If the monarchy wants to survive, it must learn from the Queen’s longevity June 1, 2022 The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Weekend has almost arrived. With over 16,000 street parties around the country, beacon lighting, a pageant and concert in central London, it’s set to be a bumper celebration for the whole nation. The journalist and author Walter Bagehot once wrote that “a royal family sweetens politics by the seasonable addition of [...]
London’s many strengths can be bound together and renewed by public transport June 1, 2022 The opening last week of the Elizabeth Line, Britain’s latest engineering marvel, prompted reflections on how much there is to gain from better physical connections into and between London’s two biggest financial hubs – Canary Wharf and the Square Mile. The Square Mile is home to London’s insurance market, preeminent in the world and writing [...]
As Johnson squirms, his party must remember the roots of Conservatives values June 1, 2022 Boris Johnson has strayed very far from Conservative ideals
Letters: Get your own bank branch in order June 1, 2022 [Re: Nationwide boss takes aim at rivals over bank branch closures, May 29] I read with amusement the reported comments by Joe Garner concerning the accelerating number of bank branch closures in recent months. I have just received a notification from Nationwide to the effect that my nearest branch of the Society, which is about two [...]
Explainer-in-brief: firing up the coal plants to stave off the dark of night May 31, 2022 Six million British households could face power cuts this winter, as the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine send shockwaves across the energy supply chain. This is bad news not only for the people affected, who could see their electricity cut in the early mornings and evenings, but also for the green transition. Keeping the [...]
Post-Brexit immigration needs to look further afield than Western countries May 31, 2022 Yesterday, with great fanfare, Britain’s newest work permit route was opened up, while the government prayed for a flood of applications. The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa is a much-hyped plank of the UK’s post-Brexit points-based immigration system and is aimed at attracting “the brightest and best” individuals from around the world. It targets international [...]
Davos, once a rollcall of decision makers, has sagged under the weight of its ambition May 31, 2022 HAS Davos lost its mojo? While it was great to be able to stroll around taking in the Swiss air last week without struggling through crowds of Nobel Prize winners, CEOs and billionaires in snow gear, it also felt like a turning point. What sets the World Economic Forum annual meeting apart from other events, [...]
Boris Johnson will be a slave to U-turns until he discovers the art of policy flexibility May 31, 2022 It is not easy for a party to run the country for twelve years, so have some pity on the Conservative Party. Perhaps it was in response to the absolute dearth of ideas ranging from “getting a better paid job” to shopping “own-brand products” that Rishi Sunak finally capitulated and delivered a mini-budget last week [...]
Letters: Paying our way out of a crisis May 31, 2022 [Re: Sunak hits energy firms with windfall tax to pay for £15bn cost of living package, May 27] So, led by the nose…here we go again. Whenever the condescending contrickselfservative “party” find themselves in a difficult place they wave a little money in front of people’s noses to gain their support and buy their votes. [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Behind a Twitter takeover that looks like a soap opera May 30, 2022 When Elon Musk decided to buy Twitter, the Internet went crazy. Some were celebrating the billionaire’s penchant for protecting free speech, others were scared that Twitter would turn into a hate speech nightmare. Now the saga has taken a different turn, with Musk being sued by Twitter investors for driving down the share price of [...]