Under The Radar – 07 May

This week, we discuss

1. Achieving commercial viability for lab-grown chicken

2. Fake news legislation in Hong Kong

3. Uber’s $600m hit following the landmark Supreme Court ruling

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Lab-grown chicken – an eggciting prospect?

What happened?

Israeli start-up Future Meat has slashed production costs by almost half in just a few months, marking a huge leap towards achieving commercial viability for its lab-grown chicken. The company expects the cost of a 110-gram chicken breast to fall below $2 in the next 12-18 months.

What does it mean?

The food industry is rapidly changing. Alternative milk brands like Oatly are undergoing IPOs and meatless alternatives including Heck and Linda McCartney are continuing to enjoy impressive growth. But alongside these market developments – all of which are underpinned by changing consumer trends – lies the outlier that is lab-grown meat.

Generally referred to in food circles as alternative protein companies, it is here where the most consequential and impactful changes for society will be germinated. The goal is simple: to mimic the taste and texture of conventional meat, compete in price and find a viable business model whilst doing so.

Lab-grown meat companies have had the potential to generate exponential growth for a while – even attracting investors like Richard Branson – yet they have remained an outlier because of their failure to bring products to market at anywhere near an affordable price.

However, as a result of their remarkable progress in slashing production costs, Future Meat will be launching a product in the US within the next 18 months, potentially providing the company first-mover advantage in what could be a multi-billion industry.

Whilst the path to commercial success is not a given one for Future Meat, on this trajectory one would assume their lab-grown meats will be on our plates sooner rather than later.

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Bleak prospects for Hong Kong’s press

What happened?

In a press conference on Tuesday, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam confirmed that her government is working to introduce fake news legislation in an attempt to curb “misinformation, hatred and lies”.

What does it mean?

Lam’s threat to impose a fake news law during the same week as World Press Freedom Day is another stark reminder of Hong Kong’s freefall since the handover: Reporters Without Borders ranked Hong Kong 80th out of 180 countries in its latest index – a far cry from its 18th place position in 2002.

This crackdown is just the latest development in Hong Kong’s slide to authoritarianism. Indeed, a bogus fake news law is a natural progression of the Chinese-backed national security law, passed last year, which gave the government power to stifle any form of dissent.

The depressing and alarming reality of Hong Kong’s authoritarian turn will likely be on full view next month – the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Hong Kong traditionally hosts an annual candlelight vigil in Victoria Park to commemorate the event, making it the only Chinese city where people are able to openly honour the victims and call on Beijing to apologise for its historic crimes.

But this year marks the first Tiananmen Square anniversary under the national security law. The vigil attendees face their biggest challenge yet with the almost certain threat of arrest and suppression. Capturing the stakes of this historic moment, Richard Tsoi, one of the vigil’s organisers, said: “If we cannot do it well now, we will have no future at all”.

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Mixed-results for Uber

What happened?

Uber reported on Wednesday its highest-ever quarter of gross bookings, up 24% year on year to $19.5bn. However, total revenue fell by 11% to $2.9 billion after the company set aside $600 million to resolve historical claims with UK drivers following the landmark Supreme Court decision in March.

What does it mean?

Working in the gig economy has become unattractive for many during the health crisis – in the UK, those on insecure contracts were twice as likely to die from COVID-19.

This may have contributed to the Supreme Court’s ruling that Uber was wrong to class its drivers as independent contractors, meaning the company has now gained 70,000 workers, all entitled to the minimum wage and holiday pay.

And it’s not an isolated case. In Milan, Deliveroo, UberEats and JustEat were ordered to employ 60,000 delivery riders and pay €733 million in fines. Meanwhile, in the U.S. Joe Biden has begun fulfilling his campaign promise to protect gig economy workers, with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh blocking an incoming Trump era regulation that would have made it harder for gig workers to be classified as employees. Share prices have been falling since, with low-cost flexible labour crucial to Uber’s business.

The gig economy needs a new business model that isn’t dependent on predatorily undercutting workers’ rights.

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This Week’s Must Reads

1. Diplomacy has changed more than most professions during the pandemic’ for The Economist

2. ‘Can London reinvent itself after the pandemic?’ by 

3. William Wallis for the Financial Times

4. ‘The woodfired brick wall’ by Robert Hutton for The Critic

5. ‘British Political Veteran Steers Facebook’s Trump Decision’ by Adam Satariano and Cecilia Kang for The New York Times

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Under The Radar – 30 April

This week, we discuss

1. The UN’s failed attempt to kickstart negotiations to reunify Cyprus

2. Asda’s embrace of the circular economy

3. GCHQ’s new dyslexia recruitment drive

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The other two-state solution

What happened?

