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News & Comment19th January 2010Jolyon Gumbrell offers promotional reviews to antiques dealers, fine art dealers and estate agents in Londonby Jolyon GumbrellThe editor and creator of Jolyon’s Review is now offering an exclusive publicity service to antiques and fine art dealers as well as estate agents in London. For a negotiated fee Jolyon Gumbrell will write a bespoke feature on an exhibition, work of art or property; which the client is then free to publish in any media outlet. The client may decide to publish the feature on their own website, or purchase some advertising space from an on-line or newspaper publisher to display the exclusive promotional feature. Once Jolyon Gumbrell has written and delivered the completed feature to the client, it is the clients own decision which magazine or newspaper to use. The rest of this article can be seen by clicking on the London page of Jolyon’s Review. ©Jolyon Gumbrell 2010 5th January 2010 Review of a job advertby Jolyon GumbrellIn a difficult jobs market at a time of recession, the job seeker cannot afford to waste time applying for unsuitable jobs. The old advice of applying for as many jobs as possible is wrong. The job seeker needs to make a more selective approach, in a similar way to the method an employer uses to be selective about the type of person they employ. A critical approach to job advertisements - as seen in recruitment pages of newspapers and websites - needs to be adopted in order to get the best deal. The following advertisement which recently appeared on the website of the recruitment agency reed.co.uk, will be analysed by Jolyon’s Review:
The title of the advert ‘Art Gallery Sales - Bond St, London’ and the ‘Location Central London’ contradicts the first words of the job description: ‘Fabulous opportunity to join this stunning gallery in High Wycombe.’ Would the successful candidate be expected to work in London or High Wycombe or both locations? According to the advertisement the recruiter for this job is a company called Career Factor, however as Career Factor is another employment agency, no clue is given of the name of the employer. From the advert it appears as if two employment agencies are handling the recruitment process. Perhaps the employer is unaware that Career Factor are outsourcing part of their recruitment operation to reed.co.uk? For the job seeker who is applying for this job, it means their application will be passed along a chain before it reaches the employer. This is not a good situation for the candidate, because it will mean that his or her CV - with all that person’s personal details and employment history - will be read by quite a few people. This creates an opportunity for identity theft as the candidate does not know whether the people who are handling the CV are trustworthy. There are extensive duties involved in this job. The successful person who is taken on, will be expected to sell art in clients homes; sell art at the gallery; as well as carry out administrative and stores duties. One person would be expected to do the work of three people. If all the duties and tasks were split between three people, this position would create employment for a travelling sales person; a retail sales assistant; and an administrator/stores person. The duties of re-hanging pictures for exhibitions and curating are very time consuming in themselves, so even the most well organised and energetic of individuals would struggle to cope with the work-load of this position. The job description states: ‘The position will require a person who is motivated by sales targets and inspired by commissionable sales to help meet the monthly targets.’ People who are motivated by sales targets might not necessarily be the best people to sell works of art, because clients with the money and interest to buy art, are not generally responsive to the hard sell. Knowledge of the product and a genuine love of art, is far more important than being ‘target driven & hungry to make sales/commission’. The art market is changing at the moment, as much of the abstract and conceptual contemporary art has fallen out of favour since the credit crunch. The job description does not state, which type of contemporary art the successful candidate will have to sell. If the gallery deals mainly in figurative and representative art then the work of the sales person might be slightly easier. However, trying to sell Tracey Emin’s bed would be a futile task and guarantee failure, even for the type of sales person who has the charisma to sell fridges at the North Pole. In hard times job advertisements need to be approached with some critical thought. Job seekers would probably be wise not to apply for the job in the advert, quoted above. Whoever gets the job will need super human abilities to hold it down. It is very probable that whoever is successful in getting this position will face redundancy within three months. ©Jolyon Gumbrell 2010 10th December 2009 Launch of features page on Jolyon’s ReviewToday Jolyon Gumbrell has launched a features page on Jolyon’s Review. The first article to be published on this page is: ‘Dorothy Dickson, an icon of the 1920s and 30s’. The new page can be visited by clicking on the Features link.24th November 2009 Launch of the London page of Jolyon’s ReviewJolyon