By Mark Rigby

So the saying goes.  Now, I don’t know Mrs Martin Johnson but, based on Johnno’s reaction to the Murrayfield stalemate and his bold changes for Paris, you would have to say she should be pretty tidy.

I suspect I was not alone in being thoroughly bored by events in Edinburgh.  Little to get the blood boiling save frustration.  But at last, it seems, the shackles have come off and Johnno has made some punchy changes.  That he has seems somewhat out of kilter with his tedious statements about ‘building a team over time’ and ‘progressing’.  If the truth be told, I think there was no other option.  Change was due, change is here, let’s see what it holds.  There is no finer test nor stage than Paris!

I think Toby Flood will bring more attacking options into the side, I think Worsley made his mark at Murrayfield (even if others didn’t) and it’s right that he stays, and I think Foden offers more at 15 than Armitage.  Ashton is the most interesting pick.  He’s hot, for sure, and form is a great argument for inclusion but I think it’s a big ask to throw him in at Stade de France with the French pushing for the Grand Slam.  Certainly a true test of character. 

Where I think Johnno has missed a trick is in not making more of Lawes.  Talking to Simon Shaw this week (who reminded me that he has never lost in Paris!) my feeling is that he and Lawes would be our most effective second row combination.  Bulk blended with speed, age with experience, guile with enthusiasm – I would have liked to see more of that.

The French will be bang up for it – and what a finale!  With a bit of spring sunshine (perhaps?) and a spring in their step (for sure), it will be a mighty first quarter.  If they bring the professionalism they showed against Italy – and if England start to fall off tackles again – I think it will be a long and difficult afternoon.  At last, the French have discovered consistency and, because of that and the overall talent of their settled match day 23, I am calling a home win by no less than 10.

So a Grand Slam then, but a springboard from which to move on to the World Cup?  That’s the even bigger test.  Maybe this side has peaked too soon.  Only time will tell.

In Cardiff, I’m predicting a points fest.  Not because I think Wales and Italy are particularly adept at incisive, try scoring rugby but rather because of the sieve-like nature of their defences and willingness to throw the ball away when they should recycle.  I suspect the ball will move a lot and, come the end of 80 minutes, Wales will come out on top, winning by no less than 12.  Something for the home supporters to shout about at the end of what has to be called a disappointing tournament.  All those Lions but too few Six Nations points.

As for Ireland versus Scotland, I think we’ll see Ireland win by at least eight points.  The conversion of chances that has been Ireland’s hallmark all tournament – as well as their class through the spine of the side – makes it hard to see Scotland getting any change out of this one.  The ‘Jocks’ may take some comfort from their point against the Auld Enemy – and they will fight like mad to avoid the ‘Wooden Spoon’ – but I’m predicting more pain for poor old Andy Robinson.  To judge by those images of him at Murrayfield last week, a lounger and some soothing hot towels cannot come soon enough.  Watching him is almost enough to give you a heart attack!

So, the curtain gets ready to fall on another Six Nations tournament but the action is far from over.  To borrow a phrase from our friends at Sky Sports, this really is going to be a ‘Super Saturday’ – and with the right shaped ball!

My predictions are:

France to beat England by no less than 10 points.

Wales to beat Italy by no less than 12 points.

Ireland to beat Scotland by at least 8 points.

APOLOGIES TO ALL OF MARK’S FANS AD READERS I MADE AN ERROR PUBLISHING THIS AND ONLY REALISED THIS MORNING. IAIN, WEB EDITOR.

By Roger Southam

I remember my parents going to the Ideal Home exhibition in 1970 and bringing back a Mickey Mouse sweet dispenser for me. At that time I was a huge fan of all things Disney so I was thrilled with my gift but had little comprehension of what the Ideal Home Show was – well at seven you wouldn’t really!

Since 1970 my late father exhibited there, I have visited on many occasions and had some wonderful bargains.

Now this year I have the pleasure of speaking on the pitfalls of property throughout the 17-day show in one of its theatres.

What are my expectations? What do I think the audience will be like? Who knows! But I am looking forward to it and the exciting challenge of entertaining the public.

