Everyone’s a loser in today’s fabricated generation wars October 5, 2018 According to doomsayers in policy and media circles, the young have never had it so bad, and the fault lies with their greedy elders. The allegedly enormous, voracious baby boomer generation, living it up on the golf course with the ill-gotten gains from gold-plated pensions and over-valued houses, is in the firing line for causing [...]
The Tories talk the talk on free markets, but the policies don’t match the rhetoric October 5, 2018 Last year’s Conservative party conference marked a change in tone for the Prime Minister and her relationship with the free market. Perhaps it was the 2017 snap election upset that made her roll back her language around “untrammeled free markets”, or maybe there was increased understanding that after Brexit a commitment to competition would be vital [...]
Manchester United v Newcastle: Old foes Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez have chance to twist the knife October 4, 2018 Perhaps, after the final whistle has blown at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez will gather in the Manchester United manager’s office and share a bottle of vintage claret, as Sir Alex Ferguson was fond of doing, and reminisce about the good old days. Or perhaps not, given their long-running and [...]
Plan to keep all of UK in EU customs union after Brexit welcomed by Dublin in Irish backstop row October 4, 2018 A radical plan to keep the whole of the UK in a customs union with the EU after Brexit has been welcomed by Dublin, it has been reported. The proposal, seen as a way of stopping a hard border being created on the island of Ireland, would be the 'backstop' arrangement if no other deal [...]
Donald Tusk offers UK a Canada-style trade deal in blow for Theresa May’s Brexit plan October 4, 2018 Donald Tusk has delighted the 'chuck Chequers' group of Tories by offering the UK a Canada-style free trade deal. Speaking just days after Boris Johnson urged Theresa May to shelve her Brexit plan, the European Council president backed striking a looser arrangement with the UK. The comments were welcomed by leading Brexiteers, with one claiming [...]
Legal challenges against Heathrow third runway given green light for full hearing next year October 4, 2018 Five separate legal challenges against the government strategy for the third runway at Heathrow have been given the green light for a full hearing, most likely to be heard next year. This summer MPs rubber-stamped the £14bn third runway after MPS voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Department for Transport's (DfT) national policy statement (NPS). The decision proved [...]
We’re on the cusp of a blockchain revolution October 4, 2018 Earlier this year, Bank of England governor Mark Carney scrutinised blockchain technology, describing it as an inadequate currency platform set for a “brutal reckoning”. His views come as no surprise for someone deeply ingrained into the traditions of the financial system and the institutions that have set the industry’s tone for centuries. Read more: Up [...]
The end of austerity the Prime Minister has promised would costs £20bn, says Institute of Fiscal Studies October 4, 2018 The end of austerity the Prime Minister signalled in yesterday’s conference party speech could cost £20bn, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Read more: Theresa May declares 'austerity is over' in Conservative conference speech Theresa May ended the Conservative Party Conference yesterday on a high, declaring the end of austerity is in sight as [...]
‘A step in the right direction’: SMMT lends support to Theresa’s May Chequers plan October 4, 2018 Car industry chief Mike Hawes has said Theresa May's much maligned proposal for Brexit is a "step in the right direction" for the troubled industry. Hawes, the chief executive of the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), told the BBC that while the prime minister's Brexit strategy wasn't a "panacea" for the industry, remaining [...]
The Conservative party conference was more SOS than Dancing Queen October 4, 2018 You have to hand it to Theresa May: after last year’s conference fiasco, it took guts to go onstage yesterday jiving to Abba’s Dancing Queen. In the end, her speech wasn’t bad. She has never been the kind of messiah-type figure who can bewitch a hall with her “authenticity” like Jeremy Corbyn, nor a charisma-soaked [...]
