For many of us, as happened to me, there comes a mid-life crisis around the age of 50 – a crisis in your career that brings with it a life-changing opportunity. It’s the opportunity to strike out and start your own business.

Most new businesses fail. That’s a regrettable fact. But those that survive are the principal source of dynamism in an economy. In the US, for example, between 1980 and 2005 all net new private-sector jobs were created by companies that were less than five years’ old. » Continue reading “Start Your Own Business… and Succeed”

Everyone except the euro politicians knows now that Greece is not Germany, Italy is not France and Cyprus is not Luxembourg. As a result of this amazing realisation, it is now pretty clear that the euro will not be the currency of choice of these countries one day soon, or perhaps one year soon. But not a day too soon.

I address the Greek solution – this is the nation that has given us so much, taught us a lot and for those lucky enough to visit it – cheered us up greatly. It is however not Germany, Greeks don’t look like Germans, don’t think like Germans and most importantly don’t work like Germans. Germans are wonderful they are just not Greeks.

So what is the Greek solution? To start to answer this let’s think what the Greeks might be good at, after all they have tried being like Germans and that did not work!

Now if you have a wonderful climate, a welcoming nature, an amazing history and a beautiful country – that would be fantastic – but what if the world community also decided to award the Olympic Games to Greece in perpetuity? What if we all got fed up paying billions of dollars every four years to rotate the Olympics to parts of the world that neither need them or exploited them in a way that ancient Grecians would not approve. Just imagine all the bribes that would not be offered to members of the exclusive Olympic Executives, who no longer would need to visit their demands on candidate countries.

The matter would be settled. All future Olympics would take place in Greece; it would give the world’s athletes predictability for their training regimes. It would provide the Greeks the security of knowing that millions of tourists would flock to their shores every four years and return most years in between. It would allow the Greeks to build the infrastructure that would be effective, efficient and attractive.

It would bring private sector work to a country that has given public sector jobs priority due to the economy lacking enterprise (and the Greeks not being German). It would allow the Greeks to become self-sufficient and pay their own way in the world. Unlike their current future prospects of having the euro politicians remind them how much they owe others.

But will the world do this or will the politicians prevail in trying to convince us that the Greeks can be Germans? I will not hold my breath, but instead think fondly of this dream of a solution that would only help the Greeks be themselves.

It is fitting that the old empires of Greece and Rome should lead the flight from the euro that was the faulty creation of the newer empires of France and Germany. Most widely travelled people will confess that living the lifestyle of the med countries combined with the organisation and work standards of their northern neighbours, is maybe having the best of both worlds.

Now we know that we shall never reach that particular Camelot. You see  “Holidays are not work, work is not holidays”. As much as we would love to believe that the Romans and Greeks could be just like the Northern Euros – the EU politician’s first attempt to prove this point is ending in disaster.

Or is it a disaster? We were all told that the European project was our best hope for peace in Europe in perpetuity – today the streets of Europe’s cities lay bare to this lie. When the left rise up against the elite left, trouble is afoot. Communism collapsed when the left gave up hope, in stepped Regan and Thatcher and the end was nigh! Let us pray for a new leadership in Europe – as we may have to wait some time if we expect it to come from the USA. As Europe dithers and delays (as usual) over which way to turn – borrow this much or a bit more – we must hope that someone with vision appears soon to guide us to a better place than the one I fear we are heading towards.

The next great idea should acknowledge that the diverse peoples of
Europe thrive on what they each do best – whatever happened to diversity? Instead of the political elite telling us that all will be well, if only we borrow more money from the Chinese – let us use our common sense and focus on what’s best for the Romans, Greeks, French and Germans. Let us also throw in the rest of Europe for good measure. Imagine – a team made up of the best peoples of the World, yes Europeans. Now let us praise the Greeks, Romans, French and Germans. I can think of hundreds of things each of our rich European people’s are good at. I can think of only one that we are a disaster at. – expecting us all to be the same!

We now know that we are at our best when we are free to sink or swim by our own talents. No more grand euro projects, no more presidents of Europe. Viva le Europeans – diversityt ja!

Bureaucratic lunacy in Europe:
A reader suggests this list sums up Europe’s problem…………….

Pythagorean theorem = 24 words.
Lord’s prayer: = 66 words.
Ten Commandments: = 179 words.
Gettysburg address: = 286 words.
US Declaration of Independence: = 1,300 words.
US Constitution, with all 27 Amendments: = 7,818 words.
European Union regulations on the sale of cabbage: = 26,911 words.

(Thanks to Martin Spring and friends for the above)

Like me you will be fed up watching the UK news channels filled with mainly young idiots and criminals looting and destroying property, attacking people just so they can feel good.
So I propose that we hold a goodness week and soon. The goodness week will encourage goodness and the kindness spirit that almost all of us have in us.
Let’s start by visiting the elderly, taking a small gift along, to show the youth that our culture is never to visit anyone empty handed. Then we will all give a pound to the local children’s hospice, yes that
means everyone – including those not working, they can spare a
pound out of the taxpayer funded benefits they receive.
Ok we are on a roll next comes grabbing a brush and shovel and sweeping a street near where you live, make the street smart and
clean – don’t worry about the council cleaners union who say that’s
their job – they have jobs for life so no worries there.
Ah – how about getting up early one morning, I mean EARLY and all
getting to work no later than 5am, just to see what it’s like – as all
of us will be at work early that day, there will be plenty to do.
Time to fix something for those who struggle to do so themselves,
like broken doors, cracked loo seats, leaky roofs, blocked drains -
make your own list and make sure it is for somebody who can’t do it
for themselves.
By the end of the week we deserve to have a party, no booze just
plenty of food supplied by the banks as an apology for their past
greed and incompetence, if they do a good job it will go a long way
for us to forgive them for their past demeanours. Especially if the
bankers act as waiters, we’ll be the cooks though!

