Routine maintenance

I’m going quiet for a couple of weeks. See you again on June 11.
My wife’s explanation is the best.

Unlikely lads on The Apprentice

And then there were six - three men, three women and one £100,000-a-year job.
The Apprentice has waved goodbye to Jadine Johnson, who many believed was a favourite for the prized role alongside Sir Alan Sugar.
For someone who had appeared to be one of the most combative and abrasive contestants when this third series began, Jadine departed [...]

Child poverty and Blair’s legacy

Thanks largely to his protracted departure, we have plenty of time to assess Tony Blair’s legacy before he steps down as Prime Minister.
There are obvious issues that will dominate any such analysis, with Iraq, Afghanistan, the war on terrorism and our “special relationship” with the US all drawing much of the focus.
But there are other, [...]

Stuart Rose springs another M&S surprise

Profits are up again at Marks & Spencer as Stuart Rose continues to display the sort of Midas touch that will have The City falling over itself to offer congratulations.
The chief executive has yet to put a foot wrong in his master plan to rehabilitate the once ailing High Street giant, remaining cautious in his [...]

Right to snoop could divide nation

The leaked proposals to compel council staff, charity workers and doctors to tip off the police about potential criminals would be a far more sinister blow to civil liberties than the rise of CCTV and would see a major escalation of the surveillance culture.
The Home Office maintains that public bodies have “valuable information” that could identify potential [...]

Net censorship increases

State-led censorship of the internet is on the increase around the world and includes some of the fastest growing economies.
Thousands of sites across 120 Internet Service Providers were surveyed and it was discovered that up to 25 of 41 countries investigated showed evidence of content filtering.
The study by the OpenNet Initiative found that a wide range of websites [...]

Congestion charging in Birmingham

The possibility of imposing a congestion charge on Birmingham and the wider West Midlands has been debated in the city.
Organised by The Birmingham Post, speakers at the ICC event, included political and business leaders, environmentalists and a self-styled motorists’ champion.
Titled Gridlock or Growth?,the debate sought to discover the mood of the region regarding the introduction of a [...]

The rapping acrobat and The Apprentice

The latest installment of The Apprentice threw up a few more crucial moments, some pithy but insightful asides and the odd slice of incredulity.
It could be argued, however, that above all week eight was characterised by the description of the advertising campaign devised by the two teams as having more style than substance.
It was a criticism levelled at [...]

Politics and Eurovision don’t mix

An MP has tabled an early day motion calling for the current voting system used in the Eurovision Song Contest to be scrapped.
Liberal Democrat Richard Younger-Ross maintains that last weekend’s contest perfectly illustrated the way in which the voting system is “harmful to the relationship between the peoples of Europe”.
He has won support from three other [...]

Tesco shareholder stands firm on ethics

Tesco’s ethical credentials will come under close scrutiny at its own annual shareholders’ meeting thanks to the dogged persistence of a single shareholder.
The retired solicitor only has a small shareholding but has gathered sufficient support to force the retailing giant to put the issue of ethical trading with suppliers onto the agenda.
Ben Birnberg, who is company secretary for War on [...]