HONOURED TO PRESENT WWll's YOUNGEST LANCASTER PILOT, NOW 89, WITH HIS BOMBER COMMANDS CLASP.

It's more than a year since the Bomber Command Memorial was dedicated by the Queen.

As principal benefactor to the cost of the Memorial, it is my belief - at a time when the nation seems more aware than ever of both the value of our servicemen and women - that we as a nation should do whatever we can to maintain awareness of just what our armed forces personnel sacrificed to give us the freedoms we have today.

So when I was asked to present a Bomber Command clasp to Harry Hooper, who, I believe, was one of our youngest WWll Lancaster bomber pilots, I jumped at the chance. Indeed, I was honoured and flattered that his family should approach me to make the presentation on the Memorial itself.

Here is how it was reported in print and on TV:

http://www.caudwell.com/uncategorized/veteran-surprised-bomber-command-clasp-89th-birthday/

FLYING IN THE LANCASTER BOMBER IN THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY FLYPAST

FLYING IN THE LANCASTER BOMBER IN THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY FLYPAST.

I had the most amazing privilege at the weekend. Last year I made a £2 million contribution towards the cost of the Bomber Command Memorial in London - a memorial that, quite frankly, probably would not have happened had organisers of the project not approached me for support. It did not take much convincing that I should help out in the creation of a tribute to more than 55,000 young airmen 

Out of the blue - literally - as a thank-you for my support, the RAF invited me to fly in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster Bomber as part of the flypast over Buckingham Palace for the Queen's birthday celebrations.

As well as being an incredible honour, it was also an amazing insight into what the Bomber Command crews had to endure. While flying through windy and turbulent airspace over London on a June day in 2013 was uncomfortable enough in startlingly cramped conditions, those young men did superhuman jobs seven decades ago in carrying out their missions in the pitch black, with anti-aircraft fire exploding around them, and fighters chasing them down.

Here are some photos from my day with the http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/59769416@N02/9085575167/ Here's the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87Rpg2o3BM http://www.caudwell.com/

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EU NEEDS TO BE RE-NEGOTIATED.

Transcript of my opinion column in The Times, April 22, 2013, regarding Business for Britain, and the need to re-negotiate our relationship with the EU.

Over the last few years the British people have become increasingly sceptical about the European Union. A clear majority no longer think that British taxpayers, farmers, small businesses or consumers are getting a good deal from Brussels.

The kneejerk response of many defenders of the existing configuration of the EU is to insist that the EU is good for British business and that any big changes to Britain’s relationship with Brussels will hurt our economic interests. I’m reminded of the late 1990s when many big business voices - although that didn't include me - poured scorn on the public’s worries about the Euro. We now know that the people were right and it took the hugely successful Business for Sterling campaign to confront groups like the CBI and make the case against UK membership of what has become the disastrous single currency project.

It’s time for British businesses to organise again and make it clear that while some business leaders are always ready to defend the EU, many of us are increasingly concerned about its direction. 500 business figures have today signed up to the Business for Britain campaign to support a renegotiation of our EU relationship and get a better deal for the people who create this nation’s jobs and wealth.

I’m one of those signatories. I've run businesses in this country for 30 years, one of which became the world's biggest privately-owned mobile telecoms business employing thousands of people, and giving me the dubious honour of becoming quite possibly Britain's biggest personal tax payer.

Many people were hopeful that the EU’s single market would bring big benefits to Britain, but while it might once have been the case that being part of the Single Market was of net benefit, the costs and overregulation from Brussels now threaten to significantly outweigh any of those benefits.

Start-up SMEs, many of whom undertake no international activity, still have to comply with the red tape that Brussels has designed for cross-border trade. That makes no sense. Some economic regulation is necessary to facilitate fair competition, but Brussels often seems to regulate for regulation’s sake. Its tendency towards a one-size-fits-all approach is making it harder for European businesses to compete with the world’s more lightly-regulated emerging economies.