Following a three day summit in Geneva aimed at kickstarting formal negotiations to settle the Cyprus dispute, The UN have announced that there is still not enough common ground to resume formal talks.

What does it mean?

Cyprus is a strategic gem, perfectly situated at the intersection between Europe, Asia and Africa – even Britain does not want to give up its military bases there. As such, the issue of security has been a constant thorn throughout the entire peace process.

But now, the Turkish Cypriots, backed by Ankara, have thrown another spanner in the works by calling for a two-state solution rather than reunifying war-torn Cyprus. This move would see the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus achieve international recognition as a sovereign state, rather than occupied territory which is only recognised by the motherland.

Predictably, this plan has been outright rejected by the Greek Cypriots, who currently represent the entire island on the world stage. In their eyes, such a move would legitimise the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the island’s subsequent partition. They have consistently called for a Cypriot federation between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Although this often seemed like the most promising future for Cyprus, it has been rejected by President Tatar who argued that such a move would see Turks become minorities in a Greek ruled federation.

With the chasms widening, it is unclear when (or if) formal negotiations to end this dispute will ever get off the ground.

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Asda embrace the circular economy

What happened?

Asda will start selling second-hand clothes in fifty UK stores, following a successful trial in Leeds. The venture will see their ‘George’ brand join forces with specialist wholesaler Preloved Vintage Kilo to encourage customers to “buy vintage, retro and second-hand branded pieces, preventing thousands of tonnes of garments going to landfill each year”.

What does it mean?

Asda has aligned itself with two growing trends on both a consumer and business level. Consumers have increasingly embraced the value and visual aesthetics that can be found in second-hand clothes, whilst the sustainable benefits that come with it are becoming more relevant as environmental concerns grow in salience with the public.

For businesses, the need to demonstrate strong ESG credentials has never been more important. With this in mind, Asda’s decision to partner with Preloved Vintage Kilo – a company that has prevented more than 800 tonnes of clothing from going to landfill – makes a great deal of sense.

The move may well pave the way for an increase in footfall for the company – one that comes from a younger demographic that may otherwise be less inclined to purchase their clothes from Asda’s George brand at a time when designer clothes have never been more popular.

Whilst the attraction of preloved clothing to both consumers and businesses may be underpinned by parallel desires to portray a certain image – one of environmental consciousness in keeping with current trends – moves to embrace a circular economy, regardless of the motives, will be key to achieving global sustainability.

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DfE should keep its eyes on the spies

What happened?

GCHQ has confirmed that it actively seeks to recruit people with dyslexia and other neurological differences because it equips spies with the necessary skills to spot patterns in data.

What does it mean?

GCHQ’s apprentices are four times more likely to be dyslexic than those on other schemes. This statistic highlights how, unless workplaces make active efforts to hire neurodivergent employees, dyslexic candidates often fall through the cracks. Historic misunderstandings of neurological differences continue to be propagated by the current education system, which leaves many dyslexic children falling behind in their classes and graduating school with sub-optimal grades.

Harvard University published a study in 2011 which showed a link between dyslexia and visual processing abilities, as dyslexic students outperformed classmates in making sense of blurred images. Since that study, teachers have become increasingly aware of the unique capabilities of neurodivergent children in their classrooms thanks to initiatives to educate teachers on “dyslexic strengths”.

And yet, no matter how understanding teachers are, lesson plans are still dictated by the demands of national A-Level and GCSE exams. These assessments follow a strict format which rewards writing and the ability to stick to a rigid set of instructions above other cognitive skills.

The cancellation of exams during the Covid-19 pandemic forced the Government to rip up the playbook and rapidly create an alternative grading system. While everyone agrees that the past academic year was complete chaos, at the very least it showed that there are alternative ways of testing and measuring academic success.

It’s time our education system celebrated different ways of thinking.

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This Week’s Must Reads

1. ‘China’s government is starting to screw up’ by Noah Smith for Noah Opinion.

2. ‘The bold GB News ​bet on a Fox Nation business model’ by Alex Barker for the Financial Times.

3. ‘Bridging the Gulf: why Greece is making new friends in the Middle East’ by Richard Spencer for The Times.

4. ‘Are we ready for social media influencers shaping politics?’ by Joshua Citarella for The Guardian.

