An innumerate mistake that haunts the government
Next Monday, the British government faces its most serious parliamentary revolt since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister. The iss...
Lennon was right about music and the man
Charlie McCreevy, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, recently announced his intention “to propose to the College (of Commis...
Why more regulation will not save us from the next crisis
Suppose that at some time in 2006 – or, more usefully, earlier – the Financial Services Authority had written to the banks it supervise...
Sloppy talk means executives are lost in space
At a business conference recently, I thought I would scream if anyone repeated again the phrase ‘in the space’. But the room woul...
Now is not the time to emphasise the fealty of Scotland
Over lunch one day at the Bank of England, someone told me he had spent the morning signing £1m banknotes. I guessed the notes were use...
Business lessons from the chess grand masters
Bobby Fischer, who died two weeks ago, may have been the greatest chess player in history. And the 1972 match in which he won the...
Christmas shopping and the role of the chowkidar
You may have read reports that retail sales in Britain fell by 0.4% between November and December. Economic commentators certainl...
No one remembers a cautious captain of industry
I have been reading Joseph Conrad’s Typhoon, the least sentimental of Christmas stories. It describes how Captain MacWhirr and the crew...
Venice
Venice is the first urban theme park. Like any other theme park. it is full of attractions, but impractical for everyday living.&...
Independence for National Statistics
Independence for the Bank of England has been one of Gordon Brown’s most successful policy initiatives. Independence for the Office for...