One country, two cultures: There’ll be no happy ending to the Hong Kong protests October 5, 2014 “We claim nothing but the liberty and privileges of Englishmen… we can not be deprived of them without our consent.” – George Mason, a founder of the American republic, 1776 “There is no room to make concessions on important principles.” – The People’s Daily, the official paper of the Chinese Communist Party, 3 [...]
David Cameron’s party conference speech: Here’s what you need to know October 1, 2014 David Cameron has delivered his final party conference speech before the 2015 general election, to a surprisingly upbeat audience. The start of the Tory conference was marred by the defection of Tory MP Marck Reckless to Ukip and a ministerial resignation. Since the weekend, former deputy mayor of London Richard Barnes and Tory donor Arron [...]
Economic warfare between the West and Russia only punishes the guiltless September 30, 2014 INCREASINGLY, I am receiving requests for legal support from Russian and Western individuals and businesses who are suffering from the economic sanctions imposed by the West on Russia, and from Russia’s counter-measures. The legality of these sanctions is dubious at best. They flagrantly violate the free trade principles enshrined in the World Trade Organisation treaty [...]
Investors should pause before gambling on the Alibaba flotation frenzy September 18, 2014 THE IPO of China’s largest e-commerce platform Alibaba has drawn frenzied interest from investors worldwide, with the company expected to raise at least $21bn on the New York Stock Exchange. But the listing has also prompted serious questions about the firm’s governance structure. Alibaba is, of course, a very successful business and investors have been [...]
Obituary Emilio Botin September 10, 2014 Emilio Botin, the patriarch and dealmaker whose vision transformed Banco Santander from a domestic lender to a global bank, grew to become one of the most powerful unelected people in Spain. Botin, who was chairman of Santander for 28 years, died suddenly of a heart attack late on Tuesday, leaving a vacuum that the bank [...]
Wearable tech: Is it set to take over the City? September 10, 2014 Imagine the end of desks, and watches that log your billing time APPLE’S move into wearable tech this week may have disappointed investors (its shares ended the day 0.4 per cent down after the grand unveiling of its unabashedly rectangular Apple Watch), but the hype surrounding the wider wearables market has hardly dampened. NPD Group [...]
Westminster promises “major powers” to stave off Scottish independence: but what is devo max? September 9, 2014 The three main parties have promised to transfer “major powers” to Scotland the day after the referendum takes place if voters decide to stick with the union. By the end of January, a draft law will be ready to vote on by parliament, the Better Together campaign announced today. The campaign claimed: [...]
How do Islamic bonds work without interest? By generating profit September 9, 2014 Goldman Sachs announced last week that it is planning to issue its first Islamic bond, and has already set the ball rolling by meeting potential backers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. With a wealth of potential investors to tap into in the Middle East, it is no surprise that Goldman has taken [...]
City Matters: How British businesses are building a better world in Africa today September 7, 2014 This week, I am on another of my overseas visits, this time to South and East Africa. I have worked in Africa throughout my professional career, and it is a continent close to my heart. So this visit is particularly exciting for me. Over the last few years, the narrative surrounding the “rise of Africa” [...]
Theatre review: Little Revolution September 4, 2014 ★★★★ Is there anything left to say about the riots? Despite the avalanche of think-pieces chewing over possible causes – from the left: poverty, racism, a lack of opportunities; from the right: irresponsibility bred by welfarism and failures in state education – no one provided a wholly satisfactory diagnosis. The riots were simply too big, [...]