22 June 2017 Week In Brief: UK NEWS Fire GRENFELL TOWER: The Prime Minister has been heavily criticised for failing to empathise with victims following the disastrous fire at Grenfell Tower. Although she visited the site shortly after the tragedy there was resentment that she spent her time with the emergency services rather than with… Continue reading Issue 110: 2017 06 22: Week in Brief UK
Tag: Mrs May
Issue 103: 2017 05 04: Week in Brief: UK
04 May 2017 Week in Brief: UK Brexit JUNCKER’S DINNER: German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine carries reports that a dinner at Number 10, which Mr Juncker described as “a constructive meeting”, was in reality nothing of the sort. Rather, it is suggested that the occasion was fractious with “megaphone diplomacy” and that it left him sceptical… Continue reading Issue 103: 2017 05 04: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 102: 2017 04 27: The Distortion Of The Political Process (John Watson)
27 April 2017 The Distortion Of The Political Process The election – just too simple. By John Watson No one likes shortages. The worst, of course, are of food or wine. There is nothing more irritating than to arrive at the shop and find that the treat you had promised yourself has already left the… Continue reading Issue 102: 2017 04 27: The Distortion Of The Political Process (John Watson)
Issue 100: 2017 04 13: The Luck of Mrs May (Robert Kilconner)
13 April 2017 The Luck Of Mrs May A fairy tale. By Robert Kilconner “I feel sorry for Mrs May”. The speaker was a wise friend who is usually right and to whom I always listen. Naturally, I nodded in agreement and felt sorry for Mrs May too. It must be awful, when you think… Continue reading Issue 100: 2017 04 13: The Luck of Mrs May (Robert Kilconner)
Issue 98: 2017 03 30: The Brexit Negotiations (John Watson)
30 March 2017 The Brexit Negotiations A matter of timing. By John Watson Okay then, what happens next? The press is full of guidance as to the steps which follow the giving of notice under Article 50. Today there will be a White Paper. Tomorrow Mr Tusk will send out guidelines regarding the structure of… Continue reading Issue 98: 2017 03 30: The Brexit Negotiations (John Watson)
Issue 97: 2017 03 23: Silence is Golden (Robert Kilconner)
23 March 2017 Silence is golden Hardball negotiations by Robert Kilconner “Silence is golden” may be the name of a song but like many phrases drawn from popular culture it contains a truth, in this case a truth about negotiations. Suppose a man wants to buy your house. He offers you £100,000 but you would… Continue reading Issue 97: 2017 03 23: Silence is Golden (Robert Kilconner)
Issue 87: 2017 01 12: A Very Predictable Stance (John Watson)
12 January 2017 A Very Predictable Stance Why the drop? By John Watson Here we go again. Up, up, up, up,…… cranking its way to the crest of a slope and then wheeeeee…. back down to October levels; the pound continues its imitation of the big dipper in a fairground. Well, there’s nothing surprising in… Continue reading Issue 87: 2017 01 12: A Very Predictable Stance (John Watson)
Issue 85: 2016 12 22: Year of Mysteries (John Watson)
22 December 2016 Year of Mysteries Hang on to your hats. It may be a bumpy ride. by John Watson As 2016 slides away it is hard not to marvel at just how much has changed. A year ago we looked destined to keep our place on the EU rollercoaster as it plunged towards greater… Continue reading Issue 85: 2016 12 22: Year of Mysteries (John Watson)
Issue 83: 2016 12 08: Draining the remuneration swamp (John Watson)
08 December 2016 Draining The Remuneration Swamp Using sunlight as a disinfectant. By John Watson That part of the Government’s Green Paper “Corporate Governance Reform” which deals with excessive remuneration makes rather depressing reading. Although it manages to identify the main issue easily enough, it is much less successful in finding a solution. That is… Continue reading Issue 83: 2016 12 08: Draining the remuneration swamp (John Watson)
Issue 72: 2016 09 22: Radical Pinstripes (J.R.Thomas)
22 September 2016 Radical Pinstripes Mr MacMillan’s recipe. by J.R.Thomas The departure of David Cameron from the political stage – a moderately popular act sadly ending by our hero tripping and tumbling into the orchestra pit, dragging half his fellow stage strutters with him, probably marks the end of one of the periodic periods of… Continue reading Issue 72: 2016 09 22: Radical Pinstripes (J.R.Thomas)
Issue 72: 2016 09 22: Week in Brief: UK
22 September 2016 Week in Brief: UK International Politics FORWARD POLICY: In her first speech to the United Nations, Mrs May confirmed that the UK would continue to spend 2% of GDP on defence. She is also to send troops to Somalia and provide aid to create jobs in Ethiopia. This is a continuation of Mr… Continue reading Issue 72: 2016 09 22: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 71: 2016 09 15: Grammar Schools (John Watson)
15 September 2016 Grammar Schools A difficult choice. By John Watson The saddest thing about Mrs May’s proposal to remove the ban on the creation of selective schools was the speed of the reaction to it. Perhaps inevitably, much of the initial reaction was Pavlovian. “For or against grammar schools, it’s a question of principle”. … Continue reading Issue 71: 2016 09 15: Grammar Schools (John Watson)
Issue 70: 2016 09 08: Week in Brief: UK
08 September 2016 Week in Brief: UK General Politics CHILD ABUSE ENQUIRY: Dame Lowell Goddard, the New Zealand judge who recently resigned from the chairmanship of the abuse enquiry, has said that its extensive scale and size makes it unmanageable. She has suggested that her resignation presents an opportunity to remodel it with less focus… Continue reading Issue 70: 2016 09 08: Week in Brief: UK
