The Girl Power puzzle: What women really, really do (and don’t) want | City A.M. July 25, 2018 Girl Power seems to be the feminist mantra these days – on T-shirts, mugs, and across a whole shelf of sparkly notebooks in Paperchase. Does this phrase make anyone else feel a little bit nauseous? (And this from an original Spice Girls fan.) Let’s start with “girl” – what’s so bad about that? Well, nothing, [...]
Trevor Steven: Liverpool are winning the transfer window so far, plus my verdict on Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal | City A.M. July 24, 2018 With the window closing in just two weeks’ time, the most surprising thing about this summer’s Premier League transfer activity is just how little business has been done so far. Of the top six teams to have traded, however, Liverpool stand out as having made the strongest signings by a distance. Alisson, whose £67m move [...]
Harnessing the power of blockchain and AI to help lift millions of people out of poverty July 24, 2018 Blockchain conjures images of bitcoin millionaires and ICOs creating multi-million dollar businesses in hours. But how does that help the millions of people in the UK who live in poverty, or the 1.5m who don’t have access to mainstream banking? You’ve probably heard about the cost of living crisis a lot recently. So you should. [...]
Cowardice over the housing crisis is pushing young Brits towards the spectre of 1970s socialism July 23, 2018 As the government creaks alarmingly under the weight of Brexit, it may seem odd – if not downright contrarian – to kickstart a discussion about the housing crisis. For many Brexiteers such as myself, Brexit is not a moment in time or a destination in itself. It is not a chance to relive the past, [...]
Amazon’s (AMZN) cloud and online retail services to push results sky-high, while Spotify (SPOT) wanes on revenue | City A.M. July 22, 2018 After showcasing impressive sales and subscription numbers on Prime Day and briefly breaking $900bn (£691bn) in market value last week, Amazon has investors convinced of a strong second quarter ahead of its results on Thursday 26 July. Consumer estimates collated by S&P Global Market Intelligence put the company’s revenue at $53.4bn for the quarter, at [...]
Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again review: A joyous summer fling that you’ll either love or hate July 20, 2018 I’ve never met a mum who didn’t like the film version of ABBA musical Mamma Mia. You can see why; it blasted them back to a past when you could leave the house in a spangly jumpsuit and dance to Waterloo in a club even if it wasn’t Cheese Night. And at heart, it was [...]
DEBATE: Could it be a bad thing that young people today are behaving more ‘sensibly’ than past generations? | City A.M. July 20, 2018 Could it be a bad thing that young people today are behaving more ‘sensibly’ than past generations? John Oxley, a conservative commentator, says YES. “Generation sensible” or “generation straightjacket”? Under-25s smoking, drinking, and screwing less than ever will be cheered by public-health puritans, but really we should be concerned by our temperate teens. Youthful indiscretions [...]
I’m a capitalist, you idiot – and if you value freedom, you are too | City A.M. July 20, 2018 I was asked on a podcast this week if capitalism and communism can co-exist. The short answer is, yes: capitalism has created wealthy, liberal and diverse societies, which tolerate a range of ideologies – even ones as fanciful and hazardous as communism. But the harmonisation stops there. The freedom that capitalism inspires and the force [...]
London deserves a mayor who believes in the city’s bright entrepreneurial future July 19, 2018 Come March 2019, Britain will have left the EU, but our city will continue to be the most vibrant and dynamic economic urban economy on earth. Londoners deserve a mayor who represents this and protects our position of strength. Unlike Sadiq Khan, he or she can ill-afford to be sucked in to talking down London’s [...]
London deserves a mayor who believes in the city’s bright entrepreneurial future July 19, 2018 Come March 2019, Britain will have left the EU, but our city will continue to be the most vibrant and dynamic economic urban economy on earth. Londoners deserve a mayor who represents this and protects our position of strength. Unlike Sadiq Khan, he or she can ill-afford to be sucked in to talking down London’s [...]