"Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people." - Pericles When we hear the word 'democracy', we think of electing representatives who are affiliated to a political party. Yet for much of history it has not been that way. The concept of democracy is to hold governments accountable to the people. People are in favour of that, but politicians and parties are not held in similarly high regard. [Chart of popularit

The end of labour is to gain leisure.” Commonly attributed to Aristotle Whilst my recent blogs have been about decision-making, politics and different ways of thinking about things, this topic has come up so often in conversations with three different sets of friends that I felt I had to explore it with you all. Here is the scenario. It is 2030 and someone has finally produced a multi-functional household robot. It is more capable than a robotic vacuum cleaner and not restric

“Opposites are complementary.” - Niels Bohr In investing as in life, labels are useful in small measure but potentially fatal if abused. Many labels are no more than marketing slogans, or some are pejoratives designed to diminish the other side. More importantly, labels are simplifications. They create neat black and white categories whereas reality is messy and full of grey. Investing examples will always come first for me. There is no magic line between "defensive" and "gro

“The best thing I did was to choose the right heroes.”- Warren Buffett Asia trip reflections I had three vivid experiences while travelling this summer. All three made me think about heroes: who we celebrate, what we celebrate them for and what those choices say about us. The first was at the Forbidden City in Beijing, which is built on a scale of grandeur unlike anything I had seen before. Our tour guide told us something so striking that I checked it with her twice and then

"How do we stay in the room and hear things that are difficult? How do we make sure the parameters around conversation are ones that are open to conversations?" - Rabbi Charley Baginsky Apparently as you get older time speeds. I have felt the exact opposite so far this year and it seems from conversations with friends and family that I’m not the only one. When I remember to, just before summer holidays and / or at Christmas I tend to review what has happened. This has include