To think SurAlun (now Lord) Sugar should not be in government?

[mrsshackleton]

I mean, seriously, who is Gordo going to drag on to the sinking ship next? Simon Cowell? Amanda Holden? Piers Morgan?

Appointing SurAlun as "business tsar" looks like the cheapest and most desperate publicity stunt to me. Does he think we'll be impressed because he's on telly? I am

Of course Noonki. Don't you know that the ruling classes hail from Eton.

Oh dear spokette. I see you have fallen for the whole self made entrepreneur claptrap. Sir Alans entrepreneurial businesses have been shaky to say the least, he has however made a great deal out of property and the rising property prices. Sorry if that doesn't fit in with your class warrior world!

mrsruffalo, have you watched the Apprentice over the past few years? The way he sepaks to the candidates would hardly be deemed acceptable in most work environments and he has often made sexist remarks (the exchange with Katie Hopkins beign the most obvious).

actually one thing most people don't know about Alan Sugar is that he does do a lot of work for charity (I can't remember which one). He is not, as he frequently calls some of the contestants on his show, "a one trick pony".

Shouldn't that be "charidee"?

Someone once commented to me that successful entrepreneurs usually aren't necessarily very clever. If they were, they would anticipate all the complex problems on the way and conclude the obstacles to be insurmountable (example, porno king owns national newspaper, surely it is a bit of an outside shot? )

A successful entrepreneur will just use force of personality (persistence, persuasiveness, bullying, unreasonableness, doggedness) to plough through the problems on the way.

I imagine Sugar obtained his success this way. I wonder if it will work in politics? I am not a big fan of Sugar (I am a Gooner after all) but he doesn't have to do this , I am sure the finanical rewards are paltry but he is doing it as public service. So I say, good luck to him!

He does get a knighthood though melli, which is something that (theoretically) money can't buy. And gets to sit in the house of lords and swan around being very very important.

That's a pretty big deal in my book.

Sir Alan is on record as saying it is pretty much a no brainer that you wouldn't employ a woman of child bearing age if you could help it. That's pretty sexist in my book.

His knowledge of employment law is rudimentary to say the least.

True. And thinking back I did also think Tony Blair had honourable intentions for entering Iraq. I am off to find my inner cynic

Agree in part wth spokette.But I think the Lords should be abolished and think that those in power obviously think that by putting some one from the telly in the Lords will placate us[we are proles you know].
Cannot believe that in the local elections round here Tories got 66 seats out of 77

But whoever he is, why should he be given the right to vote on all kinds of law for the rest of his life without the possibility of being removed by those subject to the laws?

It is outrageous that someone gets this power simply because the PM is desperate for a good headline and wants to create some gimmick post.

Actually I think it's outrageous that anyone gets that power but the lack of accountability in his appointment makes me really angry. But heh, looks like I'm the only one. (Catz puts pitchfork away).

Oh I dunno melli your comments about many entrepreneurs being thick-skinned pig-headed arrogant pushy types rather than brainboxes sounded pretty cynical to me, and probably rather accurate

londonone "Oh dear spokette. I see you have fallen for the whole self made entrepreneur claptrap. Sir Alans entrepreneurial businesses have been shaky to say the least, he has however made a great deal out of property and the rising property prices. Sorry if that doesn't fit in with your class warrior world!"

Sralan came from nothing and worked his way up the ladder. So what if his businesses have been shaky. The geniuses that created the financial meltdown are largely privately educated muppets who are there because of who they know rather than what they know but for some reason, we the great unwashed public, are suppose to believe that they deserve their multi-million pound salaries even though they have demonstrated that they are largely incompetent.

Sralan is where he is because he worked for it. Being an entrepreneur means taking risk, facing setbacks, forging ahead with singlemindedness as well as fortitude and never giving up. I wonder how many of the muppets who think they should be running the country have the resourcefulness, energy, drive and commitment to do what Sralan has done? Very, very few.

His business empire has no doubt benefitted from rising property prices but only a fool would believe that his fortune is predicated on that alone.

Richard branson surely top dog of team GB entrepreneurs. Why not him?

Or theo paphitis from dragons den?

sralan really doesn't do it for me, entrepreneur-wise. Sorry mludsralan I mean of course.

It's hardly good news that a prime minister who has chosen an almost all-male cabinet has now made a star appointment of a someone who is clearly proud to discriminate against women. Whatever Alan Sugar's business skills are (and the poster who said Amstrad products were crap was right - he brought out a fax you could send emails from at a point when most people already had access to a proper computer and net connection).

Do read Tom Bower's Branson to see why not Branson. It's a shocking read. I think there are too many skeletons for politics.

Yeah but he's got great hair innit

Slightly off topic, but Alan Sugar related...have a laugh...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxi6QDwQyLU

BTW, don't watch the above clip with kids about - some swearing in it.

YABU
I agree with spokette
I don't know about class warrior, but I think ha has achieved more than someone born into money/privilege.
And wasn't he right about Katie Hopkins? (i.e she turned down the job in the end)

Edam,

I've tried hard not to rise to your misandry over the last couple of years, but I just can't let this pass.

What possible proof do you have for your claim that Alan Sugar is 'proud to discriminate against women'?

He hired Michelle Dewberry in the second season of the Apprentice and this year's winner will also be a woman as it will be either Kate or Yasmina.

Two out of the five winners (including this year) therefore are women. Runners up have been Saira Khan, Ruth Badger, Kritina Grimes, Claire Young and Helene Speight.

Sounds like real discrimination to me!

For a better perspective, perhaps we should ask Margaret Mountford, at his side for over ten years at Amstrad!

He won't be part of the government