Best Of

Before the 24 election Chef Tom Kerridge signed an open letter endorsing a prospective Labour govt.

Fast forward nearly two years and it’s worlds smallest violin time. He got what he wanted. Surely he can live with it.

‘ Kerridge, whose site, The Hand & Flowers, was the first gastropub in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars, said most of his businesses were ‘sat still or losing money’ as his margins have been ‘completely eroded’ by Government hikes.’

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-15858811/Top-chefs-call-VAT-cut-hospitality-industry-battles-survival.html

Not sure any of us - even those who didn't vote for Starmer - were aware of just how disastrous his Government was going to be for small and medium businesses. If the Tories had had a crystal ball and had predicted this level of vindictive incompetence we would all have accused them of jumping the shark.

The Blair-Brown government was pretty disastrous for large parts of small business, manufacturing and private sector pensions.

And it was no shock that the new Labour MPs would have limited empathy for anyone beyond the public sector and welfare claimants.

Which is why I don't share the anger many have toward Starmer and his government.

They have lived down to my expectations, the only surprise being how sleazy they have become and how quickly.

My wife is a woman of many and extraordinary talents.

However, reeling in a 45m extension cable is so not one of them....

"I can help!"

"NO! Go at least 60m away and let me swear - a lot - as I try to work out what the hell you have done..."

You don't have household staff for this?

Pro tip, be crap at manual labour and none of your family or friends will ask you to do anything like this.

My wife, declared with a friend that they would build the a dolls house for one of my daughter (big wooden kit thing).

I returned a little later to see them using a wood chisel as a screwdriver. A very high quality wood chisel. I said nothing.

I have always been very practical on DIY and repairs to our home, but sadly I cannot go up ladders anymore, lift anything, bend or even walk much and the frustration is huge as I see all these jobs I know how to do but cannot do physically

By the time I was 14 I had built 11canoes and 2 sailing dinghies, all of which under the wonderful guidance of my late father

The frustration is magnified by the reluctance of tradespeople to take on board small jobs as they simply do not want them

Before the 24 election Chef Tom Kerridge signed an open letter endorsing a prospective Labour govt.

Fast forward nearly two years and it’s worlds smallest violin time. He got what he wanted. Surely he can live with it.

‘ Kerridge, whose site, The Hand & Flowers, was the first gastropub in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars, said most of his businesses were ‘sat still or losing money’ as his margins have been ‘completely eroded’ by Government hikes.’

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-15858811/Top-chefs-call-VAT-cut-hospitality-industry-battles-survival.html

Not sure any of us - even those who didn't vote for Starmer - were aware of just how disastrous his Government was going to be for small and medium businesses. If the Tories had had a crystal ball and had predicted this level of vindictive incompetence we would all have accused them of jumping the shark.

It's not vindictiveness. It's the attitude of mind that business should support increased costs and taxes, because that is what the Government wants. As expressed by the supporters of the government - "if they can't survive the costs and taxes, then they are zombie business and not worth saving anyway".

To my mind that is in every way vindictive. We don't understand what you do, nor do we like you. Your only purpose is to provide us with taxation and therefore, if you can't provide the tax revenue we demand, we will drive you out of business.

I think it simpler than that. Not extending covid reliefs for business was in existing budgets, and there were manifesto pledges against raising VAT, Income tax, employees NI etc, and for the minimim wage and Triple Lock. Pretty stupid commitments as I have said many times, but there they were. So that limits what taxes could go up.

So not vindictive or anti-business but just painting themselves into a corner with the Ming Vase Strategy.

My wife is a woman of many and extraordinary talents.

However, reeling in a 45m extension cable is so not one of them....

"I can help!"

"NO! Go at least 60m away and let me swear - a lot - as I try to work out what the hell you have done..."

You don't have household staff for this?

Pro tip, be crap at manual labour and none of your family or friends will ask you to do anything like this.

My attempts at DIY are legendary throughout the family so I am never asked to do anything more complicated than get a stiff lid off a jar (which has been known to cause spectacular spillage).

I think the only thing I can do is put a switch back in the right place on the fuse board (oh and call Homeserve).

It's weird, my father is good at the DIY/fixing things, so are my kids.

Before the 24 election Chef Tom Kerridge signed an open letter endorsing a prospective Labour govt.

Fast forward nearly two years and it’s worlds smallest violin time. He got what he wanted. Surely he can live with it.

‘ Kerridge, whose site, The Hand & Flowers, was the first gastropub in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars, said most of his businesses were ‘sat still or losing money’ as his margins have been ‘completely eroded’ by Government hikes.’

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-15858811/Top-chefs-call-VAT-cut-hospitality-industry-battles-survival.html

Not sure any of us - even those who didn't vote for Starmer - were aware of just how disastrous his Government was going to be for small and medium businesses. If the Tories had had a crystal ball and had predicted this level of vindictive incompetence we would all have accused them of jumping the shark.

It's not vindictiveness. It's the attitude of mind that business should support increased costs and taxes, because that is what the Government wants. As expressed by the supporters of the government - "if they can't survive the costs and taxes, then they are zombie business and not worth saving anyway".

To my mind that is in every way vindictive. We don't understand what you do, nor do we like you. Your only purpose is to provide us with taxation and therefore, if you can't provide the tax revenue we demand, we will drive you out of business.

Before the 24 election Chef Tom Kerridge signed an open letter endorsing a prospective Labour govt.

Fast forward nearly two years and it’s worlds smallest violin time. He got what he wanted. Surely he can live with it.

‘ Kerridge, whose site, The Hand & Flowers, was the first gastropub in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars, said most of his businesses were ‘sat still or losing money’ as his margins have been ‘completely eroded’ by Government hikes.’

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-15858811/Top-chefs-call-VAT-cut-hospitality-industry-battles-survival.html

Not sure any of us - even those who didn't vote for Starmer - were aware of just how disastrous his Government was going to be for small and medium businesses. If the Tories had had a crystal ball and had predicted this level of vindictive incompetence we would all have accused them of jumping the shark.

It's not vindictiveness. It's the attitude of mind that business should support increased costs and taxes, because that is what the Government wants. As expressed by the supporters of the government - "if they can't survive the costs and taxes, then they are zombie business and not worth saving anyway".

To my mind that is in every way vindictive. We don't understand what you do, nor do we like you. Your only purpose is to provide us with taxation and therefore, if you can't provide the tax revenue we demand, we will drive you out of business.

It lacks the malice.

You talk to people who believe this - that "Big Business" has infinite funds that should be used for "Schools n' Hospitals"

The general issue is that they have no idea of cost structure, margins or any of the basics of running a business.

I suggested, a while back that a map of the country, giving the basic cost of a shop just existing (just providing a table, chair, Wifi and a glass of water) might be instructive. When you present this to believers in the Business Magic Money Tree, they are generally startled.