Billionaire Brexiteer James Dyson (yet again) shows himself as nothing but a self-serving prick in relocating his HQ to Singapore
Yesterday, in the wake of the crappy hoover manufacturer Sir James Dyson announcing he’d be relocating his headquarters to Singapore, the journalist Tim Walker tweeted: “Need a moral vacuum? Get a Dyson” and followed up with: “People are becoming legitimately angry about the sheer hypocrisy of the Brexiteers. We see them for what they are.”
Journalist Tim Walker tweets about James Dyson’s “moral vacuum”
This morning, in a similar vein, a spoof news site named Evening Harold ran a story titled ‘Dyson launch moral vacuum’ in which they declared the billionaire’s products to have: “100% less integrity than rival products and comes in cordless, bagless, spineless and gutless models.”
They are right: This tax avoider – whom also recently spent £57 million ($74 million) on a Manhattan penthouse – and his dreary overpriced rugmaker wife Deirdre are the finest examples of hypocrites on the planet; they pompously tell the populous what to do and do exactly the opposite. It’s time this “it’s one rule for us and another for everyone else” duo just bogged off to whatever tax haven they feel most comfortable in.
‘The Steeple Times’ highlights Knightsbridge’s worst nuisance neighbour; meet hotel and leisure fund manager Jochen Schaefer-Suren
Jochen Schaefer-Suren clearly is someone with a passion for harbouring a grudge and an individual prone to intimidating others.
Yesterday, at Kensington Town Hall, this cowardly individual failed to personally to turn up in a case lawyers for him and his landlord had encouraged against a perfectly decent restaurateur named ‘Adriano’ Basha Bashkim and his fine establishment Giovanni.
Supposed bigshot of the business world Schaefer-Suren – a prat who surprisingly, himself, is in the hospitality sector and CEO of the hotel and leisure division of a firm called Principal – moved to a house he rented (yet despite his supposedly grand credentials does not own) in Yeoman’s Row in December 2017.
Giovanni restaurantThe weed infested frontage of the home of “The Knightsbridge Nuisance” Jochen Schaefer-Suren
He, like the occupants of the five other houses directly opposite Giovanni, knew he would be living in close proximity to a premises that has been the site of a restaurant for 45 years. He also likely got a substantial discount on his rent as result, but what did Schaefer-Suren do? This cowardly cretin did not establish good neighbourly relations and offer to swap a cup of sugar. Instead, he went to war and photographed the owner’s children and customers like a snitch from behind his curtains.
Schaefer-Suren then sent bombastic rants to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and falsely claimed that others in the street supported his campaign to close down Giovanni. Not a single fellow resident appeared yesterday in support of his plainly false set of claims.
Here is a “mouse” (most definitely not a “man”) who likes to be a bully boy from behind the confines of the door of his scruffy, weed infested curtilage (pictured above). Jochen Schaefer-Suren is a disgrace of the first order and we name and shame this pest and public nuisance as such. Why doesn’t he just move to Surbiton? He’d be better suited to living next to a suburban Starbucks. It’s not Giovanni who should be gone; it’s Jochen Schaefer-Suren.
Matthew Steeples criticises the ‘Evening Standard’s’ Benedict Moore-Bridger for his unjustified attack on the Knightsbridge restaurant Giovanni
Benedict Moore-Bridger is an Evening Standard journalist who has been criticised for his “lazy work” and described as “[not] the most popular chap at the office.” Of his writing style, one Twitter user remarked: “[He makes me] sigh” whilst another commented that an article he wrote about a hit-and-run was “shameful.” Here, it seems, is a writer capable of causing unnecessary annoyance and here yesterday was a journalist who sought out a cheap headline at the expense of a decent, hardworking Knightsbridge restaurateur.
In picking up and exaggerating on information no doubt fed to him by a disgruntled busybody resident of Yeoman’s Row – where Adriano Basha runs the delightful Italian eatery Giovanni – Moore-Bridger decided to highlight irrelevant details about the businessman and his country of origin. His article contained a veiled hint of anti-immigrant sentiment and suggested local residents “regular[ly]” complain about the establishment. In response, the paper further stoked this matter in allowing the most inappropriate and bigoted reader comments to be published underneath the online version of the piece.
