Letters to the Editor – 08/01 – France failing, Congestion charge, Best of Twitter January 7, 2014 France failing [Re: France’s failed socialist experiment is turning into a tragedy, yesterday] The impending triple-dip recession in France should be the ultimate humiliation for Labour’s Ed Miliband and Ed Balls. French President Francois Hollande’s strategy seems to have delivered precisely what Labour predicted would happen in the UK as a result of austerity. That’s [...]
Battle of the cabs: Hailing competition in London’s transport June 22, 2013 WHEN I lived in Monaco, I had Ferraris. Now, living in London, I have a basic car but barely use it. The hassle of parking and traffic have made me a cab and minicab user, and I’ve recently noticed interesting things going on in their business world. Cabs have had two unique selling points. Unlike [...]
Osborne’s gambled on the wrong policy March 23, 2013 THERE is a striking paradox at the heart of George Osborne’s approach to the economy, as demonstrated yet again in yesterday’s Budget. He was remarkably risk-averse with his tax and spend policies, refusing to embrace the kinds of shock and awe tax reforms many of us wanted, or to cut spending faster, though he did [...]
High inflation is denting recovery: The Bank of England must act now February 13, 2013 IT’S official. The Bank of England has confirmed in its latest Inflation Report that it is unlikely to get inflation back to target in the next couple of years. On its central forecast, the Bank is not expecting inflation to be back around the 2 per cent level until late 2015 or early 2016. As [...]
Coya: the last word in Peruvian cuisine December 16, 2012 RESTAURANT COYA 118 Piccadilly, Mayfair, W1J 7NW Tel: 020 7042 7118 FOOD **** VALUE *** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost for two people with wine: £120 COYA WAS easily one of the most talked about openings this autumn. Created by Arun Waney, the man behind La Petite Maison and the uber successful Knightsbridge eatery Zuma, the restaurant [...]
Designed for life… November 1, 2012 The finest timepieces mix form, function and technical excellence to sparkling effect, as these masterful new models prove. HERMES DRESSAGE This year marks the centenary of the French luxury house producing watches. Appropriately, its new flagship piece is the first to contain a dedicated, in-house movement thanks to part-Hermes-owned prestige manufactory Vaucher. A simple, clean [...]
British insurers want regulators to concentrate less on banking October 11, 2012 BRITISH insurers yesterday called on regulators to appoint more senior figures with industry expertise, in an attempt to correct a perceived obsession with the banking sector. The pressure comes as the Financial Services Authority (FSA) prepares to split into two new bodies: the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. “It is absolutely vital the [new [...]
Avanti misses but retains sky high ambitions October 10, 2012 SHARES in Avanti Communications, the satellite broadband company, took a 16 per cent hit yesterday as the firm said turnover had missed forecasts for the year. Avanti posted annual revenue of £15m, against the company’s guidance of £17.8m, and saw losses widen from £12.7m to £16m. Chief executive David Williams was positive about Avanti’s performance [...]
London’s bespoke hidden gems September 24, 2012 There are not many hair salons that have a porter greet you at the door, but then Rossano Ferretti is not your average salon. In fact it doesn’t even call itself a salon, but adopts the label “hairspa”. This is not meant to be your usual run of the mill trip to the hairdresser. Number [...]
Battle of the cabs: Hailing competition in London’s transport August 12, 2012 WHEN I lived in Monaco, I had Ferraris. Now, living in London, I have a basic car but barely use it. The hassle of parking and traffic have made me a cab and minicab user, and I’ve recently noticed interesting things going on in their business world. Cabs have had two unique selling points. Unlike [...]