Paris attacks: It’s natural to care more about those close to us – and that has implications for government too November 16, 2015 Many people have taken to social media to ask why the terrorist massacres in Paris have been given so much Western media attention, while similar atrocities in Beirut received scant coverage. One important reason is that France is closer to us – in location, culture and worldview. While we may pay lip service to [...]
Britain’s ageing population could be an opportunity – not just a disaster November 16, 2015 In the next four decades, the number of people aged over 60 globally is set to jump from 800m to 2bn. This huge increase will pose enormous economic, political and health-related challenges. But for those countries that adequately prepare, the increase will also present opportunities. Britain faces a particularly daunting challenge. The country will see [...]
In the wake of the attacks on Paris, are Western societies too tolerant of intolerance? November 16, 2015 Sam Bowman, deputy director of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes After the Charlie Hebdo murders, the world stood with Charlie. Yet almost everybody illustrated their unity with the bland image of a pen, instead of the Muhammad drawings that the cartoonists were murdered for. Even when we wanted to show that “nous sommes Charlie”, [...]
After last week’s horrific attacks around the globe, leaders must be calm and rational when approaching the problem of IS November 16, 2015 The horrific attacks in Paris were not the only atrocities for which IS claimed responsibility towards the end of last week. In Baghdad 26 people were killed by two separate bombs, while in Beirut over 40 were murdered by suicide bombers – the deadliest incident in Lebanon’s capital for two and a half decades. If [...]
Paris terror attacks: We must deny Isis the narrative it craves November 15, 2015 It was Friday night in the unimaginably beautiful city of Paris. People were doing all the things that make the place magical: lingering in cafes, going to football matches, attending rock concerts, walking down the broad, beautiful boulevards that intersect the city, tying it together as a living thing. And now they are all dead, [...]
From the City to the sea: My plans for my year as the Lord Mayor of London November 15, 2015 Since assuming the role of lord mayor of London on Friday, the hours have been both hectic and eclectic. The “Silent Ceremony” – so-called because no words are spoken at the handover – is a meaningful and moving start to the mayoral year; inherited from my predecessor as lord mayor Alan Yarrow. Alan has done [...]
The end of Black Friday: Why the seasonal price-slashing frenzy is too unprofitable to last November 15, 2015 Asda's decision to pull out of Black Friday may have hit the headlines last week, but the move was far from unprecedented. In the US, where this seasonal price-slashing frenzy originated, held on the Friday after Thanksgiving, retailers have also started to back off. The outdoor and sporting goods chain REI, which has more than [...]
With over 85 per cent of Northern Rock assets back in private hands, has Britain now recovered from the financial crisis? November 15, 2015 James Butterfill, head of research & investment strategy at ETF Securities, says Yes. One key measure to ascertain if this is true is to look at the growth in household take home pay after inflation. After the initial crisis in 2009, take home pay fell and its growth stayed negative for most industry and government [...]
Lord Mayor’s Show London 2015 parade: Something different for the weekend November 13, 2015 We all have our daily routines. Travel into such-and-such station, make a beeline for the office, grab a coffee on the way, preferred sandwich shop at lunch, back to work, another beeline to such-and-such station, then home again. And repeat. Hundreds of thousands of us cross paths in the Square Mile each weekday, turning into [...]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit: A new glorious chapter in UK-India relations is beginning November 12, 2015 The visit of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is the second landmark trip to the UK in a month, following the successful state visit by President Xi of China. Today, Modi meets the Queen and this evening he will be greeted in a manner that is normally the preserve of rock stars, by over 60,000 [...]