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Enlightening events for business leaders August 2015

To infinity and beyond

Just before he went on stage at the first of Grant Thornton’s Inspiring Business events, Professor Brian Cox chatted to Glyn Brown about grasping difficult ideas and the secrets of creation

Powerful, funny, at times painfully he finally decided that combining telegenic, he has since presented mind-bending, particle physicist and his two careers wouldn’t work and series including Wonders of the television presenter Professor Brian returned full-time to Manchester, Solar System, Stargazing Live and Cox was the first guest speaker at where he completed his degree last year’s Human Universe. He is Grant Thornton’s inaugural Inspiring (gaining first-class honours) and still deeply involved in work on Business event. The ‘audience with’- stayed on to pursue a PhD. He’s Cern’s Large Hadron Collider, whose style presentations are designed to still based at the university as an aim is a simple matter of revealing offer an invited group of business academic but around 2008, as a the secrets of creation. leaders different perspectives from nattily-dressed postgrad with his inspiring speakers from the worlds own team of researchers working Cox became passionate about of arts, science, sport and innovation. on particle accelerators at Geneva’s physics after seeing the Carl Cern Research Centre, he caught Sagan series Cosmos when Cox, now 47, was born in Oldham the eye of a TV producer. Affable, Cox was about 12. and went to Hulme Grammar good-looking and comfortable in School. He excelled in physics but front of a camera, Cox was able to ‘I think he [Sagan] put astronomy was sidetracked by music and explain complex science so that into context. Cosmos is a great ended up with a D at maths A-level. even a science duffer could begin science series but is also, I think a He joined the band Dare and was to comprehend it. Immensely polemic; it tells us that exploring subsequently keyboardist in the giant-selling D:Ream, appearing on Top of the Pops with a string of chart hits, culminating in the No 1 single Things Can Only Get Better, which was given a new lease of life in 1997 as New Labour’s election anthem.

But pop stardom wasn’t quite enough. In between the two bands, Cox had begun studying physics – late, at 23 – at Manchester university. Though he was reading science textbooks on the tour bus,

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explosions – stars at the end of their unexpected angle, leading to an life – but then I switched to particle entirely new concept. Cox nods, ‘I like to have physics, which in a sense is the other starting to talk with vigour about end of the spectrum. These are all the way Einstein came upon his an uncluttered learning curves, new knowledge.’ theory. It seems the scientist was atmosphere sitting in his office, watching a So when does inspiration come? man working on a roof opposite. when I want to Einstein suddenly understood, Is it when he’s relaxing (he runs half- with all the years of knowledge he’d understand or marathons and plays football), or accumulated shifting in his head, when he’s taken in all the research that if the man were to fall, he would create something.’ and lets his mind freewheel? be at rest in the air. No force working on him, he wouldn’t be accelerating. ‘The latter. I’m one of those people The ground would be moving who’s not very good at multitasking, to meet him. the universe and understanding actually.’ Cheerful shrug. ‘I like to nature is a good thing to do in its own have an uncluttered atmosphere I’m nodding. Do I understand? right. So the knowledge is useful, but when I want to understand or No. Or do I? Exhilaratingly, a tiny the perspective that cosmology and create something.’ particle of my mind is almost… astronomy delivers is also important. He made those two things central Like method acting – ‘It was a radical idea,’ laughs Cox, to the human condition, and to you immerse yourself? ‘simple and shocking, because questions that are universal about before, people had insisted the the meaning of existence.’ ‘Well, yes. Recently, I’ve been working ground was static.’ I so nearly follow with a colleague on a new book. the explanation, as he continues, To be productive and inspired, you There’s a lot of cosmology in it. And that I think I might cry. ‘It’s the must be wholly engaged by what you cosmology… is difficult. It’s Einstein’s opposite of what was thought; do. Is it ever too late to make a change theory of general relativity and some turns out to be correct, though. if what you’re doing doesn’t inspire of the very early universe stuff that I’ll ’ Entire vistas of ways to think you sufficiently? talk about tonight that we’re looking stretch toward the horizon, at and thinking about. And I’ve had to some almost graspable. ‘No. In fact, one thing I particularly actually step back from everything enjoy is the learning curve. Even in a and just read some books.’ He What, Brian, makes you good at wide field like physics you do, as you grins. ‘It’s a delightful thing to do. I’m what you do? A natural propensity? said, have to become focused on one supposed to be writing this book, Or hard work? discipline in order to master it. But but I’m not going to do anything within that area I flit around. I started other than read some stuff.’ He looks ‘Hard work,’ he shrugs. ‘There are no at university doing astrophysics, then gleeful. ‘I find that if you need to grasp short cuts, unless you’re some kind my PhD was looking at supernova something tricky, the best way is to of genius. I often think doing maths think about it yourself, and read a lot or physics is the same as playing of different views. And, eventually, an instrument, where you just you internalise it. But internalising have to learn it. It’s just practice… something requires mental space. It hours of it.’ can’t be done part-time.’ And, lastly, does he ever This leads me, recklessly, to mention get stressed? something Cox once said about originality – that often you can ‘Nope.’ A laugh. ‘Not really. I just stop simply be interrogating information doing things if there’s too much but find that you put things together pressure, stop taking on anything in a way no one else has, or you more. I’ve learned to do that. come at the information from an There’s only a finite amount of time.’

