Labour’s Magnificent Seven just made a no-deal Brexit more likely February 19, 2019 I am old enough to recall the “Gang of Four” in the eighties, when Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rogers left Labour to set up the Social Democratic Party. We know that all ended acrimoniously, with a reverse takeover by David Steel’s Liberal Party that created the Liberal Democrats. This week, we [...]
Twitter is great, just don’t make an Elon Musk-sized mistake February 18, 2019 Despite a staggering $20m personal fine from the US finance watchdog the SEC and the loss of his chairmanship at Tesla for an errant tweet, we learned last week that Elon Musk’s 280-character updates have won the approval of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, aka @Jack. “He’s focused on solving existential problems and sharing his thinking [...]
Editor’s Notes: The EU simply chooses which rules to enforce and which to ignore February 14, 2019 Allow me a moment away from our own Brexit turmoil and to focus instead on a nasty spot of rot right at the heart of the European Commission. While the Brexit process has made some of the EU’s top brass more recognisable to a British audience, it’s unlikely that many could identify one of its [...]
Paintball, Power Point and trust exercises: How to survive your next team away day February 11, 2019 In 1305, having executed William Wallace in London, Edward Longshanks had to plan how he would run Scotland from afar. Rather than do this from the capital, he took his court to Sheen Palace in Surrey to receive the Scottish commissioners, thus in effect instituting the first strategy away day. And it’s that time of [...]
Activist investor Cat Rock turns up the heat after calling on Just Eat to start merger talks February 11, 2019 One of Just Eat’s major shareholders has urged the takeaway giant to start merger discussions with a "well-run industry peer" today, following the recent departure of boss Peter Plumb. Cat Rock Capital Management, which owns a 1.7 per cent stake in Just Eat, said that a tie-up for the online food delivery firm "would be a [...]
Pinter Seven review: Danny Dyer comes home for this triumphant farewell to Jamie Lloyd’s season February 7, 2019 There are many things about the world today that make me think malevolent forces are having a laugh at our expense. Top of that list is the fact that Danny Dyer – the man who referred to aliens as “that mob up there” and the 9/11 hijackers as “them slags” – was a personal friend [...]
Professional headshots can be a minefield – especially if you take them too seriously February 7, 2019 TAKE a look at that picture of me. No tie or jacket. Not even a shirt for that matter. Hair a little on the louche side. Facing the camera squarely. Chin jutting out a bit, if we’re honest. And pixels. Lots of pixels. It’s not a professional photo, either in standard or purpose. But it’s [...]
Burning film review: Lee Chang-dong’s Haruki Murakami adaptation is more proof he’s the best director you’ve never heard of February 1, 2019 Lee Chang-dong may be the best director you’ve never heard of. He has made just six films, each of them wonderful and largely unknown to Western audiences, over a peripatetic career that has also included a stint as culture minister in the South Korean government. Burning, adapted from a Haruki Murakami story, is his best [...]
Problems mounting for stubborn Maurizio Sarri as his footballing philosophy shows its weaknesses at Chelsea January 31, 2019 On the face of things Chelsea are far from a club in crisis. They sit outside of the Premier League’s top four on goal difference and are still in all four competitions, having progressed to the final of the Carabao Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup in the last eight days. The [...]
One in two FTSE 250 bosses has taken a pay cut since 2017 January 22, 2019 Chief executive pay has dropped at nearly half the UK’s top firms since 2017 but British bosses are still earning more than their European peers, according to a new report. Pay for FTSE 250 bosses fell as 48 per cent of firms listed in the index cut remuneration levels by 10 per cent on average. [...]