Mayday!

I was at a business conference this morning in Edinburgh; the Prince of Wales' May Day Network. This is a grouping of businesses that have been organised by the Prince to come together and reduce their impact on climate change. There were various speakers, including HRH (an impressive speaker) and Gordon Brown (much less so). From the point of view of my employers it was a valuable networking opportunity and I have no doubt that I will get a lot of business from it.

From my point of view, though, it was something more than that. Every so often it hits me that it's my job - not just my responsibility like everyone else, someone actually pays me for this - to change the world for the better.

I was at a Billy Bragg concert at the weekend, and one of the things that he said from the stage was that it's easy to be cynical and that cynicism is what stops us from making the world better. He also said that it is up to people to make the difference and that we could each and all do something. I was pleased and proud then to feel that I am one of those people who actively does something.

I am pleased and proud again. Much of what I do can be looked at cynically as money-making business and I don't doubt that Billy would disapprove of my capitalist ways, but I not only want to change the world, it's what I do for a living. I can point to places where I have made a difference.

It's fantastic to be able to say that.