Manchester is taking control of its own destiny: Other northern cities should follow November 4, 2014 THE NORTH is the flavour of the month. Wrangles over HS2 persist, and opposition to the scheme in the affluent Home Counties grows, but George Osborne is trumping this. His plans for High Speed 3, directly linking the Northern conurbations, have strong support. He has also announced that Greater Manchester will get its own directly-elected [...]
Holiday pay ruling: Three ways it will harm business November 4, 2014 Long after it was agreed, the EU Working Time Directive continues to pose a significant headache for business. Yesterday’s ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on holiday pay has its roots in a separate but related judgment from the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) earlier this year. It will continue to reverberate across the [...]
Is GCHQ chief Robert Hannigan right that tech firms should do more to help fight terrorism? November 4, 2014 Anthony Glees, professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, says Yes. GCHQ chief Robert Hannigan’s comments are a major intervention. Islamic State fighters are the first generation of terrorists in the internet age. They understand how to exploit social networks for their own purposes. They also understand how to conceal themselves while doing so. [...]
The UK desperately needs a free trade alternative to costly EU membership November 3, 2014 THE ANNOUNCEMENT that the UK must stump up a further €2.1bn (£1.7bn) to finance the EU’s ballooning budget has understandably caused outrage. Not only does this demand appear to punish Britain’s relative economic success, while France and Germany are rewarded with handouts, but with Greece and Cyprus also asked to pay more, a political farce [...]
Space travel economics: Don’t damn the rich for splurging on Virgin Galactic November 3, 2014 “Never let a serious crisis go to waste”, concluded Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama’s ex-chief of staff. For our political commentators, a more accurate phrase might be “never let a tragedy go to waste”. Just days after the Mojave Desert crash of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft, the Guardian’s Zoe Williams has used the tragic incident to [...]
Jose Mourinho is right: Football grounds should be cauldrons of noise November 3, 2014 CHELSEA football manager Jose Mourinho is right, as ever. Stamford Bridge, the club’s home stadium, has become too quiet, even though it’s full to the rafters every week with more than 41,000 fans. In the six years since the Special One, as he is known, last plied his trade in west London, the atmosphere at [...]
As taxpayers receive personal tax statements, will greater transparency help to reform the system? November 3, 2014 Ben Gummer, Conservative MP for Ipswich, says Yes. This is an important day for taxpayers and for democracy – and that’s a big claim for a single sheet of A4. How come? Because Tax Statements provide us with the same transparency we now demand of far smaller transactions – from mobile phone bills to the [...]
Could the wheels be falling off Abenomics, as Japan boosts QE? November 3, 2014 Diana Choyleva, head of macroeconomic research at Lombard Street Research, says Yes. The wheels haven’t fallen off Abenomics, but Japan is careering towards a dangerous mix of inflation and no growth. The last thing it needs is more QE, which will debase the yen and feed directly into inflation. Deflation in Japan isn’t the disease but [...]
US elections: Obama can only salvage his failing presidency if his party loses November 2, 2014 There is a lovely story about how the administration of US President John F Kennedy – for all its intellectual glitter and panache – managed to get Vietnam so wrong. Coming back from his first cabinet meeting, vice president Lyndon Johnson told his mentor and great friend Sam Rayburn, a crafty giant of the House [...]
Remembrance Sunday 2014: The City will never forget those who fought for our liberties November 2, 2014 Every year, the pageantry and fun of the Lord Mayor’s Show is followed by a more solemn occasion, one that is of great significance to each new lord mayor: Remembrance Sunday. The City’s link with the military is ancient and rich, with every Lord Mayor’s Show being honoured by the participation of some of the [...]