I'm sure all you bloggers out there don't read the FT but yesterday I was on the front page of it! All about David Cameron's call for entrepreneurs to become MPs.
Had better hurry up and fill out the forms they sent me now...
Isn't life amazing?
R
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44 comments:
Well done Rachel. If it is what you want go for it and I wish you every success.
It is in our differences that true friendships are forged. Good luck anyway.
Do i detect a difference there Stephen?
I don't disagree that Rachel should follow her heart anonymous.
Neither do i disagree that the political culture needs to change.
What i do disagree with is the prospect of introducing more money motivated opeople into parliament.
I would have thought that given the current climate of bourgeosie fraud and political promiscurity that the last thing we need is populalist entrepreneurs and trend setters running the country.
What we need are people with a very safe pair of hands and that isn't people who have never been in politics.
But hey....what do i know?
oh well. off for sausage, egg and chips now. Vegetarian of course. lol.
bye..
Berlusconi was and still is an entreprenuer as well......
A1
Great example A1. A real crook.
The very fact that you were clearly excited about being on the front page of the FT is reason enough that you should not be an MP. Its not about you ffs its about the people you represent.
If you want to re-kindle the celebrity you so clearly crave, get yourself on TV or build another business but stay away from important stuff like politics.
C
Mr C,
I would not have thought that this is necessarily true. The fact that one has celebrity status and can use that to effect change for the better has got to be a good thing. I would think that celebs could use their status more effectively than being stuck up prima donnas.
Princess Diana is a case in point - she used her status to good effect and did a wonderful job in raising awareness of land mines. People are still being maimed by these land mines but it's not news anymore because there is no one to champion their cause.
The point I am making is - it is possible for people who feel passionately about something to take a political view and step up to the challenge for once. I'd say go for it Rachel.
Anne
I agree with you Anne. It is not about what you say but what you do. Besides time will tell. Very easy to criticise others though, and very easy to be wrong.
Wonder if I should run for MP, always fancied myself as an MP!
thedlog
Can you imagine a bunch of entrepreneurs working together in Government. It would be like the Apprentice all over again..lol
This change that is supposedly required of politics is being whipped up by the money men behind the scenes so we end up with a conservative government who will be served by money centred people from Eaton and the like.
So it appears we are replacing greediness with even more greediness.
What a great idea..
But Stephen, I have no money, i am just a humble printer with humble opinions, a nobody, perhaps that is why I would never be elected as an MP, cos I am a NOBODY
thedlog
Dlog find out as much as you can, and if it is what you really want then go for it. Stephen I have a lot of respect for you, but making huge sweeping generalisations, doesn't identify what is wrong, nor does it provide the solution. Generalising means it could be anything and nothing. What purpose does it serve? Sorry Stephen, I think too much DIY is frazzling my nerves! Will it ever end!
I actually disagree with Anne, much as I admire Rachel. It is not about using celebrity status to propel or support a cause effectively like Joanna Lumley or Princess Diana.
I think what Mr C was trying to say (and if you were not, apologies Mr C. It would just be me then) is what are Rachel's motives for running as MP? Is it to regain the limelight, fame and celebrity status she so craves? Or are her objectives truly altruistic? Would she still be championing the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), had she not fallen from grace? Did she, at the peak of her fame, take the same stand regarding SMEs and these various other causes that she currently supports now?
Politics is a different ball game. If Rachel wants to run for MP then like any potential candidate, she has to persuade us to vote her and campaign for our support. Likewise we are also entitled to question her logically and constructively as we would any other potential candidate before we can make an informed decision.
A1
A1
It doesn't sound to me like you are making an 'informed decision'. It sounds like you are making a judgement based on Rachel's past which has been spotlighted by the media.
It is possible for people to change based on their experiences - Did Saul not get converted on the road to Damascus, did he not stop persecuting Christians and start championing their cause?
There is nothing wrong I would think with people changing their views based on their experiences however humbling that might be. Perhaps Rachel has found her niche.
Like Hani says - only time will tell and certainly like all other politicians yes she would need to campaign for support. I wouldnt expect us all to crown her queen.
If Rachel's motives are genuine, we will find out in time, but we cannot judge and should not judge on the basis of her so called fall from grace or our perception of her desire to re-enter the limelight.
There could be something in this.
BTW - Stephen I need to understand something - Are you saying there is an inherent incompatibility between entrepreneurs and politicians?
Anne
How do you know what decision I have made? I am asking questions any other person (not just entreprenuers who have had help from Rachel or have spoken with her or been her mentee) on the street would ask.
I said we, the public, are entitled to ask CONSTRUCTIVE questions BEFORE we decide. Rachel is like any other candidate to the public.
We cannot make judgments, like you say. So why judge me and decide for me that I have made up my mind? Merely because I have raised valid questions you dislike or which might shed a negative light ? I am not judging her on the basis of her fall from grace. I am asking questions first before I decide. See those question marks in what I said?