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Jeremy Pa man on UK politics afterthat general election

In the second of our Inspiring Business lectures, BBC veteran Jeremy Paxman shared his postmortem on the shock 2015 UK general election result

Jeremy Paxman, until recently anchor In the event, Ed Miliband led the about politicians, people can of the BBC’s flagship news programme Labour party to its biggest defeat smell inauthenticity.’ Newsnight, is the Lord Voldemort in more than three decades. of interviewers. His gladiatorial His epitaph, said Paxman, would Nick Clegg’s mistake style makes his skirmishes more be that he was too left-wing for thrilling than Game of Thrones and, England and too right-wing for This is a problem Nick Clegg fell intellectually, often as violent. Being Scotland. Despite that, Paxman said foul of too. In 2010 Clegg was the ‘Paxmaned’ has been compared to that Miliband had ran quite a good leader of UK’s third-largest party – being hit with a baseball bat. campaign; being energetic and putting the Liberal Democrats. During the himself about more than other general election of that year he got The result of the 2015 UK general leading politicians. all his candidates to sign a personal election surprised many of us. What pledge not to agree to any rise in kind of future might we be looking at? One notable moment was allowing student university tuition fees. But Paxman took the floor himself to be interviewed by the when voters failed to give any one to share his views with an comedian Russell Brand – a man not party a mandate to govern, Clegg invited audience. taken seriously by Paxman himself. unexpectedly became kingmaker. He told the audience: ‘Miliband had Given the chance to share power, he Brand Ed Miliband obviously had brand consultants and his party reneged on the most all over him – as I discovered when I public commitment to a policy ever ‘I want to get one thing straight: I am a interviewed him – and I put to him the made in post-war politics. journalist, I am not a clairvoyant. And suggestion someone had made about since most of us are not, we made the him going into a room with Putin and ‘The party could’ve stuck to their very stupid mistake of believing the only Putin coming out at the end. And guns,’ said Paxman. ‘It would’ve been opinion polls. It was obvious to many Miliband, a man I’d known for years difficult for Cameron and the Tories, of us – you could call it being wise as a skinny, bookish fellow, said:“Am but the Lib Dems could have done it. after the event, and perhaps it is – that I tough enough? Hell, yeah!”Well, They chose not to. They reneged on despite the scientific analysis that was this was completely inauthentic a promise and people did not forgive going on it wasn’t going to be as close and I think it did him a lot of damage them. So when their manifesto this as the polls predicted.’ because, whatever they may feel time gave us a list of their so-called beliefs, the question was: why should we take that any more seriously than your pledge on student fees?’

The Tory leadership

If voters value authenticity then David Cameron was always onto a winner because, said Paxman, authenticity is his strength. However,

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as Cameron has pledged that he will not seek a third term as prime minister, the Conservatives will be selecting a new party leader in the next few years.

‘When I checked the other day, Boris Johnson was the 7-4 favourite,’ Paxman said. ‘I think the closer it gets the more the odds on him will lengthen, but he’s the favourite for English to think what makes them thought it a wonder that Greece was one obvious reason: people know who they are, which we may find ever accepted into it. He blamed the who he is. They don’t care that he more difficult than we expected. I say Americans who, he said, insisted went to Eton or went to primary “we” but I’m a quarter Scots, as most of on Greece’s membership. school with Ed Miliband. They seem us are. In England, we’re all mongrels.’ to like him because he makes them And finally… laugh. The EU referendum He doesn’t pretend to be anything So what did Paxman think we should he’s not. People hate fakery.’ While the English want to keep the conclude about the 2015 general union with Scotland, many are less election? That the result would not Scottish independence enthusiastic about the European have come as a surprise if you stayed Union. A major subject of debate in true to your instincts. That people Another surprise of the 2015 general the coming parliament, both for the concluded Ed Miliband did not look election was the Scottish National Conservatives and the country as a like a prime minister, and that they Party’s success. When it took all whole, will be the UK’s membership found it hard to forget what he did but one of Scotland’s 59 seats in the of the EU. A referendum on the UK’s to his brother. And that we are a UK parliament, former SNP leader future in the economic block was decent, innately cautious people. Alex Salmond said: ‘The Scottish an integral part of the Conservative’s lion has roared.’ What Salmond, general election manifesto. ‘The economy is growing, who Paxman thinks is a brilliant unemployment is falling, interest politician, didn’t Paxman said the problem with the rates are at historic lows,’ Paxman say is who would be paying for EU was that it made it abundantly said. ‘We’d taken quite a bit of pain, the lion’s food. clear that the UK’s standing in the and felt we may as well try to see it world has reduced. ‘Britain is now through. This all helps to explain the ‘The key here is something called just one of 28 states, many of which result. It was James Cahill, Clinton’s full fiscal autonomy,’ Paxman told have populations smaller than some campaign strategist, who coined the the audience. ‘The current idea is of our cities,’ he observed. ‘It would phrase that, under some form of continued be impossible, it seems to me, for “it’s the economy, stupid”. union, Scotland gets to raise its David Cameron to avoid holding own taxes and pay for its own a referendum on our continued ‘And to end, let us all resolve never to services. Many say the Scots will feel membership, just as it seems hear anyone introduce themselves differently once they have to pay impossible for him to negotiate as an opinion pollster without their own way, and many English away the freedom of movement bursting into fits of uncontrollable people seem upset at the idea of the his right-wingers object to.’ laughter.’ break-up of the union. Paxman predicted that the UK will ‘I’m not upset because I think a vote to stay in an organisation they requirement of the union has cordially detest for the simple reason been the suppression of English that they’ve come to realise we lead identity. I think the break-up will be European lives. He maintained that a tremendous opportunity for the the euro is a ‘crackpot’ scheme and

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