Other problems loom, too.

The Financial Transaction Tax is a key example of Brussels’ detrimental thinking. If forced through with just eleven Member States' support, it risks damaging the competitiveness of the entire Single Market.

The City of London Corporation estimates the tax would add nearly £4 billion to the cost of issuing UK debt - the last thing our economy needs as it rebuilds. London is still the financial centre of the world and we need to do everything to maintain and promote that status.

Other businesses in other parts of Europe share many of the concerns of British business. They worry about the EU’s declining share of world trade and the EU’s contribution to that decline. If Britain presents sensible reforms to the economic architecture of the EU, many businesses in Germany, Spain, Poland and across the continent will encourage their governments to take those suggestions seriously.

We know that an opportunity for change is certainly coming. The EU will need to alter its Treaties to deal with the challenges posed by the still grave Eurozone crisis. As EU leaders think about fiscal union and other Treaty changes - possibly taking big steps towards federalism - we should be debating the kind of relationship we want to have with the EU. It's not about being in or out; business wants a more balanced relationship - and getting that balance right is vital for this nation’s competitiveness.

Business wants to see Brussels recognise that a diversity of economies requires far more flexibility than is currently provided for. If the EU is to thrive, with Britain in it, it needs to adapt. Tweaking reforms and paying lip-service to change have failed to address Europe’s economic woes and democratic deficit. The EU would benefit from showing it is open to decentralisation and deregulation in the areas where it would boost competitiveness. ]The ‘European project’ is always changing and evolving. In this fiercely competitive age it needs to change again. An end to a one-size-fits-all model of regulation is central to the change that is necessary. Business for Britain will be at the Prime Minister’s elbow, encouraging him to be bold in his demands for a more competitive EU. If he delivers it won’t just be Britain that will prosper. The European mainland’s record number of unemployed people will benefit, too.

John Caudwell, Entrepreneur and philanthropist.

More links:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/article3745353.ece (subscription required).
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/500-business-leaders-call-for-new-deal-in-europe-8582087.html?origin=internalSearch

http://businessforbritain.org/

http://www.cityam.com/article/britain-s-business-elite-becoming-increasingly-eurosceptic

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10008978/500-business-leaders-tell-David-Cameron-to-negotiate-a-better-deal-with-Europe.html

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b740e8e4-aa83-11e2-bc0d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2RAzcgEnS (subscription required).

JOHN CAUDWELL: COMMENT ON DAVID CAMERON’S EUROZONE CRISIS PLEDGE TO FIGHT FOR UK INTERESTS.

JOHN CAUDWELL

@johndcaudwell

QUOTES

December 7, 2011.

JOHN CAUDWELL: COMMENT ON DAVID CAMERON’S EUROZONE CRISIS PLEDGE TO FIGHT FOR UK INTERESTS.

Commenting on David Cameron's vow to fight to protect the UK national interest in discussions over a new EU Treaty, highly-successful entrepreneur John Caudwell said:

“At last David Cameron appears to be listening to the UK public, and, crucially, UK business, by digging his heels in over UK Sovereign power in Europe.

“It could, of course, be government smoke and mirrors again. But if this stance does win some Sovereign powers back for Britain, then it at least gives us a better chance of directly influencing our own future rather than being trapped in or dragged into the mess the other EU states are wading around in.

"It’s too early for any real detail, but any rebuttal of EU imposition needs to be robust – we must not be sold down the river.”

In 2006, John Caudwell sold his 10,000-employee mobile phone business, which included Phones 4u, for £1.5bn. John now concentrates on charitable and philanthropic work including Caudwell Children @caudwellkids.

Ends
Further inforation
iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800

CAUDWELL: EU REFERENDUM TALKS - UK NEEDS MORE SOVEREIGN CONTROL OVER ITS AFFAIRS.

JOHN CAUDWELL

@johndcaudwell

PRESS RELEASE

October 22, 2011.

