Opinion – Page 349
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With friends like these …
Gillian Birkby (16 October, page 50) hits the nail on the head in berating public bodies for their unreasonably onerous appointment terms
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No laughing matter
For some time I have been uneasy about the direction of your health and safety blunders
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Back at you
You have really rattled my cage now! I complained that Building should not publish health and safety photos when it could do something positive, like report the matter to the Health and Safety Executive. Then you published Charles Johnston’s letter (23 October, page 31) suggesting my view was a “minority ...
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Comment
How do I... draft a letter of intent?
In the latest of our series on tackling your own legal affairs, Deborah Primett explains how to draft the ever popular, ever problematic letter of intent
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CommentHansom: Epic tales
Construction folk fight the good fight this week; they clash with an A-list celeb, stagger through hurricanes, take on insane safety regs and eat all the pies
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Going all out for 80 per cent
Construction’s reform agenda needs kickstarting and a review of how the industry is placed to respond to the demands of a low carbon economy could do the trick
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CommentWonders & blunders with Chris Johnson
The Thorncrown Chapel in Arizona is worth a special pilgrimage, says Chris Johnson, but a classic example of eighties City architecture should be sent for recycling
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Comment
GDP figures: a turn up for the books
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its initial forecast of GDP for the third quarter of 2009 on Friday. With most forecasters anticipating the end of the recession, there was considerable disappointment that the economy has now been contracting for the past 18 months.For the record, the Construction Products ...
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White Young Green: investors brace yourself
Under Stock Market rules, White Young Green has got until the end of this week to announce its results. Gulp.If the word on the street is true, chief exec Paul Hamer and new chairman Mike McTighe are probably not expecting the most comfortable morning of their lives.Although the consultant engineer ...
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Comment
Falling construction helps hold UK in recession
An estimated fall of 1.1% in construction output in the third quarter of this year has helped to hold the UK economic growth in recessionary territory.Much to the surprise of many analysts the UK economy appears to have remained in recession, with GDP output falling 0.4% in the three months ...
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A common disaster
The Construction Confederation has gone bust, leaving a £20m deficit in its pension fund and hundreds of people who stand to lose up to 70% of their retirement income. The situation is extremely depressing for those affected, but it’s not a scandal. It’s not a tale of incompetence or deceit. ...
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CommentThe evil that men do
The government’s removal of empty property rate relief has been universally recognised as a wicked and ungodly act. Even Alistair Darling seems to have grasped this
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Comment
The OFT vs Tony Bingham
Tony Bingham’s article, “The cost of a phone call” (9 October, page 30), is based on a misunderstanding of the Office of Fair Trading’s position. The OFT has never claimed that unilaterally submitting a high price is illegal. Rather, as Mr Bingham says, the illegality arises where the price is ...
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Comment
Linnett vs the OFT
Tony Bingham was right “on the money”, so to speak, in his article exposing the obvious weakness of the OFT’s stance on cover pricing
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CommentSport: The real enemy
Don’t get the idea that I’m speaking from any sort of moral high ground, or even from a moral hillock, but Chris Wise’s comments about steel were interesting and I thought perhaps ought to be brought to their logical conclusion (9 October, page 28)
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Comment
Bad experience
New apprenticeships are very important to the future progress of the industry (“Gove: Conservatives to triple apprenticeships”, www.building.co.uk)
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Comment
Learn through laughter
I was thoroughly enjoying your 9 October publication until I wandered across David Westwood’s email regarding your health and safety blunders (page 27), which sent me into fits of laughter and disbelief
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Comment
When life gets complicated
Open mike: We sing the praises of whole-life costing but find it tricky to put into practice. The recently launched British Standard will do nothing to change this: we need a new approach