[[What are Rachel's motives for running as MP? Is it to regain the limelight, fame and celebrity status she so craves? Or are her objectives truly altruistic? Would she still be championing the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), had she not fallen from grace? Did she, at the peak of her fame, take the same stand regarding SMEs and these various other causes that she currently supports now? ]]
Where are my judgements and pronoucements and statements? They look like questions to me.
Inherent in the decision process is whether or not I accept that Rachel has learned from her past errors, whatever they may be. So Rachel will be given equal opportunities to campaign and answer these questinos, just as we are equally entitled to question constructively and evaluate.
I am entitled to my opinions and ability to ask questions, just as you are. Just don't bulldoze others because we voice some doubts which goes against your blind support.
It is alright to question and evaluate, you know. It doesn't mean you are being disloyal.
A1
Dont get so hot under the collar A1. I don't know you and I don't judge you. I actually don't disagree with you and none of this goes against my so called 'blind support' whatever that is but need to make this point - Rachel's status is a two edged sword; on the one hand we will never forget her fall from grace it seems (we know more about her than your average politician)and on the other hand it can help her in her ability to effect change.
I feel I can make a generic point without being called a sycophant and we can both take opposite views without getting worked up about it :-)
Anne
Yes Anne, i do think there is an inherent incompatibility successful entrepreueurs and politicians.
The most significant difference being their underlying intentions.
Politicians are meant to maintain the status quo, whilst entrepreneurs are inherenetly motivated to change it.
Some might say, that this would only be a good thing. Had i not believed that the MP expenses fiasco was a put up job designed to destabilize politics and throw us all off the track of the fraudsters behind the scenes, i would have said that this would be a good thing.
But i really do have my suspicions that voting celebs in as MP's is an attempt to undermine the British political system rather than improve it.
I know it sounds like generalisation Hani and perhaps it is. Personally though i hope this celeb becoming politician thing dies a death. I actually think those celebs will only be used any by the ruthless Cameron to give them more exposure and he will simply dump them.
DLOG. You are not a nobody. I met you remember!!!
Not at all hot under the collar, Anne. Just pointing out how wrong your assumptions, that's all. I am also sure neither the word sycophant nor its implications featured in my comment at all.
A1 :)
DLOG, move down to my constiuency and i will vote for you.
DLOG vs. Michael Howard. lol.
Dlog's not a nobody. He is a great printer who is willing to go the extra mile to ensure all your graphics and those words are accurate before he runs the print...saves you alot of money and anxiety.
Beats Michael Howard flat anytime!
A1
I am absolutely questioning Rachel's motives. Don't get me wrong, I like Rachel, but she should steer clear of parliament. It is not some vehicle for her to have her ego fluffed up it is a serious institution that affects people's lives (those that merely aspire to earning £60k as opposed to those who see the sum as derisory).
The irony in politics is that the best people to undertake it are the very people least likely to do so.
C
According to the infinite wisdom of the collective nonsense we're due for a world calamity in 2010.
Maybe that calamity will be the election of Rachel to Parliament?!
Haha! I crack myself up sometimes...
Ahem.
Now don't go knocking the wisdom of collective nonsense. I rely on that for most of my business...
C
Mr C,
"it is a serious institution"
NO you are so so wrong, it is a F******* CIRCUS, with coco the clown in charge.
thedlog
In Internet marketing there is a phenomen called the Google Dance. This is when Google decides to slap all those websites in their index around a bit and sort the men out from the boys. Or when they decide to slap the bad guys websites out of their index and elevate the good guys websites.
It is no different in the world of bourgeosie propaganda. Those who hold the cards like to slap the general public about a bit every so often. They like to make them dance to their tune. So they create pantomimes for us all to react to. Yes, there are plenty of Simon Cowell choregraphers to play before the public.
When i worked in public broadcasting i had occasion to meet with internal lawyers there. I remember one of them approaching me excitedly about the freedom of information act. I remember thinking these lawyers were running around readying to play some bourgeosie game of something.
Now i know why.
These guys are playing some power game at the top and they really love it. They REALLY love it.
Well i say to hell with them.
Why they don't they GROW the F* UP.
Stupid, stupid feeble people.
DLOG
"NO you are so so wrong, it is a F******* CIRCUS, with coco the clown in charge.
thedlog"
Sorry dlog but I think you are completely wrong. We get the representatives we deserve. I agree with Stephen on this one that the hype surrounding expenses is just that. The politicians we have may be flawed but on the whole they are there because of a desire to affect positive change. Replacing them with would be celebrities who just want air time, now that would be the circus you describe.
C
Yea, well i don't think Rachel will take up a career as a politician anyway. Shes much more likely to work as a CEO of a big company somewhere. After all, thats what she built from nothing.
Most of these CEO's have never built anything like Rachel.
