Entreprise bill: Bigger steps needed to help small companies tackle late payments May 21, 2015 Sajid Javid’s new enterprise bill, announced this week in Bristol, is certainly well intentioned, but it's unlikely to have a significant impact on late payment. Late payments are a silent but significant killer of UK businesses. It is not yet clear what tools the government has to resolve this problem. The third party conciliation [...]
How energy subsidies are teaching the EU an invaluable lesson in competition May 20, 2015 Of all the functions performed by the EU, competition policy is arguably the most important – and where it could stand to do the most good. Unfortunately, many of the Commission’s attempts at trust-busting have been misguided. Last month, for instance, its authorities issued formal charges against Google. And last week, we found out that [...]
The global economy is vulnerable – but we must stop panicking about deflation May 20, 2015 As UK inflation turned negative in April, some took the news as yet more evidence that the spectre of deflation haunts the world economy. Deflation is all too often seen as a dark cloud hovering over the horizon, about to unleash its destructive force. But deflation and depression are not synonymous. The Great Depression in [...]
Silver entrepreneurs: Why UK pensioners are setting up businesses May 20, 2015 As filming for The Apprentice 2015 gets underway in the City, we’ll soon be introduced to the latest hopefuls, all keen to be Lord Sugar’s business partner, and bag the £250,000 investment for their business idea. While the previous participants have tended to be in their early 20s to mid-30s, I can’t help but wonder [...]
As Japanese growth picks up pace, can we expect QE in the Eurozone to be as successful? May 20, 2015 Christian Schulz, senior economist at Berenberg, says Yes Since early 2013, when Japan’s QE became imminent, its average quarterly annualised GDP growth rate has risen to 1 per cent, from 0.2 per cent in 2011/12. In the Eurozone, with the European Central Bank (ECB) launching QE, GDP expanded by 1.6 per cent in the first [...]
Stop the dithering: David Cameron needs to make an early call on Heathrow or Gatwick airport expansion May 19, 2015 As MPs arrive in Westminster to take their seats in the House of Commons this week, one of the bigger decisions they will face – and one which I believe must be taken urgently – is the decision to build a new London runway. Having spent almost three years rigorously examining all the evidence, [...]
Wider appeal isn’t what a dying Labour should worry about – it’s core voters May 19, 2015 Could Labour disappear? The party has been a prominent feature of British politics for a century, but could we now see it just vanish? There is a clear historical precedent. In 1906, the Liberal Party won 399 seats in the House of Commons. It was a great, reforming government, which laid the foundations of [...]
Zero hours contracts: A godsend for high-flying professionals May 19, 2015 The professions are not well-known for the flexibility of their working environments. But with technology allowing employees to work remotely, and staff wanting to juggle family life or keep a work/life balance, many employers are finding that their employees want more innovative solutions. Flexibility can benefit employees, the employer and clients. Advantages can include: a [...]
As Greece’s finance minister says a deal could be made within a week, is Grexit off the cards? May 19, 2015 Marina Prentoulis, senior lecturer at the University of East Anglia and a member of Syriza London, says Yes The Greek government has always maintained that a solution for all debt ridden countries is possible without an exit from the Eurozone. The political will of all the partners can reverse the catastrophic direction of the union, [...]
UK deflation: Why the normal rules just don’t apply May 19, 2015 Today, it was announced that the UK is in a period of deflation. It will almost certainly be a brief period. On the face of it, there is not much difference between the price level being stable and the price level falling by 0.1 per cent a year. At that rate, it would take [...]