Like him or loathe him, Alan Sugar never minces his words. Whether heading up BBC TV’s The Apprentice or acting as Gordon Brown’s business tsar, he always says what he thinks.
But was ‘Big Al’ (or Lord Sugar, as he is now known) justified in publicly dismissing owners of small struggling companies as ‘moaners’ who live in ‘Disney World’ when turned down for a bank loan – all at a time when ministers are putting pressure on banks to increase lending to small firms?
He claimed that only 15 per cent of companies turned down for a bank loan had anything to complain about. The multi-millionaire is quoted as saying that many of the ‘moaners’ were from firms that he ‘wouldn’t lend a penny to’, adding: “They are bust. The moaners are bust. They are bust and they don’t need a bank – they need an insolvency practitioner.”
Great words of comfort, indeed, for would-be (or even existing) entrepreneurs in a gloomy recession from a man picked by the Prime Minister to champion the cause of viable small businesses – the very lifeblood of this country! However, the problem here is the term ‘viable’, as without one or two cash injections from a bank, many small firms – which are now successful – would never have become viable in the first place.
It’s Catch 22. So maybe Lord Sugar should cast his mind back to when he was a struggling young entrepreneur and offer victims of this economic crisis a few words of advice and encouragement – sympathy, even (if that’s not a swear word in his vocabulary!) – instead of blasting them.
It’s hardly surprising that business leaders are now baying for his blood including chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses John Wright, who said: “We urge the Prime Minister to appoint someone with a greater understanding of the small business sector.”
And Lord Sugar’s reaction to the storm? Well, he maintains his words were taken out of context.
In any case, I just wonder if Mr Brown could ever muster up enough bottle to sack his business tsar in true Apprentice-style with those immortal words: “Alan, you’re fired”?!
Erm, highly unlikely methinks!
HOT DESTINATION
Fed up with the thought of a long cold winter? Want to go somewhere really hot with the added chance of unexpected excitement? Well, why not try Iraq (if you decide to ignore Foreign Office advice not to visit the country because of a high threat of terrorism and kidnapping, that is)?!
Yes, Iraq’s tourist board has decided it’s high time to start attracting holidaymakers back to experience what it describes as the nation’s unique charms. In fact a team of tourism representatives is due to arrive in London for next week’s World Travel Market exhibition to promote the country’s attractions, notably archaeological and Islamic sites.
Iraq’s popularity as a holiday destination declined when Saddam Hussein commenced hostilities with Iran in 1980 but there are now hopes to put it back on the tourism map, like other former war zones – Croatia and Vietnam, for example.
It will be interesting to see how Iraq’s tourist industry develops and I, for one, look forward to hearing the country being described as a holiday ‘hot spot’ for all the right reasons in coming years.
NAZI BLOCK
In the run-up to Remembrance Day on November 11 comes news from Braunau-am-Inn in Austria that the local council is to block the sale of the house where Adolf Hitler was born, in case it is bought by right-wing extremists and turned into a shrine to the Nazi leader.
Meanwhile, here in the UK some youngsters aged nine to 15 years do not really know who Hitler was, according to a poll focusing on World War 1 and 2 by the war veterans’ charity, Erskine.
Out of 2,000 children, more than 100 thought Adolf was the manager of Germany’s football team, 40 per cent did not know the date of Remembrance Day and 12 per cent thought its symbol was the golden arches of McDonald’s, not the poppy.
Other, more chilling misconceptions: Auschwitz was a World War 2 theme park, the Holocaust was the name of the celebration at the end of war and the initials SS stood for Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven.
Perhaps modern history should be brought even more to the fore in our educational establishments, ‘Lest We Forget’.
HIGH DRAMA
A civilian passenger in a military training aircraft brought a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘flying by the seat of your pants’ when he accidentally activated the ejector seat.
The unnamed – and possibly unauthorised occupant – was blasted 350 ft through the Perspex canopy of the single engine Pilatus PC-7 Mk ll aircraft while Captain Gerhard Lourens, an experienced member of the South African Air Force Silver Falcons display team, was at the controls.
Fortunately, the civilian was none the worse for his traumatic experience and landed safely near Langebaanweg air base, 80 miles north of Cape Town – thanks to the ejector seat’s parachute, which opened automatically.
But it’s not such good news for Capt Lourens. A South African Air Force spokesman confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the whole incident.
So, for Capt Lourens that could mean from high flyer to high jump, if you see what I mean.
ACCENT ON REALITY
I am really sorry, but with the best will in the world I just cannot believe that the Irish get the nod over the French when it comes to sexy accents (to be sure)!
But, hey-ho, there you go – the Emerald Isle brogue apparently topped a OnePoll.com survey of 5,000 women worldwide, consigning the French to a disappointing fourth place.
Interestingly, the Gauls’ fall from grace has been put firmly at the feet of President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has apparently upset his fellow countrymen by leering at women while married to Carla Bruni. This only goes to show that, surprisingly – no, unbelievably – Euro-standards are still alive and kicking!
Anyway, while I try to mask my horror of the English accent only achieving a very unsexy sixth place – yes, sixth place for heaven’s sake, three places behind the Scottish, but a gratifying three ahead of the Welsh – the Italian came a creditable second, Australian fifth, Swedish seventh, Spanish eighth and American, a well-deserved, tenth!
The survey also showed that six in ten women had succumbed to seduction because of an accent, while four out ten said they would rather go to bed with a man who had a nice accent, not a gruff one.
Well, don’t just sit there. Hand me the Yellow Pages to book elocution lessons in soft Irish brogue, then!
Oh, all-right. Only joking – I’m happy as I am, thanks!
Have a great weekend.
Stephen Isabirye
4 months, 1 week ago
It is a pity that a considerable amount of kids in Britain equate Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven with Nazi bodyguards. Maybe my book on Enid Blyton, titled, The Famous Five:A Personal Anecdotage will set the record straight for them.
Stephen Isabirye