Storm in a coffee cup
By Philip Benton Vietnam is a country famous for its delicious cuisine, motorbikes and thanks to Top Gear’s Vietnam Special, massive model boats. But perhaps you were unaware that it also plays an instrumental role in producing the world’s second most valuable traded commodity – coffee. A thriving coffee industry has helped to transform an economy, devastated by a 30-year long war, but can coffee sustain the rapid economic growth of Vietnam? An unlikely success story Vietnam is the world’s...
No: Would Scotland still be on the Political Agenda?
By John Close This is a touchy one for some people so I feel like I should start with the disclaimer that 1) I don't in any way dislike Scottish people or Scotland as a whole, and 2) that in my ideal world this wouldn’t even be up for debate and Scotland would forever remain part of the UK. Saying that, it is an issue that peeves me off like nobody's business. I JUST DON'T GET IT! Why would any...
Yes: Scotland’s UK Future: Nasty, Brutish, and Short
By Pete Ramand and James Foley, authors of Yes: The Radical Case for Scottish Independence. Some call it the dismal science. But, of all the referendum’s controversies, economics arouses the nastiest emotions. The media, along with No campaign leaders, frame the problem of Scotland’s economic security around Alex Salmond’s personal credibility, and the tactic works. Otherwise level-headed Scots confess they would vote Yes, except that putting wee fat ‘Eck at the helm is a risk too far: who would compromise their futures so he...
The four enemies of the British recovery
by Valentina Magri According to IMF forecasts, Britain will enjoy a bigger increase in GDP than any other country in Europe after being upgraded from 1.9 per cent to 2.4 per cent. But there are at least four risk factors that may weaken the recovery. Puzzling politics There is a complicated political background to deal with this year. To start with, David Cameron has promised British people “reform first, referendum second” over Europe exit by the end of 2017. The...
The New Way
By Joe Mellor, In house Reporter Exclusive interview with Mr Cannabis on his new smoked out coffee shop dream. A man known as “Mr Cannabis” has failed in another a new attempt to open a cannabis café in the UK. He rose to fame in 2000 when he gave the Queen a bouquet of flowers which was actually cannabis. Her royal high-ness declined to press charges. Colin Davies, 56, then opened the Dutch Experience in Stockport, the UK's first ever...
God save us a queen
By Pieter Cranenbroek, International Politics Blogger European society has altered dramatically in the past centuries, yet one component has survived the test of time: the royal family. Despite our efforts to make society fairer, more democratic and with equal rights for everyone, this symbol of inequality has proved irremovable. ‘Keeping’ the royal family cost British citizens £36.1 million in 2014, but continuing to fund the royals is a luxury we should no longer want and one we can no longer afford. Queen...
Syria’s Political Nightmare
By Ollie Ward Geneva II Talks Begin The Geneva II peace talks are underway and judging by the fact that Assad’s regime and the opposition barely spoke directly to each other and the city of Homs remains besieged, expectations seem understandingly low. To describe the meeting as a shambles would be pessimistic, but not overly so. The effort to end the three year war nearly collapsed at the first hurdle when UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon invited Iran to the table, a...
Why I gave up my green card
By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic TLE editor Jack Peat talks to adventurer, inventor and entrepreneur Jaimie Mantzel about why he gave up his green card and left the US. Jaimie Mantzel’s antics range from the strange to the extraordinary. As a business and politics newspaper, securing a suitable feature on a man who once resided in the wilderness of Vermont in a four-story-high geodesic dome with DIY central heating, plumbing connections and a giant six-legged robot in...
Is NSA’s Metadata Collection Program lawful?
By Nishad Sanzagiri Imagine this scenario: You receive a letter in the mail. You read it and you then leave it on your desk. Just then, you hear a knock on your door and see a team of FBI agents outside. They walk in and grab the letter, take a copy of it and walk out. Without your permission, they have just taken something that belongs to you; something personal – thereby violating your privacy. In this scenario, your best...