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Finally it seems that Corporate world has realised that they can’t go on and on taking huge bonuses whilst average Joe in the street suffers. Who’s next in line for a reality check?

Surely overpaid, primadonna football players?

Kickoff – 16:00 (21:30 IST), 22nd January 2012

Sunday, finally. Arsenal vs Manchester United. Couldn’t ask for anything more.

A week, that has been filled with turmoil for Arsenal, can end on the most positive of notes, with a win over our fiercest rivals in the Premier League era, Manchester United.

Turmoil, which was brewed due to a second successive league defeat at Swansea. The defeat sparked comments from the  chairman Peter Hill-Wood, who even went to the extent of saying that not qualifying for the Champions League, would be bad, but it won’t be a disaster. Of course, being a chairman, of one of the most succesfull financial models, in terms of football, in the world, he does have a point. But, football wise it would be a disaster for the club. It could mean the £30 million we get from qualifying would be considerably reduced. And, apart from that it could mean a mass exodus. Something, that could be lead by the best player we have, Robin van Persie. van Persie has spent his best years at Arsenal. And, he has another 5-6 seasons more. A move at this point of his career would be his last. Would he follow the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, or more evidently, Thierry Henry, who decided, and rightly so, that nothing would be won with kids for the next 3-4 years, and moved on to Barcelona, where he was met with a barrage of silverware. Theo Walcott, also, at the end of the season will be in the same situation as Samir Nasri was in the summer. Would Arsenal bank on his transfer or keep him for another season. These are all questions that would ring in your mind, while contemplating a 5th placed finish.

Arsene Wenger vehemently insists that his sole aim this season is to secure a place in next Year’s Champions League.

“For me it would be [a disaster] because I want to play with the best,We want to be in there, in the top four, and to play in the Champions League. Anything else would not be good enough.”

Does this season draw parallel to one of our past seasons? Yes, it does. Everyone remembers the last season at Highbury, where Arsenal, in 5th place all season, needed to beat Wigan 4-2 and a little help from West Ham, who obliged through none other than Yossi Benayoun, to beat Spurs and snatch 4th spot from right under their noses. That season, we made it to the final of the Champions League, beating the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal, on the way

This season seems like a rerun of that. Of course, without the enormous sums of money dropping in the blue half of Manchester. Anyways, that season, Spurs had their shortest season ever. They lost to Grimsby in the League Cup 2nd Round, while losing to Leicester City in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup, meaning they had only 40 games to play that season. On the other side, an injury-riddled Arsenal side played 13 games en route to the Champions League final, plus some more as we went all the way to the semi-finals of the League Cup. At defence, we had players suffering horrendous injuries. Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Lauren, Gael Clichy, Pascal Cygan, Sebastien Larssonn (who played left-back a few games) were all injured for vast majority of the season. A makeshift defence, comprising Ivorian doggedness in Eboue and Toure, a Swiss brick wall in Senderos,  French tiger in Mathieu Flamini, and an angry old German Jens Lehmann,managed to keep at bay, the biggest teams in Europe.

This season, has been quite the same. While Spurs have displayed little or no interest in the Europa League, by giving their reserves a run in far-flung Europe, they have been high-flying in the league. And, Arsenal have suffered a spate of injuries to their backline. Jenkinson, Sagna, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Santos and Coquelin are all cramping for space in an over-crowded medical room. We are in the Champions League Round of 16, facing a mountain to climb against AC Milan, and in 5th place, with another peak to conquer to finish in the top 4.

And, the fight for exactly, that, starts today with the visit of Manchester United who brandished the Gunners to a humiliating 8-2 defeat in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford. A win here can really kickstart things for the club for the remainder of the season, and help wipe out memories of that horrible afternoon. It can rejuvenate the fans into believing the team again, which just goes to show how a win over your rivals can change your mentality.

Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney, both have rejected talk of ‘revenge’. He has suggested that it has probably been forgotten by Wenger, because since then the Gunners have picked up quite considerably. He is expecting a difficult trip to North London. Wayne Rooney, has stated that Arsenal can go on and win the league this year. (Fat chance, that). He has also dismissed talk saying it is a head-to head battle between him and van Persie, saying the team that plays better will come tops come Sunday.

Past encounters between the teams have been feisty, with occasional handbags. It all started in a league encounter at Old Trafford, when Dennis Irwin kicked Arsenal’s Swede Anders Limpar, and went unpunished. This sparked a brawl between the two teams, and Arsenal were subsequently docked 2 points. However, they went on to win the match and the league. With the arrival of Arsene Wenger in 1996, heralded a new rivalry. He captured the league and cup double in 1997/98, before Ferguson replied with 3 back to back titles, including a treble. Wenger went on two more league titles, in 01/02 and 03/04, with several fiery tussles with the Scot. Everyone remembers Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane having a go at each other, and Martin Keown screaming into the ears of Ruud van Nistelrooy. Who can forget the pizzagate scandal, where Fabregas supposedly threw a pizza at Ferguson, and the tunnel blowout between Vieira and Keane.

They started it all!

