The memory of a nation in a digital world
Act quickly or our intellectual record will disappear down a black hole. It is an irony of the digital age that at a time when we are used to having easy access to seemingly endless information and...
View ArticleWhy our politicians love Robert Caro
A mix of Atlanticism and morality has British ministers swooning for Caro's biography of LBJ.“In some wonky circles,” Salon’s Erik Nelson wrote recently, the release of a new Robert Caro volume “is...
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China's inflation problem
Producer and consumer prices are diverging - which could spark trouble in the future.China’s economic data have long been looked upon with a hint of suspicion. Inflation data is considered to be one of...
View ArticleMoney and morality
If everything has a price, does nothing have a value?All money tends to corrupt, and absolute money corrupts absolutely. This is an ancient message. You can find it in the Bible ("the love of money...
View ArticleThe MP Interview: Elizabeth Truss
On Margaret Thatcher, the importance of religion, and becoming Prime Minister.What made you go into politics? My mother was active in politics, she was involved in the CND in the 1980s and used to take...
View Article"Negging": the latest dating trend
Ever been insulted in a bar? It's possible you were being "negged".A woman is drinking at a bar. She is alone; perhaps she is waiting for a friend. A man sidles up to her. He is nervous, unsure of...
View ArticleEconomics 101 with Jack White
What's that, Jack? Price is a function of supply and demand?Eighteen months ago, Jack White's record company Third Man Records was having problems with "flippers" – people who buy the company's...
View ArticleWeb Only: the best of the blogs
1. Leveson's unlearnt lesson Stumbling and Mumbling's Chris Dillow says we are missing the bigger picture - the right systems are not in place. 2. Jeremy Hunt caught out by one of his own planted...
View ArticleChart of the day: Can't spell unemployment without...
Male unemployment has been continually higher than female unemployment for 32 years. Men have been hit harder by every recession since 1980 than women. Yet if you look at the headlines, the only...
View ArticleToo close? Hunt called Murdoch lobbyist "daddy"
Text messages published to Leveson inquiry show a close relationship between Culture Secretary and Fred Michel.When Jeremy Hunt's adviser Adam Smith resigned, he said that his actions may have "created...
View ArticleRace to the bottom
Pricing policies threaten pharmaceutical makers.One of the biggest threats to the pharmaceutical industry in the years ahead will be pricing pressure, which is coming from all directions. In the United...
View ArticleWater: a most precious commodity and a basic right
Thousands die every day from the consequences of drinking from tainted sources. We can make a difference.It’s easy to take water for granted. While the current drought in parts of the UK means that...
View ArticleLabour's challenge to bring private schools back into the fold
Cross-party consensus is needed if former direct grant schools are to be persuaded to re-join the state sector. Labour should grab the chance that Michael Gove's recent Brighton speech has offered to...
View ArticleMorning Call: Pick of the Papers
Ten must-read pieces from this morning's papersEd Balls has the rare political right to say: I told you so (Guardian) Jonathan Freedland finds the shadow chancellor's political strength lies in his...
View ArticleImmigration and the EU: Tory ministers play with fire
All parties know that open borders are required to stay in the single European market. But there is great populist potential in merging anti-Brussels and anti-immigration feeling. Theresa May, the Home...
View ArticlePolitical sketch: Grown ups at Leveson
Vince Cable and Ken Clarke face Leveson and JayFresh from kipping at the cricket it took the Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke just a few minutes to reduce the Leveson inquiry into the press into an...
View ArticleReview: Making - by Thomas Heatherwick
The book that charts Heatherwick's progress from craft enthusiast to the da Vinci of modern design. 2012 has been a big year for Thomas Heatherwick and his eponymous design studio. His first redesigned...
View ArticleCouncil tax benefit reforms will hit lower-income households hardest
New study from the IFS shows that the poorest and the working age will suffer most.The British government’s proposal to localise council tax benefit (CTB) while cutting funding by 10 per cent is likely...
View ArticleMorning Call: pick of the papers
The ten must-read pieces from this morning's papers. 1. It may seem painless, but drone war in Afghanistan is destroying the west's reputation (Daily Telegraph) A new phase of secret, unaccountable and...
View ArticleUK monthly household income rises 4 per cent to £2,150
. . . but average debts climb 58 per cent year on year to £9,314.Despite the recession, the average monthly household income in the UK reached £2,150 in May 2012 – an increase of 4 per cent compared to...
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