Blog
When in doubt..
Monday 16th March 2020
..do nowt. That’s what my Yorkshire ancestors said. As a transplant from God’s own acres – ( Dear God, why is Yorkshire always so f**king cold and rainy all the time ? ) – I have been trying, for many years to resist and put straight the Southern Jessies who run the markets. Thus, my favourite Cockernie trader done me a good ‘un in the last financial crisis. Tony said, ‘Never mind what’s going on – no good company becomes a bad one overnight.’ Well, I think that wisdom is now a bit old titfer.. when you see the big…
slightly miffed by the virus.
Saturday 14th March 2020
At the top table, manners are important. I’m not talking knives held like pencils – but some sort of agreement about health standards. How is it that we are allowing the source of the coronavirus, China which is, as we understand it, eager, no, destined, to have a place at the top table of the developed world ? Few at that top table, of course have an unblemished history. The G8/G10 includes some unpleasant nations. But in China- the origin is believed to be a “wet market” in its province of Wuhan , which sold both dead and live animals…
Flight fright
Friday 13th March 2020
I’m indebted to Douglas McWilliams who’s a regular on my Business Breakfast show on JazzFM about the Coronavirus impact on the travel industry. Not just that people simply won’t travel and not just that Trump’s travel ban from Schengen areas will hurt travel companies – but the sheer size of the travel business internationally. Travel and tourism comprises about 10% of world GDP and a similar proportion of world employment. McWilliam’s organisation, the CEBR – which did a similar and as it turns out accurate prediction after 9/11, estimates a 50% contraction of the business in the second quarter of…
Brave smart
Wednesday 4th March 2020
The passing of GE’s Jack Welch comprises obits by greater brains than mine – but I was struck by one of many clever moves by the CEOs’ CEO. I never warmed to his policy of sacking a swathe of the under performers in his company every year, but I did like his policy of employing lieutenants who were smarter than him. Ronald Reagan was famous for similar delegation. He gave the difficult details to other parts of his coterie. That demonstrated self-confidence and was also encouraging to the other ranks. Some said he was stupid. Sounds a sensible policy to…
Pollsters’ predictions so predictable..
Wednesday 11th December 2019
I had lunch with a senior strategy advisor to the Tory party, over the weekend. Obviously we talked politics and he rehearsed the hard lessons of the last election where Theresa May was odds on to win handsomely, and it didn’t happen. The perceived wisdom amid the spinners is that Conservative voters felt it was in the bag and there was no urgent need to hit the pollng stations. That’s not going to happen again,said my friend, and sure enough the weekend right of centre press urged everyone to take nothing for granted. Today, apparently, the polls have narrowed and…