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Spectator
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Ascot has been ruined by the middle classes
Today, I go to Ascot. The last time I darkened the turf of the Royal Enclosure was in 2017, when I was heavily pregnant with my first daughter. In the photograph of my husband and me that day, I resemble a whale with a plate attached to its head, while my husband looks as if he might at any moment burst into flames from wearing tails and top hat in a heatwave. As you can imagine, we both look rather cross. Curiously, though, on the edge of the photo, there appears to be another couple posing for the camera who look to be having a brilliant time. The gentleman is wearing a cravat of some sort, no tails or topper, while his lady love sports a pink minidress. Forget the Royal Enclosure, now so thoroughly middle-class and non-exclusive as to be considered a joke by true chins – the real party is in the Windsor Enclosure. Not that I've ever been invited, more's the pity. There, for the price of £35, you will get the first view of the royal procession, enjoy live music and not be subjected to any official dress code, the subject of which will fill feature supplements in the broadsheets for this entire week. Horse and Hound carefully describes the Windsor Enclosure as 'ideal for large groups'. Ideal, in other words, for a proper knees-up – which is what Ascot ought to be. Except it's not. The Royal Ascot committee has engaged in aggressive commercialisation, with strict policing of enclosures using badges and QR codes by gatekeepers such as Felicity Barnard, formerly of West Ham and Arsenal management. Ascot is now an exercise in manicured social segregation led by the Middleton classes. It doesn't have to be like this. Horsey and racing circles have always been predicated on one of the great curiosities of English social life: snob and mob. S&M, as writer Ed West puts it, works on the horseshoe theory: 'popular with the toffs at the top and the plebs at the bottom, with not much interest in between'. This social horseshoe is why, according to The Spectator's agony aunt, Mary Killen, in horsey circles, 'everyone is equal over and under the turf'. Other racing events such as Cheltenham combine snob and mob to spectacular effect, leading, as one chin quietly put it to me, to 'a naff-cot strike' in recent years. Of course, the upper classes still congregate at Ascot in the White's or Cavalry & Guards tents and will always be seen braying away over a picnic in Car Park One, but true toffs prefer something a bit more bonkers and a lot more louche. Horsey and racing circles have always been predicated on one of the great curiosities of English social life: snob and mob Other examples of social horseshoe institutions that work on the snob and mob theory are the Army, where officers and squaddies have always socialised uproariously together, and shooting, where the guns and the beaters are blissfully happy in each other's company between drives. Maybe snob and mob works best in the country, far away from liberal urban agglomerations that flatten the bend out of all recognition. And, in some ways, we can see the wild and relentless success of Clarkson's Farm as the upper-lower class union at its best. While I'm not suggesting that Jeremy Clarkson is an aristocrat, there is some horseshoe class magic at work between his relationship with Kaleb and Gerald, both so removed from each other socially as to find the whole thing hilarious. and exchange insults lovingly. Outside of the social calendar, I notice snob and mob uniting in all sorts of different and subtle ways in everyday life: the love of dogs and their filth, the preference for instant coffee (not a drop of oat milk in sight), the large number of children, the blissfully tolerant attitude to smoking indoors, the shared love of tattoos (see Queen Vic); I could go on. Forget Freud's narcissism of small differences, this is the happy clarity of large differences: upper and lower classes can act in the same way because there is no danger of either being mistaken. Politically, snob and mob may also account for why the lower classes regard Boris Johnson and, to some extent, Jacob Rees-Mogg as one of their own. But for now, back to Ascot. I'll be there in a few hours, looking wistfully on at the brilliantly bonkers, hedonistic, alive punters in the Windsor Enclosure and vowing – as I always do – never to go into the Royal Enclosure ever again. Maybe there's a boxing match I could go to next year instead. Far more my scene.
