The Notebook: Andy Silvester on how AI could save your August out-of-office, a dream headline and why GCSEs need a rethink
Embrace the long break, even if it’s made my job harder
August has never felt so – for want of a much better word – Augusty. It’s mighty quiet out there, and that isn’t just because of the City’s long-discussed issues attracting floats and the slowdown in M&A.
Indeed, more and more of my contact book appear to be taking the European approach to the summer months: not quite sell in May and go away, but certainly recharging the batteries for an extended period of time over the August break.
Wellness advocates would no doubt argue that ‘les grandes vacances’ are a fine way for us to wipe off the stress of working life and ready for a full-paced return in September. As a journalist, I can tell you that it’s bloody annoying.
At the heart of my frustration, however, is a bigger question about the UK’s oft-discussed productivity puzzle. Every once in a while a politician unwisely casts doubt on the work ethic of the Great British Worker; Liz Truss is still pilloried for saying Brits needed “more graft” when compared to foreign rivals.
But to be honest it’s not the hours, or whether we’re all on the beach in August, that’ll dictate the UK’s productivity going forward, but investment in new technologies and learning how to use them in smarter ways.
It’s interesting that one of Britain’s few genuinely world-leading industries – the management consultancy and professional services sector – is doing just that.
One cannot move for news of the latest AI investment by one of the Big Four. PwC partners even took a salary hit so the firm can invest more in labour-saving AI.
The UK has been notoriously bad at investment in recent years, for a host of reasons, not least endless political instability. So next year, enjoy your August – it won’t make much difference to the productivity numbers if you’re away. Just make sure you invest in some new tech before then.
Fright at the museum
No story has gripped me in this barren August like the extraordinary tale emerging from the British Museum. One would think that a museum under more than a little pressure to prove to the world that they can look after the world’s treasures would notice its artefacts popping up on Ebay.
To be fair to the Museum, management have been up front about the failures. As a troublesome hack, of course, the only disappointment is the famed Parthenon relics remain in place – we’d love to run the ‘lost their marbles’ headline.
Crass reactions to results day belie a hard truth
Today is GCSE results day, begging the interesting question of whether it’s now more common to see social media posts from successful people who cocked theirs up or snarky posts about successful people posting they cocked theirs up.
A more worthwhile take might be to ask why we still insist on a system forcing youngsters to choose their academic path before they’ve even sniffed an illicit drink. A more rounded education would be a far better idea.
Rugby needs more love
The Rugby World Cup starts in a couple of weeks. It’s supposed to be one of the world’s biggest sporting occasions yet the build-up – certainly here, in part thanks to England’s ongoing struggles –- has been strangely muted.
With open mutiny in the grassroots game over new tackle rules and a governing body receiving justified criticism for its remote management of the game, the potential growth of the sport is being strangled. Let’s hope the tournament reminds fans why they love the game.
A lucky boy’s library
My partner occasionally comments on my not always healthy reading diet: over-loaded with non-fiction, and sorely lacking in the nutrients that come from novels. I’ll admit that a book entitled ‘The Battle of London: 1939-1945’ doesn’t necessarily scream ‘relaxed summer read’, but Jerry White’s no-holds-barred social history of the capital in wartime has been a delight.
For those looking for something a little lighter, though, I can’t recommend a recent re-discovery enough. Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim is a perfect comic novel, and contains the finest description of a hangover yet committed to literature. And anyone who hasn’t read the cigarette burns scene before should try and avoid doing so on public transport.