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There is something odd going on in the UK. The Conservatives continue to tell us that the best way to create jobs is to have a low tax economy. They call it Singapore on Thames.  Yet wait on, UK unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in nearly 50 years, standing at 3.5%. Great I … Continue reading What’s up with the economy?

‘Tis the holiday season. One of the few real holy days of the year if you believe in such things. It is also a strange time of year. Not only do you get the need to enjoy yourself and a sense of faux camaraderie shoved in your face but you are bombarded with things you … Continue reading Seasonal distortion

Waiting for the checkout to open at Morrisons, I let a man go in front of me. He had a small basket while I had a full trolley. It was 7:30 in the morning and I was still feeling in a good mood.  For some reason he started talking to the assistant about how the … Continue reading It’s not about the party

By the time you read this I hope the vast majority of people who were affected by storm Arwen have their lives back on track. You may be struggling with storm Barra. They seem to be coming thick and fast this winter. Apart from a few bushes blown down and some water in the garage, … Continue reading Why we need public services

Image thanks to BHR Symposium Is this the end of LEAN, the innovation in manufacturing processes first developed by Toyota? I hope not but some of its concepts have been sorely tested over the last few weeks. As one minister put it’ ‘We are a just in time economy.’ The Toyota Production System led a … Continue reading The end of LEAN?

Ouch! Image thanks to Medical News Today What a great day for kidney stones. The rain was lashing down like a caravan holiday, as I lay in the bath and thought about the dull ache in my side. Hello friend, I remember you well. Can a pain be good? Perhaps... This one was, at least … Continue reading A good pain?

Image from the Guardian article Nobody should work for free. Oh but wait on, I do, at times.  The whole issue of remuneration has come to light again during the COVID crisis with the enormous rise in distribution jobs. Nearly all businesses moved their trade online, at least in some format almost overnight and this … Continue reading Working for free

Image thanks to Martin's English I was born in England and that makes me English. I can’t help it, I had no choice. Somehow, this stroke of luck has left me imbued with the characteristics of an Englishman, you know, a sense of fair play, good at organising, stiff upper lip, a natural queuer.  This … Continue reading Why I hate the English

Image thanks to Glen Smyth - LinkedIn It's the birthday season in the Jackman household. March is an expensive month. Looking back, perhaps we should have planned things better but it’s a bit late now. When my children were younger, buying presents was much easier. Something big and plastic would usually do the trick and … Continue reading The disappearing present

Image thanks to UNICEF I read with interest and dismay in The Big Issue that just four in ten pupils received full-time schooling during the first COVID lockdown and a quarter received no teaching at all. Private school pupils were twice as likely to benefit from a full education than those in the state sector. … Continue reading Forgotten generation