Tackling Inflation

by

It appears to be a “perfect storm.” Post pandemic conditions, and the war in Ukraine, have conspired to create a global economic climate where the prices of all the essentials of life are increasing dramatically. Energy, food, fuel costs are all increasing at unprecedented rates, creating a “cost of living crisis” for all but the highest earners and the wealthy.  This is likely to persist. Thus, for many, life is increasingly becoming a question of what to do in order to survive. One of four key principles I cite in “Searching for Better” Book Two, is that, “Government is accountable for ensuring that the interdependence of life is recognised, established and maintained for the well-being of all citizens.” This makes government accountable for the well-being of all its citizens. So, it naturally follows that government bears some responsibility for reducing inflation. This seems reasonable. Since the early Twentieth Century, government has absorbed greater powers and, as a result, people increasingly demand more from it. This includes expecting it to play a role in reducing inflation, notwithstanding that much of this capability – in the form of monetary policy – has been delegated to the Bank of England. Yet, here in …

Read more

Harvesting Hope for Humanity’!

by

What hope this photograph of heroism evokes! Of course, heroism always inspires. But this is a particularly powerful example. The act itself is noteworthy, but the irony of the incident makes it unprecedented. The image multiply magnifies the deed, and has caused it to resonate around the world. You would, in fact, be hard put to find an action that better defines a message, than a black man possibly saving the life of a white supremacist demonstrating at a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest. The BLM movement has arisen largely due to the loss of non-white lives at the hands of white US police. After a particularly brutal incident resulted in murder charges against the officers involved, protests erupted all over the USA and around the world. This, and the sheer number of such incidents, has given rise to claims of institutionalised racism. Consequently the protest demonstrations are continuing. It was at one of these in London that the incident in this photograph took place. White supremacists were counter-protesting and riots were developing when, somehow, this man got himself knocked over and isolated and was rescued, picked up and carried to safety on this black man’s – Patrick Hutchinson’s – …

Read more

Plea for Greater Tolerance!

by

“I disagree with every word you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.” I was raised believing those words were uttered by the French philosopher, Voltaire, to capture the very essence of democracy. Alas, how far we seem to have moved away from it! Today the very concept seems anathema. On both sides of the Atlantic (where democracy has historically prevailed) there seems to be increasing intolerance, antagonism and even vitriol, towards anyone who has a different opinion or view. Popular, populist posturing prevails. And, as everyone becomes entrenched in their positions, anyone who holds a different opinion is deemed to be an idiot, deluded or the victim of “fake news.” This increases the invective and more and more the language becomes hate-filled, hateful, and hurtful. So the tension tightens and the pattern spirals. Needless to say this is counter-productive. Ultimately democracy depends on collaboration. Thus if democracy is to survive we need to return to Voltaire’s statement, put it into practice and restore – and ensure – greater tolerance.   As long as you respect and honour your fellow human beings you should be free to say whatever you think, without any fear of recrimination …

Read more

Political Parties: Past Their Sell-by Date?

by

Do political parties still work? Do they serve the purpose they were created for? Or, perhaps more importantly, is it even possible for them to do so? These are key questions for our times. Political unrest unbounds and perhaps more so than ever; even in countries that have historically been stable – most notably the UK and USA. As the long-time bastions of democracy this is alarming. It begs questions as to the very future of democracy. Particularly noteworthy is that both are largely two-party nations, governed by the political party that secures the most candidates – albeit in radically different systems. Yet both appear to be so divided as to be almost ungovernable. So much so that some doomsayers are even predicting the possibility of a second civil war in the US. The UK, on the other hand, is suffering from a complete anomaly in that, while it is possibly equally divided, one party – in what may be a victory of epic pyrrhic proportions – has just won by one of the biggest margins in its electoral history. In both countries trust in politicians is at an all-time low. In the USA the constitution is held as an …

Read more

Calling for Proper Disaster Recovery Planning!

by

Disasters are difficult to predict. Their timing, cause, extent and effects all vary. The only thing you can say for sure is that the better prepared you are the less dire the consequences will be. That is why every good executive and every well-run organisation has a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP). For the last half century or more – ever since computers became an integral part of doing business, and perhaps even before that – a plan for meeting and recovering from disaster has been deemed an essential part of good organisational governance. The Coronavirus pandemic provides a glaring example of why you need one. Unfortunately, it also provides a good example of poor Disaster Recovery Planning. With Covid 19 deaths on the scale we have been witnessing, it is perhaps natural and inevitable to point fingers and look to assign blame. Certainly there are many who are jumping into the fray to do just that, even as the crisis rages and before any balanced assessment can be undertaken and the various different approaches taken can be compared. Unfortunately, much of this is simply partisan posturing which demeans carers, critics and criticised alike, and does nothing to ensure that lessons will …