Whether the audience is two or 200 people, having the chance to bring conscious awareness to the pitfalls of property is thrilling. The ability to reinforce the importance of understanding what is being taken on and the differing responsibilities for leaseholders and freeholders needs to be raised at every opportunity.

Being sandwiched between Tommy Walsh and Linda Barker has never been in my wildest dreams but it will be interesting! I guess I need to search out my tool belt and jungle kit!

By Claer Barrett

nother week, another overseas property fund announces it is to quit London’s Alternative Investment Market (Aim).

CREO is the latest to turn tail, and will shortly be adding its name to nearly 80 Aim-traded property funds that have delisted since the slump, either through take-private deals or nefarious financial management.

China Real Estate Opportunities, to give it its full title, is the Far Eastern outpost of Irish property billionaire Richard David.

The shares peaked at 832p in 2008 as the market clamoured for exposure to China’s property boom. However, they languish at 341p today – a 70 per cent discount to NAV – and CREO is seeking to switch to a Singapore listing on June, believing the Asian market will value its Shanghai-based portfolio less cruelly.

But will it? A hideous NAV discount taints most of the remaining Aim property funds. Indian residential township developer Hirco is a stock I’ve rated in the past (current NAV discount: 81 per cent).

Mediterranean resort developer Dolphin Capital Investors, which had results last week, is trading at a 70 per cent discount (I rate its shares as a high-risk buy – for more details see my column in the Investors Chronicle on Friday).

So what do such high discounts tell us? To put it simply, the market is pricing in risk.

The market could distrust NAV, believing that valuations contain too much hope value. Then there’s the risk of things going wrong Continue reading »

By Roger Southam

The Kray twins made a good living threatening and extorting money around the East End during the 50’s & 60’s. Both got life; not unreasonable for the murders and destruction.

Rackman made a good living in the 50’s & 60’s terrorising people in their homes and using intimidating behaviour to make profits on slums and squalor. He was primarily responsible for the wealth of landlord and tenant legislation that binds the residential property industry.

If laws worked there would be no one in prison and the world would be a happy, cosy place. Unfortunately, some still operate on a basis of using the law as a shield for their underhand tactics and overcharging. We are currently protecting a group of people who have flats in an over 55s development from intimidation and excessive charges.

Our adversaries are claiming they are only doing what is prescribed in the lease although the tone and language used in letters is very threatening and leaving the vulnerable terrified.

So what are the issues? Well, we organised Right to Manage for a block in Windsor and when the current agents found out they started to make threats of prosecution for non-payment of service charge even though, for the two months before, they had taken no action. They have funds to pay bills but managed to double pay for things in the meantime.

We will be left to unravel and resolve and we are shielding the vulnerable from the persecution.

Nothing much has changed in 50 years – property still a nice business to do people with!

By Andrew Barber

“Shed Shifters” reading this will be pleased to learn that the search levels on Google for industrial, warehousing and manufacturing properties are currently enjoying a bit of a surge, with the volume of searches in this sector during February reaching levels not seen since the first quarter of 2009.

The investment, retail and office sectors also experienced an increase in search volumes in February and the overall level of the Property Search Index was up from 165 to 175 – the highest score since we started publishing the Index last year. The general trend is upward which seems to indicate improved levels of confidence across all sectors.

The increase in activity in the industrial sector is not entirely unexpected, as it follows a pattern that has been apparent for the past four years. Since 2006 the volume of online searches relating to industrial and warehouse property has peaked each year during the first quarter. If the pattern of previous years is repeated, the levels of online searches (and enquiries) may fall back again in the near future. Should: “make hay before enjoying the sunshine at MIPIM” become the mantra of the Industrial Agents Society?

And if your online marketing has not benefited from this spring surge of online activity – maybe you need to start planning for 2011?

Talking of being prepared – get ready for something different next time you upgrade Windows or get a new PC. From the beginning of the month millions of Microsoft users in Europe were, for the first time, given a choice of which web browser they wanted to use. An agreement between Microsoft and the EU means that purchasers of Windows will now be able to choose and download the web browser they want to use – rather than Microsoft only providing its own Internet Explorer.

