Buses and Disruptive Technology – UK Bus Summit, 8th February
It is a relatively new phrase “disruptive technology”, as if we had never experienced it before. It also seems to represent a rather negative view. Definitions of disruptive include “troublesome, rowdy, disorderly, unconventional”. In reality technological developments have been changing transport ever since the wheel. Buses were themselves the big “disruptor” in the 1920s & […]
‘Expertise’ has become a tool of the liberal establishment to drown out opposing views
The row over the Conservative-supporting journalist Toby Young’s appointment to the universities watchdog has been intense. Despite the relative obscurity of this public position, the left wing Twitterati have been besides themselves with rage. The affair has culminated in his resignation, over some tweets he posted. They are certainly a bit near the knuckle, to […]
The balance between wages and capital is shifting – rent seekers had better beware
The first column of a new year is the time for a prediction. By far the hardest part of forecasting is to identify tipping points. The success rate of calling a break in an established trend is very low. Accompanied by suitable health warnings, 2018 looks like the year in which the longstanding relationship between […]
Old-fashioned educational values offer the UK’s most deprived children a future
Economics is the gloomy science, but we can end the year on a cheery note. Newham Collegiate Sixth Form College is in one of the most deprived and ethnically mixed areas of the country, with high numbers of immigrants. Yet the example set by Mouhssin Ismail, the headteacher, is inspirational. At the start of every […]
Infrastructure – Who Cares?
The launch of the draft National Infrastructure Assessment took place in Birmingham, overlooking the site of the city’s station-to-be at Curzon Street on HS2. In the room were all the new Metro Mayors from the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, the West of England, Cambridge and Peterborough and the earlier established London Mayor. It was the […]
The impact of Brexit on industry
Following the successful publication of Brexit Britain: the trade challenge, Prospect has commissioned a report designed to educate and inform parliamentarians and industry representatives about the impact of Brexit on industry. Bridget Rosewell has contributed a piece to the report – Brexit Britain: the future of industry
Companies that bow to the social media mob are operating in the wrong century
Pizza Hut is the latest addition to the list of companies grovelling to criticism on social media. The restaurant chain tweeted an apology for running a promotion in the Sun newspaper. A few weeks ago, Paperchase said that it would not place any more marketing campaigns with the Daily Mail after receiving “hundreds” of complaints. […]
Centre for Cities City Talks podcast: Bridget discusses infrastructure projects
If we build it, will they come? Andrew Carter talks to Bridget Rosewell and Henry Overman about the merits of big infrastructure projects Go to podcast
It is the private sector, not the state, that has enabled America’s economic recovery
The American economy continues to power ahead. The widely respected and independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reckons that the actual level of GDP in the US in 2017 is finally back at the level of potential output. The potential level of GDP is the amount of output which would be produced if there were no […]
Paul Buchanan at LLT Local Transport Summit in Manchester
In its second year, the LLT Local Transport Summit is a gathering of senior level decision-makers and professional experts in local and regional transport initiated by Local Transport Today and supported by the Department for Transport. This year the Summit took place in Manchester on the 16th and 17th November. The intention is to provide […]
