Archive

Year: 2014

  • The final countdown: Ed Miliband’s Labour Party Conference speech

    September 23, 2014

    Does Labour know there’s a General Election next year? That’s what many have been saying around the conference in Manchester this year. The party has struggled to articulate a coherent set of policies over the last few days and some (many) hoped that the Leader’s speech this afternoon would tie disparate announcements together into a meaningful story. Well, you would have wanted to be sitting comfortably as Ed Milband spoke for over an hour.  He...

  • FleishmanHillard Scottish Referendum Analysis – All Change for British Politics

    September 19, 2014

    It may have been a win (55% to 45%) for the No campaign to maintain the Union. In reality British politics will never be the same again. If people waking up on Friday morning thought a No vote would mean a return to normality or relative calmness back in Westminster and Whitehall, they are in for a shock. The repercussions of the ‘Devo Max’ promised immediately to Scots after this result will have profound consequences...

  • Friday TechMunch: Apple Gets ‘Personal’

    September 12, 2014

    This week marked Apple’s first big launch since the iPad. On Tuesday this week, Apple unveiled its hugely hyped smartwatch alongside two new iPhone models and a smartphone cashless payment system, Apple Pay. The mobile payments market has been slow to take off but with this last offering, Apple's really hoping to kick-start the service. Mobile payments aside, it was the smartwatch that really stole the show this year, and no wonder! As smartphone technology reaches...

  • Friday TechMunch: Will the EU Restriction on Vacuum Wattage End Civilisation as We Know It?

    September 5, 2014

    This week marked the end of the 1600-watts-plus super vacuum. By 2017, you won’t be able to buy a vacuum with more than 900-watts of power. We're concerned that without our super vacuums Britain will return to the Dark Ages, so should we move our savings into gold and buy survival kits? Probably not, no...

  • The Ten Political Impacts of Douglas Carswell’s Defection

    August 28, 2014

    Following Douglas Carswell’s defection to UKIP and the announcement that there will be a by-election, FleishmanHillard has analysed the top ten political impacts: 1. In Conservative Home’s own words, this is “undoubtedly a blow to the Prime Minister.” 2. Having managed to move the political narrative away from divisions on Europe (and from an issue that only UKIP will benefit from), the Conservative election campaign has been seriously knocked off course and negative headlines will...

  • The Campaign for Scotland’s Future

    August 26, 2014

    This week's second debate on Scottish Independence between the Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond; and the leader of the pro-union Better Together Campaign, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling saw Mr Salmond dominate. The previous debate had left the pro-independence campaign with numerous questions to answer, most notably on the currency...

  • Friday TechMunch: Welcome to the App World?

    August 15, 2014

    Have you ever tried online banking on your mobile phone and gave up as the whole process is too complicated? Or deleted apps too difficult to start? Often we download apps in order to make our lives easier and more productive: buying a ticket for your local theatre, grabbing a deal at your favourite retailer or checking how many steps we walked on that day. Yet, once the app is up and running, sometimes all...

  • Friday TechMunch: Are We Really Ready For Iris Recognition Technology?

    August 8, 2014

    This month we saw news of the Fidelys iris recognition device entering the market - the first of its kind to reach the level of sophistication, and at a price point low enough to be a viable prospect for the commercial market. This is a major milestone for iris recognition in the drive towards biometrics working their way into everyday life. Along with wearable tech, biometrics are set to replace passwords and mobile as the...

  • Friday TechMunch: Driverless Cars Steer Automotive Industry Into New Era

    August 4, 2014

    By January 2015, the cars that you pass as you drive to the shops, pick the kids up and struggle to find a parking space may be piloted by nothing more than an on-board computer. To call it simply an on-board computer may be an understatement – the sheer complexity involved in accurately controlling 1.5 tonnes of speeding metal is tough to quantify - and how close you come to one will depend on whether...

  • Friday TechMunch: The Future of Parenting?

    July 18, 2014

    Last week LG unveiled a new tracking device for children. While apps and gadgets to keep tabs on kids are nothing new, LG’s device stands out because of its remarkably friendly, mass-market appeal – pink and blue wristwatches; complete with their own cartoon animated face which transmits signals to a parent’s tablet or smartphone. But should we pay attention to the renewed Orwellian warnings about these devices, or embrace what some see as a really...