BP oil disaster

Our insatiable appetite for oil is the real cause of this environmental disaster. If you look around Glasgow and see all the four by fours, drinking petrol; you can appreciate why BP is taking so many risks in its search for oil.
If there has been one benefit from the volcanic ash cloud, it has been the reduction in flying it has caused. They say every cloud has a silver lining

Your other national drink

This morning I attended the annual general meeting of a well known drinks manufacturer. Profits are up; the dividend has been raised again, so all in all they have had a good year. AGMs are often fairly routine affairs, unless you happen to be a bank, where they have recently been quite lively. I usually like to have a question up my sleeve, just to keep the directors on their toes. This time I asked about the directors’ long term incentive plan. Most public companies are very generous to their board, often paying them eye watering salaries and bonuses. In small act of rebellion, I also voted against the director’s remuneration policy.
At the end of the meeting the chairman asked me if I was happy with the response I got, which I assured him I was. I was also offered a sample of one or two of the products, an offer I took up, because my mum loves their mango juice. It comes all the way from India.

A prickly subject

During the great depression, my grandpa began growing his own vegetables. By the time I came along he had a veritable market garden; the family was self-sufficient in vegetables.
As we are in lean times again, I thought I would follow in his footsteps. So I have planted cabbage, various herbs and have wild strawberries growing.
A book I was reading mentioned cooking with nettles; something I have plenty of in my garden / jungle. I cut them and washed them, then boiled them for five minutes. After this I added salt, pepper, a bay leaf and garlic. Then I added some kale and fried them for five minutes. I had them for dinner last night as an accompaniment to a curry. No, they don’t sting when eaten and I am still alive and well twenty hours later.

The demon drink

I am rather alarmed at the strong hold the alcohol industry has on our politicians; it is the one subject I have really drawn a blank on with them. I wrote to my Labour, SNP and Liberal Democrat councillors, asking for support for my objection to a late night license near my home. I only got one reply, from the SNP man, and he wasn’t prepared to support it.
I wonder why they are so relaxed about granting more and more licenses. Alcohol abuse causes more misery, illness (mental and physical) and violence than any drug. The police, politicians and medical profession foam at the mouth about the dangers of drinking; yet when it comes to action, they all slink into a corner with their tails between their legs.

Prudential Action Group

The concept of being prudent has taking a hammering recently. Our previous prime minister famously talked about his prudent budgets; and we know where that ended up. I feel that Prudential could be biting off more than it can chew in pursuing such a large takeover. The world economy is lurching from crunch to crisis, is this the right time? Consider what happened to Lloyds Bank when it took over HBOS.
America has been the graveyard of many fine British companies. Our leaders mistakenly believe that because we speak a similar language we have a shared culture. But their ethics are not ours, and even our accounting procedures are different. As it stands, Prudential is weathering the storm well: profits are rising; it is geographically well diversified. Such a huge transaction could pose considerable risks. Thousands of people rely on the company for their pensions, and want a conservatively run business.


http://www.prudentialactiongroup.com/ Tel 0207 788 7589

Brave New World

What is the meaning of life? In Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy the answer was worked out to be 42. Well they were wrong; it is 43. Think about it. David Cameron and Nick Clegg are both 43. The new Leader of Glasgow City Council is also, you guessed it, 43. I hope they are mature enough to take the decisions that go with the jobs. Personally, I think you should have a few grey hairs before rising to the top. In business I have seen so many young testosterone filled men wrecking large organisations.

Nick Clegg is promising to shake up the country, on par with the Great Reform Act.
This is heady stuff; I hope they don’t forget that they need to listen to the people. Look at the example of one of their predecessors; hundreds of thousands of us marched against the war in Iraq, but he didn't listen. These days, leaders surround themselves with fresh faced advisors and seem only to take their advice.

I would also like to listen to my readers, so if you have any comments, please let me know. It would help stimulate my grey matter, and I don't mean my hair.

