Prisoners must be put to work October 4, 2011 The government will put more prisoners to work in an attempt to rehabilitate a “growing feral underclass” blamed for the riots that swept through England two months ago, justice secretary Ken Clarke said yesterday. Clarke won backing for his plan from a group of business executives led by Sir Richard Branson, chairman of travel and [...]
Lansley defends NHS reforms October 4, 2011 Health secretary Andrew Lansley yesterday attempted to reassure critics of planned reforms to the National Health Service, promising they would mean “no decision about me without me” for UK patients. Lansley said Labour would have cut £30bn by 2015, whereas the Tories will be putting in £12bn. “While I am secretary of state, the NHS [...]
MEP: EU may force City tax October 4, 2011 AN EU-WIDE financial transactions tax could be introduced as a VAT measure, avoiding the UK’s veto on taxation, according to Conservative MEP Dr Kay Swinburne. She is reported to have told regulators at the Conservative party conference yesterday that MEPs, led by European tax commissioner Algirdas Semeta, had “already started work” on the proposals. That [...]
22 Tory MPs form group to fight anti-enterprise culture October 4, 2011 A NEW group of Conservative MPs launched last night to promote free enterprise and counter the widespread belief that the financial crisis was caused by too little regulation. The 22-strong group, put together on the initiative of Elizabeth Truss MP, aims to “make the case” for economic freedom. “Free enterprise has got a bad name [...]
Should the UK hold a referendum on staying in the European Union? October 4, 2011 At the Tory Party conference yesterday, Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to completely dismiss the idea of an in-out referendum on the UK’s role in the European Union. Cameron said: “I don’t think most people in the country want that choice between in or out.” But what do you think? This week our readers’ panel, in [...]
Pub landlady hits winner in football case October 4, 2011 A PUB landlady from Portsmouth yesterday won her legal bid to screen cheap foreign coverage of football matches, in a giant-killing feat to rival Wimbledon’s 1988 FA Cup final win over Liverpool. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Karen Murphy should be allowed to use a Greek decoder to screen football matches. Murphy [...]
DO YOU AGREE WITH THE ECJ RULING? October 4, 2011 ALAN GYERTSON | ALPHA BANK “I don’t think it is right, but I am hoping that this will shake a few things up and maybe get rid of Sky’s choke hold.” CHRIS WEBBER | FAEGRE & BENSON “Yes, it is brilliant. Sky has always been in control; it has opened a new market for people [...]
Essar looks to $750m listing October 4, 2011 INDIAN industrial giant Essar is set to raise about $750m (£485m) by floating its infrastructure assets on the London stock exchange next year. The Mumbai conglomerate is believed to have hired JP Morgan and Credit Suisse to advise on the initial public offering (IPO), which would provide foreign cash to boost its expansion plans. The [...]
SIR FRED GOODWIN SAGA RUNS AND RUNS October 4, 2011 JUST when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for disgraced banker Sir Fred Goodwin, The Capitalist hears the former RBS CEO was once snubbed in favour of a company that had recently given half of Glasgow diarrhoea. The story starts in 2003, when BBC Scotland’s head of news Atholl Duncan, needing a change of [...]
Profits return yet Wolseley still cautious October 4, 2011 WOLSELEY, the world’s biggest distributor of plumbing and heating products, swung back into profit for the first time in three years after increasing sales and cutting down on costs. The FTSE 100 group, which operates the Plumb Centre and Ferguson chains in Britain and the US, said underlying profit in the year to the end [...]
