It's been pointed out to me - more an observation than a criticism, I like to think - that I tend to spend quite a lot of time banging on about UK manufacturing. So for a complete change this month, I think it's worth asking whatever happened to the vol au vent, once the king of the buffet table but (more...)

The present Mrs Simms is very much a fan of the Twilight saga, having read all the books and dragged me to all the movies. Now I enjoy a tale a werewolves and vampires as much as the next man, but the Twilight series is all a bit 'teenage angst' for my tastes. Still, with babysitters rarer than (more...)

A report coming out of the Centre for Economics and Business Research suggests that scrapping bank holidays would add £19bn to Britain's annual economic output, because of the extra contribution that the service sector would make over those additional eight working days. The news station (more...)

The government has revived the competition to develop carbon capture and storage (CSS) technology, promising £1bn of funds in a push to drive a solution forwards. The government's stated goal is to develop a world leading CSS industry, which could one day provide 100,000 or more UK jobs. (more...)

For many years Britain has punched above its weight as a manufacturing economy, so it probably didn't come as any great surprise when Brazil overtook us as the world's sixth largest manufacturer earlier this month, disappointing though it may have been. But as the rebalancing of the UK's economy (more...)

How many eco-sceptics does it take to change a light bulb? The answer, of course, is none - it's too early to say if the light bulb needs changing. Alright, it's an old joke, but it does remind us that even in these more enlightened times, in the wise words of Kermit the frog, it's not easy being (more...)

There's an advert running on TV at the moment that strikes me as a little off the mark. If my own perceptions are in any way aligned with those of even a small portion of the general public, then this particular advert is spectacularly failing to do the job is was presumably intended to do. It (more...)

Here's a question for you: what do formica, the microwave oven, Play-Doh, the Slinky, Viagra and hair restorer have in common? The answer is that they all came about as a result of trying to develop something entirely different.Formica, I recently learned, invented in 1912, was originally conceived (more...)

The redoubtable Mrs Simms is in training for her second marathon. Or at least she was until a rather nasty cold struck her down, leaving her somewhat under the weather. I have to report that the current Mrs Simms is quite high maintenance when she's ill. Here's a top tip for all husbands: regardless (more...)

If I remember correctly - and it's been a long time - my school days seemed to lurch from one fad or craze to the next, that emerged from nowhere and ran for a few weeks, before inevitably being banned after things ended in tears, usually because of loss, theft, arguments or some perceived health (more...)