Black Monday and why confidence is the key to revival October 18, 2012 TODAY is the twenty-fifth anniversary of Black Monday, when stock markets around the world spectacularly crashed and the FTSE 100 plunged from over 2,300 to depths of near 1,500. Although 1987 is long ago, and we’ve reasonably moved on to consider more recent financial disasters, Britain’s return to confidence then holds lessons for politicians and [...]
Is the coalition right to force firms to disclose the number of senior women they employ? October 18, 2012 YES Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden Gender diversity in business leadership offers opportunities for new perspectives, innovative thinking, and increased competitiveness. Our research has found a clear and positive correlation between women board directors and enhanced corporate financial performance, particularly when the commitment to gender diverse leadership is sustained over time. But the impact of women board [...]
Rapid responses October 18, 2012 Greek reform [Re: Greece must stop hitting snooze and wake up to economic reform, yesterday] Although Matthew Melchiorre is right to criticise Greece’s politicians for failing to reform their state, he misses a bigger issue. Politicians aren’t operating in a vacuum. Much of the Greek public – quite unlike the Estonians or Irish – doesn’t accept [...]
Burton is back to his best with horror romp October 18, 2012 FILM FRANKENWEENIE Cert PG **** Only TIM Burton could have got away with making Frankenweenie. I can just hear the pitch: “I want to shoot a feature-length, black and white, stop-motion animation about a dead dog”. Frankenweenie, though, is undoubtedly the most lovingly crafted feature-length, black and white, stop-motion animation about a dead dog ever [...]
London launch boom rolls on October 18, 2012 Autumn’s boom of London launches continues apace, with Barbarella set to open on the Fulham Road this week. Formerly one of the go-to spots for London’s luminaries, Groucho Club maestro Jack Freud has enlisted clubland’s foremost names and undertaken a £2m refurbishment to restore Barbarella to its former glory, with dinner, drinks and dancing featuring [...]
Ginger and Rosa is an interesting but flawed film that doesn’t quite deliver October 18, 2012 FILM GINGER AND ROSA Cert 12A *** Ginger and Rosa weaves a rather implausible coming of age tale about two teenage friends with the post-war fear of The Bomb, resulting in a film with a veneer of sentimentality but a surprisingly cynical heart. Ginger is a bright girl from a bohemian family who is terrified [...]
The best of the fest: must see flicks this weekend at the 56th Annual BFI London Film Festival October 18, 2012 THE 56th Annual BFI London Film Festival was has been a showcase for some of the world’s hottest young directors, as well as some more established personalities such as Tim Burton, whose Frankenweenie, reviewed above, opened the event. The festival is bigger than ever this year, with new venues being added in locations including Shoreditch, [...]
Dig deep for this lame movie October 18, 2012 FILM BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Cert 12A ** Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of those films that will split opinions. Having heard about the great splash it made at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, I was expecting something special. Instead I got a film that required me to dig deep [...]
Racing gears up to say farewell to Frankel at QIPCO British Champions Day October 18, 2012 RARELY has racing been simultaneously so excited and disappointed as it will be around 4.00pm tomorrow at Ascot for QIPCO British Champions Day, when Sir Henry Cecil’s magnificent Frankel takes to the turf for what will almost certainly be his final race. In two wonderful seasons the son of Galileo has staked his claim to [...]
Frankie’s Thoughts October 18, 2012 I HAD my finest hour in the saddle at Ascot and it always holds a special place in my heart. But Frankel is the star of the show in tomorrow’s QIPCO British Champions Day, not me! As we all know, he is an absolutely incredible horse and nothing will beat him. I ride the German-trained [...]
