Russian hacking is a “fact” in post-truth strategy says UK government minister December 20, 2016 Britain must accept Russian hacking to influence elections in other countries as a “fact”, according to a government minister. Sir Alan Duncan, the minister for Europe and the Americas, also condemned the murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey as a "heinous attack", saying, "We obviously fully condemn this." Duncan said there was clear evidence [...]
We should be more worried about Theresa May’s migration policies December 20, 2016 While on the one hand 2016 saw the rise of inward-looking, nationalistic politics, no year to date has forced so many of us into a truly global anxiety about the near future. How will the rise of far-right groups impact EU decision-making on collective concerns? In what unpredictable way will Trump’s America leave its mark on [...]
Cross party MPs want to amend key bill and have tax clampdown extended to overseas territories December 20, 2016 A cross-party group of MPs will today up the ante on the UK's overseas territories, hoping to force them to adopt the same transparency laws as the rest of Britain. 80 MPs from across seven parties will support adjustments to the Criminal Finances Bill stipulating the UK's overseas territories, such as the British Virgin Islands and Cayman [...]
Reform visas to make Britain the tech leader of the twenty-first century December 20, 2016 In my career, I have been privileged to work in some of the world’s greatest universities – Imperial, UCL, Harvard – on some of the world’s most interesting problems. Most recently, we used quantum systems to sense individual electrons, a billion times smaller than had been possible before, helping to transform what humans can understand and effect [...]
Prime Minister Theresa May says UK could continue paying into the EU budget and sticks to guns on Brexit timetable December 19, 2016 The Prime Minister has today indicated the UK could keep paying into the EU budget post-Brexit, provided government feels it is getting good value for money. Responding to a question in parliament from opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn about payments into the EU, Theresa May said it was the government's intention "that those funds will continue [...]
Russian ambassador to Ankara shot dead in an attack in Turkey December 19, 2016 The Russian ambassador to Ankara, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead in an attack in Turkey today. Karlov was shot while making a speech at the opening of an exhibition at an art gallery by a gunman who shouted in Turkish: "Don't forget Aleppo. Don’t forget Syria. Unless our towns are secure, you won’t enjoy security. Only death can take [...]
Harvard and University of California psychiatry professors weigh in on President-elect Donald Trump’s ability to lead December 19, 2016 President-elect Donald Trump may not be short of critics a month before his inauguration, and now it seems the medical community is weighing in on his leadership style too. Three leading professors of psychiatry have warned that Trump's "grandiosity" and "hypersensitivity" to criticism deserve a psychiatric evaluation (as opposed to, say, angry tweets and Saturday Night Live [...]
Sadiq Khan unveils Brexit panel featuring Lord Mandelson and Santander chair to advise on getting “best deal” for London December 19, 2016 Sadiq Khan has recruited an assortment of business leaders, investors and academics in an effort to boost London's Brexit credentials. The mayor announced a new Brexit Expert Advisory panel to advise him on the risks, challenges and opportunities for the capital in the wake of June's vote to leave the European Union. Members include Sir George Iacobescu, [...]
Union leaders are their own worst enemy December 19, 2016 As the country prepares to power down for Christmas, a number of trades unions are flexing their muscles and powering up their strike activity. As PWC’s Tom Kerr Williams notes, for unionised labour “a good time to react is at Christmas when most employers will be under pressure to keep customers happy”. One can't deny the [...]
Blame discredited elites for the decline and fall of the West in 2016 December 19, 2016 “The more I practice the luckier I get.” – Golfing great Gary Player In essence, political risk analysis is like nothing so much as American baseball: there is an undoubted element of chance to the game and even the best player strikes out with soul-destroying regularity. Saying this, it is not dumb luck that the legendary [...]