How Alex Salmond is ignoring the real risks of Scottish independence February 24, 2014 WHETHER it is best for Ukraine to split, or the UK to join the emerging Single European State, or Catalonia to leave Spain, or Scotland to leave the UK are not fundamentally economic questions. Rather, they are bound up with constitutional issues, issues of identity, and the question of with whom one wants to share [...]
Tory policy is becoming a mess of contradictions February 24, 2014 AS RECOVERY becomes entrenched, it is easy to forget the sense of urgency of those heady days in May 2010, when the Tory-Lib Dem coalition agreement was thrashed out. The backdrop of the Greek implosion brought broad consensus on the need for a credible medium-term plan to repair the public finances. The Conservatives who, right [...]
Why the housing crisis is clobbering London businesses February 24, 2014 THE HOUSING crisis is the biggest challenge facing London. For the first time ever, it is now Londoners’ top concern. For low and middle income Londoners, home ownership is increasingly out of reach, rents consume an ever increasing percentage of their income, and homelessness is rising. But the crisis is also seriously damaging the competitiveness [...]
Worrying failings in the annuity market are not being addressed February 14, 2014 THE FCA’s report on the annuities market confirms that customers are not being well-served by insurers. The Report is welcome but, rather than getting on with the urgent reforms required, the FCA is launching another review, leaving thousands at risk of poor value, unsuitable pensions for the rest of their lives. More delays mean more [...]
2013 Christmas quiz – The Answers December 20, 2013 1. Between spring and autumn 2013, which of these countries received the largest upgrade to its 2013 GDP growth forecast from the IMF? a. Indiab. United Statesc. United Kingdom ANSWER – United Kingdom. In April, the IMF forecast the UK would grow by 0.7 per cent in 2013. By October, the IMF had raised this [...]
Britain could become a social investment hub – if the chancellor provides the right incentives December 4, 2013 LONDON is fast emerging as a global centre for social investing. All of the ingredients are here: a vibrant entrepreneurial culture, a strong ethos of charitable giving and investing for good, a supportive government, and organisations whose aim is to grow the world of social impact investing. In the last few months, London has hosted [...]
