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By James Clark In the aftermath of the horrendous terrorists attacks in Paris in which over 100 lives were tragically lost it is understandable that restraint has once again become a difficult concept to maintain. Following Putin‘s step into the breach Western leaders will almost certainly begin to itch over whether, or perhaps when, it is to follow suit. The mandate for increased intervention, has now almost certainly been provided. Bombing and drone strikes are likely to be presented, perhaps...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Hollywood star George Clooney arrived in Scotland today and visited a social enterprise sandwich shop that trains, employs and feeds local homeless people. Staff at Social Bite, which gives 100 per cent of its profits to charity, recruits a quarter of its staff from homeless backgrounds, and runs a ‘suspended’ service where customers can pre-pay food for homeless people to claim later, welcomed Mr Clooney to their Rose Street shop in Edinburgh city centre. Whilst in the...

By Ryan Carter @rwscarter There is a beautiful bottom-up revolution underway in the energy market, but like all revolutions there is hurdles the question is can the state facilitate the green revolution, I think it should. This requires putting into reverse how the state has been seen in market interventions as a monolithic agent ‘crowding-out’ competition. I believe that the state can and should act smart and counter to popular opinion 'crowd-in' the market, breaking the hegemonic cartel of the...

By Nicholas Figgis Attempts by government ministers and their friends in the press to use the Remembrance ceremony as a political tool reached farcical heights this weekend. The Telegraph called in the big guns, citing the opinion of etiquette expert, William Hanson, whose heavyweight contribution to world affairs includes advice on whether or not to stick your finger out when drinking tea. Hanson let it be known that while it was Corbyn's right to dishonour soldiers with the wrong kind...

This week warnings from climate change scientists this informed us that the world is halfway towards the threshold that could result in dangerous climate change, revealing that average global temperatures have recorded a rise of one degree Celsius for the first time. The met office informed us that record warm temperatures measured in the first nine months of this year mean that the world has already reached the halfway point towards the arbitrary “threshold” of a 2C increase on pre-industrial...

By Darragh Roche A BRITISH exit from the EU would decimate the Irish economy, according to a recent study from Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). The UK is by far Ireland’s largest source of imports and second largest export market. A Brexit would see Anglo-Irish trade fall by nearly one fifth, with drastic falls in wages, employment and living standards in the republic. Border controls and police checkpoints could return to the republic’s border with Northern Ireland. Ireland’s government...

The New Year can be an expensive time, especially if you’ve overspent during the festive period. It’s also the time of year when many of us put in place resolutions to change our lives. If you want to start lowering your energy usage in the New Year, either to save money or reduce your impact on the environment, the expert team at Pump Sales Direct have a few simple tips to help you.   1. Switch Off One of the...

By Callum Towler ‘Chess is as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you can find outside an advertising agency’. In an industry practically choked with aphorisms, said by people who sell advert ideas and arrive at the conclusion that they’re some sort of omniscient sage, it took an outsider, the writer Raymond Carver, to best sum up the industry in one deft turn of phrase. It’s true: many clever, brilliant people make up ad agencies, all pouring their best...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  On Tuesday British Prime Minister David Cameron will deliver a warning to European leaders that he will consider banging the drum for the ‘out’ campaign in the run up to the referendum if his demands for reform are "met with a deaf ear". The letter to Donald Tusk will essentially formalise his arguments for reform to date, giving him the political weight to convince Britons they are not on a conveyor belt...