Oh dear, it seems that Sage has stumbled over iXBRL. This is a classic opportunity for a competition to squeeze in and take advantage. It is a classic business tactic and can make people a fortune and establish a reputation. Somehow I reckon that the sheer reach of Sage will make this unlikely but not impossible over a longer period if events unfold in an unfavourable manner to Sage and they slip up again. That’s the trouble with software – even if it ain’t quite up to scratch it is usually too much hassle to migrate even if the competitors make it “easy” to do so. Especially where cautious accountants are involved.

Those of you who have followed my previous blogs and read my FD Partnership newsletters will not be surprised by the latest data showing a contraction in the UK economy. Look around you , speak to your colleagues and observe people’s spending habits and you’ll see that we are well mired in debt still , and that’s without considering public sector cuts. It’s a bit like the school of thought that invests in shares by simply watching trends and observing the great British public. It’s basic but mark my words it works!

Retail sales are down due to the weather. It makes one think – are people going to spend the money later or is this “lost” spending never going to catch up because they didn’t really need to spend and it was totally discretionary or impulse? Also, why don’t companies and analysts build these factors into their expectations? Be downbeat about xmas and if you beat the forecast all well and good – After all, aren’t stock market prices all about expectations? Sometimes it makes one wonder if it’s all about the headlines!

Government plans to tinker with paternity leave are just the ticket to make life even harder for small businesses. How on earth are we to recruit quality staff to fill specialist jobs for a period of a few weeks or months? The people who claim to run this country should spend time trying to run a business. We all thought we had seen the end of the relentless unreeling of red tape to thwart enterprise and money making, as part of the politics of envy practised by Brown and Blair. Alas the coalition clowns just don’t seem to get it. Suffer little businesses, suffer…

So, the government has asked the banks to curb bonuses and the headlines scream that bank bonuses are to be in the billions. A bonus is a means of motivation and without motivation people do not necessarily perform at their best. Perhaps a detailed breakdown of what type of staff receive how much in bonuses would be useful rather than headlines that seem aimed to cultivate a climate of jealousy. Plenty of lower grade staff are receiving a bonus that is well deserved for their efforts to smile as the face of the bank that the unhappy customer sees in the branch. so why criticise them? In any event the treasury coffers will cream off as much as 50% in tax form the big earners, so why don’t the headlines crow over how much we will all benefit from these large bonuses? Once again the politics of envy comes to the fore, but perhaps bankers need to use common sense when making these announcements.