CAUDWELL:  EU REFERENDUM TALKS - UK NEEDS MORE SOVEREIGN CONTROL OVER ITS AFFAIRS.

The three main political parties at Westminster have told their MPs to vote against a motion calling for a referendum to be held on UK membership of the EU. Commenting, entrepreneur John Caudwell said:

“Such a referendum would be a distraction but we do need commitment from our government to drive a reduction in the level of control the EU has over the UK - and for the UK to regain much more sovereign control over its own affairs.

“Europe has been a huge political experiment; in fact, you could argue it’s actually been an ego trip, guaranteeing a place in the history books for its architects. The whole concept had some obvious advantages, but the huge disadvantages have been the loss of sovereign control, a significant increase in bureaucratic costs, and, for those who were trapped in the Euro, the inability of their economies to make the absolutely crucial economic adjustment of currency fluctuation – the UK should certainly never, ever consider going into the Euro.

“In fact, we should never have gone into Europe; it’s been a bureaucratic nightmare. But we’re in, for now, and we need to be on different terms than other EU states.”

In 2006, John Caudwell sold his 10,000-employee mobile phone business, which included Phones 4u, for £1.5bn. John now concentrates on charitable and philanthropic work including Caudwell Children @caudwellkids. John Caudwell videos on YouTube search CaudwellPhilanthropy

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

A-LEVEL RESULTS: “TOO MUCH PEER PRESSURE” TO GO TO UNIVERSITY, SAYS CAUDWELL.

JOHN CAUDWELL

PRESS RELEASE

August 17, 2011.

A-LEVEL RESULTS: “TOO MUCH PEER PRESSURE” TO GO TO UNIVERSITY, SAYS CAUDWELL.

Video interviews: YouTube Channel CaudwellPhilanthropy

Businessman and philanthropist John Caudwell says in some cases there's way too much peer pressure on young people to go on to university after they complete their A levels.

Sixth form students get their life-shaping exam results on August 18, 2011, but Caudwell says that while they should be aiming for straight 'A's across the board, a fast-track into a top university place should not be the be-all and end-all.

Caudwell, who made his estimated £1.5 billion fortune by growing and selling his mobile phone business – which included high street retailer Phones 4u – says that while formal education is an essential route for many young people, it’s not the best choice for everybody.

"There’s a group of people who feel pressed to do 'A' levels and university who actually would be much better just getting out there and going for it,” he said (video – 43 seconds).

"Clearly, for certain people, further education is absolutely the way forward, certainly if you're going into a professional environment where you need those qualifications. It also gives them a chance to develop themselves emotionally and intellectually, and enhance their education at the same time.

"But I don't think formal education necessarily plays an essential part in being a business success, in fact, possibly in some cases quite the reverse. I firmly believe that a challenging childhood that creates that drive, passion and desire to succeed is one of the strongest attributes to actually being successful (video – 42 seconds).

"Of course, you do need to be intelligent, there's no getting away from that, but being intelligent doesn't mean you have to go to university; being in a vocational situation, being in an entrepreneurial environment, and pushing for success, might be a way better education for some people than spending five years on further education.”

John Caudwell says his business success is largely down to taking a me-too idea, applying six critical business success factors, and doing it bigger and better.

"The opportunities these days from an ideas point of view are immense. The internet, the whole 'e' side of life, gives you massive scalability throughout the world. You've still got to come up with the idea, but even the less spectacular ideas can be made massively successful by having those six critical success factors (video – 50 seconds)," he said.

"Let's face it, who would have thought you could have made a fortune out of mobile phones by just being 'me-too'. That's all I had - I had a me-too proposition. Everybody sold Nokia, everybody sold Motorola, everybody connected to Vodafone airtime; all I did was do it bigger and better."

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

+44 (0)7788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

YouTube Channel CaudwellPhilanthropy

Twitter @johndcaudwell

Flickr CaudwellPhilanthropy