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has been quietly confident about Sunday’s game, stating that memories of Old Trafford won’t be lingering around. He still feels that the intensity in Arsenal-United is as strong as ever, even though, it has quite visibly calmed down in recent years. Both managers agreed, this has been the toughest season in the Premier League, so far with all the top teams having a go at the title. While it was an Arsenal-United hierarchy few years back, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham have all staked their challenges, with money being invested in refurbishment of squads.

Team news, then. Both teams are going through a rough patch with injuries. While Arsenal have Fabianski, Sagna, Jenkinson, Santos, Gibbs, Vermaelen, Coquelin, Diaby, Wilshere, Arteta, Henry all injured, and Gervinho and Chamakh at the Africa Cup of Nations; Manchester United are without Fletcher, Vidic, Young, Anderson, Owen and Cleverley. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have recovered, while Henry and Vermaelen face late fitness tests. Mikel Arteta will be sorely missed, as was shown in the Swansea match, where the Welsh team edged the Gunners in possession. Tomas Rosicky or Yossi Bennayoun could be given a starting place. Andriy Arshavin looks to continue on the left, unless Wenger decides to surprise everyone and start off with the electric Oxlade-Chamberlain. Some more injuries and soon we could have Charlie George and Frank McLintock on the roster.

Fancy a comeback, eh?

Arshavin has been average in the past few games, and unless he can fashion something extraordinary before Gervinho returns from his African adventure, it could signal the end of the Russian’s spell at the club. Walcott’s excessive wage demands have come at the wrong time for the winger, as his on-pitch form has been dissapointing. Should Vermaelen return, it would be a terrific boost for Arsenal, strengthening their defence vastly. While Robin van Persie has been terrific all season, Aaron Ramsey’s season has been mixed. But, the young Welshman scored the winner last time around in the same fixture.

Manchester United, have bounced back from successive league defeats to Blackburn and Newcastle, overcoming neighbours Manchester City and Bolton in the FA Cup and league respectively. One of their most underrated players has been Antonio Valencia. The Ecuadorian has been scintillating on the right flank. While David de Gea has flopped, Phil Jones has been a revelation since his summer transfer from Blackburn.

Most Probable Lineups..

The return of Paul Scholes has coincided with that of Thierry Henry, and despite the fierce rivalry between the sides, in their heyday, they have maintained the utmost respect for each other, with Henry praising the Englishman as one of the best midfielders he has ever seen.

Returning stalwarts!

Meanwhile, in yesterday’s fixtures, Chelsea have dropped points away to Norwich City, meaning the gap can be closed to 2 points with a win over United, making this game all the more a ‘must-win’. Fergie will have his own worries, should Manchester City beat Tottenham in the earlier game and make the gap between them 6 points. At this stage of the season, every point is decisive.

Again, I end on a positive note. Exactly, 5 years back, on January 21, 2007, Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry scored 2 late goals to seal a win over Manchester United in the league. Will it happen again? I certainly hope so!

Jai Arsenal

I’ll go there. Ever wonder what the rest of the world thinks of us? Here it is… Are Americans that retarded? Must be a country full of short buss riding welfare recipients right? And don’t forget their Dogs, the Military. Boy those guys will do anything for a buck right? It’s no wonder the VA’s PTSD Claims Up 125 Percent and the Backlog Keeps Growing. Link: http://homepost.kpbs.org/2010/12/vas-ptsd-claims-up-125-percent-backlog-continues-to-grow/

Herman Cain is not an honest man. Just look at the guy. That devilish look in his face, his past experience of slurping the scum off the corporate ladder, like a suckerfish cleans a fish tank. What a hack. And with the name Cain, I wouldn’t turn your back.

Lets talk about Herman Cain’s plan, the 999 Plan. Obviously in order to decipher politician, we have to flip everything upside down and backwards before it makes sense. Logically we get Cain’s 666 Plan. Now I don’t know if any of you follow numerology or occult symbolism, but when we have an evil looking fraud bearing the name Cain and sporting an upside down 666, my mental referee throws a few flags out there on the field for me. But that’s just me. Most people don’t dabble in either of those subjects, numerology or scripture and I’m not hear to force either of those down your throat.

We shall move on to the more provable, evidence based arguments. Herman Cain was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Lets examine his campaign contributers shall we? First we’ll start with the Federal Reserve. He’s obviously proved his loyalty to assume such a high profile position within their private banking cartel. He obviously wouldn’t be running for president had he not risen to his previous position within the Federal Reserve. So we’ll list them as his top contributer.

Since the Federal Reserve controls the money supply in this country, they’ve obviously been cooking their books, and Herman has proven through service that he is loyal to them, what is he going to change again? That’s right… Nothing. The monetary policy of a country is what controls the economy. Our country’s policy is dictated by people you’ve never heard of. Obama? Bush? Obviously evil henchmen, but in control? I think not. Just a jive talking pretty face and a willingness to trade their souls to be exalted ruler for the day.

Take a good look at our previous class acts as president. Bush is smart enough to play dumb and Obama is the slickest car salesman money could buy. One awarded collectively all the military contracts for two wars over a decade to all his buddies and the other is wall street’s bitch. If our country isn’t out of control at this point, all we need is a Herman Cain to point the lemmings to the cliff.