In an article in The Times it was revealed that “the number of people using Internet Explorer had fallen in the past year” and that “12 months ago more than 75 per cent of Britons used Microsoft’s browser, but that has dropped by more than 6 per cent.” What is now clear is that more and more users have been turning their backs on Internet Explorer and choosing to use FireFox, Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari or any of a number of alternatives instead.

This will have implications for web marketing, as websites often look different depending on the browser being used. In fact – some websites, particularly older ones, just don’t work very well in anything other than Internet Explorer – as I discovered to my horror when, having edited a site I look after on behalf of a client, I checked it with the latest version of Google Chrome! It was a sharp reminder that in this fast-moving market you need to keep abreast of the latest technology and trends.

So – here are a couple of other things to be aware of:

Firstly, Google has introduced a new element to local search with a “nearby” button. This type of function has been possible on mobile devices for a while but is now available on desktops too. Google will display “nearby results” based upon your IP address or a “preferred location” if the user customises their location of choice.

This is not a major, life changing innovation – but one which may have an impact on property marketing or asset management as users will begin to get greater localised detail of houses and commercial properties that are being publicised online. This will also be true for retail locations looking to attract shoppers ahead of the competition.

Secondly – there is a rumour circulating in Cyberspace that Google is developing a system that will index new web content in real-time; much in the way that it is now indexing content from social media sources like Twitter. If this rumour is true then it could totally transform online search, as the web and the most visible content would be constantly changing. That will create a major PR and marketing challenge for businesses looking to maintain their profile online.

Food for thought.

I’m off to MIPIM now (or “Glastonbury for suits” – according to Mr Teacher).

Say hello if you see me.

By Andrew Teacher

If you replaced the yachts with tents, champagne with magic mushrooms and lawyers with, erm, lawyers, then Mipim becomes Glastonbury.

“I’ll meet you by the mixing desk,” you’d say, knowing that your mobile won’t work, only to discover a hundred thousand others all have the idea. Do you remember walking into the Martinez and tripping over half of JLL?

And of course last year’s property fandango reminded me very much of the first year that Glasto introduced a big iron curtain round the site stopping people cutting through the fence.

Still, fewer people have meant you can actually buy you £8 beer without too much of a wait.

A lot of the Mipim ‘experience’ comes from discovering Russian cities not currently on any map and exchanging glances with company chairmen at 4.00am sweating with the paranoid request of “tour rules” – clutching to that long-held principle of ‘what goes on tour, stays on tour’.

And that’s why Boris, when he arrived on Monday night, will be under strict surveillance to keep him away from champagne. Because in this age of iPhones and Facerack, what goes on tour is live on the interweb in seconds. And god forbid you could have the Mayor of London drinking with those who pay most of its tax.

For the Brits, the week promises to be a fine one. The cities are all very well represented. Manchester particularly, has absolutely reams of people attending, much like CBRE who could probably take half of Europe with the army they have.

One of the big questions for the market will be how the regions plan to fight back. It’s one thing watching British Land, Land Securities and Shaftsbury puff their chests at the City and West End’s resurgence, but what about the swathes of boarded up streets in Liverpool and Wakefield? What will Britain be doing to avoid a two-tier recovery?

Occupiers are now hand-picking the best sites over secondary locations and while it may not have before, the investment market is starting to follow. And because of that, the London Stand will be a hotbed of interest.

Much like the Linklaters lunch on Wednesday I suspect, where many will doubtlessly be whispering about the Valukas report into Lehman’s collapse which has criticised both the law giants and accountants Ernst & Young for the $500m that ended up under the carpet.

Of course Mipim’s most legendary lawyer is Bob Kidby, and the Lovells bash to celebrate their merger with US-based Hogan & Hartson will be a blast, as long as they don’t run out of beer like last year.

Other highlights in the week ahead are set include Eversheds’ soiree at Tom Bloxham’s pad, the Coutts shindig on Thursday along with our annual sailing expo with Malcolm Hollis, who last year proved to me that there really are dolphins off the coast of Cannes. And the French don’t eat them either.

But in the true party spirit of things, it’s best if we agree to meet somewhere more anonymous. So I’ll meet you by the bar in the Carlton. I’ll be wearing a dark suit.

