Wednesday, 20 April 2011

A Bit Of A 'Do'

You may have noticed (or, more accurately, not have noticed) sparse content here of late. As previously mentioned, my fingers being immersed in many differing pies at year end is a bit of a handicap writing-wise. It's not going to get much better in the short term either as I'm popping over to Belgium for an event at the weekend, taking in this place on the way natch.

And with all those bank holidays stacking up in the next few days, I'll have my small business HR hat on tomorrow to get everyone paid in time for the additional one that Cameron kindly gave us to celebrate the royal wedding. This is the April 29th which is costing our modest business in the region of £3,000 in wages, which can't be covered by billing, since none of our vehicles will be running. Our employment contracts enable us to withhold a day's pay under the circumstances but we're not doing that, though I dare say that firms who do so will turn up in the press somewhere being dubbed as evil scrooges. The government's 30%-ish deductions month-in month-out, though, will continue to be unquestionably regarded as righteous.

Such is life. Sadly.

There's also a bit of a do going on at the Adam Smith Institute tomorrow evening if you are a blogger, which some people concede I may be, even if a trifle tabloid so they say. As such I will be trotting up there to be abused by Mark Wadsworth like last year.

In fact, here's a bit of trivia for you - I was initially pencilled in as a speaker at this year's event before an ASI staff change which led to their finally plumping for these lightweights.

Bloggers' Bash 2011: 'Blogging: Yesterday's news?'

Title: Blogging: Yesterday's news?
Speakers: Tim Montgomerie (ConHome), Douglas Carswell MP (TalkCarswell.com) and Harry Cole (Guido Fawkes blogger)
Pah! What do they know about inadequacy, pimples, and spewing and ranting, eh?

Still, if you're going, perhaps I'll see you there. I shouldn't be hard to spot. Being a smoker, I'll be one of the few with two heads, surrounded by passers-by clutching their heart, while I laugh demonically and feast on a baby in a bun.

Why not come and say hello ... if you dare?