The fog of war

Against the backdrop of a chaotic 2025 from a domestic political perspective in the UK, no more so epitomised by Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, marching the British up the hill of rising income tax in November only to dysfunctionally bring them back down again before her damaging car crash of a Budget, the outlook for the… Continue reading The fog of war

What to think about AI?

There’s a big new kid on the block, well it has actually been around for years, that is machine learning, but it is going through the gears, backed up by trillions of dollars of cumulative current investment, especially so in the USA and China. Key players creating the current and next generations of AI are,… Continue reading What to think about AI?

Diet ‘suppressance’ has arrived in Britain…?

Rachel Reeves et al did their utmost to depress the British shopper to excellent effect through 2024 and 2025, manifested in low ongoing consumer confidence, which fed its way into rather subdued domestic consumer markets. The Treasury’s wholesale incompetence  was not the whole story, however, when it came to the what turned out to be… Continue reading Diet ‘suppressance’ has arrived in Britain…?

The paralysis of leadership failure.

It is quite hard not despair at the mismanagement of the UK, the foregone economic opportunities as a result of a UK Government under Sir Kier Starmer’s leadership that it is totally and utterly illiterate when it comes to the economy, and its most important components, entrepreneurs and firms, which make up markets. It is… Continue reading The paralysis of leadership failure.

What would nanny really think?

Grandma, Granny, Nan, Nanny, terms of endearment for, more often than not, wonderful people, who very frequently turn out to be the surrogate guardian of their children’s children, Are people of very responsible positions. And so it is unfortunate that ‘nanny’ is used as a rather pejorative term for when the State decides that most… Continue reading What would nanny really think?

Imagine.

Imagine a world, where the British Government was held in high regard by the UK’s food system. Such a thought seems more unachievable and fantastic than thinking there is no heaven above or hell below, above us only sky. It seems an age ago when amongst the true heroes of the United Kingdom were the… Continue reading Imagine.

Hope for the best…

As one ages it is hard not to think that the two hands of the clock whirl quicker and quicker. And so, with the arrival of September, meteorological autumn, British business braces itself for the next iteration of Labour’s economic policy. On the one hand, it seems that 2025 is passing in a flash, on… Continue reading Hope for the best…

Reeves, the conjurer, may be about to drop her balls

Rachel Reeves, the much-lampooned British Chancellor of the Exchequer, delivered a highly political spending review, which is rightly subject to scrutiny. Indeed, the post-match analysis has been more Roy Keane than Alan Shearer, with some of the most ardent critics of the Tories, such as Paul Johnson at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, basically eviscerating… Continue reading Reeves, the conjurer, may be about to drop her balls

Starmer’s trading places

Sir Kier Starmer has built up quite a few air miles in 2025, his position on the international stage looking more comfortable than it is at home not least as he seeks to manage the battle between Red Ange and Rachel from accounts, the latter now learning that bond and currency markets are quite important.… Continue reading Starmer’s trading places

The UK Food Security Scorecard – by Professor Christopher Elliott

When was the last time Britain fully self-sufficient in food production? This was actually over 200 years ago, around the turn of the 18th century. You could say these were the  ‘good old days’ but actually it was far from that.   Most working-class families struggled to afford a diet beyond bread, potatoes, and a bit… Continue reading The UK Food Security Scorecard – by Professor Christopher Elliott

Going to war?

Asda’s trading performance has been a concern for some time. Whilst it is all well and good to ship share to others for a period, it becomes a worry line if that negative momentum persists, like 3Y+, and deepens, not least because stabilisation becomes all the more challenging, potentially costly, and possibly contagious. Has such… Continue reading Going to war?

Bad diets, food affordability & substantive policy

The new Labour Government, genuinely perceived to be out of its depth after a quite uninspiring first six months or so in office, is at glacial pace starting to think about public health in terms of prevention and not cure. Such a view is welcome, if not a new one, and one senses that Health Minister… Continue reading Bad diets, food affordability & substantive policy