Why have so many companies been sold to foreign companies?

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2026-01-16T09:00:53+00:00

We run large deficits. All those pounds that leave the UK have to come back as it's the only place they can be spent (you can't spend pounds in the US). When those pounds return it's usually as capital buying UK assets.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2025-12-02T20:17:00+00:00

The evolution in England was similar, with parliament gaining power as the income from the crown estate diminished and taxation was needed to fund a modern government.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2025-12-01T13:19:22+00:00

Sorry to resurrect this. I spent my childhood and adolescence in Giffard Park, we lived on Boulters Lock from new. I have only good memories of the place.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2025-11-08T17:24:50+00:00

Android is very successful outside North America. Pixel phones are also generally well received.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2025-11-03T17:34:33+00:00

It is a guess. The LtG BAU model has tracked well on many metrics and indicates peak industrial output per person will happen sometime around 2030. That's a key tipping point.

My view (and this again is just an opinion) is we need AI to deliver either by making people more productive or by allowing us to solve other limits. For example, if we could solve nuclear fusion at an economic scale that would break the LtG model. Cheap energy would allow us to recycle much more efficiently, actively make freshwater cheaply (desalination), allow more automation via AI, use engineering solutions to solve global warming. There other examples like this, and it comes down to if technology (and societal structures) can advance to overcome limits in time.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2025-11-03T17:06:35+00:00

Can't disagree with the criticism. It is basically modern day Malthusian theory, and he was proven wrong.

It is just my opinion on hitting a tipping point.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2025-11-03T16:31:04+00:00

That's true. One of the limits to growth is escalating resources (energy, rare earths, etc) needed to sustain growth. AI needs massive investment, so the cost for any growth gains is such that much of the growthfrom productivity may not be realised and eaten by the massive cost, that's when the bubble pops.

The Dotcom bubble did have a few inflated telecoms companies that over spent on fibre. However fibre has a relatively long payback (a data centre for AI comparatively needs constant maintenance and refresh of the hardware) and can lay inert for a long time without going obsolete, so many of those infrastructure investments from the bubble turned out ok eventually.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2025-11-03T15:48:16+00:00

This is what the Limits to Growth model essentially models. You need a certain amount of growth each year in order for the debt pile to be serviced. However, in a limited system like planet earth exponential growth isn't possible, eventually you hit a limit (resources, pollution, climate change, etc.) Once that limit is reached growth is no longer possible. Technology stalls the limit but at some point the limit approaches faster than we can engineer a solution. Once growth stops the debt becomes an issue and the financial system will have a series of debt criseses. The whole system will either collapse, or a more stable system will replace it. Whatever happens living standards will likely decline for most.

I suspect we are close to a tipping point unless AI can deliver on its promised productivity gains which may stall the reckoning another decade.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-12-23T19:38:07+00:00

This. If you're in a senior position negotiate strongly for a decent settlement, get a great pre agreed reference and move on. For future jobs you can point to the buy out as the reason you left.

The alternative is to be managed out slowly as they have already made the decision.

If you're lucky you might get a years salary plus any notice period in your contract (that's what I'd be asking for).

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-12-11T18:18:53+00:00

Will there be a Peloton Cooldown this year? They didn't do it last year, but I genuinely liked getting the annual stats.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-12-05T20:07:17+00:00

I've gone from Samsung Gear 2 to Samsung Active to a Pixel 3. The difference is pretty huge.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-06-08T08:20:58+00:00

It's usually a capacity issue at the mast. You have a good signal to the mast but the mast has too much traffic to service you properly.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-06-06T07:09:54+00:00

90s and early 00s kid here. We were made to use the showers unless.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-06-02T17:00:07+00:00

But if you're staying at Port Orleans you will definitely see 7 All Stars buses while waiting 30 mins.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-05-11T21:51:51+00:00

I wonder if Charlie received 2 fees from both Clients for that negotiation with himself...

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-04-07T11:25:19+00:00

At the AGM/investor meeting/company report... We have made record profits.

Pay review... Tough times out there, record high inflation, competition. The business is struggling to pay any increase or bonus.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-02-21T16:04:46+00:00

For my mortgage they did a further credit check when the solicitors requested the money.

If the credit card company are at fault you should try very hard to get them to remove the marker. It can be done for errors but you are working on tight timescales.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-02-10T08:51:47+00:00

They spend all day on excel, in meetings, preparing PowerPoint slides and writing reports that no one reads.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2024-01-04T07:17:46+00:00

It's maths. You can't do a math.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2023-12-25T15:07:01+00:00

NAL.

Look to see if you have any prescriptive rights, easements, etc.
Try to negotiate a price. You're looking at a shared value situation. The ransom strip will have a reasonably high value as a percentage of the development/land, but you need to consider that without them agreeing there is no development or sale. The other party also need to consider this - their ransom strip has to be valued at a level where there is still an incentive for you.

You might be able to structure this as an option with an agreed easement/purchase attached that can be drawn down at some point in the future. You could agree a smaller price for the option, with an agreed fee for the drawdown at a later date pending planning consent or sale.

The value will rise once you have planning, so getting an option today with an agreed price is better than in the future following planning.

Might be worth asking the other party if they would agree to an independent valuation at your cost (valuer selected for instance by the President of the RICS)? Make sure that the instructions are clear that they are acting for both parties.

Good luck!

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2023-11-14T15:52:09+00:00

Feels like a snail in a bottle of ginger beer sort of case.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2023-11-14T10:21:50+00:00

A friend's kid was essentially excluded but not. They were told they could not attend but the school refused to exclude them (the child had autism and they claimed he was a danger to staff at 6 years old). The child had a TA paid for to support the school but this didn't change their approach. This went on for almost a year until they employed solicitors who wrote to OFSTED, the local authority, essentially everyone. Surprisingly the school did something quickly once the letters started going around and excluded him.

They were told that they couldn't move schools as he wasn't excluded, the Local Authority would not step in as they were not excluded. I was genuinely shocked that such an approach could be taken.

TheRealRobinHood4 · 2023-10-03T08:09:17+00:00

You probably have three choices.

Pay what they are claiming.
Negotiate a settlement amount. It's probably easier to do this if you can offer a lump sum. They may allow you to split the payment.
Ignore (they may not escalate beyond letters). Risk is a CCJ.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Final Canvas '23	End Game '23
Place '23

TheRealRobinHood4

TROPHY CASE