To the Financial Times
While it is heartwarming to see the concern of Simon Walker of the Institute of Directors for other countries struggling to rebuild their economies, perhaps he may like to address a problem closer to home. The UK has twice as many managers (which includes directors) in proportion to total employment as the average for the rest of the EU. This is not matched by twice the gross domestic product per head.
Promptly shedding the surplus 1.6 million, presumably without extended notice periods and excessive severance pay, should directly improve overall productivity and cut the employment cost in the UK economy by perhaps around £80bn a year. Subsequent re-employment as direct labour should add output.
Ian Gascoigne, London

I would add to the letter from Mr. Gascoigne the heartfelt hope that the “management” would be replaced by properly trained customer service people, who know their products and the names of their supervisors, and that instead of throwing problems back to customers (“Answer your own question by searching through our website, and let us know when you’ve done it”) real human beings could be employed to actually help you.  The Epicurean dividend would be immense. The productivity of customers would rise exponentially.  How have we allowed all this nonsense to happen?

A little insight into a big problem.  Yesterday the gas and electricity reader came to call and did what meter readers do.  Afterwards, he said to me “Look at this”. He showed me a list of addresses he had been given by his “manager”. Among the customers whose meters he had been asked to read were the Israeli Embassy ( fortress) and, wait for it, Kensington Palace (ditto).  In 2015? Without an appointment?   “How do they think I can get into the Israeli Embassy or Kensington Palace?”  Quite.