Starmer’s labour market reforms will put people out of work
Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is frequently criticised for the lack of detail around most of its policy pronouncements. One area where this is far less justified is the labour market, where a whole raft of proposals has been put forward. The initial set included ending the two year period before full employment rights kick in, […]
The history of rail suggests renationalisation will make little difference
Getting the railways to function properly has been a problem ever since they were first invented. The opening ceremony of the Liverpool and Manchester railway in 1830 was a major event in world history. For the first time ever, two cities were connected by a form of transport which could go considerably faster than a […]
Have we passed peak electric car?
This week I got rid of my electric car. As a car, it was a pleasure to drive. I also enjoyed the fact that it disconcerted at least some of my liberal friends who would not naturally associate me with such a ‘progressive’ consumer choice. But the downsides, as increasing numbers of people are realising, began to […]
Tech is in turmoil – but there is an upside
The Greek god Chronos, known as Saturn to the Romans, was notorious for eating his own children. Something similar seems to be going on within the tech industry. Tech giants such as Google, Microsoft and Meta have carried out substantial job reductions. Google are apparently preparing for a second round. Forbes magazine estimates that 34,000 jobs have […]
Sluggish global growth cannot be an excuse for Britain ignoring opportunities
With Labour currently looking to win the next election by a mile, the centre-left think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is growing in both influence and attention. But did the IPPR set a new world record last week for the speed of getting its recommendations translated into actual policy decisions? Last Friday […]
From Alison Rose to water exec bonuses, massive payouts are killing productivity
The last week has been momentous on various fronts. The decision by the NatWest board to scrap £7.6m of former chief executive Alison Rose’s potential leaving payout was almost buried in the avalanche. But it offers a glimmer of hope amidst the overall gloom. The decision itself has all the hallmarks of a classic corporate […]
Rush hour pricing in pubs will kill off the customer loyalty businesses badly need
Britain’s largest pub group, Stonegate, caused outrage last week with its proposal to charge 20p a pint more at peak times at some 800 of its outlets. It is but the latest example of what has become known as “dynamic pricing”. Basically, charging more when demand is high. Many can surely empathise with the concept, […]
Keep dreaming if you think Brexit is the reason craft beer breweries are going bust
A couple of weeks in the Highlands is always refreshing; the scenery is fantastic and the locals are welcoming, even if the weather has been typical of a very British summer. The experience was only marred in one respect: it was virtually impossible to obtain a pint of hand-pumped traditional bitter in the pubs. This […]
Even if the pandemic hadn’t happened, we would have all ended up working remotely
Working from home is a phenomenon we still associate with the pandemic. Some companies are trying to reverse its growth and get more people back into the office, but the debate about productivity has failed, so far, to yield conclusive results. A fascinating and timely Stanford research paper, entitled “The evolution of working from home”, […]
In low income parts of the UK, boosting productivity is a question of competition
Productivity is a puzzle with many different layers. When it becomes a mainstay in political speeches, it is rarely for a good reason. Most of the recent focus is on why it has been so slow, in the overall economy, for the last decade or so. In the 1990s, productivity in G7 countries rose at […]