By Dickon Broadhurst

Hello,
Given the difficulties of uploading photos and videos in Sudan, I haven’t been able to do it on this blog. However, if you are interested, my other blog is much more complete and interesting so please click on this link to get the full picture (http://www.cycletothecup.co.uk/blog/).

The text for the blog is written below if you don’t mind the lack of video and pictures. I hope you find it interesting, any comments, tips or sponsorship don’t hesitate….my site has a link to Just Giving.
Best wishes from Khartoum,
Dickon

The Heroes of the Belorusian Desert
Excuse me as I indulge in a small boast. Team Trevor was momentarily split because the rest of the team wanted to skip forward in a bus to the next town so they could watch the England Egypt friendly. My desire to cycle the whole continent meant that I opted out and Duncan offered to join me in the 170 miles (270km) from Karima to Atbara, two or three days cycling through more desert. Or not! Given that cycling with less people is a lot faster, I half heartedly suggested we cycle the whole thing in one go to see if we could arrive in time for the game as well (as a bit of a surprise for the others and so we could show off). I had forgotten Duncans propensity for stupid ideas: cycling to the worlds tallest building in Taiwan for a £1 bet and, on the way, running the Istanbul marathon in hiking boots. My suggestion approved, we were up early and heading off, immediately confronted with headwinds, hills, desert heat and meagre supplies of bread and lollipops. At 2pm we had only managed about 60 miles thanks to the conditions, and hit 100 miles at 6.30pm. Dusk. Dinner time. Bed time. Anything but cycle time. But no! We intrepidly continued listening to music and rueing the day our egos helped make decisions for us. There were few cars, but the initial lack of moon meant that it was pitch black, our eyes just capable of making out the line in the middle of the road. The postive spin of this is that it allowed us to see more stars than I have ever seen (Duncan’s phone uses GPS and an internal compass to tell you what stars you’re looking at…so clever). The moon eventually appeared a shade of blood red, as if to reflect my inner turmoil of depleted energy levels, my subsequent ill mood, and the disappearance of my sense of humour. The 5 hours were grim, and we resorted to rationing our fizzy drinks in a bid to tackle our sugar lows. We arrived as the game finished, not bad considering the wind, in a complete state and incapable of normal speech. But like with all challenges, I felt a sense of satisfaction at testing what I was capable of. 170 miles, 14 hours of actual pedalling, 8am ti 1.30am. Pretty gruelling. Why did we do it? Well Duncan has theorised that all actions can be trivialised back to the desire to procreate. In other words, impressing girls. I don’t know whether two guys wearing tight lycra cycling long distances with probable resultant fertility issues is sexy to women, but if it’s not, it damn well should be so I write this boast in earnest.

In case you didn’t know, my name is Dickon. I have a love-hate relationship with my name and I have an affinity towards the song ‘A Boy Named Sue’ by Johnny Cash. With a name like mine, the scope for purile humour is neverending. So much so, most people don’t believe that it’s my name, and those that do often prefer imaginative alternatives. At times tiresome, the one positive feature of my name is that I am an original, one in a million, a limited edition. Anyway, I foolishly look forward to travelling to foreign countries for my name to mean something good like ‘great one’, ‘lion slayer’ or ‘fights like a bear’. So it is to my dismay, and not for the first time, that I am informed that my name means chicken in Arabic. Or Dick means chicken. And so the comedy continues. Finger Lickin Dickon. My name, and therefore yours truly, will forever be a source of amusement across the world.

To prove this, we had dinner with a local family one night which was a highly enjoyable but, as usual, a linguistically challenging experience (sign language can only get you so far). A sure fire way to liven everyone up is for someone (Duncan)to mention that my name means chicken, cue Dickon makes a noise like a cockerel and everyone falls about laughing, my role in global society further cemented (Duncan has now adopted using this conversation starter everywhere he goes). Not to be outdone, the rest of the group proceeded to do impressions of other animals: John – pig, Duncan – whale, Ollie – goat and Lindsey – a bit of everything (amusing). We enjoyed it so much we have adapted our call signs as buzzers to be used in our camp fire quiz games, perplexing to any onlooker.