I’d put my faith in Cain to print the crap out of some more money. I bet he’s got friends who could use the business in the downed economy. As if inflation isn’t already running away on us, we should fund widening the grand canyon so all the lemmings will fit. Wouldn’t want to spend extra putting survivors out of their misery right?

The rise of social media and round-the-clock reporting mean there is an ever-present, braying audience for bad news and PR gaffs. Paul Drechsler, Chairman and CEO of the building and construction company, Wates Group, says: “It isn’t that trust and reputation are more important today than they were before – it is that [business leaders] are more vulnerable in today’s world. I say to my colleagues in Wates that my number one concern is that, through their actions and behaviours, a brand and reputation that took 140 years to build up, could be destroyed in an instant.”

It’s all too easy to send the wrong message. The experience of Tony Hayward at BP following the Gulf oil crisis demonstrates how a  mighty corporation can be brought to its knees by an accident and subsequent mishandled communications. Graham Mackay, Chief Executive of drinks company SABMiller, says, “Businesses are much more like open democracies. People expect to be communicated to … and see themselves as part of a democracy where they consent to being led. As well as the need to communicate more with employees, there is increased regulatory scrutiny, the rise of global NGOs and 24/7 media. You have to represent yourself and explain your company and your actions all the time.”

In the spotlight 

There’s no ‘off switch’ or downtime for the leaders of the UK’s business community. Kevin Murray, Chairman of PR firm Bell Pottinger, says, “Good leaders steer organisations to success by inspiring and motivating followers, by providing a moral compass for employees to set direction and by communicating a compelling vision the future.”

In other words, communication is a key weapon in a modern CEO’s armoury. Sir Stuart Rose, former Executive Chairman of retailer Marks & Spencer and current Non-executive Director of Land Securities Group plc, says that “for a business leader, building reputation and trust IS the day job, which makes communication the day job too”. It’s a point taken up by Jeremy Darroch, Chief Executive of media giant BSkyB: “Organisations that aspire to long-term success have got to have trust as an important part of their agenda. You never trust somebody you don’t know, whose motives you don’t understand. So, as a leader, you have to give people inside and outside the company a sense of who you are, and what you stand for. That’s what will help people decide whether they are willing to trust you.”

High stakes

Companies are expected to communicate well and properly engage with consumers and clients like never before. John Connolly, Former Senior Partner & UK CEO of Big Four firm Deloitte, says, “I believe that we have come to a stage where we have now to imagine a new definition of the purpose of business. What is it for? How does it make a positive contribution? There has to be more of a focus on long-term sustainable success rather than just short-term gain. It is only if you think long-term that you build more value in your business. You cannot sustain your business in an environment, either social or physical, that does not have a future.”

Jeremy adds, “You’ve got to make sure that your mission and values are relevant to a broad range of audiences, and that they understand your endeavours are making a contribution beyond the narrow profit of your business. What is good for you as a business is generally good for others too, whether you are a partner, an employee, or a customer. So you have to be prepared to stand up and explain why your success is good for all of those people.”

If managed correctly, this transparency and openness presents a fantastic opportunity for businesses to get closer to their core markets. Dame Amelia Fawcett, Chair of the Guardian Media Group, says, “Most communications are just not fit for purpose in the Facebook, Twitter, blog and 24/7 news world. News is now being produced by professionals and non-professionals working together – in what we call the mutualisation of news. One correspondent on the Guardian has a following on her blog of 750,000 people; The Guardian has a circulation of 365,000. If you know how to engage with that sort of network it can be very powerful.”

For Sir Stuart, CEOs and non-executive directors should be proactive in explaining how trade and commerce are positive forces for society. “I think it is beholden on business leaders to spend time in educational establishments, especially schools, and explain to children that work is not a bad place and that, unless they are unusual, they are going to spend 30 years or more in work. One of the downsides of the financial crisis is that there is now a feeling in schools that the creation of wealth is a bad thing.

“We’ve got an obligation to explain to the community at large that business growth is good, otherwise we wouldn’t have roads, universities, trains, planes, and all the other infrastructure we need. People need to understand that the Government  is spending the money that business makes. This is hugely important and I’ve been quite vociferous about it.”

Jeremy agrees. “There is no use in doing a lot of good and then not communicating it. Business has got to get itself on the front foot. Leaders have got to start laying out the positive case for business and private enterprise in a much more compelling way.”

Silence and a hands-off approach won’t be tolerated any longer. But every communication needs to be carefully weighed-up and balanced as nobody wants to suffer the merciless consequences of ‘doing a Ratner’ in the digital age.

This Update has been inspired by the content of a new book on leadership by Kevin Murray. The book, which is due to be published in November, is entitled ‘The Language of Leaders.’ You can find out more by clicking here (enter ‘Language of Leaders’ into the search facility). A supporting article is alsoavailable here.

Please get in touch if you have any comments about the issues raised here.

