While taking tea with my former employee Mr. Cameron in London the other day, we mused upon the recent business in the Gulf of Mexico. It had not escaped either of us that someone we knew had substantial investments in the Macondo well operations that have gone so appallingly awry.

Young David produced a copy of the Congress report that I was able to peruse. One particular section he drew to my attention concerned the origins of the failed 'blow-out preventer'. Whose company do you think might have designed and provided the substandard equipment? Tracing the serial number of the item, one can ascertain that its origins lie with Gornt Deep-Sea Hydronautics of Manila.

And where might Quillan be at present? Not in Hong Kong, but 'touring the southern states', supposedly on holiday, but I think there might be an ulterior motive. However, Gornt has done a much better job than BP CEO Tony Hayward in keeping out of the limelight.

Still, we might yet see QG on the beaches, shovel in hand, trying to sway the media yet.

Hope you're enjoying your travels Quillan!

The Noble House sets the trend

As Tai-Pan of the Noble House, I made the decision to relocate our HQ to Europe nearly two years ago. Since then the wisdom of my decision has been vindicated by the situation back East; rising pollution, high speed railway related demolition and the like have made business in HK less and less profitable. Discussing the matter with fellow Tai-Pan and Entrepreneur Eustachian Tsang over a bottle of '84 DP on the deck of the Flying Cloud moored off St-Tropez this weekend, it seems other firms are now thinking of following suit. Not that I can blame him with conditions developing there as they are. I would welcome my old sparring partner to the shores of Europe; there's just not the competition here and no-one understands Hong Kong Rules.

I raised a toast with Tsang to the introduction of some decent competition in Europe, and as the sun beat down onto the clear blue waters (no plastic flotsam here, note), I really did not miss the throngs of mainland tourists that were not on the beach.