EU migrant crisis: There can be a place in the sun for refugees in the streets of Athens and throughout Europe September 4, 2015 Spending a day with refugees from war, poverty and discrimination should be a requirement for citizens of a civilised democratic society. Thousands arrive daily at Italian and Greek shores. Some drown before they arrive, while others die in traffickers’ sardine-can lorries. For those who do make it through, there's tear-gas, attacks and potential detention. But [...]
With austerity the name of the game, should the UK’s public sector be holding onto £3.5bn-worth of art? September 4, 2015 Nobody begrudges the public sector owning a certain amount of art. However, the size of the collection is itself staggering. TaxPayers’ Alliance research released today shows that it consists of some eight million pieces, worth more than £3.5bn, with local authorities alone owning more than two million pieces. Most concerning, however, is that [...]
Inappropriate use of medicines could be costing the UK taxpayer large sums September 4, 2015 Yesterday, my research team published some worrying statistics about the use of antipsychotic medicines among people with learning disabilities in the UK. We discovered that most of these powerful and sometimes dangerous medicines are being prescribed to people with learning disabilities who have no signs of severe mental illness. Not only is this potentially [...]
The UK’s skills shortage is getting worse: It’s time for a shake up in the classroom and the boardroom September 3, 2015 There’s an elephant in the boardroom. According to a survey of the finance directors of many of the UK’s largest companies, it casts a greater shadow than China or Brexit or the hacking horrors of cyber attacks. It’s the new number one at the top of Britain's risk registers – the difficulty of recruiting [...]
Apple News isn’t the big threat to publishers from iOS 9 – ad blocking is September 3, 2015 Much has been written about the imminent launch of Apple News and how – along with Facebook Instant Articles – it could completely change the landscape for digital publishers. And, of course, it could. Apple and Facebook are masters of user experience and their respective plans to ingest other people’s news into their worlds will [...]
Wisdom of the crowd? Here are six reasons crowdsourcing is riskier than you think September 3, 2015 An old concept, given new life by instant communication via the internet, crowdsourcing is being used in business in more and more diverse ways. The term itself was coined in a 2006 article by Jeff Howe for Wired magazine, and refers to the process of obtaining services, content or ideas from a large group [...]
UK economy: As the UK emerges from recession, the country’s small businesses are flexing their muscles September 3, 2015 There are now 4.5 million SMEs in the UK. They’re the beating heart of the country’s economy, and they have the potential to build a truly sustainable recovery. That’s a fact that’s in evidence today. Our latest research shows a 90 per cent increase since 2010 in the number of small businesses tapping into a [...]
Britain’s skills shortage: Train your temps – it’s a win-win for both business and employee September 3, 2015 A flexible workforce is key to 21st century businesses success. The UK economy has evolved since the recession and we have seen a new dynamism emerge emphasising employee flexibility. In fact, there has been a more than 20 per cent increase in the number of temporary workers in the past five years. Businesses know success [...]
The Walkie Talkie is a glorious building and the Carbuncle Cup jury are just architectural snobs September 3, 2015 Most of the critics of Rafael Viñoly's “Walkie Talkie” at 20 Fenchurch Street are other architects or professional moaners. Laypeople, like the City workers milling around the building at lunchtime, are more amenable. As if to prove my point, Sir Simon Jenkins, a vocal and consistent critic of, well, just about anything built since bricks [...]
Northern Powerhouse: Foreign investors already know there are better opportunities in the North of England – now it’s time for Londoners to wake up to reality September 3, 2015 Any wise investor, entrepreneur or business leader knows that along with good ideas, capital constitutes the building blocks of economic growth. This means, of course, that an area needs plenty of financial capital to progress. But there are many different types of capital, and in the UK over the last 40 years there has [...]