Monthly Archives: August 2012

Donate to the National Jazz Archive

The National Jazz Archive holds the UK’s finest collection of written, printed and visual material on jazz, blues and related music, from the 1920s to the present day. Founded in 1988 by trumpeter Digby Fairweather, the Archive’s vision is to ensure that the rich tangible cultural heritage of jazz is safeguarded for future generations of […]

What a way to run a railway – Southeastern and Go-Ahead

For some years I had used the excellent services of a small company called Network Business Travel Services to purchase all my rail travel tickets and get the best deals around.On the 9th July 2010 I received a letter informing me that the agreement was being terminated. If you want  to learn how not to […]

Santander turns the corner on service standards?

I had been having problems with Santander. Finally I had to resort to emailing Lord Burns, the chair of Santander at the House of Lords. On the 7th July I had the misfortune to read an article in Guardian Money asking  if the CEO of Santander could turn around its dismal reputation for customer service? Botín  in the exclusive interview with […]

Hutton Fair Pay Review

The Hutton Fair Pay Review was launched in the summer of 2010. I responded and needless to say received no acknowledgement or reply. But then when you point out that there are no many posts in quangos which used to be vocational unpaid appointments filed by people who wished to serve the public for altruistic reasons not […]

City fees are eating into our pensions

There was an article in the Observer on the 18th December 2011 on disreputable practices in the City of London – this time they have been taking pensioners for a ride with high fees being charged for managing  pension funds. David Cameron at the same time was banging on about his conviction in the moral […]

Playing gigs at the Olympics is a rip off

Very simply the Olympic organisers said in in a leaked letter that bands and musicians would be paid £50 an hour for the pleasure of “creating a fantastic and memorable experience for our spectators”. My letter in the Guardian sums it up that musicians are being ripped of yet again. Perhaps the Chief Executive  of  the London Organising Committee of the […]

Hitting a false Olympic note

Whilst the Olympic Games has been an incredible accomplishment all round however the occasion has been marred by the slipshod treatment of music. One example was the  showcasing of bands notable for a lack of women and diverse musicians. The Observer on the 13th May 2012 published this letter             […]