Just in case anyone was wondering, I am becoming proficient in Arabic. This trip isn’t simply a jolly up the Nile, it is a journey of higher education and intellectual discovery (as no doubt you can tell from my blog updates so far). I can now count to five, I know the words for ‘bread’ and ‘beans’ (unsurprisingly learnt quite early on), ‘hello, how are you’, ‘friend’, ‘expensive’, ‘cheese’, ‘god willing’ (put together they make quite an amusing but so far fruitless request), ‘chicken’ (my impression now includes a beak and rooster hat) and my latest discovery ‘beautiful’. I refer you to my comment earlier about impressing girls, well this one is brilliant. Women across the world are suckers for a compliment.

I must mention quickly Mohammed and his family that we stayed with in Atbarra (as sourced by the team who took the bus)(his family consists of him and his sisters and neices as he divorced all three of his wives in one go having got bored of them…..interesting I think). Having met us on the bus, they put us up for the night and fed us repeatedly with bread, beans, tomatoes, chicken, falafel, egg and even sausages (a vast improvement to our daily carb diet). Social etiquette it would seem is to force your guests to eat (every time you stop eating even for a second they say ‘eat, eat’), so each time we eat till we pass out having not worked out the polite way to decline their encouragments.

Their generosity is neverending and they refuse all efforts on our part to return the favour. We eventually managed to get a photo of all of them and us developed which they seemed genuinely pleased to receive it which was reassuring. They then gave us a goody bag with sugar, biscuits, sardines, tea and crisps in as a leaving present. Crazy! Does anyone put up total strangers up in London? Not many. On that note, I am currently in Khartoum staying with a bunch of Eritrean girls (refugees of sorts it would seem) that we found through the growing phenomenon of couchsurfing.com. A brilliant platform allowing you to stay or host people over the world for absolutely nothing. A great way to meet new people and stay in places for free. I intend to use it throughout the trip and particularly when I get to South Africa. As I said to my parents before I left, most people are kind and us Brits should learn to be more trusting.

Khartoum is a totally different place to the Sudan I have seen so far. As if to mark this change, our final day cycling into Sudan involved 100 miles, 49 degree heat, 5 flat tyres, me lacerating my finger almost to the bone, and some cycling through the city in the dark in pursuit of our contact in a car…a bit risky at times. When it rains, it poors…..or the desert equivalent of that expression. We arrived at a ‘medical centre’ where we were to stay, covered in a weeks dirt, beard and sweat, and were immediately ushered upstairs to meet the doctor. Next thing we know we were sat on chairs in front of 40 morbidly obese people in fancy dress whilst a compere talked about us in arabic to the group.

Lord knows what was said, but we received ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ followed by a round of applause before we were ushered out again none the wiser. A very surreal experience….’fat camp’ in Sudan….a bit unexpected given some of the poverty seen in rural parts. I like to think that the compere said something like ‘four weeks ago this lot looked just like you’ (although the scales downstairs tell a different story…with Lindsey actually gaining weight).

In the four days I’ve been here I have been ripped off by a few cabbies (standard), found milkshakes, haggled with everyone, had an incredible Lebanese meal with an Italian we met, played 5-aside football at the British Embassy, found some beer (the first in 3 or 4 weeks…its so good), and last night we were invited round to dinner with the British Senior Political Officer. A more civilised experience than I can remember even in the last few years in London (despite our dishevelled appearence) with yummy food and wine. It was also a great way to discuss Sudan and its politics, power and wealth, the election and the referendum the following year, let alone a million and one other topics we seemed to cover over the evening. We were even allowed to steal their old copies of The Week, The Economist and National Geographic which is a huge result as out thirst for news and reading material has to date remained unquenched. I hope that we may be able to source more contacts from the foreign office as we travel south, as it is by far the most reliable and interesting source of information as we travel.

Our dinner conversation also highlighted that global politics such as the power struggles over Africa between China, muslim countries and the west is so much more interesting than our national news such as ‘the lack of grit during snow storms’, ‘crooked cops’ and the tears and airbrushing of our politicians. We have it so easy in the UK, and yet we are a nation of whingers. We have the best (albeit oldest) underground system, infrastructure, security, practically everything and yet nothing seems sufficient. The British stiff upper lip and resilient desire just to get on with it doesn’t seem so fitting these days. I can only assume that we whinge about these things because of the lack of more serious worries, and therefore should be grateful. In Sudan things such as rubbish, electricity, water, roads, traffic lights, laws, dust (Karthoum) is by no means a guarantee….and that is before you delve into politics, Southern Sudan and Darfur.