The Evening Standard and Mr Moore-Bridger should be ashamed of themselves. Local residents love Giovanni; it is a fine restaurant and one most ably run. We urge all our readers to support Adriano and Giovanni.
Gavin Newsom brings hope to America and we expect him to great things as 40th Governor of California; we also urge him to do what he can to free the victims of parental abuse, the Menendez brothers
Gavin Newsom, as the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, achieved much. This spirited businessman brought in same-sex marriage in violation of the then state law, implemented a programme that provided permanent housing with support for 7,000 homeless people and did much to support workers’ rights.
Awarded the title of “America’s Most Social Mayor” based on his prominence on social media in 2010, here is a politician who has thrived because he does things differently. Charismatic and forward thinking, Newsom’s first book, Citizenville, explored how technology can transform democracy and in 2014, by then the 49th Lieutenant Governor of California, he became the only statewide politician to endorse the legalisation of cannabis.
More importantly, illustrating his thoroughly decent personality, in 2012, Newsom supported a sadly failed measure that sought to end the death penalty in California. He cited that California had spent $5 billion since 1978 to execute just 13 people and also stated that the death penalty was “immoral” and “did not deter crime.”
Yesterday, Newsom – a possible future President we’d go as far to say – was sworn in as the 40th Governor of California. Walking in the shoes of Arnold Schwarzenegger will undoubtedly be a new challenge for him and presiding over the most populous and prosperous state in the United States will certainly bring with it great challenges. With 39.6 million residents and a $2.9 trillion economy that is larger than that of the United Kingdom, he plans to work to reform healthcare, has already stood up to Donald Trump over his ridiculous wall and described it as a “monument of stupidity” and boldy taken on the NRA and stated: “We need comprehensive gun reform. NOW.”
All at The Steeple Times today salute ‘The Gavinator’ – as he once joked he would be known – but today, on his second day in office, we make a more heartfelt plea to him. Given the increasing amount of support and increasing amount of information about their case finally now being in the public domain, we urge the 40th Governor to take up the mantle of the permanently incarcerated victims of the most abhorrent of parental abuse, Erik and Lyle Menenendez. These boys received the most harsh of sentences simply because of who they were and have been locked up in Californian jails for 27 years without any chance of release ever. It is, we’d argue, now damn well time they were let out and it would be a fine thing if Gavin Newsom could do what he can to ensure the day when these brothers again walk free comes sooner rather than later.
Lady ‘Call Me Victoria’ Borwick makes a fool of herself on the BBC’s ‘Big Question’ as it is revealed that the MP who managed to lose the safe seat of Kensington is ludicrously seeking a comeback
Yesterday morning, Lady ‘Call Me Victoria’ Borwick nodded her head on the BBC’s The Big Questions as another member of the audience suggested it ridiculous that a family living in a poky flat in Beckenham worth £300,000 can be paying the same in council tax as a family living in Kensington in a £25 million mansion.
“Please Victoria, stop interrupting, come on, let’s have someone else,” responded the programme’s host Nicky Campbell as this redheaded mother of the chief technology officer for Vote Leave tried to interject. “I’m a Londoner” later shouted the former Conservative MP – whom lost a seat that anyone would agree a “pig in a blue rosette should have won” – whilst Made in Chelsea’sAndy Jordan, in a bizarre attempt to be meritocratic, added: “Made in Chelsea should be Made for Everybody. I like that.”
This delusional cocktail party loving ex-MP, it should be added, herself lives in Phillimore Gardens, W8 – one of Britain’s most expensive streets and one where houses regularly sell for upwards of £35 million – and is the very same woman who did little to nothing for the homeless whilst in office. Instead, Borwick mostly asked questions during her time at Westminster in support of the antiques trade in general and the ivory business in particular. She now wants to return.