People can be thoughtless

Last night I was wrenched from my slumber at around four a.m. by what sounded like a riot in our hall. It was only the neighbours coming back from clubbing. It’s a common occurrence; so much so, that I considered renting another flat. Unfortunately for me, someone else has offered a more money.

It has been a week of being thwarted. I was at a party, and got talking to an attractive lady; then some pushy guy barged in and took my place.It's not the first time I have lost out to a predatory male. It seems that ladies like assertive men.

Cutting the deficit

The Dave and Nick partnership has had a good start; but it sounds as if they are about to make their first mistake.
Raising Capital Gains Tax will not hit the wealthy, but it will punish small investors, who have had a pretty torrid time. Savers, often the elderly, have been the real victims of the banking crisis. Interest rates have been at half a percent for about two years; inflation is at around four per cent, so their capital is eroding. The only way to make any income is to invest in shares, in the hope of making a capital gain. Now the government is signalling that capital gains tax is going to be raised to 40%. They may also drastically cut the annual tax free allowance.
The coalition should focus on cutting public expenditure, not raising taxes. Over the past thirteen years the public sector has had a bonanza. Civil servants have had big salary increases and the number of employees has risen dramatically. In spite of all this extra money, productivity has decreased; billions are wasted on quangos and bureaucracy.

Gender balance

Why should people be given jobs on the basis of sex? Some women have already been complaining that there are not enough wimen in the cabinet. If you read my book, Halls of Infamy, you might appreciate what I mean. On several occasions during my political career I failed to get selected for seats because the party believed in “positive discrimination”. As often as not, the successful female turned out to be a rather lacklustre performer. That is almost inevitable when you don’t promote on merit alone.

Out goes the old guard

Gordon Brown’s final attempt to save New Labour failed. His resignation, welcome as it was, didn’t alter the fact that Britain had rejected his party. I hope the new government will dismantle the authoritarian regime Comrades Blair and Brown tried to foist on us. That included Identity Cards, extraordinary rendition and a whole host of legislation they tried to justify in their so called “war on terror”. Our country also has a one sided extradition treaty with the United States, which typified the unhealthy relationship between the two governments.

That relationship spilled over into our business connections. A British habit of accepting all things American, not asking enough questions, and lack of common sense, brought our economy to its knees.

Public Service Ethos

The problem about living in a one party state is the complacency it breeds. The attitude of our politicians is passed down to public ‘servants’. If you have ever tried to complain to the National Health Service, you will know what I mean. You have to have great perseverance and patience if you want a reply.

I have found another body that don’t seem to like replying to members of the public. The Care Commission of Scotland.

We have been having problems with my mother’s care home management, so I decided to contact The Care Commission. I sent an email to the lady responsible, no reply. A few days later I sent on to the Commission itself, no reply.
I waited, and then used the Care Commission Complaints Service, no response from them either.

Health and Safety gone mad

I pity patients at the NHS. The overpaid managers have decreed that visiting hours are to be cut, because they have not been doing their jobs and keeping wards clean. All these muddy boots visitors wear. Anyone who has been in hospital knows how important visitors are; they relieve the monotony and keep the staff on their toes. In my mother’s case, if family members hadn’t questioned the doctors and nurses, she might not have recovered.
A few years ago they forbade visitors to bring in flowers; it was claimed they spread infections. Now it is visitors who are being blamed. The suspicion is that managers are just looking for an easy life.

Proportional Representation

Here’s hoping the Conservatives agree to some form of Proportional Representation; it would be good for them too.

Otherwise they are ensuring that we in Scotland are going to be governed by Labour MPs for ever. It doesn’t matter what they do (or don’t), the Scots have blind loyalty. It means that Labour MPs could disregard their constituents in the knowledge that they will get re-elected.

I for one, don’t think I will be able to summon up the interest to vote again in a first past the post election. Why bother? Labour always gets in.

Mr Brown moves to the country

Comrade Supreme Leader Brown seems strangely attached to his flat in London, in spite of all the decoration done to his home in Scotland. But who could blame him? The peace and tranquility of Fife is no match for the limousines, private jets and weekends at Chequers.

