Hey Conservatives, stop attacking Greta Thunberg and come up with better market-led ideas September 5, 2019 Nobody likes being lectured at. Perhaps this aversion explains – although in no way excuses – the sustained attacks on the teenaged climate activist Greta Thunberg by many on the right. Whether it’s vile jokes about her dying at sea or the faux concern about her mental health, anyone who makes such comments should be [...]
HS2 faces the scrap as Boris Johnson kicks off review August 21, 2019 The controversial HS2 high speed rail line could be scrapped after the government launched a review into the scheme following mounting concerns over its cost and deliverability. Transport secretary Grant Shapps officially kicked off the review into the high speed line, which will connect London to Birmingham from December 2026, and Birmingham to Manchester and [...]
Government proposals to fix the NHS pension crisis still miss the mark August 14, 2019 It has been an unfortunate theme over recent years that public services have to reach crisis point before the government is stirred to take action. And here we have the mother of all crises (that is, the NHS crisis) made worse by a desperately confusing pensions system. When a tax rule is effectively stopping doctors [...]
Kier shares soar 40 per cent as it chips away at debt pile August 1, 2019 Kier Group investors rejoiced this morning as they were treated to a rare piece of good news: that the firm is regaining control of its debt. The firm also said it had attracted “significant interest” in its house building arm, which it is trying to sell to reduce its debt. Read more: Kier shares plunge [...]
The new PM had better deliver on his promise to fix social care July 26, 2019 Talk about bold promises. On the steps on Downing Street, preparing to enter Number 10, the new Prime Minister pledged to “fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared”. Similar to the National Health Service, social care is an area that MPs often struggle to address. [...]
Naked houses: Unfinished homes give buyers a discount price – but are they practical? July 24, 2019 In case you hadn’t noticed, Britain is in the grip of its worst housing crisis since the 1940s. The verdict, delivered in a recent report from the Centre for Policy Studies, will be endorsed by anyone who has endured the vagaries of the London rental market, where a ‘cosy one-bed’ can be a garage with [...]
The Extinction Rebels seem to care more about capitalism than climate July 19, 2019 If your commute to work this week has been blocked by a giant colourful boat, you have Extinction Rebellion (XR) to thank. The self-defined “non-violent civil disobedience activist movement” has begun its summer of disruption, shutting down traffic in five UK cities to protest against climate change “inaction”. A worthy and vital attempt to safeguard [...]
Legalising cannabis would be the ultimate Conservative policy July 5, 2019 What if you were in the running to be the next leader of the Conservatives, and I told you that with a single popular policy, you could return your party to its traditional pro-liberty roots, put the UK at the forefront of a new cutting-edge global industry, and inspire the millennial generation to vote Tory [...]
Businesses are becoming better corporate citizens, so why is public perception lagging behind? June 28, 2019 When I left politics for business two decades ago, it was taken for granted that those who ran the country would be held more accountable than those who ran our companies. Today, in many cases, levels of scrutiny on business now seem more intense. Leave aside the fact that conduct and persistent policy failures which [...]
Women in Financial Trading June 17, 2019 Finance has always, at all levels, been a predominantly male populated field. But this is changing. As the equal opportunity mantra continues to inspire them, more and more women are joining the party, seeking to reap from the lucrative world that is financial trading. But why are women flocking to finance? The major catalyst, in [...]