Author Archives: Rick

The BBC’s Adam Fleming reported today that the EU’s trade commissioner hasn’t yet started preparing for trade negotiations: EU Trade Commissioner @MalmstromEU says “presumably” DG Trade will negotiate a post-Brexit Free Trade Agreement with the UK but her department has … Continue reading →

The EU wants to annex Northern Ireland. Such was the predictable hysterical reaction by pro-Brexit MPs and commentators to the European Commission’s attempt to turn December’s Phase 1 agreement into a detailed withdrawal agreement. What has really upset people is the … Continue reading →

It’s fashionable to poke fun at corporate away days. There’s even a Famous Five parody devoted to the subject. Many of you will no doubt be familiar with these events. They usually start with some fine words about openness and … Continue reading →

Twenty odd years ago, a former colleague of mine was about to get married. She was from Northern Ireland and, while in London, she had met an Englishman called Anthony. She described, with amusement, the polite questions from her relatives. … Continue reading →

The collapse of Carillion has brought corporate governance back into the headlines and with it the perennial questions about the short-termist nature of British business. Merryn Somerset Webb was in fine form, having a go at managers, analysts and shareholders … Continue reading →

Last week’s House of Commons report on Carillion is damning. Frances has an excellent summary of it here but the key points are these. In the words of the report, the company was borrowing without investing. Its debt increased but … Continue reading →

Is the collapse of Carillion a watershed moment? Robert Peston thinks so: Carillion’s collapse marks the end of a 25-year love affair between Tory and New Labour governments on the one hand and private-sector service providers on the other. Could … Continue reading →