Brian Bollen's Blog

Studio apartment for sale in Wengen

For sale in Wengen, in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland's Bernese Oberland, a studio apartment in the middle of the ground floor of the Chalet Margaux, which sits in a tranquil part of the original village only a five-minute walk from the train station.

 

The worst fish and chips ever

This afternoon I experienced the worst fish and chips I have ever known, courtesy of the Marlin chippy on Watling Street West in Towcester.

The batter was like a brick. And once I had hacked my in I found there was hardly any fish inside. Completely tasteless. Ditto the chips. My wife and ate just enough to satisfy hunger, and agreed to give what was left to the ducks on the River Tove opposite.

Poor ducks.

Grenfell Tower, Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn

Words fail me in respect of this disaster. For want of a sprinkler system, and thanks to cladding which was known not only to burn but to burn fiercely, heaven knows how many people have died prematurely. Is there ANYONE in a position of authority in the UK who can actually demonstrate any competence in the performance of their job.

Speaking of which, is there no limit to the lack of human empathy in our 'dead woman walking' prime minister, Theresa May. The clothness of her ear is simply staggering. She goes to the scene of the disaster, but doesn't meet any of the people whose 'loved ones' have been, in effect, murdered. Unbelievable. Except that as far as she is concerned it is totally believable.

And maybe I am going soft, or even senile, but I find myself agreeing with Jeremy Corbyn. Seize the property of the immensely rich neighbours in South Kensington. Carpe domus!

Theresa May MUST be stopped

Theresa May and the Conservative & Unionist Party MUST be stopped from clinging to office by dint of striking an alliance with the DUP of Northern Ireland.

Memo to the BBC: Labour did NOT win the election

I watched Panorama on BBC One last night with a growing sense of bewilderment. Given the paean of praise being heaped upon Jeremy Corbyn, the current leader of the Labour Party, by his party, members of the public and the BBC itself, one might have thought he had led his party to a resounding triumph.

Er, well, I looked at the figures and they show that Labour has 56 fewer seats than the Conservative & Unionist Party. In what way is that a triumph?

Puzzled, of Towcester.

If I were Nicola Sturgeon

If I were Nicola Sturgeon I'd be feeling a bit wary today. Now that Wee Eck has lost his Westminster seat, is he more likely to fade out of the picture quietly or start interfering in Edinburgh? I suspect the latter.

Personality cult founders on lack of a personality

Theresa May’s decision to call an early election to capitalise on the Conservative party’s polling lead has backfired.  This is a truth that this morning is almost universally acknowledged, although Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was pushing it a bit with his claim that he had won the election.

One thing is certain about the UK general election

One thing is certain about the UK general election today. Whatever the result, campaigning for the NEXT general election will begin the instant the polls close tonight. We live in an age of non-stop electioneering in which the governance of the country for the benefit of those who live is mostly ignored in favour of campaigning.

It is exceedingly tiresome. 

FT free for secondary schools: this message just came in

Dear Brian, We are delighted to join forces with Lloyds Bank to introduce free FT.com access to all UK secondary schools and colleges from the start of the new academic term in September. Universities and employers are looking for students who are confident about their subject and can demonstrate a wider interest than the minimum required by the curriculum. A pilot initiative has shown that FT journalism can play a valuable part in building this deeper interest. We would be grateful if you could share this email with the leadership of UK secondary schools or colleges in your network and encourage them to register at ft.com/secondaryschools. Best regards, Caspar de Bono Managing Director, B2B

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Dark side of the Moon

Mint - Blain’s Morning Porridge

I find myself in something of a quandary this soggy morning. Racked with nagging doubt. Why?

Britain is no longer a civilised country

I expect vitriolic abuse for saying this, but by the standard laid down by Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, Britain is no longer a civilised country.

I heard Patten speak at an ICMA conference a number of years back, so many years back that I can't recall where it took place. London, maybe, or Stockholm.

He stated that unless a country enforces the rule of law, it cannot be regarded as civilised. A country in which the police force can act as judge, jury and executioner, and then be praised for their professionalism rather than called to account, is not enforcing the rule of law.

I am not saying whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. I'm a reporter rather than a commentator. I'm just pointing it out.

At the height of the IRA war against Britain, the late former prime minister Margaret Thatcher used to set great store (at least in her public utterances) by observing certain standards of behaviour. Shooting to kill terrorists meant that we would cede the moral high ground, and in effect be no better than them.

The shooting has begun.

If Theresa May was responsible...

If Theresa May as home secretary was responsible for the cutting of 20,000 police jobs, and if there is a proven link between those cuts and the events of the evening of June 3 in London, then Theresa May is responsible at least in part for those events.

If so, how can she be a credible prime minister?

Just a thought.

And doesn't she look tired?

The Exciting Trevor Brooking

I am currently reading My Life in Football by Trevor Brooking, of West Ham United and England football fame. His writing is nearly as exciting as his punditry and analysis.

It's often possible to judge the quality of a football biography by how long it takes to degenerate into a game-by-game account of the subject's career. Usually, this happens somewhere after halfway through. In this case, it starts on page two...

I do despair about the BBC

I do despair about the BBC, I really do. Listening to Radio Five Live this morning, and its cloyingly titled Marginal Mystery Tour series, I was struck by two things.

One, the description of Selsdon as being in Croydon Central.

Two, the claim that New Addington Bowling Club is a stone's throw from Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace Football Club.

We lived in Selsdon for nearly two years in the early 1980s. I can state with some confidence that the town is in fact in Croydon South. I can state with even greater confidence that whoever is throwing the stone must have superhuman strength as Selhurst Park is a good 20-minute drive away from New Addington.

(just checked with the AA road map; it is 5.3 miles from my former address in Selsdon to Selhurst Park, which the AA estimates will take 18 minutes)

 

Tin ears at the BBC

Honestly, you couldn't make it up. BBC Radio Five Live did a story this morning about how one of the relatives of a Manchester bomb victim is complaining about being harassed by journalists.

The BBC then followed that up by doing a piece interviewing relatives of other disaster victims about how it felt to be harassed by journalists...

 

Frick joins SFG board

Fiona Frick, Chief Executive Officer of Unigestion, the boutique asset manager that focuses on guiding its clients with risk-managed investment solutions, has been elected to the Board of Sustainable Finance Geneva (SFG).  

Naught shall make us rue...

Mint - Blain’s Morning Porridge – May 23rd 2017

Come the three corners of the world in arms, and we shall shock them. Naught shall make us rue, if England to itself do rest but true.

Blain scaring the horses

Mint - Blain’s Morning Porridge

Wow. My current bearishness got me well and truly bull-pimp slapped yesterday!

Mad philosophers

According to Arthur Schopenhauer, a lump of rock is an expression of will. What were these philosophers on?

There’s no use in a-crying

Mint - Blain’s Morning Porridge

This is the second morning in a row where my computer has decided to switch itself off midway through writing the Morning Porridge. Fortunately we have a great IT team, but even they weren’t quick enough to stop a mini-tantrum as the Blair/Hulk went loco..…

Signed Eric Idle Airdrie top

The latest in the line of celebrity-endorsed Airdrieonians shirts bears Eric Idle's signature: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371952568990?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649