The Economist (October 17)
“There is a growing risk that Britain will leave the European Union. It needs to be countered.”
The Economist (June 27)
“Electric buses in parts of South Korea, Italy, Britain and California are, today, recharging themselves from underground wireless chargers.” Wireless charging isn’t new. Nicholas Tesla used resonant induction in the 19th century, but it may finally prove revolutionary. From mobile phones to cars and kitchen appliances, “sales of such machines, now half a billion dollars a year, will grow 30-fold over the next decade.” Furthermore, the technology may succeed in “decarbonising the world’s road vehicles.”
Tags: Britain, California, Electric buses, Italy, Recharging, Resonant induction, Revolutionary, South Korea, Tesla, Vehicles, Wireless charging
The Economist (June 20)
“With less than 5% of the world’s population, the United States holds roughly a quarter of its prisoners: more than 2.3m people.” Per capita, “the incarceration rate in the land of the free has risen seven-fold since the 1970s, and is now five times Britain’s, nine times Germany’s and 14 times Japan’s…. There is no single fix for America’s prisons, but there are 2.3m reasons to try.”
The Independent (March 29)
“Britain is becoming a nation of hagglers. People are increasingly happy to negotiate better prices on everything from energy bills to new televisions and bicycles.” Nearly half the Brits “who bought something worth more than £100 in the past two years tried haggling to get a better price – and the vast majority succeeded.”
Financial Times (October 1)
“For too long, Britain’s mainstream politicians and business leaders have been reluctant to make the positive case for the UK’s membership of the EU. It has become the subject that dares not speak its name.” This must change lest the UK carelessly vote away the benefits the EU brings. “Britain’s pro-Europeans can no longer be silent.”
Tags: Benefits, Britain, Business leaders, EU membership, Mainstream, Politicians, UK, Vote
Los Angeles Times (September 11)
“The gravest immediate threat to the West’s long-term security does not emanate from Vladimir Putin or from the militants of the Islamic State. Rather, surprisingly, it comes from peace-loving Scots.” On September 18, we will see if Scotland will “actually break away from Britain.”
Tags: Britain, Immediate threat, Islamic State, Putin, Scotland, Security, West
The Economist (August 16)
It looks increasingly like Scotland will vote against independence from the UK in the September 18 referendum. “The ‘no’ to independence campaign has a comfortable poll lead,” but this may not be the end of the story. Quebec engaged in what’s become known as a “neverendum” involving “decades-long deliberations over breaking from Canada.” So even if the Scots vote no, there “looms the prospect of a ‘neverendum.’ If unsuccessful, ‘yes’ campaigners could import that decades-long limbo to Britain.”
Tags: Britain, Campaigners, Canada, Independence, Limbo, Neverendum, Quebec, Referendum, Scotland, UK, Vote
Financial Times (May 29)
Britain’s GDP is set to increase by £10 billion as the Office for National Statistics begins to include illegal drug sales and prostitution in its calculations. To move into alignment with EU standards many countries have already taken this step. Italy is also advancing plans to include “among other activities, the sale of cocaine and prostitution.” Estonia, Austria, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden and Norway have already added prostitution and illegal drugs to their GDP calculations.
Tags: Alignment, Austria, Britain, Calculations, Cocaine, Drug sales, Estonia, EU, Finland, GDP, Italy, Norway, Prostitution, Slovenia, Statistics, Sweden
Financial Times (May 30)
“In France, when public servants cash in by taking private sector jobs, it is called pantouflage. In Japan, it is amakudari (“descent from heaven”); and, in the US, it is normal.” The revolving door between government and private sector jobs is a perplexing global issue that recently garnered attention in Britain when the head of tax collection became a consultant to Deloitte.
Tags: Amakudari, Britain, Deloitte, France, Government, Japan, Private-sector, Public servants
The Economist (April 8, 2013)
“As prime minister from 1979 to 1990, Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain and left an ideological legacy to rival that of Marx, Mao, Gandhi or Reagan.” Lady Thatcher was the UK’s first and, to date, only female prime Minister. She also “remains the only occupant of Number 10 to have become an “-ism” in her lifetime.”
