Blackpool hits the crackpot.
'Desperate to halt its decline as a traditional seaside town and beset by social problems... Blackpool is pondering a plan that would turn it into an American-style gambling resort and provide a new source of funds to tackle local deprivation: Pharaoh's Palace - a casino with 2,500 slot machines, 70 gaming tables and a 500 bed hotel. There would be plenty of projects to which gambling revenue could be allocated, says Sue Wright, council social services chair. There is a shortage of affordable housing, pressure on services for children and the elderly and a need to improve local transport.’

It'll make a change. Our essential services and social fabric become the responsibility of one-armed bandits - instead of the Westminster based two-armed variety.
Guardian Society, February 21

Playing Footsie in green shirts
Optimistic types were no doubt initially overjoyed at February's announcement that the FTSE has blasphemed against the god of the free market and is introducing a 'socially responsible' index. Called ‘FTSE4good’ (sick), the new index is supposed to provide a guide for ethical investors. Good idea, you may think, an index without all the planet-trashers, child-labour exploiters, dictator-arse-lickers and general corporate baddies. Okay, it's not revolutionary, but it's a start - except that the criteria permit half the FTSE’s current companies, including BP, Shell and Monsatan, to qualify. To put it another way, the criteria are a pile of pants. There seems to be a kind of 'greenwash and go' philosophy at work - attempts to appear responsible are mistaken for the real thing: PR washes greener than green. But you’d have to be really cynical argue that the FTSE is simply jumping on the corporate responsibility bandwagon - corralling the 'ethical' as a niche market while maintaining the myth that it's okay to run the global economy on rules a backstreet casino would consider a bit dodgy.

Natural Born Sponsors?
Visitors’ chins were hitting the floor at the Natural History Museum when they noticed the names of the sponsors of the Environment exhibition - Rio Tinto and BP. Dr Robert Bloomfield, head of public programmes, explained, 'the museum very carefully assessed its relationship with these organisations, and indeed, we routinely do environmental audits of all potential partner relationships with the museum... Environmental auditors regard BP and Rio Tinto as relatively enlightened companies with clear environmental policies.'

Dr Bloomfield went on to say further details of the museum's environment policy are in the official guide book - available free with every 10 gallons of BP four star.

Don't call us...
Consumer finance company GE Capital is outsourcing call centre work to where call centre workers will earn as little as £115 a month. Under the new plan, around 2.5 million customers making an enquiry on their Debenhams, Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins or Burton storecard could be speaking to an operator based in India.'

(Fusion Magazine dec 2000 - house mag of finance union UNIFI)

So, while the government continues to demonise 'economic migrants', companies employ them anyway, but only if they stay at home where the British minimum wage doesn't apply. It gets worse. In February the Daily Mail reported that Indian call centre staff have been asked to 'change their names so customers can pronounce them easier'. Actually why bother with a name - surely a number would suffice? By the way if you're having difficulty with the name of the director of GE Capital here's some advice - it's two syllables, pronounced 'wan-kuh'.

In Ford we Carbon Trust
The chair of one of the UK's biggest motor companies is now in charge of a body aimed at cutting carbon emissions. Ian McAllister, chairman and managing director of Ford Motor Company Limited, has accepted the invitation to be the first Chairman of the Carbon Trust. It is aimed at promoting low carbon research and development, and helping business invest in energy efficient, low carbon technologies and practices.

While Ford has been asserting its environmental credentials the company does not intend halting production of its highly profitable, highly polluting sport utility vehicles (SUVs). John Prescott said 'Ford's commitment should be a wake up call for UK business to take the threat of climate change seriously.' Proving once again he really is the king of hot air emissions. ENS internet news

Drug addicts
The pharmaceutical industry is always presented as a bunch of benign folk in white coats, dedicating their lives to selfless research, often 'for children with cancer.' Yet reading the Financial Times, you'd think it was actually a ruthless cash-crazed conspiracy to milk the ill until they die. Try these Pharma-boss quotes from an article about Aventis. 'Aventis is not just the sum of its two parts. This is a completely different baby.' 'We have what we never had before, the muscle to turn our products into blockbusters.' 'We love the tail - it's pure cash'. 'We are definitely getting a bigger bang for our buck'.

The article goes on to claim that 'projects with limited commercial potential have been culled.' Surely it won't be long before Big Pharma sues for misrepresentation? Financial Times March 2