30 photographs of my Thanksgiving visit to the USA
December 13th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
First, I did 10 blog postings during my visit to the United States to enjoy Thanksgiving; then I knitted these postings into a continuous narrative for my web site; now I’ve illustrated the text of the web page with 30 photographs. Check them out here.
Posted in American current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
So how is Jeremy Corbyn doing after his storming re-election as Labour leader?
December 12th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Some of my friends, and even some members of my family, have been enthusiastic supporters of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party. They pointed out that Corbyn’s meetings attracted huge numbers and that many thousands were flocking to join the party. And, of course, in the recent leadership election, Corbyn was returned with an even biggest mandate.
The problem is that all these facts are irrelevant in the face of the evidence of the views of voters themselves. Labour did appallingly in the two recent by-elections. Of course, Labour started from a bad place in both these constituencies, but the national polling confirms that Labour is trailing the Conservatives big time and that Corbyn is doing much worse even the the party he leads.
The latest polling statistics from YouGov show that the Conservatives currently have the support of 42% of the electorate while Labour has a mere 25%. The Conservative lead is an incredible 17% and Labour’s standing is the worst since 2009.
The same poll reveals that, when asked who would make the best Prime Minister, 49% support Theresa May while a mere 16% back Corbyn. This is a difference of 33 percentage points – twice the difference between the support for the parties that these two lead.
Which part of this analysis do Corbyn supporters not understand and what would it take to rescue the Labour Party?
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Who has Donald Trump chosen to help him run the United States for the next four years?
December 11th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
We are still waiting for President-elect Donald Trump to make what is probably the most important appointment to his new administration: the choice of Secretary of State. The latest reports suggests that the pick will be Rex Tillerson who is the CEO of Exxon Mobil and someone with a business relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin,
Meanwhile consider the other appointments which Trump has already announced:
- Defence: retired Marine Corps general James Mattis, a noted military hawk
- Homeland Security: another retired Marine Corps general, John Kelly
- CIA Director: Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo who has criticised the Iran deal
- Treasury: former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin who favours massive tax reductions
- Attorney General: Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, a hardliner on immigration
- Labour: Fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, a critic of regulation and the minimum wage
- Health & Human Services: Georgia Congressman Tom Price who opposes Obamacare and abortion
- Housing & Urban Development: retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a critic of government welfare
- Environmental Protection Agency: Scott Pruit who opposes Obama’s Clean Power Plan and denies climate change
- Commerce: billionaire investor Wilbur Ross who is a critic of US trade deals
- Transportation: Elaine Chao, a former Secretary of Labour
- Education: the mega rich Betsy DeVos who has lobbied for school vouchers
- Ambassador to the UN: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
- National Security Adviser: retired general Michael Flynn who has flirted with conspiracy theories
- Chief of Staff: former Chair of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus
- Chief Strategist: Steve Bannon, the man behind Beitbart News which is seen as the platform for the ‘alt right’
It’s going to be a turbulent time with massive implications for us all.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (4)
Our annual pre-Christmas family reunion in Leicester
December 10th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
For as long as I can remember, my wonderful sister Silvia has convened a gathering of the extended family at her home in Leicester a couple of weeks before Christmas. Today is the date of the 2016 event so I’ll be travelling up from London to see everyone.
There should be about two dozen there and the age range will be almost eight decades. I’m taking lots of presents and might come back with a few for myself.
Currently I am reading a book called “Happiness By Design, written by Paul Dolan who is Professor of Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics. He writes: “There is one almost surefire way to be happier: spend more time with people you like.” I’m on my way …
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
What should baby boomers do to stay healthy?
December 9th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I am officially a ‘baby boomer’ because I was born between 1946 and 1964 (actually in 1948).
According to a BBC news item, England’s chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has called on people aged between 50 and 70 to keep working to stay healthy. In a report on the health of the so-called baby boomers, it is claimed that the physical and mental health benefits of being employed or volunteering “should not be underestimated”. Davies said working helps people feel fulfilled and less isolated.
I an 68 and still working – not full-time, but around two-thirds, I reckon. As you can see from my short biography, I continue to hold six appointments in the field of consumer advocacy in regulated sectors of the economy. I enjoy the mental stimulus of working on complex issues with clever, younger people – and, according to the new report, this will help me to stay healthy and live longer. That’s the plan anyway …
Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
A review of “Sully: Miracle On The Hudson”
December 8th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Everyone knows what happened when an Airbus was landed on the Hudson River in 2009 and all 155 passengers and crew survived. So how can the story be turned into a successful film?
A director of the calibre of Clint Eastwood and an actor as fine as Tom Hanks make this an eminently watchable movie – although you might not want to watch it in flight.
You can read my review of the film here. If, like me, you enjoy aviation-themed films, you find details of lots more of them here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
How should the consumer voice be heard in company policymaking?
December 7th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In her campaign to become leader of the Conservative Party and in her time as Prime Minister, Theresa May has talked of consumers and workers being on company boards and there is currently a Government consultation on corporate governance that looks tentatively at this subject.
The consumer organisation Citizens Advice invited me to do a guest blog posting explaining why consumers on boards might be a difficult proposition and exploring another possible option for embedding the consumer voice in company thinking.
You can read my piece here.
Posted in British current affairs, Consumer matters | Comments (0)
Nine days in Washington DC and area
December 6th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
If you’re a regular visitor to NightHawk, you may have read recently a series of 10 blog postings on my trip to the USA to celebrate Thanksgiving and to see friends and tourist attractions.
I have now knitted these postings into a single narrative and added various hyperlinks. Of course, you might not have read the original postings.
Either way, I hope that you’ll find my account of the trip of interest. You can access it here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Delighted to hand over my role at South East Water to Zoe McLeod
December 5th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
For the past five years, I’ve had a consumer champion role at South East Water. For three years, I chaired the Customer Challenge Group which worked with the company on its business plan for the Price Review period 2015-2020. For the next two years, I chaired the Customer Panel which monitored how the company performed against the commitments in its business plan. South East Water has made real improvements in its customer service over this time and it has been very encouraging to see it raise its game.
The water sector is now engaging with the regulator Ofwat on the next Price Review for the period 2020-2025 and it is time for me to leave my role with South East Water and pass on the work to a successor. I’m delighted that the company has chosen Zoe McLeod who is a very knowledgeable and able advocate for consumers in a range of regulated sectors involuting water. You can read more here.
Posted in Consumer matters, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Should we hold Donald Trump to his promises? All 282 of them!
December 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In the course of the long campaign, President-elect Donald Trump made an astonishing number of promises – some very specific, other terrible vague; some quite positive, but many utterly fanciful.
Writing for the “Washington Post”, Jenna Johnson has compiled a list of 282 Trump promises. In the interests of political accountability, the Democratic Party, the media and electors should be watching over the next four years to see how many of these promises are kept.
Of course, many of them are so indeterminate that Trump will have no difficulty pretending that he has met his objectives. In other cases, Trump will use his longstanding ability to flip-flop and either deny that he made the promise or simply change his mind.
You can have real fun – sometimes a loud laugh – working through the list but, like me, you are likely to have mixed wishes on implementation. As an example, I would love to see 1 and 2 but do not want to see 65 and 66. What about you?
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)