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It's all about compromise
I occasionally get all political. It's a middle-aged thing. I just can't help myself. If this blog ends up in your inbox and you're offended, please don't write to tell me: it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to.
On to UKIP. Love or loathe 'em, it's kind of refreshing having politicians trying to give straight answers, isn't it? It will end in disaster, of course. To get into power you need to make compromises. And then once you're in power, well, you're compromised.
"Democracy is the worst form of Government," said Churchill, "except for all the other forms that have been tried." I'm not so sure. Switzerland is a pretty extreme form of localised nosey-neighbour democracy which seems to work a lot better than most.
Embracing 'benign' dictatorships
At the other end, China is a convincing argument for benign dictatorship (and yes I mean 'benign' economically, not benign as in 'relaxed about personal freedoms'). The best businesses are also benign dictatorships. The bosses can make decisions and give straight answers... And here is the point of this week's blog.
There are an awful lot of commentators around who claim to be experts on equality and female leadership but couldn't give a straight answer on it if they tried; look at what happened to Evan Thornley.
He's a multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur who made a point of hiring women because they were "cheaper". He admitted as much at a start-up conference and has been lambasted by feminists the world over. I found the reaction plain stupid.
Closing the gender pay gap
A gender pay gap exists for all kinds of well-known reasons. Underlying the gender pay gap is the belief held by a good number of men that the gap is justified because mothers are less productive than fathers. (That could be a Nigel Farage quote but isn't!)
So how do you close the gap? Well, you have a million times better chance of closing it if you recognise the commercial opportunity the gap presents - rather than just complaining about its existence.
Ben Black