I hope to see you soon

Matthew

www.twitter.com/criticaleyeuk

In a recent Chairman’s Lunch hosted by Criticaleye, Leslie Van de Walle, Criticaleye Associate and Chairman of building material company SIG plc, reflected on his first 100 days as chairman and outlined the following as crucial for success:

• Build relationships – with all stakeholders, but particularly with the CEO and shareholders
• Understand the business – the financials, culture and industry competitors
• Set the tone – outline your objectives, what should stay the same and what could be improved
• Be ready for anything – your broad experience should always enable you to improvise

For any chairman, the relationship with the CEO is the lynchpin for the success of the business. The chairman should assess whether the CEO lacks experience in a particular field of expertise and add value by plugging those gaps with his/her own experience.

Simon Laffin, Independent NED of market research business Aegis Group plc, says: “The new chairman’s most important task is to establish the relationship with the CEO. The CEO will worry that the chairman will interfere too much, and the new chairman will want reassurance that the CEO won’t give him any nasty surprises. It’s a bit like an arranged marriage. Both parties are chosen by others, but you’ve still got to live together.”

Ian Durant, Chairman of real estate firm, Capital & Counties Properties plc (Capco), adds: “Within the initial months, the chairman can encourage informal communication among directors, including NED interaction with management and, crucially, establish their relationship with the chief executive informally.”

Only fools rush in

While ‘100 days’ may seem a little arbitrary, it will be an important period for the chairman to take stock. It will give them time to get to know the executives, to find out not only how they can best support them, but also to challenge them on all areas of the business. This should also be time enough to engage the board’s non-executives to understand what they like about the company and what they want to change.

Sir Peter Mason, Chairman of Thames Water Utilities Ltd and Senior Independent Director at BAE Systems plc, says: “Spend as much time as possible with senior executives, both on a one-to-one and a group basis. This will help you to form an early view of the skills and experience around the boardroom table and enable you to begin to think of first steps in board succession, even in those first few months. You should also develop an understanding of the risks inherent in the business.”

Rick Haythornthwaite, Non-executive Chairman of MasterCard Inc and Network Rail Ltd, suggests informal meetings might aid the bonding process. “Get to know the NEDs, in particular their style and experience,” he says. “They will be wary of your arrival so decide early whether there is a need for change and get on with it – the sooner that you get to a stable board the better. Establish NED dinners if they do not exist and put a date in the diary to meet the board with partners in a social setting. Both steps deepen relationships quicker and make for better dialogues.”

But to gauge what kind of board has really been inherited, the chairman can always hold a board strategy day, as Alison Carnwath, Chairman of commercial property company Land Securities plc, explains: “Once you have spent time with the CEO and other senior management and talked to shareholders, you should assess your board and begin to form a view of what the critical short to medium-term challenges are. Holding a board strategy day is one way of bringing this all together.”

Explain your raison d’être

Fundamentally, you should be clear about your objectives as incoming chairman. “It’s important for the chairman to set the tone,” says Leslie. “Show that you are keen to understand the business and its culture but also communicate clearly the areas that you want to focus on. In doing so, for a medium-sized company, you should also keep in mind the need to balance the level of entrepreneurial flair on the board with the need for corporate strategising.”

Ian says: “Establish a simple articulation of what you want to achieve as chairman. You should lead a debate among the directors about what culture and tone the board wants to achieve for the company and its board and identify any governance black holes ahead.”

Expect the unexpected

Before the chairman embarks on the first 100 days, there are certain things he/she should already know and be prepared for: if they are joining a distressed business, for example, those initial three or so months might require a more direct, forceful approach.

Steve Marshall, Chairman of construction and engineering services company Balfour Beatty plc, says: “The default setting for the role of the chairman, as dictated by UK Corporate Governance, is one of a back-seat facilitator. In reality, the scope of the role does vary and much depends on the personality of the CEO, the specific nature of the company and its relative health. In a turnaround, for example, you’ll have to step-in and be more hands-on.”

Martin Bloom, Non-executive Chairman of the renewable energy venture Renesola Ltd, adds: “Outside factors will influence your relative success at being adaptable. Whether it’s changing risk profiles from earthquakes or volcanic ash or other external influences that require the board to refocus strategy or personnel, the business you came into at the start of your tenure as chairman is bound to change significantly, sometimes in those first 100 days. The chairman should always be aware of the need to improvise and this is where their broad range of experience in different countries, sectors and specialisms can add real value.”

In short, the role is also about being able to handle surprises confidently, as Steve says: “Stay completely balanced at the back of your corporate toboggan wherever possible, but always be prepared to redistribute your weight from one side to the other very quickly indeed.”

Please get in touch if you have any comments about the issues raised here.

I hope to see you soon

Matthew

www.twitter.com/criticaleyeuk

It’s not often I will get off my virtual soapbox and approach a topic that has a commercial aspect to it but as a former president and director of a public company, this is a topic that I am very passionate about. My favorite subject in the whole world is board leadership, particularly the relationship between the CEO and the non-exec chairman or lead director. As I have stated many times in this blog, on our “This Week in the Boardroom” webshow, and in speeches across the country, I believe the most important but least-discussed CEO skill set is guiding or managing the board. Now I know this will have the hair stand up on the back of the necks of many governance purists, but for me, nirvana is when the CEO and chairman/lead director can blend their board leadership skill sets, each providing the board what it needs to be a great company and build shareholder value. Having said that, I recognize the risk of a CEO becoming too imperial and manipulating the board, and I equally recognize the risk and challenge of making sure you have selected the right CEO to lead the company. But when those duties and skill sets come together and when trust, information flow, and healthy questioning resulting in great products and/or services creates maximum shareholder value, it is quite a sight and feeling to behold.