Read more

The Ride to Nowhere

by

As the UK approaches the forthcoming election, the political scene is as dank, dark and dismal as the weather. There isn’t even the light or warmth of a single new idea or even the prospect of innovation down the road. And all this at a time when politicians concede that “politics is broken.” Politicians acknowledge that they have lost the trust of people, but persist in chicanery, deceit and peddling downright lies. Every politician who talks about why they went into politics says it is because they want to contribute and help make a better society. Yet they seem to lack any sort of moral compass and be incapable of ever answering a question, let alone telling the truth. Depressing doesn’t even begin to touch on the feelings the situation invokes: we are diving beyond despair. As we revert to a classic ideological clash between socialist and capitalist ideologies, I question whether I am the only one who can see the pendulum we are on. Margaret Thatcher swept the Conservatives into power on the back of the discontent caused by poor social management and a struggling economy offering abysmal service and handicapped by one strike after another. The restoration of …

Read more

What if we are at the end of a societal life-cycle?

by

Could it be that we are at the end of a societal life-cycle?.Have you ever thought about that possibility? I was stunned recently while reading William Bridges’ 1991 book, “Managing Transitions: Making The Most of Change.” What caught my attention was his statement, “The idea that organizations and societies have life-cycles has been around a long time.” Of course I have been long aware of the concept of the product life-cycle but the idea of an organizational life-cycle was something I had seldom consciously thought about. And I had certainly NEVER thought about a society having a life-cycle! The idea stopped me in my tracks. Could this perhaps explain much of the political turmoil in the world today? That is a question that certainly warrants consideration. Building on Shakespeare’s “Seven ages of man” idea, Bridges argue that organizations also go through what he depicts as “The seven stages of organizational life.” He identifies these stages as: Dreaming the dream (i.e. Identifying a better way) Launching the venture (i.e. Finding others who share that vision) Getting organized Making it (i.e. Turning the vision into reality) Becoming an institution (i.e. Becoming fixated on status – and hence the status quo) Closing in …

Read more

Tax Reform: More Urgent Than You Think!

by

Tax reform is more urgent than you think. The implications of “The Disappearing PLC”  an article in the October 2014 issue of Management Today make this clear. To say it is food for thought is to significantly understate the case. The article highlights the fact that, since 1997, the Wall Street high, public listings have declined 50% in the USA and UK, 23% in Europe, and 5% in Asia. It goes on to say “Few observers doubt that something fundamental is afoot – and it’s structural rather than cyclical. In other words it is not a blip.” It explains this is driven by two converging forces. The first is economic. Here the article states, “The publicly quoted company essentially looks like a creature of the 20th century. Modern business is cash generative far earlier and much less capital intensive then even half a century ago. The need to mobilise outside sources of capital is so much less.” The second is managerial or ideological. The article cites concern about “public companies fading innovation mojo” and quotes Professor Clayton Christenson “who has the unofficial title of the world’s most influential management guru”  as fretting that “companies anaemic appetite for investor capital is …

Read more

Rethink the Response to Civic Nationalism

by

The status quo is not what it was. The recent referendum in Scotland is having an ongoing ripple effect that carries the promise of inevitable change. And we need to ensure that we shape that change to safeguard a better future. Many people are still wondering how the result turned out to be as close as it was and how a relatively small and seemingly innocuous minority reached a groundswell of over 2 million people. Yet, for once, political analysts seem united. They all agree that the separatists were able to exploit the percolating prevalent and persistent dissatisfaction with central government and surf the wave of discontent. They call this “civic nationalism.” They see this as disillusionment with politics and politicians, resulting in people looking to regain control of their own destiny. If, however, that is the case, the answer is certainly not to create more levels of government. Not to create more troughs for incompetent, self-satisfied and self-serving politicians to feed at. The answer to any problem cannot be more of the same. Yet, all the solutions currently being proposed to civic nationalism revolve around a model that offers more of the same. You need to think very carefully before …

Read more

A Fractured Society: Pointer to a New Dark Age?

by

“Rich double their wealth in five years.” That was the front page headline in a recent Sunday Times. Now I don’t know about you, but for me that is ominous, because living standards for the rest of us are falling.

A BBC report claims that, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, a mid-range UK household’s income had declined by 6% in this time. So here you have clear evidence that the rich are getting richer while the rest of us are getting poorer. And, while the report suggests that this decline “was felt equally across high and low income groups,” (one has to question the dividing line between rich and high income) it adds that, over time, the affects will be felt more by the lower income groups.

Read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This