On coronavirus, governments have been the most irrational of us all September 9, 2020 Decisions, whether by individuals, companies or governments, are often made with imperfect and incomplete information. This is so obvious as to hardly seem worth stating. But for well over a century economic theory assumed that decisions were made with complete information. Economists knew full well that this was not always the case. The problem was [...]
Tiktok joins EU conduct code on hate speech as graphic video continues to circulate September 8, 2020 Tiktok has this morning signed up to the EU’s code of conduct on hate speech, as it struggles to contain the spread of a graphic video on its platform. The video, which shows a person committing suicide, has been circulating on the app since Sunday night. Tiktok said it is working to remove all posts [...]
Rishi Sunak can afford to be bold on pension reform in his autumn statement September 8, 2020 Rishi Sunak’s summer economic statement was essentially an exercise in positivity. The update, given by the chancellor two months ago, was mainly focused on helping Britain emerge from the coronavirus pandemic in decent shape. However, as with the various virus-related schemes announced in his spring Budget, his new initiatives to kickstart the economy come at [...]
Let’s hope tough new rules on children’s online data collection deliver, and give parents peace of mind September 8, 2020 From today, our children’s online privacy is protected by default. Literally. New rules will force companies to give children and young people automatic specific privacy protections. That’s 76 days, according to research, that neither you or they have to spend reading all those terms and conditions. Thankfully, from now on, the so-called Age Appropriate Design [...]
How City businesses are going digital for City Giving Day September 7, 2020 This year, The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s City Giving Day celebrations will be somewhat different. Many organisations, both new and old, will have to rethink the way they organise events. And we’ve been thrilled that companies have embraced the chance to broaden their horizons and find even more creative ways to support our communities. They are [...]
Public Health England dropped the ball on the pandemic — but the new restructuring offers hope September 7, 2020 Mike Tyson’s infamous line about everyone having a plan until they get punched in the mouth could be the epitaph for Public Health England. The quango made many mistakes in its response to Covid-19, but planning for an influenza epidemic was perhaps the most fatal. PHE had swine flu, rather than the SARS coronavirus, in [...]
‘Major incident’ declared as multiple people stabbed in Birmingham September 6, 2020 Multiple people were stabbed in Birmingham last night in what has been described as a “major incident” by local police. West Midlands Police were called to a first stabbing at 12.30am, before a series of others were also reported. West Midlands mayor Andy Street said the incidents “look to be related”, however police would not [...]
Reluctance to seek medical care risks storing up another public health crisis September 3, 2020 Are people in Britain getting the healthcare they need? The sad answer, after six months of intense pandemic response, is that far too many are not. Some of that is down to the public’s own choice to avoid seeking medical advice. In May, a poll conducted by IPSOS for the Health Foundation showed almost half [...]
Government urges firms to hire under-25s through free ‘kickstart’ scheme September 2, 2020 UK companies can offer six-month work placements to young people – with wages paid entirely by the government – under the “kickstart” scheme launched today. The government urged businesses to sign up and “take advantage of the enormous pool of potential out there”. It warned that young people “could otherwise be left behind as a [...]
The national productivity recovery depends on getting people back to the office September 2, 2020 Office workers continue to display reluctance to return to their workplaces, despite encouragement from the government for them to head back. The immediate consequences for the service jobs in cities which depend on people commuting into the office are apparent, hence the government drive. But is office work a good thing for the workers themselves? [...]