Don’t fear low inflation: It’s great news for consumers while it lasts August 18, 2015 The latest retail figures in the UK showed good growth. Things are also looking up in the US and in much of the euro area. The world economy has settled into a period of steady growth with very little inflation in the major economies. Indeed, just yesterday, official figures revealed that consumer price index inflation [...]
Culture – not economics – explains why London pupils excel at A-Levels August 18, 2015 Last week saw the ritual tears and joy of the announcement of A-Level results. An encouraging aspect was the increase, albeit small, in the percentage of entries in traditional academic subjects, now standing at 51.2 per cent. This is yet another example of incentives at work. The universities have been signalling that non-academic passes, no [...]
China slowdown: The two reasons British business should remain optimistic August 18, 2015 It’s easy to be down on China. Last week’s negative headlines after the unexpected devaluations of the renminbi (RMB) played into the “China slowdown” narrative which has taken root as this year’s accepted story. But we’re not giving China enough credit. By opening up the RMB to more market forces, it has moved one step [...]
EU referendum: Would the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party make Brexit more likely? August 18, 2015 Robert Oxley, campaign director of Business for Britain, says Yes You don’t have to support Jeremy Corbyn, nor agree with his views on a range of subjects, to recognise his election would make Brexit more likely. His proposal for Labour to hold a special conference to decide its response to the EU referendum is a [...]
Why the government should take outsourcing a radical step further August 17, 2015 Government raids on the methodology of business are commonplace. Some are more successful than others. But as the challenge of George Osborne’s edict to contemplate departmental cuts of as much as 40 per cent sinks in, the search will intensify. As I sat recently in the splendidly refurbished BT Tower – a guest of [...]
Does NHS Survival have patients in mind? The only way to truly save the NHS is to liberate it from state control August 17, 2015 The summer is ebbing, football is back, and this weekend saw the launch of yet another campaign to “save the NHS”. The dramatically named NHS Survival – an “umbrella group bringing together patients, public and professionals” – echoes previous dire warnings that we had “24 hours to save the NHS”, or “14 days to save [...]
The next crash: Why the global hotel boom signals probable disaster ahead August 17, 2015 It’s seven years since the last crash. We know there will be another one soon but where will it happen? Looking at the cranes in the sky has always been a reliable indicator. I remember surveying Reykjavik’s skyline in 2007 and wondering who was going to live in the fancy apartments being erected. Now they’re [...]
As the first Labour leadership votes are cast, should Tories celebrate Jeremy Corbyn’s popularity? August 17, 2015 Laura Swire, director of Hanover Communications, says Yes If we can agree that the point of politics is to gain power and effect change, then we can agree that the Conservatives should be celebrating Jeremy Corbyn’s popularity. He would be a noisy Opposition leader, but never Prime Minister. Under Corbyn, Labour will be arguing for [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s dangerous foreign policy would be a disaster for Britain August 16, 2015 I assume that soon-to-be Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has more than a passing understanding of Lenin, if of little else. One of the Soviet revolutionary’s more piercing insights involves his belief that non-revolutionary members of the European left – or useful idiots, as he apocryphally put it – should be taken advantage of by genuine [...]
Don’t be quiet: Why the City needs to shout about its good work in wider society August 16, 2015 Over the past year, I have said frequently that firms in the City are too quiet when there is good news to tell. All too often, the negative stories are the ones that gain the most headlines – normally involving rogue operators or massive fines. This coverage is wholly disproportionate – and wholly depressing. This [...]