Saudi’s quiet political revolution: How the kingdom saved itself from disaster May 4, 2015 “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” – Mark Twain While all eyes are understandably on the climax of the most fascinating British election in a generation, an equally important political outcome has quietly been reached in far-away Arabia. There, the Saudi royal family – the House of Saud – has managed [...]
Politicians must start seeing voters like customers – or they’ll shop elsewhere May 4, 2015 The UK’s political heavyweights are throwing their final few punches in what we are assured will be the closest political fight for years. Who will land the knock-out blow is anyone’s guess – but there is one certainty and it revolves around the question of trust. Every voter wants to know which party will deliver [...]
General Election 2015: Why I have decided not to vote this year May 4, 2015 When Russell Brand said last year that he had never voted, and urged others to follow his example, much of the political commentariat lamented his irresponsibility. As ever with Brand, his thinking was faulty. He seemed to believe that politics itself did not matter. In his view, all politicians are much the same. History shows [...]
Is Tesla’s new battery the next big threat to energy firms? May 4, 2015 Bruce Davis is director at Abundance Generation, says Yes. Tesla’s development of in-home energy storage will revolutionise the way we use electricity to power our homes. It will also be a game changer in the market for home solar power systems. The idea of the centralised utility company, providing mass-produced power, will be a thing [...]
General Election 2015: The three bold productivity-boosting policies the Big Three will never touch April 30, 2015 As we approach the General Election, politicians are battling over the question of what is wrong with Britain’s economy. The usual suspects are out in force: “benefit-scroungers”, “fat cat bosses”, “price gouging energy companies” to name but a few. What I find frustrating is the lack of substance behind many of these arguments. Rarely is [...]
Competitiveness: The black hole at the heart of the General Election debate April 30, 2015 With less than a week of election campaigning left, the issue of competitiveness has been notable by its absence. As it’s the foundation for long-term prosperity, I would like to see the political parties championing this cause. Being fans of evidence-based debate, we reviewed the major parties’ manifestos and found just a handful of mentions [...]
It’s time for policymakers to help shadow banking emerge from the darkness April 30, 2015 The term “shadow banking” was first coined in 2007 to describe parts of the financial intermediation process conducted outside the commercial banking system. It encompasses all non-bank credit intermediation, and spans wholesale markets-based finance (such as certain types of investment funds and securitisation vehicles, as well as activities such as securities financing transactions) and alternative [...]
Is a major qualification board’s chief right that pupils should be able to use Google in exams? April 30, 2015 Mark Dawe, chief executive of OCR, says Yes The pupils of today will not be relying on rote learning for success in the workplace. Everyone has a computer available to them and uses search engines; what matters is how they interpret results. We aren’t suggesting that this is a replacement for traditional assessment, but it’s [...]
HSBC looking for greener pastures should not surprise April 29, 2015 The sandwiches and coffee were standard fare at HSBC’s annual meeting. But it took mere minutes for political red herrings to be added to the menu. Take the bank’s confirmation it is reviewing its headquarters’ location. Labour’s attempt to blame HSBC’s action on a Conservative-inspired EU referendum was misguided, but inevitable. Douglas [...]
Nicola Sturgeon’s EU mischief-making is a taste of the political blackmail to come April 29, 2015 Both Sinn Fein and the SNP launched their General Election manifestos last week, demanding that, in any future referendum, all four nations of the UK must agree to leave the European Union before it can happen. If ever there was a policy that claims to be about unity when it is all about fomenting division, [...]