London 2012 proved the absurdity of restrictions on Sunday shopping August 13, 2012 THE economy is in a mess. Business confidence is low, unemployment remains high and underemployment means that many who are officially in work are struggling to get by on a part-time wage. The entire country is engaged in a hunt for growth. And yet, in some circumstances, businesses are forced to shut their doors in [...]
Drunk in charge: Outsourcing responsibility doesn’t make better judgement August 13, 2012 I WAS recently waiting at the port of Dover and noticed that the newsagents were advertising road safety equipment. I’ve driven in France before, and already have a first aid kit, emergency warning triangle and high visibility vest. But they were now advertising breathalysers. My immediate instinct – as a law-abiding adult – was to [...]
British aid policy is harming those it seeks to rescue August 13, 2012 TO TOP off a successful Olympics, David Cameron put London’s time in the global spotlight to good use by hosting a Hunger Summit at Downing Street, with the aim of tackling malnutrition in the developing world. Unfortunately, yet again, Cameron’s government failed to go the distance. Sunday’s outcome gave no indication of any shift in [...]
Is the Bank of England’s Adam Posen right to suggest expanding QE beyond gilt purchases? August 13, 2012 YES Will Straw Last year, Adam Posen stood alone on the Monetary Policy Committee in predicting that Britain’s recovery was faltering. Now we’re back in recession, his advice on unconventional quantitative easing (QE) should be heeded. QE has been a modest success in preventing the economy from slipping into a depression. And, despite siren warnings, [...]
Rapid Responses August 13, 2012 Running from tax [Re: Olympic champion Usain Bolt shuns London over tax fears, yesterday] With the closing ceremony ringing in our ears, so too is Usain Bolt’s concern about competing in the UK due to tax. The OECD model tax treaty allows the income of sports people from “personal activities” to be exempted from tax. [...]
London 2012 must be the starting gun in a race for a stronger Britain August 12, 2012 WITH the closing ceremony bringing the stupendously successful Olympic Games to an end, we should recognise what the Games has taught us about our national character. The Games have taught us something about ourselves that we never dared believe. The combined power of the British people, who embraced the Games, and our Olympians who have [...]
Women in the City are more than just voices for caution August 12, 2012 IT WAS once famously said that “whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good.” While I tend not to subscribe to clichés, when I started in the City in the late 1990s, the dearth of senior women suggested something was awry. Just 15 years later, we [...]
US regulators should treat British finance as innocent until proven guilty August 12, 2012 ANOTHER week and, seemingly, another scandal. This summer of discontent for the banking sector shows no sign of drawing to a close, as Standard Chartered is just the latest in a line of UK banks facing accusations of wrongdoing. In this case, the allegation is wire-stripping on U-turn transactions with Iranian entities. It is important [...]
Following its record medal haul in London, is Team GB likely to win even more in Rio? August 12, 2012 YES Tim Lamb I don’t think there’s any question that we can improve on our London 2012 medal tally in Rio 2016. But there’s a pathway to elite success. To build on our performance in London, we need to put several things in place. First, school sport must be strong. That means having teachers with [...]
RAPID responses August 12, 2012 Boris’s £90,000 bill [Re: Why Boris owes me £90,000 for Olympic damage, Friday] I have great sympathy with Neleen Strauss’s situation, with no customers at her lovely restaurant due to the Mayor encouraging a mass exit of Londoners. Some of our clients have experienced similar drops in footfall and it’s a heavy cost to bear. [...]