Vodafone’s merger with Three is an open and shut case of a monopolistic power Max von thun A merger between Vodafone and Three, two of the biggest telecoms companies in the UK will drive up prices for consumers and kill competition, writes Max von Thun
Musk’s Twitter takeover and the FTX collapse should end the founder cult Max von Thun Few would disagree that entrepreneurs and the companies they create are an essential part of any successful economy. Nevertheless, today’s excessive levels of founder adulation – call it the cult of the founder – are proving damaging in ways that are plain to see, from Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and the spectacular collapse of [...]
The CMA’s showdown with Facebook over Giphy foreshadows a crackdown Max von Thun You probably don’t think of GIFs and think of showdowns with tech giants. Mostly, these short clips decorate people’s texts and social media profiles. Now, they are at the forefront of regulators’ efforts to rein in big tech. On Tuesday, the UK’s competition regulator – the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) – told Facebook (now [...]
Keir Starmer was right on one thing in his reshuffle – we need a Future of Work Secretary May 15, 2021 After a poor set of local election results and a botched reshuffle, Labour hasn’t had the best of weeks. But one thing it may have gotten right is the appointment of Angela Rayner as “shadow secretary for the future of work”. While it is easy to mock the elaborate titles bestowed on the deputy leader [...]
DEBATE: Will the National Security and Investment Bill make it harder for the UK to remain a business hub? November 13, 2020 Max von Thun, senior associate at political advisory firm Global Counsel, says YES. Under the screening regime proposed by the new National Security and Investment Bill, a much higher number of deals will be subject to potential government intervention on national security grounds for up to five years after they have taken place. In addition [...]
The government’s National Security and Investment Bill could close the door on Global Britain November 11, 2020 As the twin spectres of Brexit and Covid-19 continue to dominate the headlines, you could be forgiven for not having the government’s planned National Security and Investment Bill on your radar. But the Bill is set to radically overhaul the UK’s approach to foreign investment at a time of significant economic uncertainty. While its exact [...]
China hawks risk accelerating the outcomes they are trying to avoid June 18, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic is leading to a clear hardening of western attitudes towards China. The origins of the virus in Wuhan, coupled with suspicions that the Chinese government suppressed awareness of the initial outbreak, have emboldened sino-sceptics and heightened fears of growing Chinese influence. Yet blanket hostility risks accelerating the emergence of the aggressive and [...]
How better competition policy can restore public trust in capitalism March 6, 2020 Competition policy is not something most people spend much time thinking about. It’s a dry, legalistic area of policy that even elected officials themselves have largely preferred to delegate to technocratic regulators. Yet competition policy is an integral part of the lifeblood of capitalism. At a time when trust in the market economy is under [...]
DEBATE: Will we see as much seismic political change in 2020 as we did this year? December 20, 2019 Will we see as much seismic political change in 2020 as we did this year? Nicholas Mazzei, a corporate social responsibility adviser, says YES. Despite the vast amount of news we’ve consumed on Brexit and British politics since the EU referendum, very little has actually happened policy-wise. Do not expect more of this in 2020. [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s support for authoritarianism abroad makes him unfit to be Prime Minister November 13, 2019 If you’ve managed to tear your eyes away from the flood of General Election coverage recently, you may have read about the political turmoil currently racking Bolivia. Following a narrow and contested election victory for incumbent Evo Morales in late October, protests broke out across the country in response to the President’s alleged cheating, culminating [...]