Re-announcing old news

What is it about Gordon Brown and Alan Sugar?

Two years ago Sugar became a member of a council of senior business figures Gordon Brown brought together to advise him as prime minister.

The Business Council for Britain has apparently met just twice in Oct 07 and July 08. If it´s met more than that then its website hosted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (formerly BERR) is keeping that quiet.

Now, Sugar has been appointed as the Government's Enterprise Champion - whatever that is.

Politics of fear

The election of two BNP members to the European Parliament has caused lots of handwringing among the political classes. But surely if democracy is to mean anything then it has to be how we represent voices we disagree with.

Interesting piece in the Guardian, though.

Thanks to presseurop.eu for putting that my way.

Hundal´s commentary is a much better way of looking at things than the egg throwing adopted by protestors (the same ones who abhor police violence and cherish free speech?) outside parliament yesterday.

London Superbowl

After the Olympics, could London host that quintessential US event the Superbowl?

Visit London, has told the BBC it is pursuing a long-term ambition to bring the Super Bowl to the city. I just hope that it´s worth it for us.

Visit London estimate that last year´s NFL match at Wembley brought about £20m to the city with 7,000 team employees, sponsors and their guests crossing the Atlantic.

As 83,000 people were at the game were the rest Londoners, ex-pat Americans in the city taking the opportunity to see what is still a peculiarly national sport compared to the global appeal of football - with no benefit for the city´s economy.


FIFA claimed an audience of 26.3 billion for the 2006 World Cup, broadcast in 214 countries and territories. 90% of Super Bowl viewers are from the U.S. Personally, I think that this idea has got as much hope of globalising American football as taking the World Cup to the states in 1994 had of encouraging football over there. Whether it happens or not, I hope that Visit London have more original thinking as well.