In spite of Borwick declaring: “I’m not a politician anymore” on The Big Questions, her very own website tells a very different story. Its homepage begins with the announcement: “I have made no secret of the fact that I would like to be re-elected as your Member of Parliament for Kensington and represent my fellow residents in Parliament.” No doubt, soon, ‘Call Me Victoria’ will also be picking up the phones. God help the Conservative Party and God help Kensington.
#bbctbq #lazyborwick
Watch the programme by clicking here (time limited for 29 days).
Lady Borwick on: “Should drugs be treated like alcohol?”
Nicky Campbell: “I know you’re very against drugs, but, of course, George Osborne, David Cameron, Boris Johnson – It didn’t do them any harm did it?”
Lady Borwick: “I am sorry I cannot think of a reason why legalising drugs would be… [Interuption from an audience member] Hang on, I’m not in politics any more… The important point is legalising drugs is not going to make us as a nation healthier.”
Nicky Campbell: “Did you have a drink over Christmas?”
Lady Borwick: “Yes, but not very much.”
Nicky Campbell: “But, then, are you a hypocrite?”
Lady Borwick: “We’re just facing Dry January. We’re telling people they shouldn’t be drinking in January… Why do we want encourage people to get addicted [to drugs]? The most important point is that the drug dealers are not going to go away, they’re not going to give up and tend their own gardens I’m sorry to say. But if you legalise pushing outside our schools… They’ll find some other way of engaging in criminal activity.”
Lady Borwick on: “Is London only for the rich?” and the Grenfell Tower tragedy and gangs
Nicky Campbell: “Well Victoria, you were the MP for [Kensington] and it is a very divided city, London. Most people would agree with that.”
Lady Borwick: “Just a touch. Just a touch. I will touch on Grenfell because you’ve raised that.”
Nicky Campbell: “Can I read out one of your emails because it does concentrate minds on what the problem is.”
Lady Borwick: “I was just going to quickly say, having been to see Grenfell because while… I went to see Grenfell several times. I helped them form a residents’ association because they had some very, very valid concerns. And I of course, I passed on all those concerns to the police. This is no secret. This has been in the Guardian. This has been in the media. But the problem is this is a tragedy and today is all about: ‘Is London too expensive?’ but I think all of us in Kensington, everyone in Kensington and Chelsea, everyone in London appreciates what a tragedy this is and how…”
Nicky Campbell: “But on the subject of the two nations that we are living in in London. Those of us who do and these remarks come from an email [from Lady Borwick]. It’s very interesting because you say: ‘The local community was difficult to help in the aftermath of the disaster because rather like gangs they don’t go into another community.”
Lady Borwick: “I was explaining… I was explaining in a four page email that we need to reach out to them. You cannot expect people to come to you.”
Nicky Campbell: “Why did you say: ‘Like gangs’?”
Lady Borwick: “It’s like communities, groups. It’s just terminology, of you know, saying you’ve got to reach out to people. You’ve not got to expect in life that people are going to come to you. We shouldn’t be judging people. We should be here reaching out. And that’s why when I saw the Grenfell people, I went to see them.”
Audience member: “That’s quite a pejorative term…”
Lady Borwick: “OK, as a group, the people we had to deal with…”
Anna Minton (journalist and academic): “There was an absolute breakdown of relations with the community and local government over Grenfell.”
Lady Borwick: “I agree with that and it’s an absolute tragedy and we must make sure that, that that never, ever happens again… These people had genuine concerns and I went to see them about a whole range of things.”
Alex Proud (restaurateur and gallery owner): “The politicians weren’t interested and aren’t interested. You destroyed the city we live in.”
Lady Borwick: “I’m sorry. I am really sorry. I went and listened to various people and they had genuine, genuine concerns. They weren’t just about those things.”
Nicky Campbell: “Victoria, Victoria… Please… Moving on from Grenfell…”
Lady Borwick: “I don’t want people thinking I didn’t have genuine concerns.”
Lady Borwick on empty housing in London:
Lady Borwick (in response to an audience member saying “housing shouldn’t be about all the investment units in the golden postcodes of Knightsbridge and Kensington”): “We’ve got to have homes that people actually want to live in.”
