Monthly Archives: July 2012

I never expected to enjoy the Olympic opening ceremony nearly as much as I did. It was a fantastic showpiece for British creativity. As CNN’s Alex Wolff said, “If the guy in front of you zigs, it’s best to zag.” … Continue reading →

Only a third of employees trust their bosses and 58 percent have a ‘not bothered’ attitude to their work, the CIPD announced earlier this week. These findings, based on the quarterly Employee Outlook survey, were greeted with alarm by many … Continue reading →

The number of self-employed people has hit yet another record high. It’s becoming almost a monthly occurrence now, as are the arguments I keep having with people about whether or not it’s a Good Thing. They usually start with me … Continue reading →

This may be the most chilling organisational behaviour post you read this week. For a change, the stars of the show are not humans; they’re ants. I’ve been fascinated by ants ever since I was a kid. My friends and … Continue reading →

Despite living in Australia, John Band often has more of a grip on the detail of British news stories than many people here. As he explained yesterday, the taxpayer has not been fleeced by G4s over the Olympic security contract. … Continue reading →

The England and Wales results from the 2011 Census were published yesterday. There was predictable alarm about the biggest population increase since records began. Immigration was a significant factor in the population increase. By adding a lot of twenty-somethings to … Continue reading →

Immigration will save us from debt and spending cuts is the lead story in today’s Independent. The story is based on these graphs from the OBR’s annual Fiscal Sustainability Report. Ben Chu has more detail here. The High Migration scenario, … Continue reading →

Our ageing population has been in the headlines again this week, as the row over care funding resurfaced. It will keep on resurfacing every so often as it starts to affect more and more people. This is why, as the … Continue reading →

Only last Autumn, the Coalition told us that employment law was a drag on the country’s economy. That was a long time ago, though, and now the government is hinting that it might bring in new regulations. Last week it … Continue reading →

Government shared services are getting beaten up again. Most of the information in the Commons Public Accounts Committee’s report on government shared services was drawn from the NAO report published earlier this year (See previous post.) but it gave MPs the chance to give the … Continue reading →