That would be a good week for goodness knows how many people.
One last thing – I noticed that lots of the young hooligans that
caused the recent UK riots sneaked in to our goodness week and participated helping others – thank goodness for that!

The coalition government in the UK is made up of about 15% Libs and 85% Conservatives. At the recent UK elections the Libs performed badly and their representation went down throughout the UK. The Conservatives did well considering the unpopular financial measures they have had to implement.

Now in life outside politics when you are part of a team and some members of the team are successful and the few are failing, the usual thing is for the failures to learn from the successful and change their ways to a more positive way, as demonstrated by their successful comrades.

Not if your a Lib. No the Libs turn nasty and bad-mouth those in the team that have been supported by the electors.  Clegg and Mr “Wrong” Cable are now hell bent in bad-mouthing the winning members of the team. “We are going to be louder” is the Libs response to electoral defeat.

Libs have long lost the ability to define right and wrong and now have lost the ability to learn from their mistakes.

The winners are wrong, the losers are sore hmmmmmmm! That’s why Libs are so nasty.

Get our citizens out first, never mind those left behind – they are only Palestinians or Algerians – get the Brits, Germans, Americans and French out first – then we will have an inquest as to why we only came third in the race to get “our” people out first.

No wonder the rest of the world is disillusioned by the liberal elites that occupy the western media and our Government offices.  Listen to them when they are asked a tough question like – what if Qaddafi won’t give up power? – they will bleat out  ”well we have to be careful not to say anything that might upset Qaddafi, he might makes things worse for our people.”  Meanwhile Obama, the EU and the rest simply condemn violence and try to pass resolutions at the discredited United Nations. That is just too easy to say and ensures their popularity!

The better way would be to send in the hit squads and  take Qaddafi out, in some parts of the world they take your hand off if you steal something so why not kill a despot who cares only for his own skin and shoots his “own people”?

But that would be like asking our politicians to act like Winston Churchill and take a stand against misfits like Qaddafi and Mugabe and their ilk. No – it’s safer to argue amongst ourselves than to do the right thing and save people who need saving.

The next time you are thinking of taking the silver dollar and go and work in a country run by a dictator or family fiefdom – make sure you are British or American or from a nation that only wants to look after “their citizens”.

If you come from a poor country my advice is don’t go there.

If it were a private corporation the NHS would have gone bust decades ago. In fact not only  would it have gone under, it would be a testament to how not to run things for any budding manager. The recent report of the Health Ombudsman finds the practices and management in the care of elderly people is unacceptable and even cruel. Remember the word cruel next time a politician tells you how wonderful the NHS is.

People are left unwashed, uncared for in soiled clothes, given the wrong medicine and forgotten if they ever made it back to the outside again. Doctors and Nurses are found to be indifferent towards people’s needs.

Now before we go any further – remember we are talking about the caring sharing National Health Service in a “Developed” country. No wonder people go private or flee the UK for their treatment.

There will be little remorse, nobody will get fired, there will be a pile of excuses made and the report will be filed alongside all the other reports of this failed and evil system of caring for people’s health.

The NHS is too big to fail and like some of the Banks will continue to suck the financial system of UK PLC.

The message is clear – avoid the NHS at all costs -don’t even go there - don’t be fooled by the vested interests of the socialists, unionists and lazy uncaring and overpaid staff who over-populated it’s corridors.

Stay away, avoid the NHS like the plague – and keep well.

The British Prime Minister wants his citizens to adopt and embrace his “big society” idea. Now Dave here is a bit more advice, reading the news wires I am sure you don’t need yet another comment about your big society – but unlike the TUC (Trade Union Chumps) I would not say that your idea will lead to a Somalia type society, nor do I think that the TUC’s hope for a Scandinavian Dreamland where they would of course play a central role and corrupt the masses, would be any better than your big society idea.

No I think there is much merit in wanting your citizens to contribute their skills and knowledge towards a Better Britain, after 13 years of wind and terror of the socialist tendencies the Brits could do with some vision. But there is the rub – your idea is just that – your idea. So if you want to make it happen then you must make it a vision – which the people will follow – not all the people, but enough to make a difference to those who need help in the big society. There are plenty of Brits to make your idea into the big society – but they need more than just talk.

The vision must embrace enough people  - the better off, well-educated, captains of industry, entrepreneurs, hard workers, experienced oldies, strong of body young ones, the disabled strong enough to fight, the less-fortunate willing to give it another try,  the taxpayers who support the non-taxpayers and all who are strong of mind and heart.

Now when you have reached these stalwarts the rest is easy – without vision the people will perish – an idea remains an idea until the masses follow and then it becomes a vision.

So the big society is not about attracting the ones who say it can’t or shouldn’t be done. It is about getting the shakers and movers on your side, committed to making even more of a difference than they do right now.

A cry of let’s do it, get out of Number 10 Dave and lead by example, watch when you do how people will follow – give your passion traction – not from the Socialist tendencies but from those of all abilities who just do it everyday.

Show your passion,  bypass the media and go straight to the people, good luck.

Mubarak has gone, the Egyptian people like the Polish people have shown great restraint in bringing their revolution about. Despite the dozens of deaths caused in the first few days of the demonstrations, there has been relatively little violence in the country.

Egyptians should be rewarded for their moderation and given a vision and hope for the future – before the Islamist terrorists do their work. The European Union needs 80 million Egyptians to join in a better future for them their children and us Europeans.  If Turkey can be considered then why not Egypt?

So come on you Europeans – take the lead, give Egyptians the break they deserve, bring them into the European family – difficult yes – impossible no.