Eurozone woes give Draghi leeway on QE September 30, 2014 THE EUROZONE is still flirting with deflation while unemployment remains stubbornly high, opening up the possibility that the European Central Bank (ECB) will deliver further monetary easing when it announces its latest policy decision tomorrow. Figures published yesterday by official database Eurostat showed that unemployment in August came in at 11.5 per cent – the [...]
Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party Conference speech: “Semi-Marxist Miliband”, “eat the kippers” and “planet zog” September 30, 2014 Conservative favourite and London mayor Boris Johnson has delivered an upbeat speech to the Tory faithful at the party's conference in Birmingham. With swipes at Ukip defectors, Ed Miliband and Vince Cable, the speech was well-received in a conference hall nervous about the prospects of electoral success and party unity. Johnson ran through a list [...]
Forget Crossrail, Boris Johnson proposes south London Tube extension to Camberwell, Lewisham and Bromley September 30, 2014 Are you a south Londoner, fed up with the lack of Tube infrastructure, forced to rely on overcrowded overground trains for your daily commute? Me too. So maybe you should respond to this consultation over a proposed extension to the Bakerloo line, bringing the Tube out to New Cross, Lewisham, Bromley and Hayes. [...]
Boris Johnson’s former deputy drops party membership for Ukip September 30, 2014 Yesterday Boris Johnson said Tory defectors to Ukip were “utterly nuts”. But perhaps he shouldn't have spoken so soon because it turns out his former right-hand-man Richard Barnes has done just that. The former deputy mayor of London has today emerged as the latest party unfaithful, ditching his party membership in favour of the [...]
Boris Johnson: Don’t savage London powerhouse – Tory party conference September 29, 2014 Boris Johnson will today launch a valiant defence of London’s dominant position in the UK, telling the Conservative party conference that the capital’s success is crucial for British economic growth. He will also seek to boost his party’s morale in the face of recent defections to Ukip, warning Conservatives against jumping ship. Johnson is expected [...]
George Osborne finds his Tory party conference speech a little taxing but recovers speedily September 29, 2014 Party goers at the Tory conference in Birmingham had a difficult decision last night. Should they quaff champers at The Telegraph’s shindig or shuffle to Sky’s event? The two parties went head to head from 10.30pm, with David Cameron expected to show face at the former. No doubt Osborne felt he deserved a drink following [...]
QE or not QE? Mario Draghi’s policy dilemma – CNBC Comment September 29, 2014 It seems as if the European Central Bank (ECB) has been debating whether to head down the QE path forever. ECB-watchers have been reduced to pondering what the shade of Mario Draghi’s (usually blue) tie might mean for future asset purchases. But no matter how reluctant Draghi might be to label it as such, this [...]
Gutsy Osborne was right to gamble on a promise of further spending cuts September 29, 2014 ED MILIBAND made a pitch for office that was so forgettable that he forgot it himself.” That line was the key message chancellor George Osborne wanted us to take away from his party conference speech yesterday. While the Conservatives have a plan to continue to eliminate the budget deficit and create the conditions for prosperous [...]
Mark Zuckerberg is now richer than Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin September 29, 2014 Mark Zuckerberg is now richer than Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has overtaken the three biggest billionaires in technology by accruing an additional $15bn in wealth since last year- more than any other billionaire this year. That's not bad for a yearly paycheque [...]
George Osborne would cap family benefits at £23,000 to tackle “culture of welfare dependency” September 29, 2014 The Conservatives would freeze working age benefits for the next two years if the party secures the public vote next year, chancellor George Osborne has said. Speaking today at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, he warned of a growing “culture of welfare dependency” among young people, which the state could no longer fund. [...]