Scottish Sun
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Fury as BA calls Falkland Islands capital by its ARGENTINIAN name in ‘ludicrous and insulting' blunder
Falklands war veterans slammed the error, which BA promised to investigate FALKLANDS FURY Fury as BA calls Falkland Islands capital by its ARGENTINIAN name in 'ludicrous and insulting' blunder BRITISH Airways has been branded disgraceful for using the Argentinian name for the capital of the Falklands Islands on in-flight entertainment screens. The UK's flag carrier airline refers to Port Stanley as Puerto Argentino. Advertisement 3 Port Stanley is the Falkland Islands' only city Credit: Rex 3 255 British military personnel died in the 74-day conflict in 1982 Credit: Getty The British title is relegated to a set of brackets underneath. Ed West, of The Spectator magazine, spotted the blunder and said: 'Curious wording for a British Airways in-flight map.' Last night, BA promised to investigate as the error was described as 'ludicrous' and 'insulting' by Falklands war veterans. Argentina still claims sovereignty but its invading forces lost the 74-day conflict in 1982. Advertisement British forces scrambled halfway around the world to put down General Leopoldo Galtieri's troops after they took Port Stanley in a surprise raid. This Saturday is the 43rd anniversary of Britain's victory. Former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West, who won the Distinguished Service Cross during the war, said the name error was 'disrespectful' to islanders. He told The Sun: 'It's disgraceful. Advertisement 'The Falklands are a British overseas territory and 99.9 per cent of islanders want to stay British. 'We have said very clearly there will be no discussions about sovereignty. The New British Airways First Class Seat 'For the flag carrier airline to give Port Stanley another name is unforgivable.' Lord West, whose HMS Ardent was sunk by Argentine forces, added: 'I don't know why they would do it. Advertisement 'Everyone on the Falkland Islands calls it Port Stanley. 'They should change it back as soon as possible. 'This is insulting to the population of Port Stanley.' In all, 255 British personnel lost their lives defending the islands. Advertisement In 2017 Argentina's senate voted to rename Port Stanley as Puerto Argentino and celebrate Sovereignty Day there if it is ever recaptured. The in-flight map shows only the names of world capitals and not countries' names. It means BA does not reference the Falklands by its Argentinian name Islas Malvinas. British Airways' parent company, International Airlines Group, is based in Spain. Advertisement A BA spokeswoman said: 'We are grateful this has been brought to our attention. 'We'll be reviewing it with the third party supplier that provides the in-flight map service.'
The Irish Sun
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Fury as BA calls Falkland Islands capital by its ARGENTINIAN name in ‘ludicrous and insulting' blunder
BRITISH Airways has been branded disgraceful for using the Argentinian name for the capital of the Falklands Islands on in-flight entertainment screens. The UK's flag carrier airline refers to Port Stanley as Puerto Argentino. 3 Port Stanley is the Falkland Islands' only city Credit: Rex 3 255 British military personnel died in the 74-day conflict in 1982 Credit: Getty The British title is relegated to a set of brackets underneath. Ed West, of The Spectator magazine, spotted the blunder and said: 'Curious wording for a British Airways in-flight map.' Last night, BA promised to investigate as the error was described as 'ludicrous' and 'insulting' by Falklands war veterans. Argentina still claims sovereignty but its invading forces lost the 74-day conflict in 1982. Read more on British Airways British forces scrambled halfway around the world to put down General Leopoldo Galtieri's troops after they took Port Stanley in a surprise raid. This Saturday is the 43rd anniversary of Britain's victory. Former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West, who won the Distinguished Service Cross during the war, said the name error was 'disrespectful' to islanders. He told The Sun: 'It's disgraceful. Most read in The Sun 'The Falklands are a British overseas territory and 99.9 per cent of islanders want to stay British. 'We have said very clearly there will be no discussions about sovereignty. The New British Airways First Class Seat 'For the flag carrier airline to give Port Stanley another name is unforgivable.' Lord West, whose HMS Ardent was sunk by Argentine forces, added: 'I don't know why they would do it. 'Everyone on the Falkland Islands calls it Port Stanley. 'They should change it back as soon as possible. 'This is insulting to the population of Port Stanley.' In all, 255 British personnel lost their lives defending the islands. In 2017 Argentina's senate voted to rename Port Stanley as Puerto Argentino and celebrate Sovereignty Day there if it is ever recaptured. The in-flight map shows only the names of world capitals and not countries' names. It means BA does not reference the Falklands by its Argentinian name Islas Malvinas. British Airways' parent company, International Airlines Group, is based in Spain. A BA spokeswoman said: 'We are grateful this has been brought to our attention. 'We'll be reviewing it with the third party supplier that provides the in-flight map service.' 3 BA in-flight entertainment screens refer to Port Stanley as Puerto Argentino
Business Wire
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Mitek Announces Participation in Upcoming Investor Conferences
