A lot of what he states is true: companies increasingly have the ability to source staff and services from across the globe. Workers and particularly, our youth are competing against global candidates, so they need to be strong on all fronts to get ahead. Of course, some of the flattening is the dumbing down of quality and some outsourcing has ended in disaster and some manufacturers haven't the ability to compete against high-end Western manufacturers in terms of work processes and the reduced production times. There has also been several cases of Cobolt 60 radioactive sources entering steel mills in India and some of this contaminated stainless steel entered the European and American supply chain back in 2007/8.

I see in my industry, the doors are well and truly open to Indian candidates here in Europe, but behind impressive qualifications, it is often found that these qualifications are not equal to the European counterparts and then there are cultural differences which are in most cases ignored and underplayed. Also the effects of globalisation means that the cost to employ high quality staff in places like Mumbai, where it is as expensive to live a middle class lifestyle as it is London or Paris, the cost savings are increasingly reduced and it is not significantly lower.

The business I am in is completely global now, so from my perspective, it is serving me well. But that doesn't mean we should see our native working classes reduced to the chav underclass as seems the will in the UK.

Most people can think only inside the box. In fact, most people live inside the box because they have been told to do so - even though the key is on the inside.

There is such thing as society, and something greater than the self in family and perhaps even in career and work, in the right doses of course. I suppose the ultimate sacrifice of one's freedom is as a member of the armed forces in the great socialist enterprise of war.

Absolute freedom is like art without rules: chaos.

I distrust both the Right and Left, particularly progressives, but there must be a benchmark of liberty for the individual and a key factor in this, is the right for those with professional skills and work ethic to earn more than the herd. I pay 52% tax, and compared to the UK, I get a lot more in terms of infrastructure and a social security net, but I despise the Left here who boast about their agenda to make everyone at the same level.

freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose and the parting on the left is now a parting on the right ..... and the beards have all grown longer overnight ....

I'm 36 years old. No time to retire.

Do not confuse me with Russell_Street!