Gumbrell has recently launched a London page on the Jolyon’s Review website. Today the first article entitled: 'Traditional architecture for Social housing in London?', was published on the new page which can be seen by clicking on the London link.21st September 2009 Why did UnLtd, a charity, fund 2old.co.uk?Comment by Jolyon GumbrellOn 3rd September 2009 Jolyon's Review published a comment article entitled ‘A database for cheap labour’, about a website called 2old.co.uk which claimed: “Local employers, particularly small and start-up businesses would be more willing to employ mature job seekers if they were willing to work for less”. Funding for 2old.co.uk was provided by UnLtd - the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, which is a charitable organisation. Why was UnLtd - a trustee of the Millenium Awards Trust - funding a website that appeared to be promoting the exploitation of older members of the workforce in the United Kingdom? David Edwards the founder of 2old.co.uk is listed in the online directory of UnLtd. In this directory there is a short description of his website which says: “2old.co.uk is an online database that brings together jobseekers and start up local business with limited finance in order to increase employment rates and help small businesses”. No further information is given on this page of specific individuals or businesses which 2old.co.uk has helped, or any reason why David Edwards is qualified and experienced to set up the database. The listing does include the words: “London, the South and the East/Level 1/Oct-07” which refers to the place of the award and the type of award “Level 1”, and when it was made, October 2007. In the appendix of UnLtd’s financial report: ‘The Trustees’ Report and Consolidated Financial Statements’ for the fincial year which ended on 31st March 2008, David Edwards’ is listed as having received a financial award of £3,000. In the report his region is put down as the South West. UnLtd describes Level 1 awards as being: “aimed at individuals or informal groups of people who have an idea which will change society for the better, and want help getting it off the ground”. It is difficult to see how 2old.co.uk “will change society for the better” when it encourages job seekers to work for less. David Edwards has aimed his website at people living in “small-town England”. Anyone who has had experience of the jobs market in rural villages and small towns in England, will know that wages are often already very low in these locations. However for those trying to survive on low pay - the expenses of rent, mortguage, council tax, electricity, water, transport and food still have to be paid. In idylic rural locations in the West Country the cost of buying a house is comparable to that of London, yet Mr Edwards is suggesting rural workers should work for less. Doubts have been raised whether 2old.co.uk actually has any jobs to offer. On 13th July 2009 an article appeared on the website of Sirona Consulting entitled: ‘You are never too old to use a job board to find a job!’ The article which was about 2old.co.uk said: “While it is a nice idea - they do need to get some jobs on there soon to attract all those ‘mature jobseekers’”. 2old.co.uk has been advertised in a number of local magazines and websites around the country. These include: The Purbeck Gazette; Worthing Chamber news; Sevenoaks and District Chamber of Commerce; Henley News; The Villager; and Equality North East. The effect of a website such as 2old.co.uk could be to depress the local jobs market in some areas, because it will drive down the pay and conditions of workers. It is therefore hard to understand why the trustees of UnLtd approved the funding of 2old.co.uk? ©Jolyon Gumbrell 2009 3rd September 2009 A database for cheap labourComment by Jolyon GumbrellAn advertisement for a website called 2old.co.uk appeared in the September 2009 edition of The Frome Valley & Isle of Purbeck Gazette. The advertisement was published in the form of an article entitled: ‘Bringing Maturity To The Workplace’. The article claims that “2old.co.uk brings together the local employer and the mature job seeker”. It goes on to make the extraordinary claim that mature job seekers are willing to work for less. The article insults older members of the working age population by saying: “Local employers, particularly small and start-up businesses would be more willing to employ mature job seekers if they were willing to work for less.” The article claims that: “2old.co.uk is free to all employees and to all job seekers, there are no hidden charges.” Apparently the 2old.co.uk website has been endorsed by the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, because she is quoted in the article as saying: “Many mature job seekers find it difficult to get back into work after a redundancy or a period away from the workplace. I welcome the launch of 2old.co.uk and hope that it will provide a valuable resource for mature job seekers.” According to the article in The Purbeck Gazette: “2old.co.uk was founded by David Edwards as a positive response to his experience as a mature job seeker in small-town England. Start-up funding for 2old.co.uk was provided by UnLtd.” Why is there a need for a website that brings together mature job seekers in small-town England with local employers? Surely