Anyway, tonight we are playing football at the embassy again and are hoping that at the least we can use the showers afterwards and at the most, the beers afterwards may extend into a soiree of sorts. Then tomorrow we return to our bikes and spend the next week heading for the border of Ethiopia. Having now read up a fair amount of Ethiopia, I am really looking forward to it (and my research into Southern Sudan has informed me its not a good idea). Assured that my helmet will need to be worn throughout to protect me from thrown stones (one of the ladies at dinner last night got beaten round the head with a shoe), I am now looking forward to Ethiopia, the hills (I’m becoming a sadistic cyclist), the scenery, the availability of alcohol, greenery, jazz bars we have been told about in Addis, all sorts. It will also be cheaper. Sudan, mostly Khartoum, has been expensive with many things priced the same as UK prices with much of the city relying on imports.

We have cycled almost 1,500 miles so far. I have raised 15% of my total which is brilliant, but keep the donations coming. We are still looking for tickets to a game, further sponsorship, press coverage, anything we can get that might help us reach our totals.

I have now improved my previous two blogs with a video and some photos if you’re interested. Do look at the other guys blogs as well as they’re pretty interesting….oh and Oli Brooms which is really good. The photos and videos should all tie in with some of mine, and are probably a lot better.

Finally, Lindsey, in a bid to raise more money, has decided to shave her head. Admittedly when she looks like she does in this photo I can hardly blame her…although I think she is nuts…and I anticipate tears directly afterwards as I’m not sure she realises what she’ll look like….please go to her page and sponsor her.

I believe we’ll have a story to tell about it soon enough. I can’t wait.

Feel free to comment about my blogs, or pass them onto your friends.

By Giles Barrie

Have you ever given a personal guarantee on a deal, and if so, why?

PGs, as they are known, were a big talking point at ‘An Audience with Paul White’, which I chaired last night.

The Hilton London Metropole event was attended by 200 people and organised by the charity Young Norwood.

White, managing director of property company Frogmore, insisted he learned never to give personal guarantees after hitting trouble in the 1970s.

People who agreed to them in our recent boom did so through ‘arrogance’ and believing their own publicity, White said.

‘If you think you are worth £100m and that the market will keep on going up and up you will do stupid things’, he said.
‘I know people who have everything – their homes, their families’ homes. No deal is worth those types of risks’.

I wonder how many of those risks were down to vanity and reputation pumped up by rich lists.

After all, if all your rivals and most importantly your bank think you are worth £100m it doesn’t seem unreasonable to put a few houses on the line.

But if that £100m is cobbled together from equity in highly leveraged deals that can easily be wiped out, then personal guarantees seem mad.

Banks gain little from them either, because repossessing a few homes will hardly recoup losses on lending they were foolish to make.

It is a message the new breed of property entrepreneurs which will undoubtedly rise from the crash will be well advised to heed.

‘An Audience with Paul White’ was sponsored by Derwent London.

You can see a full account of the evening in the next in our series of ‘1st Friday’ features for younger readers in the April 1 Property Week’.

Have you given personal guarantees? Tell us your views by replying to this blog.

By Mark Rigby

Some performances are more important than others. When you’re Jeff Bridges or Sandra Bullock, you probably know if you’ve pulled it off by the time anyone else sees the result. When you’re one of the 30 men stepping onto the turf at Murrayfield come tea-time on Saturday, all you can be sure of is that you’ll be judged on the next 80 minutes. No hiding place. No chance to cut and re-shoot. Pressure and expectation all around. These are two very different crafts, and two very different types of audience too!

You can bet the baying up in Edinburgh will be lively. Us ‘arrogant’ English are always assured a special welcome and I think it has added spice with this game coming at such a pivotal point in the tournament. Win and England are back in the hunt again – weaknesses will be glossed over as we turn into the final game with a mathematical chance of the Championship. For the ‘Jocks’, a win against England – even if matched with four other losses – creates a memorable and ‘successful’ season. Knife-edge stuff.

