West of Centre

The names of men fade with the passage of the centuries but their creations linger. Faust is a name which was created to symbolise the constant lure of the devil. The play is considered the finest in German literature and was the prime creation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The play is in two parts and begins with the devil (Mephistopholes) making a bet with God that he can lure the well read Faust away from righteous pursuits. Faust is found despairing of human vanity and is soon approached by the devil who promises him everything he desires while on earth provided Faust serves the devil in hell. The contract is duly signed with the blood of Faust and so begins one of the most famous of all stories. The story has inspired countless pieces of music as well as various literary classics. But what place has Faust in the modern world? Faust is an allegory for the weakness of power and is relevant to any epoch in history. Watching the former Prime Minister Tony Blair desperately seeking ...

When was the last time you heard the words "Social enterprise"? Unless you have cut yourself off from mankind for the last few years, it is likely that you will have heard people mentioning social enterprise either in the media or simply by word of mouth. But what exactly is it and what's the big deal? The simple truth is that social enterprise is actually as old as the hills. In very simple terms, social enterprise businesses have a social mission at the core of their aims ahead of any potential profit. They can be "not-for-profit" or they can be a "for-profit" organisation. In recent years there has been an explosion in the growth of social enterprise and it is difficult to see any reversal of that trend. Put simply, if there was no need for them, they would not exist. To demonstrate my point, I will focus on three social enterprise projects from around the world because this business concept is indeed global. In an attempt to try and give a flav...

Britain in 1975 was significantly different to the Britain of today and for a variety of reasons. The social fabric for one thing was lacking if not bereft of what we now call political correctness. History will judge whether that was a good thing or not. Very briefly, it is instructive to reflect on the outcome of the EU referendum of 1975. 67.23% of those who voted elected to remain. In our 2016 version, that figure had dropped to 48%. It is also interesting to note that at a time when the electorate was generally considered to be more engaged, the turnout in 1975 was 64.6% compared to 72.2% two weeks ago. Then as now the incumbent government negotiated a deal and recommended continued membership. The respective outcomes could scarcely have been more different. But enough of the EU for now. 1975 was a very important year for British culture. I say this for no other reason than the emergence of a new situation comedy whose first six episodes were aired by the BBC. Written by husba...