好色先生TV

Mother鈥檚 ruin

Being a minister is never an easy job but one of my hacks was surprised to observe that energy minister Greg Barker keeps two bottles of gin in his bookcase. We all know that getting the Green Deal off the ground has been difficult but perhaps it has been more stressful than we first imagined. Or perhaps it鈥檚 simply that in these tough economic times he keeps one bottle (Gordon鈥檚) for guests and one for himself (Bombay Sapphire), as well as a rogue bottle of Campari. Maybe he鈥檚 a fan of the gin and Campari-based cocktail Negroni - in which case one hopes he has a bottle of vermouth hidden behind his Hansard.

Horsing around

Former boss of specialist contractor Doyle Group, Stef Stefanou, is also a racehorse owner and has taken delivery of a new mare. Stefanou - who saw Doyle Group go under last year - has named his horse 鈥淗idden Discounts鈥�, in what he says is a reference to bad practices by main contractors he claims contributed to his beloved firm鈥檚 downfall. I can only presume that - should Hidden Discounts prove a winner - this will provide catharsis for Stefanou.

Arctic oval

There was a good turnout for the 好色先生TV & Engineering Services (B&ES) Association鈥檚 annual press lunch at the Oval cricket ground in south London last Friday 鈥� despite the onset of what some newspapers dubbed 鈥渟nowmageddon鈥�. Guests who braved the weather were treated to a picturesque view of the ground nestled in snow, from the complex鈥檚 John Major room situated high in the stands. The audience heard from president Sue Sharp and chief exec Blane Judd about the B&ES鈥� modernisation plans for the hard-hit specialist sector. Sadly there were no takers for snow cricket.

Step back in time

Construction firms tend to bury time capsules rather than unearth them, but that role was reversed when Derbyshire builder Wildgoose unexpectedly chanced upon an
82-year-old one at a development site in Halifax. Wildgoose made the discovery while demolishing part of further education centre Calderdale College, which it is redeveloping. The capsule contained a copy of local newspaper the Halifax Courier dated 21 June 1930 and an ornate scroll detailing the names of the Educational Committee. Wildgoose said it had never unearthed a time capsule before.

Juke box jury

You may have thought the world of construction dispute resolution couldn鈥檛 get any more rock and roll. Well you were wrong. Hot on the heels of the successful Construction Rocks! charity fund-raising battle of the bands, comes Expertise Rocks! - a charity competition for bands from the world of expert witnesses. Outfits set to perform include Hill International鈥檚 Over the Hill and Urban Flow鈥檚 Gridlock. No doubt we can expect covers of 鈥淚 fought the law鈥� by Bobby Fuller Four/The Clash and 鈥淟awyers, guns, and money鈥� by Warren Zevon. The competition takes place at London鈥檚 The 100 Club on 7 February. To find out more visit

Send any juicy industry gossip to hansom@ubm.com