FESSING UP

We all mess up from time to time, and in general the bigger the organisation and the wider the impact of such errors, the more likelihood there is of mistakes being made. These could of course be inadvertent or deliberate.  

We are in an era where, after having at first denied any wrongdoing in the hope that no one will find out and lay the blame, the ‘done thing’ is to apologise and hope it all goes away.  

Of course, that is not quite what happens. Certainly, when it comes to large corporations and government departments there are inherent dangers in admitting to misconduct or unlawful activity. The tendency is to close ranks and hunker down to protect the reputation of the organisation and its key personnel. In most cases the ‘easy option’, particularly for what are seen as ‘white collar’ crimes, is to hush things up and quietly remove or side-line the people concerned, often with a generous pay off, in the hope that no one is the wiser.  

Sooner or later, not having been taken to task or forced to face the full severity of the law, we see the same people resurface elsewhere with untarnished reputations.  

However, sooner or later the truth will out, and those involved in the ‘cover up’ will emerge with egg all over their faces. It is natural that as a result any level of trust that may have previously existed will be greatly diminished, and rightly so. The public does not like to be hoodwinked.  

What is interesting is that the more senior the position the offender holds, the more likely they are to escape justice. At the lower levels of our social hierarchy, there is considerably more likelihood of a prison record.  

Whilst it can be painful to admit to misjudgement or lack of oversight, what is important is to acknowledge it at the earliest opportunity and to ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to avoid repetition of the incident; and that those with an interest in the organisation are fully informed, not kept in the dark, like mushrooms. 

I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but after a lifetime of trying to wriggle out of any difficulties I have found myself in, I have at last learnt to hold my hands up, confess to my failings, and move on. 

CAN YOU HAVE TOO MUCH COMMUNICATION?

 

One of the key characteristics of being sentient beings is our ability to communicate with one another. In my lifetime, the ways in which we are now able to communicate have changed beyond all recognition. The speed of such change, thanks largely to advances in technology, is increasing beyond anything that most of us can begin to imagine. In the words of poet William Davies, ‘Where do we now have the time to stop and stare? 

I am old enough to appreciate the limitations imposed by good old-fashioned pen and paper and traditional ‘snail mail’, but how much poorer will our future culture and heritage be without the written word, and spoken tales, passed down through generations, preserved for centuries?  

Somehow text messaging and emails do not quite garner the same level of regard. As the number of communication methods increases, the amount of useful and meaningful communication seems to be heading downward. 

We are now expected to make ourselves available morning, noon, and night. Although we may now have the ability to watch hundreds of TV channels at any time, from anywhere in the world, much of what is presented to us adds little to our lives.  

Likewise, the ubiquitous use of social media enables each of us our five minutes of fame, as we share every detail of our mundane lives, but much of this information exchange is trivial and meaningless. There is also a wealth of evidence that the proliferation of social media, much as it is welcomed by some, has also been the cause of many of the modern-day social problems that have emerged.   

Involved in high level recruitment in recent months, I have been struck by the focus on communication displayed by candidates for senior positions. This is all well and good, but they fail to clarify their intentions. I suspect it is more a desire to communicate their objectives and successes to the wider public, than to actively encourage others to communicate with them. It is now virtually impossible to identify and communicate directly in person with a representative of any organisation, whether by telephone, email, or post. Whilst there may be plenty of communication, it is all one way, usually accompanied by a ‘donotreply’ notification. This is not true communication, more a dictatorial style of contact.  

I receive hundreds of emails a day, most of which are of little interest to me; unlikely to engage my attention or be of benefit to me. I delete them without reading their content. If in this great age of communication, we wish to engage with our audience, those who vote for us, or give us their business, their needs to be recognition that it must be brief and to the point, appropriate and relevant to the recipient, not the sender. We want to be treated like we matter, not just another statistic or tick in the box. 

RACISM IN FOOTBALL- WHEN THE BOOT IS ON THE OTHER FOOT

With few exceptions, I have always been proud of my country. On the international stage we have always punched well above our weight. The last couple of weeks however have presented me with something of a dichotomy. I have never been much of a sports fan, but I do enjoy getting into the spirit of the moment when our sportsmen and women reach the dizzy heights of international championships; I am juts about old enough to remember 1966. 

