The Sugar Tax

Today's P&L: GBP 670.00

Today's Booze: 3 pints of Kronenbourg 1664, 2 pints of Organic Cider, 3 shots of Vodka

Today's Soundtrack: 80's Again, (hey it's my era).

So, Tate &Lyle are selling their sugar business to some American company for just over two hundred million pounds. Another iconic company disappears. Well they will continue to exist but only as a company producing additives for processed food, which sounds a revolting business to be in - even worse than being a bond trader. Tate & Lyle, before they had to take responsibility for rotting the nations teeth where one of those Victorian style companies with a social responsibility but rather than just provide housing and social welfare for their workers they founded the Tate Gallery, they also provided social spaces for the public such as Lyle park near their massive sugar refinery in Silvertown, see how long that waterside factory lasts under American ownership. The company claims that they will benefit shareholders by paying down debt and that competing sugar producers made the business unviable, but two hundred million seems very little for a business that has assets in the UK alone, ignoring the Singapore business, the American business and its Caribbean business. If I was around I'd look forward to seeing the new apartments on Sugar Wharf, which just happens to be a stones throw from the City airport. Still the ground under the factory must be quite polluted I imagine by maintaining a promise to invest in the borough, the new owners will have it cleaned on the expense of Newham Council.

Weird day trading today, I was out early in the morning for a load of blood tests and walking back decided to buy a mop,(I know,I know domesticated me). The US data came out which was as bad as expected and the market went up. An hour later when cash trading opened it settled down and turned rather more negative. People are beginning to realise if there is no job growth in the US, there is unlikely to be a consumer-lead recovery. Anyway I cleared a few hundred and decided to stop trading, although I will keep at least one spread betting broker open in case anything dramatic happens after Europe closes.

Today I was listening to more eighties music. The top five songs I listened to:

Joe le Taxi - Love this song but I only have a vague idea of what it is about as I don't speak French. Only the French would consider it appropriate to have a thirteen year old girl driving in a cab in Paris with an Algerian taxi driver. Still Mrs Depp had a good, though limited voice or maybe just everything sounds better in French.

Small Town - John Mellencamp. This song speaks to me of what it must be like to grow up in the middle of nowhere, I imagine endless miles of cornfields and trying to be the best at football or whatever so you don't have to grow up working on your daddies farm. At the same time their must be something so comforting about a place where everyone knows you. For me anywhere less than ten million people seems a small town. The Stalker asked if I wanted to go up to Liverpool or Glasgow as they seem to have so memories and I just knew I would find them limiting. Still who knows might be nice to see some of the places I lived in before.

Rock Me Amadaeus - The madcap Austrian Falco, anyone who was around then will remember how Amadeus was such a huge movie. The video for this song is great Falco who was a great musician, (der Kommisar, Jennie), Normally looks so suave and when he walks into the biker bar dressed as Mozart would, you know he is for real. Then he returns to his usual smooth self. The Extended mix is best.

Against All Odds - Today was a good day, but my brooding nature is never too far away. A Phil Collins record, I could be deported for less, but lets put it in perspective. I did used to be a banker although not when this was released.And I also got into this song because of the great film it was in. James Woods was always one of my favourite actors and back then I had such a crush on Rachel Ward. The car chase scene sums up how I lived most of my late twenties to mid thirties - breakneck speed. And the scenes in Mexico remind me of the heat and passion I found when I slowed down, although I never went to those Aztec pyramids, looks like it may be another for the bucket list.

I Say A Little Prayer - the Bomb The Bass remix, nothing like Dionne Warwick, this song starts off with an icy cold relentless drum pattern and the, fabulous female singer breaks in. In my imagination, the girl works in a chemist or something in Peckham or some other dump and she spends her time wishing she could have the chances to break out.


In case I don't see 'ya...good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!