In the England camp, I think the people under the most pressure are the coaching staff. As I wrote last week, I’m not seeing any progress and, should we get turned over at Murrayfield, I would seriously be expecting John Wells and Brian Smith to be dusting off their CVs and getting ready ‘to pursue other interests’. The RFU is looking for a new Chief Executive (one for you Mr G?) and they could just as well be widening the recruitment consultant’s brief if we don’t get some attacking click and delivery.

I think Johnno is safe mind you. However, along with some like-minded ‘elder statesmen’ of the game at a Wasps Hall of Fame get together this week, I was baffled by some of this week’s picks. What’s Armitage done to stay ahead of Foden? Is he really sure he’s got the right 9 and 10 combo? And what has Moody done to get the drop down to the bench (oh, apart from leave Leicester for Bath of course – conspiracy theorists of the world unite!)

No, I have to say that I have my concerns. Wiser men than I have pointed out that better England sides have travelled north of the border and come away empty handed. The Scots certainly know how to get more from their 15 than the sum of the parts (I’d still take virtually every England player man for man against his opposite number) and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little anxious. The Stanger stain of 1990 on the memory really is a hard one to shift!

But let’s hope England pull off a performance. That’s what I want both as a supporter and a club Chairman. A strong England is good for rugby and good for us all. If we lose, we – and Wells and Smith in particular – are certainly in the Hurt Locker. I’d take any kind of win – big or low – sorry, couldn’t resist – but I’m calling England by no more than six.

I don’t want to be rude but, in comparison, the other games are very much ‘in supporting roles’. Wales’ trip to Dublin does look quite tasty but with such a polar divide between Ireland’s precision and execution versus Wales’ sloppiness, you have to back the home boys. Wales have not shown a great deal of development. Ireland are back with their tails up. Yes, it’s Ireland by nine for me.

As for Paris, it will be a story of 20 minutes. Best short film, you could say. If France come in with the right big-game attitude and focus, this one is all over inside the first quarter. If not, it may drag on a bit (and we could put it in best foreign film like those ones with the subtitles that are supposed to be interesting but are actually quite tedious). Either way, it’s France to win and I see it being by no less than 15 points.

So, when the ref calls ‘action’, let’s hope we get some. I’m not sure we’ll get anything that counts as ‘big screen entertainment’ at Murrayfield but I suspect it could well challenge the censors!

My calls for this week are:

England to beat Scotland by no more than six

Ireland to beat Wales by nine

France to beat Italy by no less than 15

By Giles Barrie

I have a worldwide scoop – Nick Leslau is singing in this year’s Party Near the Park.

Leading the `Prestburys’ with his new partner Mike Brown, Leslau will be belting out Wild Cherry’s `Play That Funky Music’ at London’s Old Billingsgate on June 3.

The theme for this year is `One-Hit Wonders’, and I went along to see a collection of 2010’s hopefuls at their first get-together at Smithfield’s `Karaoke Box’ last night.

Leslau himself flexed his vocal chords, and the results are promising…

Other big names set to perform are PruPim’s investment doyen Martin Moore, who is set to sing Monty Python’s `I’m a Lumberjack’ with a set of other industry big guns.

Other acts include:

● Henderson singing `Dizzy’

● Mike Slade, David Hunter and the Helicalettes singing `Lady Marmalade

● Welbeck Land on `Land Down Under’

● Top agents Stewart Colderick, David Erwin, David Raven and Phil Marsden performing `Tubthumping’.

The good news is that Party Near the Park, where Property Week is a sponsor, has already sold 56 tables, and is on course for 800-plus attendees.

To book your place, contact anna@switchevents.co.uk

As for me? Well after cross-dressing for PNTP for three of the last four years I am taking a year off. The Barrie family holiday in Scotland coincides with the party, which is during half-term.

But three of Property Week’s rising stars, Jenny Rigby, Hardeep Sandher and Aditi Shah, will be stepping into my shoes as part of a cracking ensemble singing `It’s Raining Men’.

It’s going to be a great night….