Tony Wells

#Manchester UK, likes #walking, #hiking, #learning, #podcasts. #dogs like me. Early retired. Photo 10 yrs out of date, ermmmm....

Banner photo is a criss-cross of ironwork on the Castlefield Viaduct in Manchester

Last Notes

2025-09-08 21:06:18 UTC

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I like the style of Sewing Bee. Competition but no backstabbing between people, Tough challenges against the clock, but kind feedback from the judges, and some very creative work.

2025-08-13 21:51:17 UTC

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I hope he remembers the pizza!

2025-05-06 17:23:27 UTC

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Seems to benefit luxury goods companies- Whisky, posh cars etc.
I can see a situation where companies will replace UK based Indian staff after three years to get ongoing zero NI contributions, but I'm sure that loophole has been considered !

2025-05-03 13:09:07 UTC

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I wonder if some countries are adopting an attrition approach to investments. As T-bills, Gilts etc reach maturity, more are bought each year to replace them, a so called 'ladder' of investing. If a country stops buying, it will then need to find an alternate source for those funds but it's not such a big sell off to cause values to drop sharply.

2025-05-01 12:31:45 UTC

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The 'interest rate' on servicing the debt is important as it will make if harder/easier to reduce the ratio or just pay the interest.
Looking at a UK debt to GBP chart, we were paying off a lot of WW1 and WW2 debt, 250% ratio in 1946!, until the 1970's, and debt to GDP stayed between 20 and 50% until 2009 and has been mostly going up since.

2025-02-27 17:41:13 UTC

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I do feel there's now more gatekeeping of young people into a number of areas, including politics, although perhaps it's always been like that, but there used to be far more 'outreach' and services, but much of it now is 'pay to play' or the usual nepotism.

2025-02-20 17:53:40 UTC

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I've worked with a lot of European colleagues, customers, and suppliers and went to conferences, and the impression I had was they were far better educated, trained and skilled compared to similar roles in the UK.
The biggest gap was, no surprise, management. Training & development was seen as a cost for us, an investment for them. We reacted to problems, they worked to prevent or mitigate them. I'm sure there were many exceptions but it was a more pleasant working environment.

2025-01-29 15:58:57 UTC

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What's ridiculous is that the benefits at this stage are likely fairly small for the EU, but likely larger positive impact for the UK. I'd also expect that after many post Brexit vote years of having to put up with incompetent UK negotiators and politicians that resulted in a last minute hard Brexit, that EU negotiators are a bit wary of dealing in good faith with the UK.

2025-01-29 15:52:37 UTC

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Spin-out culture is often dependant on how affluent the universities AND students are. It's a culture that needs developing with time and money, and that's difficult to do if the Uni or the student is counting the pennies.

2025-01-26 23:05:17 UTC

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It feels like the first big trade deal the US will do is with the UK, and I doubt the UK will benefit from it, but Starmer/Reeves seem to think there's some common deregulation and boosterism to be had for the sake of growth.

2025-01-25 16:20:46 UTC

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Corporate gigs are good earners and they can often keep relatively quiet about them if they want to maintain some sort of street cred. Playing private parties in repressive regimes, or just for very rich people is also lucrative and under the radar.

2025-01-24 20:33:57 UTC

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in 10 years, if you ask the AI your age, it will tell you approx double what it actually is, and it must be correct because the AI is never wrong.
Or it will just feel like your lifespan is double, and not in a good way.

2024-11-29 18:09:49 UTC

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I joke that there's one songwriter and a few producers using the same software to knock out songs for various pop stars based on a template that also favours streaming and TikTok sampling.
It is nice when a more distinctive voice breaks through though
For reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Martin

2024-09-25 17:56:38 UTC

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'Strategy' is a woolly term though, the result could be to improve via a better economy in 5-10 years' - rising tide raises all boats etc, or extra funding services rather than direct payments.
I think removing the policy would be a net gain. The money will go back into the economy, and also reduce, perhaps significantly, the mental and financial overhead on 3rd parties - schools, charities, funders who are currently papering over the cracks.

2024-09-04 22:04:46 UTC

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I was going to write something longer, but there are no real surprises in the report, and lessons have not been learned. I wonder how many people will actually be prosecuted?

2024-09-03 16:40:03 UTC

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It depends on if they get sufficient training to take on more complex tasks, and the time to do them safely without supervision. However, the main issue is not if they can do the task correctly, but are they capable enough when it goes wrong, or to identify when not to do something based on assessing the patient.

2024-08-29 22:05:44 UTC

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Many property owners are raking it in, and not reinvesting in the properties. I've walked past a few shoddy converted 60's office block hostels, I wouldn't house rats in them.
I don't believe there's the funding, workforce or will to start and complete a significant social housing building programme, even by ripping up planning regs. Few councillors want to go against nimbys, a recent small project was cancelled when the locals said it would create a ghetto!