a mature job seeker has been living long enough in his or her small-town to know who is offering work. If the mature job seeker has just moved into an area, then he or she can find recruitment adverts in the local newspaper, jobcentre or on the internet. Likewise the employer will be able to advertise with the local jobcentre or newspaper in order to receive many applications, which will give the employer a good choice of people to fill a vacant position, especially in the present time of economic recession. The purpose of 2old.co.uk appears to be to find cheap labour for employers, rather than giving the mature job seeker “meaningful employment”. The employer will benefit from this situation through extra profit - while the mature person will be expected to survive on a pittance. Surely if somebody has years of experience, they will not be expecting to have a pay cut. Some employers might use 2old.co.uk to undercut the wages of their existing employees by bringing cheap labour into their companies. 2old.co.uk also appears to be a cynical ploy to drive a wedge between older and younger workers. The article in The Purbeck Gazette said: “The mature job seeker has many advantages over their younger counterpart.” Surely the employer must expect to pay more for the advantages of the mature job seeker and not less. In the past employers used to employ young people because they were cheaper, now with the help of 2old.co.uk, they won’t employ young people at all, but older people who will work for less. If one visits the 2old.co.uk website, there is no information given on its founder David Edwards. If people are to have trust in something, then they like to know who is behind it. David Edwards is a fairly common name, so it could be difficult to trace the actual individual responsible for this website. UnLtd, the charitable organization otherwise known as ‘The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs’, provided funding for 2old.co.uk. The question needs to be asked of UnLtd: why were funds given by a charity, to set up a website that appears to be promoting exploitation and slavery? ©Jolyon Gumbrell 2009 11th June 2009 Review of Goshka Macuga’s The Nature of the Beast at the Whitechapel GalleryJolyon Gumbrell has written a review entitled ‘History as art at the Whitechapel Gallery’, about Goshka Macuga’s ‘The Nature of the Beast’ exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery. This review can be read on the Art Reviews page.8th May 2009 The offshore black hole of the financial crisisby Jolyon GumbrellWhen the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, visited the United States in March of this year and addressed Congress, he said: “And you are also restructuring your banks. So are we. But how much safer would everybody’s savings be if the whole world finally came together to outlaw shadow banking systems and offshore tax havens?” These words were a passing recognition of the role that offshore financial centers have played in the present global economic crisis. Up until now it has been too easy for wealthy companies and individuals to take millions of pounds, dollars, euros or any other currency made in one country and deposit them without any questions being asked in a tax haven where there is little scrutiny or regulation. Tax havens such as Belize, the Cayman Islands, and Panama have become notorious not only for tax avoidance, but also money laundering and the finance of drug smuggling and terrorism. Tax havens have also contributed to the financial crisis, because they have been places where massive debt is hidden. On 26th May 2007, an article by Richard Northedge was published on the website of the Daily Telegraph entitled: ‘Business profile: The fantasy world of Vincent, the Other Tchenguiz brother’. The following paragraph, which describes some of the business dealings of the brothers Vincent and Robert Tchenguiz, shines light on some strange business practices: “Their Rotch company bought £4bn of property in three years, funded by £3.5bn of debt. Investing in finance companies secured sources of funds and by securitising the debt it was bundled off the balance sheet allowing Roch to borrow more - though the balance sheet is hidden by offshore ownership. Tchenguiz ignored convention and applied actuarial techniques to value his property on cashflow - thus putting a £5bn value on the £4bn portfolio.” It would be interesting to know about all the other companies and individuals that have used offshore financial centers as a means of hiding their debts. This loophole was never closed, following the fraud that caused the collapse of the American energy giant Enron in 2001. World leaders attending the G20 Summit in London on 2nd April 2009, were forced to recognize that tax havens have contributed to the global recession. Tax havens and non-cooperative jurisdictions were briefly mentioned in a joint statement by the G20 leaders entitled: ‘Declaration on strengthening the financial system’. Tracking down people who use offshore tax havens to avoid or evade tax should now be of international concern, but whether cooperation between tax authorities will be effective remains to be seen. President Barack Obama has recently indicated that he will close offshore tax loopholes for US companies and citizens. In a television address of May 2009, he mentioned