Business in Glasgow

As Britain’s aspirations disappear in the slush of Whistler Mountain, the Winter Olympics have come to an end and so again the dreams of many athletes. I wouldn’t want to knock them because I could not hurtle down an icy wall of death at 90 miles an hour, lying on my back on a little piece of board, so hats off to them.

Don’t you find sometimes that your aspirations and your hopes are constantly knocked on the head by the realities of life? However, in the midst of trying to find some consolation in the remains of the Winter Olympic reports late into the night, I came cross the Politics Live show.

 On this occasion I was encouraged to listen to the words of Rev Jesse Jackson who had been wheeled in to talk about British politics  and the lack of enthusiasm for it.

He kept coming away with the phrase that politicians need to instil ‘ faith, hope and … substance’  to what they say and what they do for their constituents. It was not just an American take on the usual ‘have a positive attitude about everything and it will all turn out right’, but he was focussing on the ‘substance’.

So often when we come to the big events in the world, whether it is the Olympic Games or World Cup Football or the Ashes Test in Cricket, there is a lot of faith and hope but we usually walk away with no substance, no results, no trophy at the end of the day.

So the question we will be thinking about at the next Engage meeting is what is the substance of life that makes it meaningful? The substance which enables you to rise above the disappointments which do come our way and gives you a foundation and a platform to build upon?

If you would like to join the discussion round the table then you would be very welcome. Please drop me an email at jackquinn59@btinternet.com and I will, by return, give you the details of the meeting.

I look forward to seeing you at some point and enjoy the discussion as we relax and chill after a day’s work.

The conversations we covered at our Engage dinner last week were wide ranging but the topic of ‘going for walks’ came up. You know, the kind of walking we don’t always have time for. The walking with our eyes open, taking in the scenery, the weather, the people at street corners on bridges etc etc.

Well those conversations came back to my mind on Wednesday when my grandson decided to go for a walk. At the mature age of two years and two months he decided that the path I had chosen to walk on was not to be his path, so off he went, hesitatingly at first then at full canter, as fast as his” Spiderman” wellingtons could carry him, (bearing in mind they are two sizes too big for his feet, ‘room for growth’, said my daughter).

As I watched him I wondered if he would hesitate, pause, turn round to see if I would be watching him. Not a bit of it, he was putting some distance between us, and then I saw a little hesitation, a faltering in his pace but it wasn’t to consider where I was in his travels. He spotted a man kicking a football to his mate on the grass, and off he went and joined the game….

The little incident in the Botanics made me reflect on the bigger question of what influences us to take the paths we do, whether in work, or marriage, or special interests and how do these journeys fulfil our lives, or perhaps detract from them.

Are we like herring in the shoal, following the latest cultural trend or are we like the mature chub, striking out in our own into the deep, reluctant for company on the journey…

So I guess the topic of conversation around the dinner table next Tuesday 23rd February at 5.30pm will be: ‘ do we journey alone, or run with the pack….?’

If you would like to sit with us at table for some simple and nutrious food, share a drink, and see where the conversation takes us you would be very welcome. Email me at jackquinn59@btinternet.com for specific directions.

Oh yes the tale of my grandson….. he long forgot about me until I had to drag him kicking and screaming from the football onto the pathway home.

Jack Quinn

During the course of the lunch, Jack Quinn will also take the opportunity to outline a major piece of research he is doing to develop Business in Glasgow’s understanding of the nature of the business community within the city centre of Glasgow. We are sure that this will be of interest to you and welcome any contribution you wish to make to the study.

In addition we will lay out the plan for the meetings during the course of this year and the new areas we are hoping to introduce.

Booking is essential as we need accurate numbers to pass to the catering team.