The Capitalist: Reeves lecture, Shoreditch’s flashiest bar and sorry Steve Dinneen!
Reeves’s Mais Lecture, a flashy new toilet design and an apology to our life & style editor; catch up on the latest City shenanigans in The Capitalist
REEVES JOINS ‘VULNERABLE ROSTER’
Friedrich Hayek, Nigel Lawson and George Osborne are just some of the luminaries who have delivered the Mais Lecture and introducing Rachel Reeves as this year’s speaker the Dean of Bayes Business School noted she joined a “vulnerable” roster. The Capitalist is sure the professor mispronounced “venerable” and wasn’t speculating on the Chancellor’s future. Regrettably our diligent efforts to fact-check this were frustrated on discovering the Reuters live stream had instead recorded the Chancellor apparently giggling and chatting backstage. The speech itself was, naturally, overshadowed by Donald Trump’s war in Iran and tariff threats. Indeed so pervasive is the President’s influence that event organisers adopted the style of his social media posts, with random capitals and signature sign-off. That’s one way to liven up a lecture by Reeves.
LONDON’S FLASHIEST NEW BAR
Hip new cocktail bar Flipdog, which opened in Shoreditch last week, has made a splash for its unique, ‘method-led’ approach – which involves stoking its cocktails with a red hot poker – but The Capitalist was much more astonished by its unique toilet design. Nipping to the loo during a very generous preview service, The Capitalist first thought it was their cocktail vision leading them to see two urinals fully in view from the bar’s staircase, only to find, when approaching closer, that indeed the establishment had neglected to yet furnish their men’s toilets with (what some may deem an essential) a door – providing perhaps a little more cocktail than customers may have bargained for. Rest assured, Flipdog’s PR representative told The Capitalist they were looking into it, and the cocktails are excellent.
NO EQUITY, NO DIGGITY
Who says accountants aren’t fun? Seasoned beancounter Andy Oury has channelled his 25 years’ experience into an unusual new venture: The Rebel Accountant – a 90s-inspired hip-hop project designed to demystify the UK tax system. Andy reworks 90s and 2000s chart-toppers, rewriting the lyrics so each track takes on themes like HMRC scrutiny and tax efficiency – turning familiar hits into sharp and insightful commentary. If that sounds like a bit of you, you can find him jamming at King’s Cross tonight for his official launch event, though tickets are strictly limited.
VIVE LE REVOLUT
So overjoyed were Revolut employees to finally get their banking licence last week, following a long and oft-mocked four-year wait, staff dispatched an Uber to CityAM Towers to collect some extra copies of that day’s paper, just, we assume, to check they weren’t dreaming. Our congrats to one of London’s biggest startup success stories!
CORRECTION: CONGRATULATIONS STEVE DINNEEN
The Capitalist would like to apologise after last week congratulating CityAM’s Steve Dinneen for winning the prestigious feature writer of the year award in a slot now deemed unduly small for the size of his achievements. The oversight, pointed out by Dinneen – who took exception to being “smaller than the badger!!” – has now, we hope, been satisfactorily amended. Commenting on our message last week, in which The Capitalist said the prize was well deserved after 15 years of service, the humble winner said it was actually 16 years, and, frankly, he deserved more.