AT-A-Glance October 7, 2009 • Action on failing schoolsMichael Gove, the shadow schools secretary, promised that failing schools would be closed within 100 days of a Tory government assuming power, adding that teachers would also be given the power to restrain violent pupils to crack down on problem children. • Police to name and shamePolice services would be given [...]
Pop Art and poetry in the Supreme Court September 29, 2009 TOMORROW the Supreme Court opens its doors for official business. Earlier this month an outspoken contribution from Lord Neuberger almost eclipsed a rather predictable controversy about the appropriateness of a £59m revamp of its new home in Parliament Square, which included commissioning pop artist Sir Peter Blake to do the carpets (“alarmingly garish”, according to [...]
Pop Art and poetry in the Supreme Court September 29, 2009 TOMORROW the Supreme Court opens its doors for official business. Earlier this month an outspoken contribution from Lord Neuberger almost eclipsed a rather predictable controversy about the appropriateness of a £59m revamp of its new home in Parliament Square, which included commissioning pop artist Sir Peter Blake to do the carpets (“alarmingly garish”, according to [...]
LABOUR CONFERENCE NEWS September 29, 2009 • Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s wife, Sarah, introduced him as “my husband, my hero” in a personal speech designed to show his human side. • Brown urged Labour Party members to “never stop believing” that they can win the next election. • The PM confirmed that there will be a new law to curb bonuses [...]
BROWN AND TUC CLASH ON CUTS September 13, 2009 PRIME Minister Gordon Brown will tomorrow pave the way for a much tougher stance on public spending in a key speech to trade unionists. He will warn increasingly angry trade unionists to support him or face what he claims would be even tougher cuts from the Tories. The speech comes as tension between Labour and [...]
Taking the gay out of Dorian Gray September 10, 2009 FilmDORIAN GRAYCert: 12 THE Portrait of Dorian Gray is a story about a man with a terrible secret about the state of his soul, something that Oscar Wilde was no doubt very familiar with. While Dorian has his painting in his attic, Oscar was firmly in his closet. Like Jekyll and Hyde, Dorian Gray is [...]
The cut-throat world of New York’s super-rich August 12, 2009 HEDGE FUND WIVESBY TATIANA BONCOMPAGNIHarper Collins, £6.99 IT may sound a little out of date – after all, we’re so over hedgies and their failed fortunes. Except the New York hedge fund world, including its cut-throat circle of wives, still holds more interest than you’d think. This is not the first tale of high finance [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS August 6, 2009 LUUPTory MP Michael Howard has joined independent global mobile financial provider LUUP as chairman. The former home secretary is retiring from Parliament to develop an international business career. The position adds to his current business profile as chairman of Northern Racing, deputy chairman of Entrée Gold and a non-executive director of Helphire group. Tenon RecoveryTenon [...]
Train strikes hit London July 30, 2009 RAIL strikes caused havoc for commuters travelling on the National Express East Anglia train services yesterday, as members of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) and Aslef unions took industrial action over a pay dispute. The 48-hour walk-out had “crippled” services, the unions said. Many commuters stayed at home as a limited peak-time service failed [...]
Kingman loss is a huge blow to Brown July 28, 2009 THERE is a great anecdote about John Kingman, the civil servant who yesterday shocked the City by announcing his resignation as CEO of UKFI, the holding company for state-owned banks. Back in 1994, the 25-year old Kingman, still fresh out of Westminster School and Oxford University, was working as private secretary to the financial secretary, [...]