Two years ago after Corporate Board Member had successfully launched its chairman/lead director peer exchanges as part of its bigger Peer Exchange Program, it came to me that we were missing the opportunity of showcasing how various company boards and executives have accomplished this quest. While not every scenario has turned out perfect , and there are many unique aspects to each companies chairman/CEO relationship, I recognized that there is plenty for CEOs and board chairs to learn from each other about how certain companies and teams have “gotten over this hump.”

Last year this premonition resulted in our first Chairman/CEO Peer Forum, where chief executives, chairs, and lead directors heard from other teams of CEO/Chairmen/Lead Directors. These individuals spoke about their tricks of the trade and then divided into small groups to discuss specific challenges and solutions. I knew when I led our opening discussion with then-Reynolds American CEO Susan Ivey and lead director Thomas Wajnert on the topic of how they had developed as a team that we had something of value for our larger board audience. I couldn’t wait to meet with our education group to help put this year’s event together. And it’s turned into an amazing agenda—one that provides valuable takeaways for every company mover and shaker. (continue reading… )

Is this site an anathema to footballing heritage?

Our guest writer Kevin Crowe takes a look at what a football stadium really means to fans, and what it means to club chairmen.

The weekend pilgrimage to your clubs home ground is being eroded by the need to sell as many seats as possible.

Footballing boardrooms across London have left supporters questioning the very nature of their obsession in recent weeks. We’re told Tottenham Hotspur are keen to move out of Tottenham, while south of the river Crystal Palace FC are talking about moving house too, to Crystal Palace of all places.  If our ancestors taught us anything – in their songs, their tattoos, and the middle names of their children – it is that the location of the home ground is vital to the identity of the football club.  The sentiment soaked roots that bind the bricks and mortar of a stadium to its community are the only thing distinguishing our football clubs from any other kind of business.

For the most part, the game of football exists in two states.  We’re either at home, or we’re away.  Being one or the other on any given day effects the way all of us involved in the game feel and behave.  On the pitch, the Maldini-esque display of your left-back on home soil the previous week, will gleefully transform into the whack-it-long-at-every-opportunity mentality of the park player, such is the altered expectation of an away ground.  On the terraces, in outpourings of civic pride, fans on an away-day declare their home “won-der-ful” before proclaiming aloud the abundance of female body parts available in their corner of the city or county, like a pimp on a market stall.

The pilgrimage to your home ground is often compared to visiting church, with your team the religion.  In truth the experience is more akin to visiting the house you grew up in.  Whether it’s a familiar smell or the echoing rumble of the wooden stand when the home team win a corner, that feeling of belonging and of communal passed-time is the essence of football.  The knowledge that this feeling can be accessed every-other-week just by going to the ground has become a part of the identity of millions of men and women from Blackpool to Buenos Aries.

AFC Wimbledon

We can but speculate as to the whirling inner turmoil that rages in the belly and the mind of the MK Dons fan each week as he circles roundabout after roundabout en route the concrete monument to stolen identity that he calls home.  The lack of a proper home is surely what did-for Wimbledon in the end, it proved that football must exist in a place and a community for it to thrive and not just under a name (or heaven forbid, a brand).  Like the grown up children of a family no longer bound by a common address, the fan base drifted apart and grew too weak to resist the clutches of the franchise.

Real life and economics are the nemesis of the football romantic though.  While West Ham fans may cling to the imperfect surroundings of Upton Park just as the Spurs faithful talk up the magic of “the Lane”, football clubs are businesses, and for them to be able to compete and be sustainable many need to increase the capacity of their grounds.  In the same way that your mum will eventually turn your old bedroom into a little office or a gym, the old grounds will inevitably meet their practical end.

What Directors and Chairmen must understand however is that if a club is allowed to move outside of the area that it was born – away from the people that gave birth to it – for many of those men and women whose money oil the wheels of the modern game, the essence of that club will have gone.  And if the day has already come that football clubs are merely products – and the supporters, just consumers – then sooner or later we will all fail to see the point.

Mr Lee gave a welcome speech for the Korean Navy early on friday morning and had mentioned the envy for Wellington with the Wellington Regional Councils choice to purchase the new trains from Korea.

Click read more to be directed to the link of Mr Lee’s Speech and his comments on the Aucklands Trains. READ MORE.

- Juju Paraone

Whitireia Journalism

http://www.newswire.co.nz

Dear Freedom Seeker:

For a while there, it looked like you and I had him. Ben Bernanke’s back was to the wall, and he was being grilled by the Senate. His reconfirmation was anything but certain. In the end, he managed to squeak through. Nevertheless, we should be truly proud of what we accomplished. Fewer senators backed Bernanke’s reconfirmation than that of any other Fed Chair before. EVER. He was publicly shamed by your grassroots pressure.

