Sidewalk Solutions

The FSA’s new “leader” Lord Turner wants more money and resources – the fact that the FSA is a failed organisation and has its own responsibilities for the financial mess that has occurred in the UK – somehow doesn’t matter. In the Brown way of thinking – we should throw good money after bad, and as a result make more bad money. 2,500 professional service people is not enough for Lord Turner. When will we ever do what we need to do – with what we already have – rather than think spending more money will solve everything? Lord Turner – sweat your current assets first! Continue Reading »

My career was going just great – I worked for a great company and had gained a reputation as a Trouble-shooter and Turnaround Manager, perhaps also some would say I was a bit of a Maverick. Whilst I provided the drive and hands-on change management leadership – the company supplied me with the comfort of having a multi-billion dollar corporation behind me. Specialist staff, experienced operations people and top-class executives always available to help me when necessary. My projects had included closing down a disastrous union-dominated site, playing a lead role in transforming a government-owned facility into a dynamic highly productive enterprise, saving a multi-million pound long-term manufacturing contract from being lost, and removing an entire Management Board that did not understand the meaning of strategy. Continue Reading »

As Governments around the world pretend that they have found a cure for our Credit Illness – have we been cured of this blight? Have we suddenly all changed into the prudent and thrifty people we should be?  Whilst we have all been re-educated on Global Warming (the UK must have missed Global Warming this summer!) and how we must change our light bulbs and ensure the plastics are kept separate from the newsprint – have we changed our financial habits that have led us into this financial mess? In fact describing it as a mess may be something of an understatement. Continue Reading »

Interesting how the media says that 96% of people have less than £35,000 in their cash savings. The media play this as if the problem lies with the 4% who have this or more in cash savings. When you hear the media talk about the majority – be warned – that is surely where the problem comes from! The Credit Crunch came about mainly because there is insufficient liquidity around. So despite making sure they have at least £35,000 in cash savings – it is those who have saved the most that are facing the loss of their savings. After all, with no savings you have no savings to lose! Continue Reading »