Nicky Campbell: “Please, Victoria, come on. Let’s have someone else. We’ve got speak to someone else now.”
The studio audience on the BBC’s Big Question were hosted by Nicky Campbell and included Londoner’s pro and anti-drugs and those interested in the city’s housing crisis.The rabid right-wing journalist Peter Hitchens was also in the studio; later on Twitter the anti-drugs campaigner lamented: “Sometimes it is useful to have had some practice in being a minority of one in a TV studio.”‘Made in Chelsea’ ‘star’ Andy Jordan pointed out that the reality show did not portray the reality of life in one of the country’s richest boroughs; he also added: “They showed me driving round in a Ferrari. I actually own a white Transit van.”Lady Borwick plainly hasn’t caught up with the times. She wore a necklace that proclaimed: “Votes for Women” in spite of the fact that women got the vote in Britain 101 years ago in 1918.
Lucy Smith takes a look at developments in point of sale systems
It is human nature to take for granted that which we interact with on an daily basis. After all, when was the last time that we contemplated the technology behind an online transaction? We simply point, click and wait to receive confirmation that the payment was accepted.
It is interesting to note that there is more than, what I call, the “wizard behind the curtain” when speaking of modern point-of-sale (POS) architecture. Not only are these applications intended to keep your transactions secure at all times, but they are now associated with some very real sci-fi gadgetry.
You may recall the heady digital days of the Internet associated with the late 1990s: Dial-up tones, incredibly long loading times and bare-bones checkout platforms were commonplace. If we fast-forward twenty years later, times have indeed change: Modern point-of-sale systems have taken on what can only be called a slightly human touch. They are incredibly flexible and even friendly at times. Some of their most interesting features include:
The ability to remember your previous purchases.
The acceptance of dozens of different payment methods.
Live chatbot help in the event of an issue or a problem.
Advanced forms of security such as 256-bit AES encryption.
There are two intentions behind the advancements mentioned directly above. First, they are meant to instil a sense of confidence; encouraging the customer to make additional purchases in the future. They are also intended to exhibit the branding of businesses and offer a notion of seamless uniformity.
We are now beginning to witness the emergence of point-of-sale templates that can be fully moulded around the needs of the business in question. Cloud-based providers such as Shopify have embedded a host of unique and user-friendly tools into these platforms. Multi-channel marketing, malleable templates, plug-and-play hardware, precise inventory management, and support for advanced checkout procedures are only a handful of examples.
The real advancements are now involving the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into this very same hardware. What does this signify for the end user? First and foremost, you can expect an even faster and more intuitive checkout process than in the past. The chances are also high that you will be interacting with a “bot” as opposed to human if the problem arises. This does not signal that real-life representatives will be taken out of the loop. On the contrary, your query can be directed towards the appropriate source within seconds.
The next time you make an online purchase or provide your credit card details to a virtual retailer, keep in mind the complexities of the technology mentioned above. It is amazing to witness just how far it has come in only two decades.
Lucy Smith is based in Spain and is widely considered an expert in online marketing.
The National Crime Agency’s investigation into and that Theresa May stopped a previous inquiry into Arron Banks’ activities is proof that he must now be properly questioned
Arron Banks looks like the kind of a man who’d have been a bully at school. He was actually expelled from two schools – once for stealing the lead off a roof – and was incensed that William Hague effectively termed him a “nobody.”
Named after the Scottish island of Arran (though his parents bizarrely got the spelling wrong), Banks is undoubtedly wealthy but that he likely provided money of dubious source to the Leave.EU campaign is definitely worthy of detailed examination.
Married to a Russian he met at a Britney Spears concert and the driver of a ghastly purple Range Rover – complete with the equally pretentious numberplate “X MI5 SPY” – Banks also co-owns the ridiculous website Westmonster with the “remarkably unpleasant child” and “milk bottle white” Michael Heaver. He hangs around mostly with a supposed “diplomat from Brazil” named Andy Wigmore, hands out diamonds like confetti and is a “man of many legends” according to The Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce.