You and I can’t let this public scrutiny go to waste! That’s why I need you to sign our petition demanding an up-or-down roll call vote on the Audit the Fed Bill IMMEDIATELY. But now we also face new challenges. Until this vote, Ben Bernanke and his Fed cronies were just laughing us off.

This was a real shot across the bow, and they got the message. Now, the Fed and their high-powered lobbyists are digging in. We have the momentum, but they won’t easily budge an inch. That’s why I hope you’ll sign the Senate “Audit the Fed NOW!” petition and also make a generous contribution to help Campaign for Liberty turn up the heat on our Senate targets and combat the Fed’s new lobbying counter-offensive.

They’ll be pulling out all the stops, calling in all their Senate favors and drumming up as much support as they can muster to derail our Audit the Fed freight train. Remember, the Fed was able to secure 99 out of 100 Senate votes for Bernanke’s first confirmation in 2006. So, they’ve had nearly the whole Senate in their pocket before.

But the recent vote clearly showed cracks in the armor, since 30 senators voted against Bernanke’s reconfirmation. Even though the Fed’s grip on the U.S. Senate is slipping, they’re not likely to let go without a fight. So now we need to push harder than ever before.

We can’t let up the pressure one bit, or the bankster lobbyists will convince Congress that our Audit movement was “just a fluke.” I couldn’t stand to see all our hard work go up in smoke. We need to show them we’re here to stay, and we mean business! So please, sign the petition I’ve linked below right away and make a generous $100, $50 or $25 contribution to C4L.

The Fed’s lobbyists will throw their weight around and try to pin back down Senators who’ve slipped out from under their thumb. The good news is it may be too late for that. After the grassroots OUTRAGE over Ben Bernanke’s reconfirmation, most senators are terrified their re-election bids will be D.O.A. if they’re seen backing the Fed now.

Just look at how Federal Reserve lackeys like Senators Chris Dodd and Evan Bayh are ducking out of their races. They read the handwriting on the wall and knew there was no way they could explain away their support for the Fed’s secret banking and currency devaluation.

They couldn’t survive the voters again, because the American people have wised up to the Fed’s destructive meddling. Before Ron Paul’s Presidential Campaign, I never would have thought this possible. There was just no way Americans everywhere would be asking “Why do we even need a Fed?” But now voters everywhere are hearing the Fed apologists’ big lie and are rejecting it outright.

You know the one. We’ve heard it ad nauseam for months. That the Federal Reserve “saved our economy.” That they “brought us back from the brink of disaster.” Today, fewer and fewer people are buying that story. And the Fed is paying the price in slipping Senate support.

The America people are finally realizing that the Fed is responsible for bringing this economic crisis down on our heads in the first place! And that’s why now is the perfect time to launch our Audit the Fed push into high gear.

I hope you’ll sign this petition INSISTING your senators immediately push for an up or down roll call vote on Audit the Fed. But I really hope you’ll make a generous $100, $50 or $25 contribution so Campaign for Liberty can really kick the pressure into overdrive and combat the Fed’s new lobbying push.

With your help, we’ll drop truckloads of mail, hitting carefully-selected target senators in their own state…

…we’ll crank up the phone banks to rally the grassroots and light up the Senate switchboards…

…we’ll organize rallies and protests right in these swing senators’ backyards.

We’ll hit our targets where it HURTS.

And with your help, we’ll finally get our vote on Audit the Fed.

It all starts with you.

I’m counting on your petition, but when a fight like this comes to a head…

…when push comes to SHOVE…

…even a towering stack of petitions won’t get the job done.

That’s why I’m also counting on you for a generous contribution of $100, $50 or $25 right away.

You see, the Fed banksters may be down, but they’re certainly not out yet. In fact, they’re just getting started.

And they still have plenty of pull, and lots of loyal friends in high places.

That’s why we need to double down on target senators who can still be freed from the Fed’s stranglehold.

And that’s why your contribution of $100, $50 or even just $25 is so important. It lets us really turn up the heat in target states where we’ll get the most “bang for the buck.”

So please, click here to sign the petition to your senators and then please make a generous contribution of $100, $50 or $25 to Campaign for Liberty.

We’re almost at the finish line, but the going’s about to get tough. Please don’t quit now.

In Liberty,

John Tate
President

P.S. Ever since Ben Bernanke was reconfirmed with the most tepid “support” of any Fed Chairmen EVER, the public scrutiny of the Fed has never been higher. Unfortunately, the Fed lobbyists are now beginning to really push back.

That’s why we must gear up too, and launch our Audit the Fed push into OVERDRIVE!

gallery director

I worked for many years as an art  gallery director in Nottingham.  The organisation I directed was called EMACA, and the gallery was called the Art Exchange. Those who know me may ask the question what is a chemistry and biological sciences degree graduate doing directing visual arts? Well I had gotten into it by accident. But once in, i developed a very strong passion for displaying the creativity of African Diasporan people (Black British, African, caribbean, etc.)

inside EMACA gallery

I began working in the gallery as the education and audience development officer and within two years both of my other colleagues left suddenly and I was promoted to the director position. this was funny as i had planned only to stay for two years before moving on to another institution.

