Tips for Theresa May: Speak up, don’t cough, and try to keep the writing on the wall September 28, 2018 It says something about how low the bar has dropped for your speech if your primary aim is to ensure that the letters on the sign behind the stage don’t start falling to the floor as you talk about building a strong economy. Factor in a robust set, some industrial-strength cough sweets, and make sure [...]
One referendum fractured the UK – a second could shatter it September 21, 2018 Who wants a second Brexit referendum? Everyone, it would seem these days. The Czech and Maltese Prime Ministers called for one yesterday at the EU summit in Salzburg. According to Brussels gossip, the UK negotiators have been hampered by whispers that it is possible to get fickle Britain to change its mind. And, indeed, Vince Cable [...]
One referendum fractured the UK – a second could shatter it September 21, 2018 Who wants a second Brexit referendum? Everyone, it would seem these days. The Czech and Maltese Prime Ministers called for one yesterday at the EU summit in Salzburg. According to Brussels gossip, the UK negotiators have been hampered by whispers that it is possible to get fickle Britain to change its mind. And, indeed, Vince Cable [...]
Get ready for the robot revolution – and fast September 17, 2018 The rise of the robots has generated a fierce debate – one in which the doomsayers shout the loudest. However, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the future is bright: for every job that machines are due to displace worldwide by 2022, they will create almost two more – a net positive of 58m. They [...]
Get ready for the robot revolution – and fast September 17, 2018 The rise of the robots has generated a fierce debate – one in which the doomsayers shout the loudest. However, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the future is bright: for every job that machines are due to displace worldwide by 2022, they will create almost two more – a net positive of 58m. They [...]
The EU needs dynamic new thinking, not lectures on unity September 13, 2018 Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. This should be adopted as the personal motto of European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, or at least as the tagline for his final State of the Union address yesterday. “There is no applause when EU law dictates that Europeans have to change the clocks twice a [...]
The EU needs dynamic new thinking, not lectures on unity September 13, 2018 Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. This should be adopted as the personal motto of European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, or at least as the tagline for his final State of the Union address yesterday. “There is no applause when EU law dictates that Europeans have to change the clocks twice a [...]
The EU’s existential crisis has spread to Sweden September 10, 2018 The tide of political upheaval has spread to Sweden, whose election has shaken any delusion that anti-EU frustration is confined to the Brexit-voting UK. In Sweden’s system of compromise and coalition, the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) have been the big winners. While SD did not do as well as some had predicted, winning 17.6 per [...]
From Elon Musk to Elizabeth Holmes, beware maverick disrupters promising to save the world September 7, 2018 It has not been a good week for celebrity entrepreneurs. The world’s favourite failed healthtech unicorn folded for good. A maverick space technologist mired himself further in a pointless libel battle. And we also heard that Gwyneth Paltrow’s “wellness” brand Goop had agreed to pay $145,000 for making “unsubstantiated claims” about the healing properties [...]
It’s not rocket science – if we want more maths teachers, we should pay them more August 31, 2018 Britain faces a teaching crisis: half of new maths and physics teachers quit within five years. Just 47 per cent of those teaching these subjects at GCSE level have a relevant degree, and in the most deprived schools, it’s as low as one in five. Thursday’s report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) paints a [...]