For many years now, as a nation, we have reaped the benefits of a multi-cultural society, not least in the success of our sports personalities; not forgetting that many of them are home-grown despite the colour of their skin. Even the most jingoistic of us is quick to take on ownership, basking in the reflected glory of success. It is only when, metaphorically speaking, the boot is on the other foot that the endemic underlying xenophobia of the contemptible minority kicks in. It is at times like this that, far from feeling a sense of pride in my country and my fellow citizens, I am thoroughly disgusted. During the recent European Football Championship, the booing of English fans during the national anthems of competing nations, and in the wake of our failure to ‘bring home’ the trophy, the de-facing of the Marcus Rashford mural is despicable. The behaviour of the perpetrators disgusts me and makes me feel ashamed to be English. 

Our inability to win a football match on penalties is well recorded, but how misguided is it to use Rashford and his fellow players as the scapegoats for our failure to win?  

It seems ironic that had they been successful in driving the ball home to a winning goal, no doubt they would have been hailed as heroes. We must have zero tolerance for this pick and mix attitude towards racism. 

SCREW TOP WINES – BLAME THE FASHIONISTAS !

 

Article as seen in The Visitor - July 2021

When it comes to wine closures, I have always been a bit of a wine snob. Somehow, I just cannot share the enthusiasm of those who buy bulk wines shrouded by plastic in cardboard boxes, resort to screw tops, or heaven forbid, wine in cans! Traditionally it has been what are considered ‘New World’ wines, those from the USA, South America, South Africa, and the Antipodes that have resorted to packaging their wines in such a way.

For me, there is nothing like the feel of drawing the cork from the bottle, the satisfying ‘plop’ it gives, and as the aroma is released the anticipation of what is to follow on the tongue. Besides, surely it is far better for my wine, a natural product, to be in contact with an organic cork?

Sadly, this is no longer quite the case. I am slowly but surely being won over, if for no other reason than that it means I do not run the risk of having my corkscrew confiscated, as a potentially lethal weapon, when passing through customs.

It is easy, in the name of wine snobbery, to fall into the trap of thinking that screw top wines are inferior. Times have changed. Today, more and more winemakers are converting to this manner of sealing their bottles, and there is good reason for this.

We have only ourselves, and my generation of baby boomers, to blame. The push for an alternative method to seal bottles was largely driven by the fact that by the 1980’s demand for cork outpaced supply. In the heady days of the 1970’s and early 1980’s the fashion world went wild for cork sandals (yes, I did own a pair). As designers, willing to pay a premium price, snapped up all available resources there was precious little left for the wine industry.

Cork is a limited natural resource. There are only a few countries that grow cork trees, which need to be well into their twenties before the bark can be harvested. In addition to this, cork can only be harvested once every 9 years, with just 60% being of a quality that can be used to make wine corks; the residue is used to make other cork products. This scarcity has seen prices rocket, putting it well beyond the reach of those trying to produce modestly priced wines in an increasingly competitive market. One solution, that had disastrous results, was to use cork that was of a lower quality. Result, corked wines that were undrinkable and reputations ruined. 

Reluctantly the industry was forced to look at alternatives, including composite corks, rubber corks, and screw tops. The most impressive development for me was the glass stopper, which I first came across on a wine visit to Germany; expensive to produce but re-usable and doing away with the need for a corkscrew. Collector’s tip – corkscrews have always been a popular collectable, but as we move more towards these modern closures, the traditional corkscrew will become a thing of the past and old versions will gain in value, so hang onto them.

The use of cork to seal wine containers is a practice that has been in use for several thousand years. It was only when, in the 18th century, as glass bottles were introduced, that cork became the favoured method of sealing a wine bottle. Fine winemakers will stand by their assertion of the beneficial part that cork plays in ageing their wines. However, the negatives are increasingly outweighing the advantages.

Gradually the screw top has become the primary replacement for the standard cork, despite its drawbacks; screw tops are recyclable but not biodegradable, largely composed of non-renewable resources, and lack the satisfying ‘pop’ associated with a cork.

As consumers we continue to perpetuate the myth that screw tops are associated with inferior wine. Some winemakers also cling to the popular belief that the wine will not age properly, as screw tops do not allow the wine to ‘breathe’ in the way that traditional corks do.

An increasing number of respected winemakers are now choosing to challenge tradition. With a continued commitment and focus on quality, along with the inconsistent nature of cork, due to its variable quality, a screw top provides a measure of predictability at a time when the challenging economic environment of the wine industry has forced a new approach.

Certainly, when it comes to New World wines the vast majority are now using screw tops as the preferred alternative to corks.

When magazines like Decanter feel confident in recommending screw top wines, as they did in their April edition, then we know it is time to take notice.

https://www.decanter.com/decanter-best/screwcap-wine-10-top-choices-371124/