Opinion – Page 415
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Comment
Do the right thing
It’s just a coincidence, of course, but the opaque sky over Britain this week accurately reflects the overcast mood in much of the construction industry.
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A nasty hole has appeared in the new orders figures
One set of bad orders figures provides no real cause for concern. This data series can bounce around like a drunken kangaroo. It is a feature of the lumpiness of construction projects. But a second consecutive set of duff figures does start to set a few alarm bells ringing.So the ...
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Probably the worst Halifax house price figures ever - unless you're a homebuyer
So house prices dropped a further 1.7% in July according to Halifax (HBOS). For those concerned about the depth of any correction in the housing market that will be worrying.Added to the other eight monthly falls there have been over the past 12 months that means on the Halifax "smoothed" ...
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Comment
Cubitt ǿմý and Interiors Ltd vs Richardson Roofing (Industrial) Ltd
The CaseThe Claimant, as main contractor, engaged the Defendant as a roofing sub-contractor at a building site at Hampton Wick Riverside.The Claimant sought declaratory relief that its terms and conditions were incorporated into the sub-contract between the parties and injunctions that the Defendant should be restrained from continuing with arbitration ...
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Insurance policies: Fill your boots
Sales of some insurance policies have surged. This means, of course, that insurers will soon be taking them off the market. So buy now before it’s too late
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It’ s like deja vu all over again
The recent glut of bad news has made every headline going and sent the industry into blind panic. But we’ve been here many times before, says Richard Steer, so what did we expect …
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Comment
ǿմý buys a pint for KBC Peel Hunt
Chosen watering hole: The Gallery pub in the CityAmbience: The handful of stockbrokers not on a foreign beach ...
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My digital life: Mark Dudek
Mark Dudek lives his digital life as a skilled assassin in medieval Jerusalem. Or a star international footballer. Of course, he really only got the PS3 for the kids …
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Comment
Funny business
I read with interest your article about the formation of the new Construction Council to be chaired by John McDonough (11 July, page 13).
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Comment
Card tricks
When I applied for my CSCS technical managers card, I arrived at the test centre 15 minutes before my appointment time along with everybody else.
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Comment
A steely correction
I should like to clear up any confusion that the “Spotlight on steel” article (11 July, page 64) may have caused
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Comment
Manufacturing consent
Democracy is in trouble because politicians tell us what we want, then labour mightily to make sure we get it. Much the same is true of architecture, says Robert Adam
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Comment
Hansom: things can only get bitter
Disappointment all round this week as Christmas parties are called off, summer parties downgraded, guests turn up to wait in endless queues and some escape to Mongolia in whatever they can afford
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Comment
Innocence abroad
Schools are out, summer is here and the mind naturally turns to jetting off (or, for the more environmentally squeamish, catching a train) to foreign climes
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Comment
Why money matters
I read this Money Week article on how British firms are running out of money and thought it may be of interest in the light of estimates I made on the money owed by and to construction firms.It's a bit on the scary side, but no less interesting for that.
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Comment
Is the sharp drop in the Nationwide house price index good or bad news?
There have always been paradoxes in the housing market. For instance, while people want the price of all other essentials items to fall homeowners want the value of their home - and by implication all homes - to rise, even if it would be to their disadvantage in cash terms ...
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Comment
Construction firms owe £30 billion to trade creditors
I am in the midst of putting together data for the Contract Journal Construction Top 100 and there were a couple of figures I thought worth sharing that have come out of some analysis on trade debt and credit.From the number crunching I am doing I have estimated that construction ...
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Comment
A 25% jump in house prices - is that scientific or finger licking bad
I can tell you the price of a house in 2020. I'll even let you into the secret of how I do it. What I do is lick my finger and stick it into the wind. Works every time, especially on those with no memory and little understanding, and I ...
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Comment
Braes of Doune Wind Farm v Alfred McAlpine Business Services
The CaseThis case concerned two applications in relation to the First Award of an arbitrator, concerning an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract dated 4 November 2005 between Braes of Doune Wind Farm (Scotland) Ltd as Employer and Alfred McAlpine Business Services Ltd as Contractor, whereby McAlpine agreed to carry ...