Easter Reads: the best in our opinion pages on politics and tech
Rishi Sunak has presented himself as a competent manager, the man who could start the return of the “grown-ups” in Westminster and turn the fortunes of his party around. He’s had some quick successes – like the Windsor Framework – but now he’ll be tasked with disclosing what his long-term plan for an inspiring and trust-worthy Conservative Party will be, wrote John Oxley.
Those around the party leader believe there is a path to victory in quiet, competent government.
John Oxley
Amidst all the talk of Big Tech and its recent problems – huge layoffs among others – Howard Yu wrote a brilliant piece on the future of the Apple monopoly, questioning whether its total predominance in the world of apps is actually a good thing. He argued it is not, because it drives prices up excessively.
Without any countermeasures in the form of competition or regulation, Apple’s behaviour adversely impacts consumers, workers, and business alike.
Howard Yu
Elon Musk’s latest move was to scrap blue ticks on Twitter – unless for those who decided to pay for them. Asad Moghal wrote that such a commodification of security online is problematic; yet we can’t ever escape it as long as we stay on those platforms. Musk is doing it in his own peculiar way, but other social media giants are going in the same direction.
Social media companies have had their revenues dented by a fall in ad spend, and the paid-for subscription services are an attempt to diversify income streams. It’s a symptom of the woes in Silicon Valley.
Asad Moghal
