A cold floodwater of reality

Happy New Year. Well, try anyway – we could do with a little happiness. But it won’t be secured by running away from some of the major challenges and threats that face us, for these are dangerous times. Many people are comparing the 2020s to the 1930s but, while that decade saw the rise of dangerous fascist dictators, we’re now […]

Economic growth – or resilience?

The prime minister’s speech to the International Investment Summit last week assured the wealthy folk who had flown so far in their private jets that he shared an ambition with them. Growth. Whether the “Masters of the Universe” were impressed or not, only time will tell. But just looking at the big shocks coming down the line, it’s at least […]

Storm warnings

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Government’s decision to scrap Phase 2 of HS2 and press ahead with Phase 1, the decision has thrown into stark relief the nation’s weak infrastructure and lack of plans to deal with it. Yes, I’ve always been critical of the whole HS2 scheme which, from the start, was over-specified and ill-integrated with the […]