That's where she had the edge.
ps.
dare i say i would compare Rachel with Yasmena off of the Apprentice.
She hasn't just got the smarts for building her own business, but also the ability to mix it up in the corporate world.
Now don't go knocking the wisdom of collective nonsense. I rely on that for most of my business...
C
Can you elaborate on your business C? On the one hand you appear to be a manufacturer of something-or-other - mouse traps?? And yet, on the other hand, you say most of your clients are members of the Sunday Times Rich List.
Must be one helluva mousetrap!
Rich people have huge mice. You should see them, massive blighters with nashing teeth. The mice are quite scary too.
C
Brilliant - thanks for that.
C/Cranberry,
Why is it so important to you guys as to what each of you do?
Is this something to do with the size of your willy or something?
If so, i'm much smaller.
lol
Just trying to get a clearer picture from C because mouse traps and clients from the Times Rich List don't go together in an obvious way as far as I can see.
I spotted the piece in the FT - well done for getting the coverage - I presume Louise helped to arrange this.
On the subject of celebs as politicians, they come no more stupid than Arnie Schwarzenegger, who went on the record to say that all children should read books on computers. Head back to the movies Arnie!
"...mouse traps and clients from the Times Rich List don't go together in an obvious way as far as I can see."
Ok I confess I don't make mousetraps, not even 24 carat ones (technically that would be a rabbit trap anyway).
C
For the past 4 years I have devoted my time almost exclusively to the enterprise sector. Yes, no doubt I wouldn't have done this if Red Letter Days had not crashed, but in some ways I'm glad it did, as my life now is much more fulfilling than when I spent my days purely pursuing profit.
I've spoken at hundreds of events to thousands of entrepreneurs plus students, sometimes paid but very often free, about enterprise and entrepreneurship. I've also mentored and advised many entrepreneurs on a one to one basis.
I am passionate about enterprise and personal empowerment and I believe that now more than ever we need an enterprise economy to re-build the wealth of this country. That requires cultural change.
I have already given evidence to Parliament about building an enterprise economy and recently spoke to the All Party Parliamentary Commitee for small business. The feedback was 'how refreshing it is to have someone speak who really understands business'
And I think that is the point, there are very few MPs who have any experience of business yet we desperately need to encourage an enterprise culture in this country and that is why I would like to be part of a positive force for change.
Oh and by the way C I do lots of work for charity, I'm an (unpaid) entrepreneur in residence at the British Library, an Ambassador for the Princes Trust and I'm also involved at a local level as non-exec director of Sustainable Bakewell a community interest company.
R
Rachel, even though you don't mentor me, that one free phonecall with you helped my business tremendously. Best part was, you weren't even watching the clock (even though we had agreed to 30 minutes) and you were so willing to give extra advice, all free of charge with no further obligations or pressure. I am extremely grateful for that wake-up call and you certainly have my support.
However, I can also see your Dragon's Den image (merciless and unhelpful with no constructive advice or guidance to the often poor souls pitching their beliefs...ok, the show was heavily edited, but they sure cut out ALL the best bits about you!) coming back to haunt you and you'd best brace yourself for it.
A1
I tell everyone in business to speak to Rachel.
We cannot live in fear and allow that to stop us advancing towards our dreams.
I'm conscious of the damage to my personal brand that both RLD and Dragons' Den have inflicted - but by the same token those two life experiences are what put me on the business 'map'. Celebrity (of sorts) is a rare and powerful privilege which has lead to so many amazing opportunities I cannot regret it for one second.
R
I have a few questions Rachel. How soon before you become an MP? Will you still be mentoring people at that stage? Will your fees go up? Or would you have to resort to picking and choosing who you mentor ?
I ask because I have just launched my business and am furiously fanning the take off flames, making those sales and putting you financially within reach as my mentor (I am actually on course to do this within the next 3 to 5 months, if it continues growing in this way), ensure all my paperwork and branding collateral are in place so there is some semblance to this baby I am making and it is than much easier for you to see and advice me on the next few steps. I do believe in myself and I do know what to do to take this forward.
In some selfish way (and I am horrified at myself for thinking this!) I would very much like you to grow your mentoring and masterclass business (bring us more of those marketing magicians events), rather than be an MP, so people like me can reach you for help and advice.
Although I do wish you the very best and would of course want for you to realise your dreams as an MP too!
A1
A1
Fear not, Rachel has to pass the Conservative selection process first and lets face it she's not your average Conservative candidate. Secondly, there has to be a general election (you might notice that happening so don't fear missing it). Lastly, the electorate of whatever constituency she stands in have to actually elect her. I think your mentoring relationship is safe.
C
Thanks C for the reassurance. Although I am not sure if I should feel good about what you said....it is selfish of me.
Oh well, what will be will be. I have a good head on my shoulders, strong vision of what I am doing, I can plan, persuade and get things done. I will succeed anyhow, mentor or no mentor.
A1
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