http://www.ft.com/brian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/rss/brian-groom-notebookFT.com - Brian Groom's Notebooken© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2009. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.client.support@ft.com (Client Support)Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:43:37 +0000Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:12:59 +0000Newspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/brian-groom-notebook(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/9cdd827c-d869-11de-b63a-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9cdd827c-d869-11de-b63a-00144feabdc0.htmlWordsworth House is counting the cost after rising waters carried the wrought iron gates off to the Irish Sea and demolished the front garden wall. More than 200 Cockermouth residents were rescued by emergency services, says Brian Groom Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:43:37 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/49becba8-d2e9-11de-af63-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/49becba8-d2e9-11de-af63-00144feabdc0.htmlThe Conservatives appear to want to recreate the buzz Labour managed with 'Cool Britannia' in 1997, though that flimsy phenomenon was overblown, writes Brian Groom Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:33:21 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/c9d9f5ea-cd5f-11de-8162-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c9d9f5ea-cd5f-11de-8162-00144feabdc0.htmlThe confusion over official economic data threatens to make companies even more risk-averse. That, in turn, could help to ensure recovery is slow, says Brian Groom Mon, 9 Nov 2009 20:20:51 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/445951b8-c7e7-11de-8ba8-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/445951b8-c7e7-11de-8ba8-00144feab49a.htmlIn spite of the residual affection for it, attitudes to Royal Mail and its future seem confused, writes Brian Groom. According to one poll, two-thirds of people oppose the current strikes. Yet in another, twice as many sympathised with the workers as with the managementMon, 2 Nov 2009 20:43:21 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/8027cc24-bce3-11de-a7ec-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8027cc24-bce3-11de-a7ec-00144feab49a.htmlIt is with sadness I report an unseemly spat between Leeds and Sheffield over the former's plan to build a £78m entertainment arena, writes Brian Groom Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:26:15 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/7d88273c-b763-11de-9812-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7d88273c-b763-11de-9812-00144feab49a.htmlIndustrial militancy tends to be suppressed by recessions but as the postal workers – who are threatening to strike – show, there are always exceptions to the rule, writes Brian Groom Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:28:24 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/18b683a4-b1f4-11de-a271-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/18b683a4-b1f4-11de-a271-00144feab49a.htmlDavid Cameron's toughest challenge on the road to Downing Street will be to close the north-south political divide, writes Brian Groom Mon, 5 Oct 2009 22:27:29 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/3bebfcfa-ac5e-11de-a754-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3bebfcfa-ac5e-11de-a754-00144feabdc0.htmlBusiness is torn between wanting the public finances brought back into balance and not wanting to halt the flow of government orders, says Brian Groom Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:40:43 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/9fe605d4-a6e1-11de-bd14-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9fe605d4-a6e1-11de-bd14-00144feabdc0.htmlRecovery may be close but there is little comfort for the West Midlands. Its unemployment rate is 10.5 per cent, the highest in the UK, up 4.2 points in a year. But Brian Groom says there has been a distraction in the contrasting stories of two women Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:55:43 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/c835bd62-a15b-11de-a88d-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c835bd62-a15b-11de-a88d-00144feabdc0.htmlThere is an irony in the TUC returning to Liverpool just when the city is putting its industrial past behind it and reinventing itself as a retail centre, writes Brian Groom Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:36:18 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/817fa600-9be1-11de-b214-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/817fa600-9be1-11de-b214-00144feabdc0.htmlThe regularly mocked rural county is setting out to break outdated stereotypes and convince investors it is a vibrant technology centre, says Brian Groom Mon, 7 Sep 2009 20:27:56 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/4c9f845a-98cb-11de-aa1b-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4c9f845a-98cb-11de-aa1b-00144feabdc0.htmlThe elusive graffiti artist's 'Banksy v Bristol Museum' exhibition, which has just closed, is estimated by the city council to have boosted Bristol's economy by £10m, says Brian Groom Thu, 3 Sep 2009 22:05:27 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5ba1b28-9659-11de-84d1-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5ba1b28-9659-11de-84d1-00144feabdc0.htmlVisiting Edinburgh last week, it was clear the 'Armageddon year' the Scottish capital feared as a result of the banking crisis has not come to pass, writes Brian Groom Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:27:26 +0100http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/2edb1626-85f9-11de-98de-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fbrian-groom-notebookhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2edb1626-85f9-11de-98de-00144feabdc0.htmlData point towards recovery but unemployment rises. How does Britain feel? Brian Groom finds stories from around the country that give a clue to the moodMon, 10 Aug 2009 23:07:43 +0100