Uh, some dawn raids, uh, in the, um, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commissioner carrying out dawn raids in this very industry, just as a parallel story.

I think this is a good, good news story, actually.

Martin Claffey has an article on this, where the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, bit of a mouthful, the CCPC, have literally done dawn raids on a number of companies in the solar panel business.

And effectively, they're looking for cartel practices, and this is where a group of companies within an, an industry work together regards tendering and pricing, uh, against the interests of consumers.

I actually think this is a good news story, and I'll tell you why.

In the U- UK and the US and, and the EU, these things happen quick.

They happen in a very public environment.

But a- again, another piece in, in Cantlon in The Irish Times saying we need more data on data centers because some of the information out there is very skewed.

Really is a sad end.

It's one of those classic rollercoaster stories of a business that just grew so big and so large.

And for anybody out there who does not know the name PressUp Hospitality Group, you certainly will know a lot of their properties.

Captain America's on Grafton Street, the Dean Hotel.

The Stella, Cinnamon, Rathmines, Mary's Bar.

The list is endless.

At their peak, they had 46 hotels, restaurants and bars with 2,000 staff.

But again, another piece in cancelling the Irish Times saying we need more data on data centres because some of the information out there is very skewed.

numbers again, Bob? It went from 280,000

public workers now to 420,000.

In what period? It doesn't actually say, but I think around 12 years.

Okay, wow.

I'd be open to be corrected on that.

But the gist of it is that it's not what it looks like.

It's not that the workers are getting an extra day's salary, which will cost us the public funds.

But the numbers again are eye-watering.

numbers again, Bob? It went from 280,000

public workers now to 420,000.

In what period? It doesn't actually say, but I think around 12 years.

I could be open to be corrected on that.

But the gist of it is that it's not what it looks like.

It's not that the workers are getting an extra day's salary, which will cost us the public funds.

500 million they're not actually working an extra day or an extra day less it's just so happens that this year the year starts on a pay thursday and ends on a pay thursday because most of these people are paid weekly so it's a cash flow issue it's a cash no in other words if we're for 2027 it'll be 500 million less for 2026 we'd be paying it anyway it's more we're paying for it either way But it does bring up one issue.

But the numbers again are eye-watering.

Got any thoughts, Father Hoffman?

I'm struck whenever I hear that about how the people wanted Jesus to submit to their will.

And that doesn't really work, right? So what we need to do is to submit to Jesus' will, to the divine will, and to not force God to fit what we want, but just to seek to do what God wants.

And how much better a path that would be for us if we all agreed to do that.

I think there was perhaps a misguided

attempt to focus solely on what happens at the altar within a church to the point of taking everything else out.

and neglecting the whole idea that beauty is a transcendental that points toward you know the one that personifies that most which is god and that beauty gives us the sense of the transcendent and thus gives us a sense of god and taking the beauty out is not helping us um i think there was a misguided sense that we needed to take the beauty out because it was a distraction from what happens at the altar and so we would end up with a church that it was sanctuary that was largely barren except for the altar itself and the ambo and the chairs and and and that was about it and everything else got removed and and i i just I would just chalk it up to a misguided attempt at focus and neglecting the importance of beauty and how beauty really does point us toward God.

You are the person, you're the hands on keyboard.

I think that's probably true.

I don't think it's universally true.

I think there are still companies that value creative thinking, and I think it's probably as you go up the ladder to, to more, uh, substantial companies, I think you find that you will find C-suite people more interested in, in ideas than just in spreadsheets.

But there's no doubt that there, what you described is going on to a large extent.

And you know, that, that, that's part of the, uh, failure of the advertising industry and the marketing industry to explain to advertisers why creative thinking is so important.

You know, there, there have been studies that, quote, "Creative ads have 10 times the impact of, uh, of, uh, standard ads." So, you know, anyone who, uh, who thinks about this stuff should understand the power of creativity.

And so part of what I'm wondering is have you seen, at least as I'm sort of painting this picture, this change over time, do you see a shift toward or away from, in the long term, brand advertising? For example, something that industry-wide, you know, like your, your Fortune 500 businesses, that they're going to move towards or away from more execution-oriented stuff?

Is he Irish?

Is he Irish? There's a bit of a mixture here.

So just for people who don't know, Andy Burnham is the mayor of Manchester.

And if nobody has equated him to Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, I'm going to because there's a lot of similarities.

Why is Andy going back into parliament? He wants to do a run to take over from Keir Starmer.

I personally don't think this is good for the UK.

If it happens and Andy Burnham topples Keir Starmer, he will be the seventh prime minister they've had in 10 years.

you think, Bob? Do you think this could be a big change in strategy

Is he Irish? No.

Is he Irish? There's a bit of a mixture here.

So just for people who don't know, Andy Burnham is the mayor of Manchester.

And if nobody has equated him to Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, I'm going to because there's a lot of similarities.

Why is Andy going back into parliament? He wants to do a run to take over from Keir Starmer.

I personally don't think this is good for the UK.

If it happens, and Andy Burnham topples Keir Starmer, he will be the seventh prime minister they've had in 10 years.

you think, Bob? Do you think this could be a big change in strategy for the business?