Forget economics, immigration policy is more about our values September 25, 2018 You're probably tired of me saying it, dear reader. But a big problem with supposed “evidence-based policy” is that the conclusions we derive from evidence often take our underlying aims for granted. If we’re considering a tax cut, no evidence-base showing that it could create a positive GDP effect will convince you if your [...]
Here’s how business groups have reacted to Theresa May’s conference speech October 3, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May used her conference speech today to attack Labour’s plans on the economy and slap down her Conservative party rivals – saying austerity was “over” and promising to fix the “broken” housing market. Business groups have been keenly awaiting May’s speech, as she fights off rebellions from her own MPs and attempts [...]
BAE Systems wins £20bn contract to build nine Australian frigates June 28, 2018 UK defence giant BAE Systems has won a 35bn Australian dollar (£20bn) contract to build frigates for the Australian navy, seeing off rival bids from Spain and Italy. Australian media broke the news on Thursday afternoon ahead of a planned announcement by ministers in the UK. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is to confirm BAE [...]
Heathrow and Jaguar to create UK’s largest chauffeur-driven electric vehicle fleet May 8, 2018 Jaguar Land Rover is to roll out 200 of its all electric I-Pace SUVs for Heathrow passengers to use to and from the airport from this summer, creating the largest chauffeur-driven fleet of electric vehicles in the UK . The pair have teamed up with travel services company WeKnowGroup to offer chauffeur services from central [...]
Focus On Harrow: Why this west London suburb is popular with families and first time buyers September 28, 2018 With inner city London gradually dividing itself into a series of ‘villages’, mimicking the community, farmers markets and independent high streets of semi-rural life, what’s the point of suburbs anymore? Places like Harrow have traditionally been quite pedestrian places, attracting families to its healthy stock of semi-detached houses and good quality schools. The ultimate – [...]
Sail GP: Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts attempt to sell sailing to the masses October 8, 2018 Sailing is a difficult sport for the spectator. By its very nature the action happens out on the water, away from the eyes and ears of those attempting to enjoy it. Last week a new $1m competition was launched which attempts to address that problem and in the process “redefine sailing”. Spearheaded by American tech [...]
Ocean economy offers UK a trillion pound opportunity in undiscovered gold and precious metals June 29, 2018 As much as 95 per cent of the world’s oceans and 99 per cent of the ocean floor remain unexplored. We have yet to identify around two-thirds of all marine life. We know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our ocean floor. While we look to the stars and imagine what [...]
The Bank of England’s transatlantic flight bill is a mere drop in the ocean June 27, 2018 Eyebrows were raised more than a couple of times during yesterday’s lively grilling of Bank of England officials in Westminster. At one stage Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke quoted an old article from this publication and, contrasting its expectations with the Monetary Policy Committee’s own guidance on interest rates, observed: “It seems that City A.M. is [...]
Belfast has big plans to become the home of the Titanic and a top TV shooting location. But will that help the property market? November 2, 2018 A couple of weeks ago, a consortium of hedge funds clubbed together to raise $19.5m to buy bric-a-brac from the bottom of the ocean. At first glance, these 5,500 items bore no relation to each other; a bowler hat, the sleek curves of a bronze angel, a steel door. Their immense value derives solely from [...]
The best of Bucharest: Romania’s wine regions come of age September 9, 2018 In the Prahova county of Romania, just outside Bucharest, there is a town called Urlati. From the verb “urla”, to howl, its name could be translated as Screamtown. While there is some debate about how this came to be, one story goes that the townsfolk got so drunk all the time that you could hear [...]