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitek Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MITK, 'Mitek' or the 'Company'), a global leader in digital identity verification, mobile capture and fraud management, today announced that its CEO, Ed West and CFO, Dave Lyle will participate in the following investor conferences: 22 nd Annual Craig-Hallum Institutional Investor Conference. Mitek management will be hosting meetings at the conference in Minneapolis on May 28, 2025. William Blair's 45 th Annual Growth Stock Conference. Mitek management will present to investors at 11:20 a.m. PT (1:20 p.m. CT) at the conference in Chicago on June 3, 2025. To access a live webcast or replay of the William Blair conference's formal presentation, visit Mitek's investor relations section at or click here to access the webcast. Management will also host meetings at the conference. Maxim Group's 2025 Virtual Tech Conference: Discover the Innovations Reshaping Tomorrow. Mitek management will participate in a fireside chat with analyst Allen Klee on June 5, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. PT. This conference will be live on M-Vest. To attend, sign up to become an M-Vest member. Click here to learn more and reserve your seat. Northland Growth Conference 2025. Mitek management will host virtual meetings at this conference on June 25, 2025. About Mitek Systems, Inc. Mitek (NASDAQ: MITK) is a global leader in digital access, founded to bridge the physical and digital worlds. Mitek's advanced identity verification technologies and global platform make digital access faster and more secure, providing companies new levels of control, deployment ease and operation, while protecting the entire customer journey. With solutions trusted by 7,900 organizations around the world, including the majority of North American financial institutions which rely on our mobile check deposit solutions, Mitek helps companies reduce risk and meet regulatory requirements. Learn more at [(MITK-F)] Follow Mitek on LinkedIn and YouTube, and read Mitek's latest blog posts here.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mitek Systems Inc (MITK) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic SaaS Growth
Release Date: May 08, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Mitek Systems Inc (NASDAQ:MITK) reported a record total revenue of $51.9 million for the second quarter, marking an 11% year-over-year increase. The company's identity portfolio showed strong momentum, with revenue reaching over $71 million in the last 12 months, driven by robust transaction growth. Check fraud defender solution expanded significantly, now covering data sets on 23% of US checking accounts, up from 18% in the previous quarter. SaaS revenue grew by 15% year over year, now accounting for 40% of the total revenue, indicating a successful transition towards a more recurring revenue model. Mitek Systems Inc (NASDAQ:MITK) achieved an 88% non-GAAP gross margin for the quarter, reflecting strong unit economics and improved cost efficiencies. The company faces long and complex sales cycles in the banking sector, which can delay revenue recognition and growth. Despite the positive revenue growth, the identity products revenue only increased by 4% year over year, which is relatively modest compared to other segments. There is a reliance on a few large customers for mobile deposit orders, which can lead to revenue fluctuations based on the timing of these orders. The macroeconomic environment remains uncertain, which could potentially impact future performance despite current resilience. The transition to a SaaS model, while progressing, is still not complete, with SaaS revenue yet to surpass 50% of total revenue. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Sign with MITK. Q: Can you talk about some things that have gone well thus far and maybe a few things that have been a bit more difficult for you, and what you're seeing from customers? A: Ed West, CEO: The company has made significant progress, particularly in fraud and identity solutions, aligning with customer needs. The trust built over decades with financial institutions and the technological capabilities in identity and biometrics are key strengths. While the macro environment remains stable, the company is cautious and focused on executing its strategy. Q: On the maintained top line guide, were there any pull forwards that helped drive the strength in the quarter? A: Dave Lyle, CFO: Yes, a large mobile deposit customer ordered earlier than expected in Q2, contributing to the overachievement. Another customer also ordered more than anticipated, which was positive for the quarter's results. Q: How are you progressing toward the target of reaching 20 million AC by the end of the year? A: Ed West, CEO: The company has increased data set coverage to 23% of US checking accounts, indicating strong progress. While the process takes time, the direction is positive, and the company is focused on accelerating cycles to recognize revenue sooner. Q: Can you quantify how much quicker the modernized document onboarding system is with automation and cycle times? A: Ed West, CEO: The system significantly accelerates the process by reducing manual intervention, although exact data is not yet available. The improvements are meaningful and align with efforts to enhance profitability and scalability. Q: How do you see the SaaS revenue mix trending in the years to come, and where do you expect it to normalize? A: Ed West, CEO: The goal is for SaaS revenue to represent a majority of the business by fiscal 2026. Growth is driven by fraud and identity SaaS products, which are moving from nascent stages to significant growth, contributing to a more durable revenue model. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
