A volcanic launch for Bitcoin in El Salvador November 23, 2021 El Salvador will build a “bitcoin city” at the base of a volcano according to the country’s crypto-mad president. Nayib Bukele, the 39-year-old South American dictator, fired up crowds over the weekend when he revealed that a new city, financed entirely with crypto bonds, would be built in the shape of a circle to mimic [...]
Generation Netflix: The weekly release could fall victim to our binge habit November 23, 2021 Much ado about, uh, something, stumbled one of Logan Roy’s goons as he tried to stall for time at the fictional shareholder meeting that would decide the fate of Waystay Royco. The machiavellian drama has been drip fed out to audiences like a doctor administering morphine really, really slowly. In contrast, the likes of Squid [...]
In a world of open banking, Amazon holds all the cards in the face off with Visa November 23, 2021 From January 2022, Amazon will no longer accept Visa credit cards. This is a significant move in a landscape of ever-increasing competition for payments, a growing number of incentives for a move away from credit cards and the potential to bypass traditional payments altogether. Whether or not it was a negotiation tactic to put Visa [...]
Debate: Do Boris Johnson’s bumbles in his speech to business leaders really matter? November 23, 2021 Barry Johnston of Purpose Union says Yes The last time I heard someone talk about Peppa Pig and make car noises, it was my two year old nephew. It appears he’s now moonlighting as the Prime Minister’s speechwriter. As we are all repeatedly reminded, Johnson lionises Churchill, so it’s odd he is so cavalier with [...]
Mass sporting events help bring the UK together and trumpet our shared values November 23, 2021 Britain’s Roger Bannister beating John Landy in the so-called ‘Miracle Mile’ in Vancouver, Canada. Tanzania’s Filbert Bayi crushing the field by blasting out of the gates in the 1,500m in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Commonwealth Games certainly has form in creating history for people and places. Who will capture our imagination next year in Birmingham? [...]
Political drama has served as a distraction from the crises facing British businesses November 22, 2021 This last two weeks in many ways saw high political drama. A governing party that tried to rig the system so one of its own could continue in a second job that is clearly against the rules. The revelation that a sitting Conservative MP received £133m for test kits which had to be recalled. And uproar across our northern regions when a long standing political promise to deliver rail was outright broken. [...]
Channel migrant crisis and Priti Patel’s Australian obsession November 22, 2021 Last week, Priti Patel blamed freedom of movement within the European Union for the number of migrants crossing illegally into the UK from France. She was also careful to keep the French in her bad books, saying they were simply too under resourced to deal with the problem. The number of migrants making the perilous [...]
London needs to have the powers to control its own destiny – and transport November 22, 2021 It is no longer headline news that Transport for London is facing a financial crisis. Last week the mayor of London revealed the network needed £1.7bn over the next 18 months simply to balance its books, and at least £1.3bn every year to make essential upgrades on the Tubes, trains and buses. This summer, Tfl [...]
Close up the floodgates: It’s time to protect ourselves from the future’s rising water November 22, 2021 The highly anticipated Cop26 conference has finally finished and the thousands of delegates have returned home. But the real work on tackling the impacts of climate change is only just beginning. For Canada, acknowledging our place in the world financially – as well as geographically, on the banks of the River Thames [...]
The private sector should step in to tackle homelessness November 19, 2021 This winter will be a perfect storm for homelessness, with rises in rent, energy and food prices . During the pandemic, the government provided temporary emergency relief for frontline homelessness. While the government is always liable, it is the private sector that is largely responsible for housing. Privately run housing associations have been providing the [...]