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Under The Radar – 23 April

This week, we discuss:

1. Boris Johnson’s ambitious climate targets

2. Russia’s withdrawal from the ISS

3. No.10’s move to cancel the proposed televised briefings

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Johnson’s Green Card

What happened?

This week, the UK government announced radical new commitments to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035.

Hitting the target will require changes to most industrial activity, including an electricity system that operates without generating carbon emissions, a reduction in meat and dairy consumption across the UK, low-carbon heating systems in homes and planting more woodland.

What does it mean?

While China and the U.S. battle for pre-eminence in climate leadership, Boris Johnson is keen to champion Britain’s credentials. And in the Prime Minister’s defence, he’s making significant progress.

The latest commitments are the most ambitious among leading economies because they incorporate our share of international aviation and shipping emissions. His effort is being met with similar commitments by world leaders, including Biden’s pledge to cut emissions by 50%.

While the UK’s contribution to global emissions is relatively small (1.1% as of 2017), Johnson is looking to persuade his counterparts that it’s possible to cut emissions while stimulating economic growth. This is a sound principle, which could involve less focus on carbon taxes – which antagonise and burden normal people – and more focus on retraining programmes and creating jobs.

Despite impressing on the international stage, Johnson could do a better job communicating his green agenda at home. While research suggests that over 50,000 green jobs could be created in Red Wall seats over the next two years, many in these areas are still concerned that the loss of existing industries will devastate their communities.

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Russia walks out on the ISS

What happened?

Russia has announced it will be withdrawing from the International Space Station (ISS) by 2025, ending more than two decades of cooperation with the US in space.

What does it mean?

The withdrawal is the culmination of increased clashes between Russia and the US – cyber-attacks, election meddling and geopolitical disputes over the Crimean Peninsula have all contributed to a steep decline in relations. Now, with space becoming the new battleground for global supremacy and strategic dominance, the two global superpowers are set to take diverging paths forward.

The US continues to expand its ‘Space Force’ ambitions through a blossoming partnership with Elon Musk’s Space X, which saw its first successful human space launch with NASA in 2020.

The US is also set to continue working with the European Space Agency aboard the ISS, whereas Russia is awaiting the green light from Putin to build its own space station in time for 2030. Coupled with the memorandum it signed with China last month to jointly build a base on the surface of the moon, it would appear the battle lines for space domination have now been drawn.

Though the impending rise of a new era of geopolitical space wars may seem trivial to some, others will rightly be feeling an unnerving sense of trepidation – a wrong turn, or a hostile act, could have devastating consequences for the critical satellite infrastructure above us, which provides everything from GPS technology to operating systems for nuclear weapons.

The battle for space dominance is more important than we realise.

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What a waste of money!

What happened?

After spending £2.6 million on a new briefing room, plans for televised White House-style press briefings at Downing Street have been abandoned.

Boris Johnson’s aide Allegra Stratton, who had been hired on an £100,000 salary to front the briefings, will become the spokeswoman for the COP26 climate summit instead.

What does it mean?

Masterminded by former Downing Street comms director, Lee Cain, and inspired by the Trump administration’s punchy comms strategy, the televised briefings were intended to reduce the influence of journalists and give politicians the chance to address the public directly. A noble aspiration for sure, but, from the get go, the idea was met with scepticism.

Televised briefings were important during the early stages of the pandemic, when it was crucial for ministers and experts to communicate why lockdown was necessary and the current state of public health. But with fewer updates to share, many No 10 insiders began to worry that these press briefings would become an opportunity for journalists to catch the Government out. And after unsuccessful rehearsals in January or February, many doubted whether Allegra Stratton was the right person to keep the “Gotcha!” moments at bay.

After months of kicking the start date down the road, No. 10 eventually put the press briefings out of their misery, sneaking the news of their cancellation into a day dominated by the European Super League. Despite this cancellation, ministers insist that the venue was not a waste of money, adding that the press facility would be used by future governments (assuming whichever party is in power is happy to be surrounded by Tory-blue panelling).

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This Week’s Must Reads

1. ‘One Reason Why the Super League Failed’ by Grace Robertson for Grace On Football

2. ‘Welcome to the YOLO Economy’ by Kevin Roose for The New York Times

3. ‘Jacinda Ardern is now the West’s woke weak link’ by Con Coughlin for The Telegraph

4. ‘Celebrating Derek Chauvin’s conviction is not enough. We want to live’ by Derecka Purnell for The Guardian

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