munich DLD conference about Facebook’s challenges and the company’s acceptance of greater responsibility around the big issues of data safety, misinformation, and transparency. Good stuff, [...]
On climate change, good economics sadly does not make good politics January 30, 2019 Economists, of all people, should understand the power of specialisation. They are taught early that prosperity is founded on the division of labour: individuals becoming more productive in specific tasks. Yet when dispensing policy advice, they seem to ignore that lesson, presuming that they know better than politicians about good politics. Economists frequently claim that [...]
MPs send Brexit ball back into EU’s court…but will they play? January 29, 2019 By the standard of recent months, Theresa May enjoyed a good night in parliament on Tuesday. While there was no legislative victory to be had, there was a real risk that MPs would seize control of the Brexit process and render her deal defunct. In the event, MPs voted against extending the Article 50 withdrawal [...]
Brexit vote live: MPs reject no-deal and vote for changes on the Irish backstop January 29, 2019 Hello and welcome to our Brexit vote live blog. Please manually refresh this page for the latest updates The Prime Minister brings her plan B to parliament today, but the real meat on the table today are various Brexit amendments tabled by MPs. These vary wildly – with one expected to call for an alternative [...]
Theresa May calls for Brexit negotiations to reopen after MPs back new plan January 29, 2019 Theresa May will launch an audacious bid to reopen Brexit negotiations with the EU after MPs voted in favour of reforming the contentious Irish border backstop arrangements. After a night of high drama, during which MPs voted against a plan that could have delayed Brexit, the Prime Minister said she had a fresh mandate to [...]
City Hall and BBC under fire over stamp duty agreement for new Olympic Park studios January 29, 2019 City Hall has come under fire for agreeing to underwrite half of the stamp duty that could be levied on the BBC when it opens new studios in the £1.1bn Olympic Park development. Last summer the broadcaster announced it would build a brand new set of studios at the east London site by 2022/23, in concert [...]
Ireland would take four per cent economic hit in no-deal Brexit, says Irish finance minister January 29, 2019 Ireland’s economy will take a four per cent hit in a no-deal Brexit, the country’s finance minister has warned. Pascal Donohoe today told his government colleagues a “disorderly” Brexit would particularly impact on agri-food and manufacturing sectors in Ireland – leading to slower economic growth over the next five years. The Irish government were told [...]
London startup backed by the Mayor and National Grid launches embedded car charging points January 29, 2019 Connected Kerb has today launched its first series of electric car charging points fully embedded into the road's curbside. Built into Borough Road in Southwark, the launch was supported by Southwark Council, Virgin Media and National Grid. The move comes after the London startup won the Mayor's Award for Urban Innovation last year. Users of electric cars [...]
Construction in crisis: Where did it all go wrong for Kier? January 29, 2019 Construction outsourcer Kier Group has had a tricky few months. First, it became the most shorted stock on the market, with hedge funds drawing direct comparison to failed competitor Carillion. Since then, it has bungled a rights issue, lost its chief executive and seen its share price plummet more than 39 per cent. City A.M. tracks [...]
Apple sales come to the fore as big tech firms brace for crunch results January 29, 2019 Silicon Valley will be preparing for market instability this week as several members of the so-called Faang grouping gear up to report quarterly results for the recent festive period. Three members of the big tech club – which includes Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google – will publish figures amid rising speculation that their time [...]