He must be perplexed that his beloved financial markets are imploding as he sits it out. Billions of pounds have been wiped off pension schemes since the election finished; and the rout could accelerate on Monday, if he doesn’t call the removers. Black Monday will pale into insignificance compared to Brown Monday.

But why change the habits of a lifetime? He has already presided over the worst financial crisis since 1930, might as well finish the job.

Glasgow North Election Result

Labour 13,181 (44.5%)
Liberal Democrat 9,283 (31.3%)
SNP 3,530 (11.9%)
Conservative 2,089 (7.1%)
Green 947 (3.2%)
BNP 296 (1%)
TU&SC 287 (1%)



POOR OLD GLASGOW

Tactical voting

It is not good for democracy to let one party stay in power for more than about ten years. They begin to get complacent and stop listening to the people. It is a salutary lesson to spend some time in opposition; it reminds you not to take your constituents for granted. I believe that competition is a good thing; I never give all my business to one supplier. If you want to keep people of their toes, you have to occasionally remind them that there is someone else who can do what they do.
I also believe in rewarding effort; at election time I think, “Which candidate has tried hardest to get my vote?”
One of the reasons why our city has such a poor health record, why our life expectancy is so short, is the people who lead us. Our politicians don’t appear that interested in health or the environment, they seem more interested in enjoying the fruits of office.

Big brother is watching you

In the 12 years that we have been privileged to be ruled by New Labour, we have become one of the most spied upon people on earth. A seemingly innocent trip to the bank makes one feel like a criminal. To open or close an account requires you to bring your passport and one other piece of identity. On top of that you have to write your life story on a form. Our phone calls, emails and faxes are now routinely monitored; details are stored on huge databases for years.

The ever decreasing proportion of us who work in the private sector, are swamped with more and more regulation. Health and safety has tied us in knots. All this data collection has had serious consequences; police officers have to spend so much time doing it, that they are kept off patrolling.

In our public services, in spite of record investment, the buck seems stop nowhere. If you have a problem, trying to complain wears you down. Customer service is not a concept they understand. And now the Royal Bank of Scotland has joined the civil service, will it go the same way?

The campaign in Glasgow North

Finally, after much deliberation I’ve decided how I’m going to vote. In my constituency the most likely candidate to beat Labour is the Liberal Democrat candidate. Having decided that, I thought I would do my bit for democracy and help her deliver leaflets this weekend. Whilst my friends have been away hill walking I have been scaling the tenements of the West End of Glasgow.
It is a well organised campaign; we were all give bundles of letters to deliver, complete with a map of our specific area. The only blunderer was me; I posted my map with a letter through someone’s letter box.

If they are to win, the LibDems need as many people as possible to make the effort and vote for them. Labour is quite entrenched; some people vote for them out of force of habit. When I was a candidate in West Dunbartonshire a few years ago, a man told me “Son, you’re wasting your time, my grandpa voted Labour, my dad voted Labour and I vote Labour”

The unaccepable face of capitalism

I’ve just about exhausted what I can say about politicians; anyway, at least we get a chance to get rid of them on Thursday.

Compared to the ladies and gentlemen who run our public companies, they are amateurs when it comes to spending other people’s money. Many of the executive directors of our top listed businesses pay themselves well over a million pounds per annum. On top of this there is a system of expenses, share options and bonuses that would make your jaw drop. We private shareholders fume at them, but are totally impotent. Each year when we get to vote on their remuneration our votes are irrelevant. The fund managers who manage our pensions and unit trusts own the vast majority of the shares; and they mainly turn a blind eye to what is going on. Probably that is because they are all earning similar excessive salaries and don’t want to rock he boat.
The directors all argue that you need to pay these massive salaries to attract the best talent. Yes, and we all know how talented were the gentlemen running the Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS. They made a remarkably good job of running these companies, and displayed breathtaking levels of skill and financial acumen.