The time that I spent there really acted as a lightning conductor that focused my skills and energy, I did many creative things that I had planned to do in my life: organized African History Month events, talks, creative schools, and performances;  there were many fulfilling times spent organising exhibitions and events, one of the highlights being  Nottingham’s Black Question Time which we filmed in 2004. There were many other highlights interms of exhibitions but these are for a later post. But as most things the gallery and EMACA’s role in it came to an end mainly due to a lack of financial, social, personnel and environmental support and infighting.

There were some odd exhibitions and odd-ball individuals: the artist who made up a photgraphic exhibition of Black and nudes of himself in various poses: the arts programmer at the time tried to tour the show in its unabashed glory only to be told “no cocks, no tour” by many venues, the bipolar arts programmer who tried to seduce a visitor(an ex-lover) in the basement broom cupboard, the exhibition of a deacying model of a dead foetus over four weeks, which was vsisted most by the primary school age girls in the area!  So much for shock, taste and Decency.

As an organisation we worked in partnership with other arts organisations, most notably Apna Arts and City Arts on group shows and open submission competitions.  The exhibtions would attract a wide range of people from various ethnic backgrounds, contrary to the view that EMACA only catered for Black audiences, the Black audiences were ususally the minority.  

There was also the on going “cold war” between the Black cultural self determinists and the Black apologist assimilationists. This manifested in debates, power struggles and ideological concerns. When the two camps eventually split, the assiimilationists gained the upperhand by aligning themselves with the Arts Council and promising them a new premises. Where the old gallery once was, a georgian building is replaced by a forty foot high Mausoleum, a great lifeless Black capstone Lego Brick structure. The new edifice’s structure represents the vision of not the local Nottingham community but the Arts Council of England, and their confederate  lackeys on the committee of the premises.  

the old art exchange in 2004 - now replaced by a modern building

I learned a lot and developed spiritually and professionally from the event, even though at the end when I left in 2006 I was washed up and burnt out. I recovered to complete a master degree in business, i found my literary voice where I began to write up and publish the story of the gallery, the organisation and its history.

But as most things the gallery and EMACA’s role in it came to an end mainly due to a lack of financial, social, personnel and environmental support and infighting.

Dear Mr. Steele,

I wrote you a letter quite some time ago. You never responded to my concerns and I was more than a little irritated. I felt that further indicated the disregard that our party has shown to its constituents, even though it is what I expected to happen. I had come to expect nothing more. You probably thought I would say “nothing less” but you read it right; I didn’t expect much based on the recent track record of our party’s leaders.

I watched your speech today to the State Chairmen with great skepticism. I openly admit that I heard you were giving the speech, snarled and sat down to watch–ready for what I was sure would be a bunch of rhetoric and a “let’s make friends” attitude. I am writing this public letter now to admit that I was wrong and actually liked what I heard. I saw a man who has heard the message that the tea parties were intended to send. I saw a man who has stopped trying to be everyone’s best friend and who would like to emerge as our party’s leader. I want nothing more than to support you in that.

I would like to think that my earlier letter, and the countless others I’m sure you received, had something to do with this bold new approach. But to be honest, I don’t care what caused it. I am just happy that you have decided to get with the program. You said that this is not a game…it is serious–and you are right. This is not a popularity contest. Our party cannot be one of constant second-guessing and poll-reading. You were obviously preaching to the choir when you said that while President Obama is personally popular, his policies are increasingly unpopular. We cannot stand for the direction he is taking our country.

Today, you called a spade a spade. Like you said, “the honeymoon is over.” You made promises and they were in line with what I was thinking–imagine my shock after being previously snubbed. I was glad to hear you highlighting what the strategists would have us do, and countering those suggestions. We cannot tiptoe our way into a fiscally or socially conservative country. We must embrace our values and hold them high for everyone to see. We must be proud of the label conservative, instead of being closet conservatives. We are not the Democrat Party #2, we should not venture to emulate the Democrats. We are different, we have different values and we stand for different things. It’s high time we start saying that out loud.

So in closing, I would like to say Thank You. Thank you for taking that first step to lead our party in an unapologetic manner. Mistakes were made in the past, but for the sake of our country and her future, we must move past those mistakes. We cannot reinvent the party, but we must wake up the sleeping giant that is our base. Please remember those words that you spoke today, “we all know that you can say whatever you want, it’s what you do that matters.” Those words ring true, and you cannot take us down the rhetoric path. Actions speak louder than words. I saw your response to the President’s speech at Notre Dame regarding his words, and how they differed from his actual record on abortion. You are on the right track. You are speaking truth to power. We will stand up with you to do that. Please stay the course and don’t leave us standing alone. I am eager to hear more about your actual plans and actions in the near future. Let’s not turn this into another empty promise and a mass of left-behind voters wondering where our party went.

Respectfully,

In partnership with the Improvement and Development Agency for local government (IDeA), NALC ran its first leadership pilot programme in November 2008 at Warwick University’s prestigious business school.

For the past nine years the IDeA have run their ‘mainstream’ leadership programme for principal local authority councillors and leaders over six days.

To test out how such a programme might be received among local (parish and town) councillors a pilot programme was developed in partnership with the IDeA. This residential event, run over two days, offered an insight into personal and community leadership styles on the first day, including a Myers Briggs Type Indicator profile of each delegate being explored.

