The case for buying emerging markets on dips May 10, 2016 The beautiful magnolia trees are blossoming, and we all know what that means. Bluer skies over London, happy dogs in the parks, and speculation picking up about whether we’ll see a repeat of the “sell in May” strategy. Last week ended with a thud after a much weaker-than-expected US April jobs report. As soon as [...]
This is what Leicester City’s win can teach businesses about incentivisation and the power of bonus schemes May 9, 2016 Leicester City’s Premier League win has been the sporting story of the year, if not the decade. In twelve months, the team has gone from narrowly missing relegation to flying high as champions, and players like Jamie Vardy have been elevated from near obscurity to household names. The club has given hope to sports teams [...]
Now that he is mayor, Sadiq Khan must ignore the Nimbys and look to the Greenbelt to solve our housing crisis May 9, 2016 London needs to build more homes, but from reading the press coverage of the mayoral election over the past few months you may have forgotten that. Instead, you could be forgiven for thinking that this election was all about deciding if we wanted a Corbyn-supporting son of a bus driver or a posh boy Etonian [...]
Sadiq Khan’s successful pro-business campaign is heartening for us all – but the work is just beginning May 9, 2016 It is fair to say that relations between the Labour Party and business are in a slightly odd place at the minute. The nervousness is perhaps understandable, considering that both the leader and shadow chancellor of the party continue to describe themselves as socialists. In these interesting times – and to be fair to those [...]
Can you blame employers for cutting benefits and perks because of the National Living Wage? May 9, 2016 Since the introduction on 1 April 2016 of the National Living Wage (NLW) there’ve been plenty of employers in the news for making cuts to staff perks. Le Pain Quotidian, Zizzi, Caffe Nero, Eat, Tesco, the John Lewis Partnership and B&Q have all cut back on certain benefits. Most of these businesses have denied that the changes are being introduced because of the NLW, but either [...]
He’s won the popularity contest – now London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan must make some unpopular decisions May 9, 2016 Let's be honest, the world of politics has witnessed better campaigns than the scrap between Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan that culminated in the latter storming into City Hall with over 300,000 more votes than his nearest rival. Goldsmith has been roundly condemned for his team’s negative focus, while the broader contest was strangely subdued, [...]
Donald Trump will lose and Trumpism will die with him May 9, 2016 Following his decisive victory over senator Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary, Donald Trump is king of all he surveys, now the undisputed Republican nominee for President. A new conventional wisdom has already settled on this stunning turn of events, noting that, while Trump has no chance of victory – like the Barry Goldwater conservative [...]
Sadiq Khan’s legacy as mayor will hinge on how he responds to these key challenges May 9, 2016 Now that the London mayoral election race is over, the real work begins for Sadiq Khan. First, though, I want to offer my congratulations to him and convey the message that Canada looks forward to working closely with him and his team in the coming years. London is a truly unique and [...]
Jeremy Corbyn will still be Labour leader – and will still be losing elections – in 2020 unless MPs get their act together May 9, 2016 1985. Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street. David Cameron was in the Bullingdon Club. Everton were League Champions. And Jeremy Corbyn? Well, he was exactly where he is now, serving as MP for Islington North. 1985 was also the last time the main Opposition party failed to make gains in May’s annual council elections, other [...]
Does the SNP’s failure to secure an overall majority in the Scottish parliament elections take a second independence referendum off the table? May 9, 2016 Jack Montgomery, Scottish spokesman for Leave.EU, says Yes. The chances of Brexit leading to a second Scottish independence referendum were always vanishingly small. While the solidification of “the 45 per cent” around the SNP might have allowed Nicola Sturgeon to tear chunks out of an ailing and decrepit Scottish Labour Party in first past the post [...]