Now, however, this ‘Bad Boy of Brexit’s’ business affairs may very well be his undoing.
As Pimlico Plumbers’ founder sticks up a ‘Bollocks to Brexit’ sign on his headquarters and Gina Miller launches ‘End The Chaos!’, The Steeple Times predicts Brexit will NOT actually happen
Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, is well-known for having supported Gina Miller’s successful Article 50 case at The Supreme Court.
Now, in a brilliantly bold move, this multi-millionaire businessman has stuck a huge sign on his company’s headquarters in Waterloo that reads: “Bollocks to Brexit, It’s not a done deal.”
Shared on Facebook by a Facebook group named ‘Pants to Brexit,’ an image of this gigantic yellow and black announcement comes just as Miller herself launched a new campaign called ‘End the Chaos!’ It also accompanied revelations of Tony Blair, Nick Clegg and Sir John Major holding “secret meetings” to establish how Britain could actually remain in the EU.
We join Mr Mullins in saying: “BOLLOCKS TO BREXIT” and look forward to the imminent collapse of the mess that she who’s been too busy wandering in the wheatfields presides over.
Please join those backing ‘End the Chaos’ – Let the people decide by clicking here.
A 20-question interview with economist turned real estate investor Davide Giardino
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?
“The happiness and success of those closest to my heart.”
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“If you keep your destiny in mind, every moment in life becomes an opportunity to move closer to it.”
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2018?
Technocrats – as at least populists are lying most of the time.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
A simpler life. I miss the routine of going to an office every morning. Am I crazy?
What might you swap all your wealth for?
Assets? Well, in all seriousness, good health for me, my family and my friends.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank.” What’s your view on the state of the financial system?
Who is richer and who is poorer from the latest financial crisis? You’ve got my answer…
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“I am saying it for your sake.”
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Charity often substitutes for the lack of adequate government or international policy which is disappointing. I support a variety of causes including helping children born with congenital diseases and homeless children.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
Shut them off at night.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
My twin brother, a bunch of friends, Isabelle Huppert, Glenn Close and probably Angelina Jolie.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Bucatini with lobster (I always liked bucatini more than spaghetti), gâteau de pommes de terre (cooked the Neapolitan way), a large portion of figs and a torta caprese chocolate cake. I woiuld probably eat it at the Villa San Michele in Capri, Hotel Bel Air or Cliveden House – all places close to my heart for different reasons.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
11am, though not every day.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A Negroni.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
A dear friend of mine throws the most memorable dinner parties. I love how he always selects a group of diverse people who do not know each other, but will create an incredible energy together by the end of the night. It always helps that I’m always the guest of honour!
Who is the most positive person you know?
Maybe me.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Buying French pâtisserie and flowers for myself many times each week.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
“I want it all.”
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A vintage Fiat 500 with a new engine. They are so cute and practical and I don’t need a Maserati to compensate for a lack of personality or something else.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I am still trying to figure myself out.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
Fresh flowers.
Davide Giardino is the founder of DGC-Luxury Homes and a licensed realtor at Rodeo Realty – Beverly Hills and Greater LA. He has extensive experience in the real estate advisory and investment business and previously was an economist at several global finance institutions. He describes himself as “a multi-lingual globetrotter” and holds a double degree from Bocconi and USC, an MSc in European political economy from the London School of Economics and a masters in finance from LBS.
In spite of greedy landlords seeing off other local institutions – such as the renowned restaurant La Brasserie in and more recently wine merchants Nicholas – Mrs Mulji and her staff continues to open from 5am to 7pm daily.
All at The Steeple Times urge our readers to support this fine business. “Use it or lose it” comments editor-in-chief Matthew Steeples.
P. Josiah Newsagents forms part of what was a parade of shops and restaurants; sadly the majority are now gone and have been replaced by a vast yet little visited Stella McCartney storeYasmita Mulji welcomes all customers including Chelsea’s most famous parrotsYasmita Mulji with footballer Frank Lampard