The second day saw case studies presented and real life applications of the leadership styles and the impact on the community explored. It was hoped this would offer participants the opportunity to see how these concepts were being applied in real life. The event also gave them the chance to map the issues and challenges that their councils and communities faced and also apply the leadership theories to this. All of these sessions created much interest and opportunity to network, exchange ideas and discuss solutions to problems faced.

The event was aimed at chairmen and mayors, or local councillors who were aspiring to a leadership position in the future. Fourteen delegates attended from a broad range of local councils in terms of location and size. This offered the evaluation of the event a good opportunity to see how these concepts could be applied to a range of local councils and councillors in different areas.

Overall the event was a resounding success, with one delegate commenting that the most useful elements were the “Interaction with other delegates and useful leadership tools for the future. Hope there’s a future session to build on this experience!”. Other positive observations offered the “Need to build on the initial programme which has been first class! It is essential that leaders at the first tier are trained sufficiently to meet the challenges ahead.” With regards ongoing Continuous Professional Development and the positive impact this type of programme can have one delegate finished their feedback form with “Thank you. A rare opportunity to exchange ideas, pick brains and measure myself and my council against others. A great help in my personal development.”

A follow-up day for the ‘graduates’ of the pilot programme is being held in the next few weeks. In terms of longer term sustainability, we are liaising with the IDeA to explore ways of delivering these events throughout the year. Currently over 180 principal authority councillors a year go through the IDeA’s mainstream programme. With over 80,000 local councillors in England, there is no time to waste knowing the positive impact this programme could make to the leadership potential of local councillors and their councils.

We’re going to take an unfashionably bright outlook in these gloomy times and devote some attention to the positive trends that we’ve noticed in recent months.

Crisis, What Crisis?

The kind of high growth, early stage businesses with which we work are gnerally insulated from the worst of the macro-economic doom that is filling our headlines.  These companies have an agility which allows them to respond very rapidly to their customers’ changing needs and many business feel that now is the time to be striking out in new directions; launching products, forging partnerships, or breaking into untapped markets.  In order to make these new ventures succeed they need the skills and experiences that a Non-Executive Director can offer.

Credit, What Credit?

Of course, there is no denying that we have seen not only a ‘crunch’ but a complete withering of credit, however banks are not the only funders and we have watched asset-backed lenders, equity investors, and grant-makers filling the gap.  Despite our ever-growing inflation we’re also seeing businesses making their own money go much further and the lack of available credit has caused many companies to be more creative with their income streams and less ambitious with their expenditure… often wisely so!  It is during this kind of strategic (re)planning that good Non-Executive Directors are worth their weight in gold.

New Ventures

We certainly don’t want to make light of the hardships that some businesses are facing and corporate difficulty can turn into personal tragedy when the effects of recession are felt by the workforce.  One positive aspect to this is that we’re expecting to see a flourishing of new ventures.  Many people are leaving jobs with the entrepreneurial ambitions that they’ve been fostering for years and one man’s redundancy is another man’s working capital.  Some of these ideas will be lifestyle businesses born out of frustration with corporate employment, others will prove to be more ‘whacky’ than ‘winning’, but some will be solid ideas led by enthusiastic entrepreneurs and, if they get the right nurturing and support they will grow to become impressive companies.  Where better to get that support than a Non-Executive Director.

Whether a company is just starting out, is launching new initiatives, or is restructuring its business model, we can help them to find the right support at the right level from a Non-Executive Director or Chairman.  Do please give us a call, drop us an e-mail or come in for a discussion.

I will carry the metaphor no further but the dread and fear that should now be ruining the weekends of the chief executives and chairmen of the banks should be little different from that of the French aristocrats awaiting the guillotine.

We must insist that those individuals who have taken multi million pound bonuses from banks, funds and all forms of financial institutions that are now insolvent must be able to justify the payments in the same way that a director of a small business that had gone bust might have to explain his drawings to a liquidator.  In many instances money will have to be recovered.

Whether guilty of personal wrongdoing or not, the chairmen, chief executives and non-executive directors who have presided over this catastrophe must take responsibility and go!  The same sanction must fall on the heads of the regulators.

Lord Adair Turner, Chairman, and Jon Pain, Managing Director Retail Markets, who both accepted poisoned chalices at the FSA only last month may have some excuse but the rest of the board should be summarily dismissed, not even allowed to resign.

Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling have been extraordinarily unequivocal in many of their statements this week.  We want to know much, much more detail about the “mechanisms” that will put in place to restrain the banks in future.   If the taxpayer has saved your business then in future you will not be gambling on ludicrously complex financial products that only you understand and for which you set the rules.  We prefer that you lend £100,000 to a small business rather than £10 million to a virtual roulette wheel.

“There a million stories in the Naked City”.  Now is the time for “le dénouement”.

They just cannot help themselves. The fact that Sarah Palin is a threat to the slave mentality of Democratic Pary indentity politics has unhinged the left and exposed them for what they really are.

South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler today said that Sarah Palin’s chief qualification to be Vice President is that she never had an abortion.