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I’M always impressed by the passion that the people running Yorkshire’s accountancy and law firms have for the region as a whole. Of course, if the region in which you live and work thrives, then there is a good chance that your own business will do pretty well. But putting in the hours for the […]

LAST week’s blog caused quite a kerfuffle. Not from any of the words in it, but the photograph that accompanied it. I described a trip to London to speak to the YEWTGH Club – which stands for Yorkshire Exiles Waiting To Go Home. The photograph of me with members of the semi-regular dining club for

UNTIL a few months ago I was unaware of the existence of an organisation called the YEWTGH club. It’s like a Yorkshire version of SPECTRE, except a bit more secretive. YEWTGH stands for Yorkshire Exiles Waiting To Go Home and is a dining club for ex-pat Tykes who live and work in London. Previous guests

FORGIVE me for not being bothered about the two biggest stories that have obsessed the BBC and the rest of the mainstream media this week. The Beeb threw all its resources at both the announcement of the new Dr Who and the publishing of a list of its 96 best paid broadcasters and actors. While

  THIS time last week I was hosting the launch of Export Exchange, a new initiative from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and the Department for International Trade with funding from the European Union’s Regional Development Fund. The scheme is aimed at bringing together a group of experienced exporters, known as ‘Patrons’ to share

IT’S been a musical week. And I’ve not even been to Glastonbury. Much to the chagrin, I’m sure, of the BBC, which put so much effort into the music festival it almost hurt. I couldn’t think of anywhere worse to go. I’m sure there are people working for the Beeb that would not understand that

THE latest restaurant to launch in Leeds opened its doors this week. Issho is part of the D&D stable, the London-based chain that acquired the Conran group and already operates Crafthouse and Angelica in Leeds. The new venue is in the Victoria Gate shopping centre and boasts a restaurant, bar and roof terrace with sweeping,

I WENT to the seaside in my suit last week. The Welcome to Yorkshire team invited me to join them at a new event called The Business Day at Bridlington Spa. Launched by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council, the fear was that any event organised by the public sector might not

HOW do you sum up the election campaign? As far as Theresa May’s Conservative Party goes, I’d quote my late grandfather. Somebody who had lived, indeed served in the armed forces, during the First World War, whenever there was a crisis, or even a minor mishap, he’d exclaim: “It’s the biggest cock-up since Mons.” He

THE challenge of any event featuring more than one speaker is you are always going to have comparisons made by the audience. The Lord’s Taverners Balloon Debate takes that a step further in that it has four speakers and the audience has to vote them out over a series of three rounds. So forget kind