How Marketing Works – Gap and The Little Blue Box
There’s a textbook example this week of how the dark arts of marketing work. Gareth Allen dances down to Gap.
Cyril Smith – The Hon Member for Asbestos
You all remember Cyril Smith, right? Lovely roly-poly politician? If only there were more like him, yeah? Gareth Allen looks at his connections to the asbestos industry.
The Economist’s New Clothes
Latest Bank of England predictions show that recent Bank of England predictions were completely wrong. Gareth Allen wonders if there is any science behind them.
In Defence of The Creative Arts
In this age of austerity, cuts are happening everywhere. After Jeremy Hunt spelled out the writing on the wall last week, Scott Christie makes a passionate defence of the arts.
Tory Sleaze Oozes Over Clegg
One of the Coalition Goverment’s first spending decisions now appears to have been influenced by a Tory party donor. Gareth Allen wonders if anyone told the Lib Dems.
Your Opinion Matters – Unless You’re Wrong
Times are hard in the UK. The Chancellor is asking for your opinion on how to save money. Rather like selecting the method of your own execution. Gareth Allen writes about it.
The OTS – Osborne’s Good Idea
Please don’t tell anyone, but Gareth Allen today found himself agreeing with the millionaire George Osborne. He wrote this before having a lie down.
Private Healthcare Scanning
Private Health Screenings, or “MOT Body Scans,” are the latest method of separating fools from their money. Do they fill a crucial gap in the healthcare market? Or, as Gareth Allen argues here, are they an expensive distraction?
Greenpeace Rebranding BP
A decade ago, BP spent millions of pounds rebranding themselves “beyond petroleum.” Now they are beyond the pale. Greenpeace launched a competition to subvert the BP logo, and the internet obliged. Here are some of the best entries.
Budget Analysis – Corporation Tax Benefits Big Business
One of the loudest trumpets from George Osborne’s budget was the significant reduction in Corporation Tax. Gareth Allen looks behind the headline to what this actually means.
Budget – Privatisation By The Front Door
More analysis of today’s budget. Gareth Allen looks at the accelerated lurch towards private ownership of national assets, and speculates on George Osborne’s legacy.
Budget Analysis – Liberal Democrat Fingerprints
The millionaire George Osborne today launched his emergency budget on a wary Britain. Spending is to be cut for sure, but also tax is to be increased. Gareth Allen analyses the areas where Liberal Democrats can see their representatives at work in the coalition government.
Sheffield Deserves Better From Its MP
As the government cuts specific public spending projects, Sheffield is hit harder than anywhere else. Gareth Allen wonders what support Sheffield people are getting from their local MPs.
The Final Nail in BP’s Coffin
They have dumped oil across Louisiana, drawn the ire of the leader of the free world, and their share price has plummeted. But BP was doing fine until today. Gareth Allen writes on their credit rating and why their trouble might have just begun.
Global Meltdown Glossary #3: Offshore Trusts
The world may be collapsing, but as long as the Cayman Islands are still around, the super-rich will be avoiding tax.
Optional Extras: Volcanic Ash
The future safety of air passengers is safe in the hands of Easyjet. Gareth Allen slowly shakes his head.
Deli vs Goliath
With the supermarkets closing in, Gareth Allen goes to beautiful Burley In Wharfedale and sees how a small business is coping, despite a shock from the local authority.
What Is Anti-Social Behaviour?
Liberty describe the Mosquito as “a sonic weapon directed against children and young people.” The Hildreds Shopping Centre in Skegness describe it as a pigeon deterrent. Gareth Allen investigated how young people are affected by these devices.
Asda’s World Domination In Normanton
Asda announce that they are going to buy Netto’s UK stores. Gareth Allen looks at the implications for his home town, and the track record of Asda’s American owners.
BA Trial Ends in Expensive Collapse
The multi-million pound investigation into BA’s price fixing collapsed just before the trial was about to begin.
Strike
This week, we saw a two-day strike of postal workers disrupt deliveries across the country and, whilst Peter Mandelson has conspicuously failed to cover himself in glory, what’s notable for me is that the coverage seems almost universally against the postal workers.