Editorial: What the City can learn from Succession… and what it shouldn’t October 19, 2021 There is something viscerally thrilling about the return of Succession to our screens. Whether it is the venal backbiting, the elaborate corporate power-plays, or simply the fact that the myriad troubled characters at the heart of the Roy empire speak to each other like we’d sometimes like to speak to our colleagues, there is something [...]
Editorial: Time to cool the temperature – and say thank you a little more October 18, 2021 Much has been said about the death of Sir David Amess MP, but it is the anecdote from his former researcher that perhaps best serves as a fitting epitaph. “Early on, I was absolutely terrified we had forgotten to tell him about an urgent call from David Cameron’s office. Couldn’t have bothered him less. ‘Don’t [...]
Editorial: From fireworks to business rates, it’s time to move forward October 15, 2021 On the face of it, whether or not a fabulous yellow roman candle explodes like a spider across the stars for London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations is not the world’s most pressing issue. But in its own luminous way, the decision by the Mayor to cancel the capital’s midnight show for the second time in [...]
Editorial: Here’s to the billionaires heading for the final frontier October 14, 2021 So it’s beam me up, Bezos, as Captain Kirk almost said. Yesterday William Shatner became the oldest man to see space, sent off to near-orbit by Amazon’s Jeff on Blue Origin. To some, the competition between Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Richard Branson and no doubt other soon-to-emerge billionaires is a sign of the worst of [...]
Editorial: If the PM returns with a plan, it’s a worthwhile holiday October 11, 2021 Climbing the greasy pole of politics is fraught with risk; chief among them, the opportunity for the world to go hell in a handcart whilst you’re on holiday. See Raab, Dominic, for one recent example; a mistimed holiday to Crete and the now former Foreign Secretary ends up on the wrong side of a Cabinet [...]
Editorial: Boris the boxer owns the ring – but the real fight is yet to come October 6, 2021 In the city that gave us Tyson Fury – the heavyweight champion of the world – Boris Johnson proved yesterday that he owns the ring of British politics. Manchester saw a bravura performance – the ability to land the well-placed jab at Labour, the crowd-pleasing hook on enemies both real and imagined, and the footwork [...]
Editorial: The City’s values endure in its buildings – old and new October 6, 2021 If we have learnt one thing from the last year, it’s that the City of London is perhaps a more fragile thing than some of us thought. Resilient, yes; able to bounce-back, that too. But nonetheless, as a community, as a place dripping with both history and innovation, we can never take it for granted [...]
Editorial: Crisis? What crisis? Sunak and his party would be wise to avoid complacency October 5, 2021 The year is 1979, and rubbish bags are piling up in Leicester Square. Lorry drivers are striking leading to queues at fuel pumps, and Brits are panic-buying bread. Prime Minister Jim Callaghan returns to Britain from a conference in Guadeloupe and declares airily that “I don’t think other people in the world would share the [...]
Editorial: Time for substance not soundbite at Tory conference October 4, 2021 We are, somewhat extraordinarily, about halfway through Boris Johnson’s first term in office. Most Westminster watchers expect an election in 2023 to be at least likely, if not probable. And yet we remain largely unclear about what the administration stands for, and what the PM is trying to achieve with the office that he has [...]
Editorial: A decent Labour opposition can be good for the Tories, too September 30, 2021 In December 2019, this newspaper ran an editorial which – in no uncertain terms – said that a Labour party led by Jeremy Corbyn didn’t deserve your- our readers – votes. The party had descended into a pit of anti-semitism, infighting and backstabbing. If Theresa May once warned the Conservatives they had become seen as [...]
