CORPORATE MURDER

We often hear about corporate crimes but these are usually, fraud, embezzlement, insider trading , money laundering, tax evasion and other financial misdeeds. It's not often considered that corporates are guilty of murders.

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I was thinking of an old friend yesterday who died more than 20 years ago. I worked with him for a few years - I was his boss, and we got on well together. He was a very keen wine enthusiast and had one of the best palates for imported wines, particularly the top French ones that I'd ever come across. Wine was his passion, his life and his employment. He worked in a retail wine and spirit operation, one of the old-style wine and spirit merchants that are now long-gone. He excelled in this with regular customers seeking him out for advice and guidance in negotiating the 'minefield' that is buying expensive wines.

Through circumstances, in the early 1990s, I moved on from managing this wine and spirit operation and continued my career with other companies. The wine and spirit operation was taken over by one of the largest retail chains which, as a forerunner for the decline in that sector and a surrender to supermarkets soon downsized their operations and laid off staff. My friend was one of those who were now considered 'surplus to requirements' having a skill set that was no longer valued (extensive wine knowledge) being replaced by lower paid box-movers. He was out of work, in his late 40s and to my knowledge never worked again. He had a small legacy which enabled him to buy a small flat in the suburbs and basically ate and drank himself to death.

My friend continued in his wine appreciation - attending tastings and participating in wine clubs but it wasn't the same as being a respected and valued purveyor. He also was a kind of gourmet, cooking and dining out on fine European-type cuisine which, unfortunately for him was heavy on meats and rich sauces. While these complemented his tastes in rich and powerful clarets, Barolos and Burgundies the combination was fateful and he died from heart failure at an early age in the late 1990s.

The management of that retail liquor chain (which is now a pathetic version of its former self) were driven by fiscal considerations and, either through ignorance or indifference paid scant attention to the wants, needs and indeed lives of those employees that they shafted. I note nowadays WOKE language has replaced "made redundant' with "voluntary enhanced cessation". Wankers.

Those management guys stayed with the company and then went on with their careers elsewhere. I know who they are.