a building in the Cayman Islands which houses the headquarters of 12,000 businesses. Mr Obama said: “Now I have said before, either this is the largest building in the world or the largest tax scam in the world. I think the American people know which it is. It’s the kind of tax scam we need to end.” President Obama’s speech is recognition of the harm that is done to any nation’s economy when huge amounts of capital are transferred offshore. It would be interesting to know what Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling are going to do about closing the offshore tax loophole for companies and individuals based in the United Kingdom? ©Jolyon Gumbrell 2009 19th April 2009 Has Jacob Rigg duped Liberal Democrats in Dorset?by Jolyon GumbrellJacob Rigg a man who claims to have been a speech writer for President Barack Obama of the United States, was unable to disprove allegations made by Katie Connelly on the blog of Newsweek, an American current affairs magazine. Katie Connelly wrote in a blog, published on Monday, March 16th, 2009, that Rigg is: “a tax lobbyist who, according to the London Telegraph helped Favs [Jon Favreau, Obama’s speech writer] dish up some of the most memorable political lines of the last campaign from a flat in London’s trendy Notting Hill. Unlike Favs, it seems Riggs totally makes things up. Obama’s team has never heard of him.” If Rigg did not work with Barack Obama’s campaign team and did not help write Obama’s speeches, then Rigg has duped quite a few people on the British side of the Atlantic including journalists and members of the Liberal Democratic Party. Last year, at the time of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, Rigg was featured in the British media. On the website of 4Talent magazine in an article of May 13th 2008 entitled ‘The Persuaders’, Catherine Bray wrote: “Over dinner in Soho I met Jacob Rigg, who through his work for the Liberal Democrats and American Democrats Abroad, has come to write for Barack Obama, a politician hailed as much for his magnetic style and persuasive speeches as his liberal policy agenda.” In another article that appeared in The Guardian on May 16th 2008 entitled ‘Barack Obama’s theatrical tactics’, it was written of Rigg: “He’s part of Barack Obama’s campaign team, and lead writer of the American Democrat’s so-called ‘Unity’ address, given at the Ebeneza Baptist Church in January this year, which prompted Radio 4, amongst others, to make favourable comparisons to John F Kennedy’s Ask not ... speech.” The “London Telegraph” article referred to by Connelly, was written by the Daily Telegraph's political correspondent, James Kirkup and published on the Telegraph's website on 6th November 2008. The article said: “Parts of the speech were crafted by Jacob Rigg, a volunteer advisor to the Obama campaign.” However, when Connelly made an inquiry to White House Spokesperson Tommy Vieton concerning Rigg, Vieton’s response was as quoted in the Newsweek blog: “None of us had heard this individual’s name until we read these claims in the paper. Apparently he’s a talented fiction writer.” Jacob Rigg has recently been touring Dorset in England, the guest of unsuspecting Liberal Democrats. His itinerary on Saturday April 18th, 2009, included “Campaign Workshops” at Swanage Middle School, and a “Buffet Lunch” and “Presentation lecture” at the Mowlem Theatre in Swanage. People who attended these events were charged £2.50 for the workshop, £6.00 for the buffet lunch, £5.00 for the presentation lecture, or £12.00 for an all event ticket. The event was advertised on the website of Swanage & The Isle of Purbeck Liberal Democrats as “Washington comes to Swanage”. The lecture that took place at the Mowlem had the title: “Working with President Obama lecture”. In the write up it said: “Jacob was part of a team of speech writers working behind the scenes in the Obama campaign. Some of his writing was adopted in several of the speeches and he had a unique insider’s view of events - from playing basketball with Barack Obama to watching the election develope, and will be sharing his personal experiences of campaigning across America.” If Rigg lied about his involvement in the Obama campaign, then the victims of this misrepresentation are all those who bought tickets to the events and the Liberal Democrats who accepted his story in good faith. Although Rigg may have written speeches for Liberal Democrats such as Chris Huhne, speech writing is not his day job. Rigg works for an organization called The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), which helps wealthy non-doms to avoid paying taxes in the United Kingdom. So if Rigg really did work for the Obama campaign, was the STEP organization happy to give him time off work for this project? Jolyon Gumbrell was hoping to interview Jacob Rigg at the Mowlem on April 18th, but Rigg refused to have his conversation recorded. Rigg therefore failed to give any evidence to Jolyon’s Review, which would have supported his claim that he contributed to Obama’s election campaign by helping with speech writing. ©Jolyon Gumbrell 2009 2nd January 2009 Review of The Shock DoctrineJolyon Gumbrell has just reviewed ‘The Shock Doctrine’, by Naomi Klein. This review can be read on the Book Reviews page.This website has been created by Jolyon Gumbrell. ©Jolyon Gumbrell 2007 |