Bring forward the EU referendum: The UK’s tech sector can’t wait two years May 11, 2015 As the dust settles on one of the most extraordinary General Election campaigns in generations, a new battle looms on the horizon for Tech City. The nation now faces a war over “Brexit”. David Cameron’s promise to hold a referendum by 2017 on the UK’s EU membership will have major repercussions for the economy and, [...]
The election’s lesson for politicians: Stop obsessing about opinion polls May 11, 2015 Very few predicted last week’s election result correctly. In hindsight, it’s easy to see that this was because the vast majority of us became so utterly enthralled by the weekly, if not daily, splurge of opinion polls. And these, of course, proved to be disastrously wrong. The British Polling Council has already launched an independent [...]
Labour must ditch tribalism to reclaim London’s suburbs May 11, 2015 There is no getting away from it: last Thursday’s result was a crushing defeat for the Labour Party. This new era requires a new generation of leaders, who must have a vision that appeals across political and geographical divides, and the ability to reach beyond Labour’s core base. Those who turned away from Labour need [...]
As licence fee critic John Whittingdale is made culture secretary, is this bad news for the BBC? May 11, 2015 Sam Bowman, deputy director of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes John Whittingdale has described the licence fee as being “worse than a poll tax,” and wants to decriminalise non-payment. That is a good idea: 10 per cent of magistrate court cases are for licence fee non-payment. Every week that means 3,000 people are fined [...]
Trading coffee one year on from record highs: Could prices rocket again? May 11, 2015 Prices of Arabica coffee hit record highs last year after a drought in Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producing nation. A dearth of supplies on the world market meant the price of Arabica soared to $3 a pound – a massive rise from under $1.30 back in 2010. “The drought in Brazil had [...]
Commodity firms: The new manufacturers? – CNBC Comment May 11, 2015 Resources firms were matter of fact about cutting capital expenditure when conditions took a turn for the worse in emerging markets. For too long, energy and base metals giants used their big diversified structures to bamboozle investors about returns stretching across vast geographies, while shoveling cash into more projects to achieve scale. That’s all changing. [...]
How to trade the notoriously ruthless FTSE All Share – DailyFX Tips & Picks May 11, 2015 WHILE the FTSE All Share Index ended higher in 21 out of the last 29 years, trading the FTSE 100 or FTSE All Share can be ruthless. This is because of the intra-year swings these markets exhibit. But by knowing about these swings, you could use them to your advantage. With the markets tending to [...]
Car review: On the road with BMW’s Gran Tourer – the people carrier that’s out to prove luxurious doesn’t equal impractical May 11, 2015 Remember those BMW ads with the tagline “The Ultimate Driving Machine”? The Bavarian brand built its reputation on sporty saloons with straight-six engines and rear-wheel drive. Unfortunately, the 2 Series Gran Tourer falls short of being the ultimate driving machine. BMW’s seven-seat MPV is a stretched version of the Active Tourer that shares its [...]
Not convinced? May 11, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… CITROEN GRAND C4 PICASSO 2.0 BLUE HDI EXCLUSIVE PRICE: £28,110 0-62MPH: 10.2 secs TOP SPEED: 128mph CO2 G/KM: 115g/km MPG COMBINED: 64.2mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Five Stars PERFORMANCE Three Stars PRACTICALITY Five Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Four Stars FORD GRAND C-MAX 2.0 TDCI TITANIUM X NAV AUTO PRICE: £27,865 0-62MPH: 10.7 secs TOP SPEED: [...]
A guide to Ibiza for grown ups: What the White Isle offers the more discerning clubber with a budget May 11, 2015 What do you do when you’ve just suffered a humiliating election defeat that virtually nobody on the planet predicted? Why, you board the first flight to Ibiza, of course. Right now, at 6am on a Tuesday morning, Ed Miliband could well be gurning on the terrace of a beach club, stripped to his chinos, glow-sticks [...]
