Anyone for Tea

There was once a world dominated by the British Empire. Our Empirical might was felt in every continent on Earth. Britain was the heart beat of the global economy. Britain was a producer, a manufacturer and engineering powerhouse. The envy of every European and emerging nation on the planet. This Empire was built on Tea.

The tea trade was the main driver behind Britain’s Empire. Keeping the ever widening middle classes in tea.

Bring that picture forward 150 years and we had an every widening middle class again. This time instead of industry we had an ever growing service society. Providing more and more goods to these people. To purchase this they needed money and our financial services system duly obliged. We became prolific consumers. In a strange way this can be traced through coffee.
Coffee houses were the centre of thought and human advance 150 years ago. Now they are a status symbol. Starbucks, Costa and Nero adorn more or less every town or city in the UK. There is very little human advancement taking place but there is plenty of posing and posturing.
Tea was a much more elegant drink, savoured and taken as a leisurely activity. The beauty of the tea pot and the notion of afternoon tea has been lost for the consumer frenzy supported by a quick coffee break.

If Tea was manufactured coffee is almost certainly consumed. Consumed rather than savoured, yet I am sure we can all name someone who would call themselves a connoisseur. The fast paced world of on the move communication, convenience shopping and the on demand lifestyle has won over. With it the world has also shifted. We look to the tea nations of India and China as our mass producers, our centres of industry, technology and social advancement.

I long to see a re-engagement with afternoon tea. With Britain taking time to explore new ways of making things and thinking of how to move the world forward again. Although I drink coffee I will always prefer Tea. Anyone else for tea?

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Is Capitalism the answer?

To get to a place where we have sustainability in macro and micro economics, I believe that we have two choices.

1. Global State control over everything, a total Communal State, otherwise known as communism.

or

2. Global free markets, free from government control but also free from monopolisation.

The problem with this thinking is that we would never submit to Communism, we live in a world consumed by materialism over quality of life. Therefore you can assume we must now rely on market forces. On capitalist economics to rescue us and create a sustainable global economy.

The problem with this, however, is that we already know that capitalism doesn't create equality. or does it?

Could it be possible that the tools we class as our steps of fairness actually crowd out equality. Could it be that free health care for all halts aspirational development. That the welfare state has now served its time and we need to look to fair open market privatisation.

We can clearly see that it isn't working perfectly in areas such as Energy and Media, but we overlook one thing. We are now in possession of more power than ever before. Through the internet we can communicate across the globe, do business across the globe, but we are also reengaging with our communities. We can produce our own market forces, create our own competition.

Imagine a world where micro and small businesses deliver growth. That is where we need to be heading and to get there we need to innovate.

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Is the Green Revolution just Pea Soup

I have been happily talking about the need for a radical shift towards a low carbon society. A greener and fairer society.

This is something I have believed in for as long as I can remember? A world that lives within it's own means and provides for all, regardless of race, creed, colour or status.

Recently the more I read the more I see the immoral taking control of this Green Revolution. Investors and cowboys making quick bucks from an emerging market.

We need to be sure what we want? If we want long term change for all, we need to step back and look at how we go about it. If each community starts to embrace this idea we can protect against the corrupt world we have now. Failing to do so will see the power held by fewer and fewer people for the detriment of more and more.

Let's get fairer and not let the cash cow cloud the reality.

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Before we get Green we Need to get Stable

Days of reading about sovereign debt crises, and the near apocalyptic impact that a Greek default will have on the global markets, leaves you in a sombre mood.

As we look forward to sustainability as a nice "Green" necessity there is a crying urge to create stability in financial markets. This needs to be focused on longevity and a new future not a return to short term profiteering.

This again raises the question, what does the future look like? Policy and politics needs a rethink. Think long term. The future is beyond the next political cycle. It is beyond the next economic cycle, but creating a stable global economy for all. Forget poverty and wealth, lets look at social values. What matters to people.

For too long we have forgotten people. The power and strength of the individual.

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When the dust has settled...

Last week saw backlash and anger and now the courts have done their processing we may start to move forward.

For all the conversations around punishment and causes and a break down in Society there seems to me to be an elephant in the room. That elephant is the whole of society. Not just a hand full of poor neighbourhoods in a hand full of cities, but the wealthy and privileged are just as much to blame as those committing the violence. Me included and I would never class my self as privileged.

We live in a society driven by consumerism. Our economic growth over the last 20 years has been driven by the expanding middle class spending. Borrowing rose to improve ones possession list. The latest phone, a newer car, the latest fashion, all things we aspire to. Even the most liberal will recognise the growth in local food shops and organic food. This may have an ethical angle but how much of the behaviour is driven by trend and fashion.

So there is a bit of the looter in all of us because we all want better. We all want to improve. Whilst for some of us we are supported and encouraged and shown the right way, some people are forgotten about and it is down to the strength of those individuals to bring themselves out of their predicament. Blame the moral compass but we need to look at where this is pointing. When all we hold dear is ithis and 3D that, there is an underlying problem.

If we want a sustainable society, we cannot all be equals and we need people to have aspirations. However these must be accessible for all. How many "self made millionaires" went to Oxbridge or Eton? How many went to University full stop? Then you look at both front benches in the house of commons. Does that seem a sensible balance?

We are not all the same and therefore what is right for me is not right for my neighbour. Before we decide how to make these communities safer, can we please sit down and listen to these communities instead of telling them what to do. Surely it is that attitude that started the problems.

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The Confusing Colour of Politics

Red is Socialism, Blue is Tory-ism, Yellow is Liberalism and Green is...

Green is bit of all three and then it's own as well.

I have been encouraged recently by such movements as Red Tory-ism and Blue Labour. This to me shows that these parties are realising after 50 years of hard liners and dogmatic principles that they might not be right. There may be a solution other than theirs.

This may be a result of the coalition, or a result of Blair dragging the Labour Party as far right as it ever has been. The question remains, will this continue. Can we coalesce in Politics in the UK. Can we live in an accepting and tolerant society that looks to make long term decisions for the greater good and not short term decisions for votes.

Whatever this will look like in the future it is clear that there will have to be Blue, Yellow, Red and more importantly Green. To make long term changes you need collective support. We cannot progress with minority leadership. a brief look at our train network and its awkward future highlights the matter perfectly.

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How Green is your Business?

Do you know do you care?

Is it about your logo or your practice areas? Is it how your employee's behave in the office?

Is it the way you are approaching new business ideas and opportunities?

In reality you probably don't have the time to lift your head off the desk and when you do, you ask yourself if it really matters.

Some of it won't matter today or next week. Some of it may stop you winning a new client. Eventually it will matter, but when is too late?

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