Boris calls for tougher laws October 4, 2010 BORIS Johnson has called for a change to Britain’s trade union laws, in a bid to prevent a repeat of yesterday’s crippling Tube strikes. The London mayor used his speech at the Tory party conference in Birmingham to call for new legislation, which would force trade unions to win the support of 50 per cent [...]
Red Ed? Come off it: A pitch for the centre September 28, 2010 POLITICAL EDITOR’S ANALYSIS ED MILIBAND’S inaugural leaders’ speech will not be remembered for its rhetorical flair. There was none of the barrister’s flourish that characterised Tony Blair’s excellent performances. For all its talk of optimism, it lacked the hopeful oratory that Barack Obama offered the US electorate in 2008. When David Cameron gave his first [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND September 23, 2010 FILM THE HOLE Teenage horror hokum as a couple of kids discover a spooky hatch in the basement. WORLD’S GREATEST DAD This caustic black comedy gives Robin Williams his best role in years FROZEN So so thriller with a great premise:?with three skiers stuck on a chair lift, who will jump first? DVD ROBIN HOOD [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND September 23, 2010 FILM THE HOLE Teenage horror hokum as a couple of kids discover a spooky hatch in the basement. WORLD’S GREATEST DAD This caustic black comedy gives Robin Williams his best role in years FROZEN So so thriller with a great premise:?with three skiers stuck on a chair lift, who will jump first? DVD ROBIN HOOD [...]
The anti-business secretary September 22, 2010 It sounded like a speech from the opposition. Not a member of the government. He is secretary of state for business. This is exactly the sort of talk that frightens away foreign investment. Lord Myners, former Labour City minister He obviously feels he needs to pander to the more socialist elements among the Lib Dems. [...]
US homebuilder confidence remains stuck at rock bottom September 20, 2010 AMERICAN homebuilder confidence remained unchanged in September, having fallen to its lowest level for 18 months in August, as concern about the rate of foreclosures and poor job prospects continued to dampened demand, a report said yesterday. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) report showed homebuilders felt there was little reason for optimism with [...]
National Express granted extension for East Anglia September 14, 2010 The Department of Transport yesterday granted National Express a 28- week extension on its East Anglia rail franchise. East Anglia services run between London’s Liverpool Street Station and Eastern England destinations, including Peterborough and Norwich. It was announced by the Labour government in late 2009 that National Express would have its seven year franchise agreement [...]
Unions can’t agree on how to fight cuts to spending September 13, 2010 WHEN Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trade Unions Congress (TUC), addressed the organisation’s annual summit yesterday, he sounded more like Neil Kinnock than the heir of militant miners’ leader Arthur Scargill. “The government is pursuing a political agenda, so our response must be political,” Barber told delegates, as he sought to distance himself from [...]
Candover August 31, 2010 THAT silence is the sound of Candover bosses having given up. Once a leading light in the private equity industry, the firm will make no further investments and has abandoned plans to find a buyer. Instead it will run its investments off over an unspecified time frame. What started so well has come to a [...]
US and Europe shun premium brands August 26, 2010 RECEIVED wisdom tells us that hard-pressed customers hit the bottle in times of economic woe. If they’re doing that this time round, they aren’t reaching for Smirnoff Vodka or Johnnie Walker whisky. Save for a 13 per cent rise in net sales at the international division, which accounts for Africa, South America and the Middle [...]