Volker Hirsch

"It might have been mentioned (forgive me for not being able to read through the hundreds of comments) but a country where this was done very successfully (and - at least initially - controversially) is Slovakia: in 2004 or so, they introduced a flat 19% tax on everything: personal income, capital gains (above €500 p.a.), corporate, VAT (or sales tax as I think it is known in the US). A personal allowance per person to cover the absolute, absolute minimum (running to below $5,000 per person p.a.) and that's it; no further allowances, rates, nothing. The finance minister who championed this was, incidentally, Harvard-educated. People were initially very upset as they felt a lot of legacy privileges slipping away. The initiative has led, however, to an immense inflow of foreign direct investment and has helped the country's economy onto its feet much faster and much cheaper than most others." - Volker Hirsch

"You're mixing up production with distribution. if the high-end production model continues to work in order to produce the Avatars of this world, it will. What is unlikely to work in the same ways it used to is the distribution model. And that isn't to say that the box office is going away: make the experience of "going to the movies" better than any other possible experience and the perceived value to the consumer will be greater than the price charged. Works. However, Digital distribution now already equals physical (box office + DVD) and that shows the challenge the industry faces. And it is a challenge because the film industry has not come up with any of those models that now provide more than half of their revenue but were forced into it (the studios fought a lot before agreeing to do VoD, etc.). This comes from thinking backwards: we always had that formula to produce a movie and we make billions, so we don't have a problem, we "just" need to enforce it. When perceived value..." - Volker Hirsch

"Fred, isn't this exactly what you mentioned Town Hall is willing to address? Imagine you could have it at decent prices and without having to go to Vegas... ;-)" - Volker Hirsch

"Not necessarily, Rick. Speak to the chaps who run the NY Games Conference. 200+ people, mostly smaller developers, tons of indies. They run it in the Museum of Jewish Heritage, which is not only a very nice space but also in an awesome location!" - Volker Hirsch

"Hey. Have a look which attributes you need and feel free to get in touch (use the contact form if you want to do it in private). Happy to help! :)" - Volker Hirsch

"I don't think it is an either/or. Retail is being hit wherever it cannot provide value over and above online. Stock, variety, convenience, information, service, price, experience, ... There are tons of aspects to it. And I would posit that every retailer needs to think very hard about what it is they contribute. The answer to this will be different to every single one of them. By way of random example: Tesco and others do well with online grocery shopping in the UK. As far as I am aware, most grocery online solutions elsewhere have failed spectacularly. Helen, your chat with the news agent, the High Street as a social space is one of the distinguishing factors that retail has going for it. If, say, Iceland can ride on the same sentiment, I am not sure. I believe we will be seeing a variety of models, including hybrid ones: we have a specialist kitchen store in town that does quite well by combining retail with online). But, yes, I will join the choir warning retailers not to react...." - Volker Hirsch

"That is so incredibly superficial, Joel. It should be more than plain to anyone who cares to see that this is clearly not where Germany is treading. It is obvious that Britons have no idea of the pains the post-war generations went through to find their centre. Are you e.g. aware that the first time Germans found it OK to fly the German flag was the 2006 (!!!) World Cup? You would have been branded extremist right-wing prior to that. So when a German minister speaks of Europe as a destiny, it is a humble acknowledgement of their future being in the greater good of Europe rather than in themselves as a national state; it is appalling (or, alternatively, painfully ignorant) that you should twist this otherwise. So, your resonances may look logical to you but they are only such when viewed from an essentially outdated British view of the world, which is, alas, to be dated at c. 1945. I suggest you have a look at "them" Europeans c. 2011 to get a better view of things as they are today." - Volker Hirsch

"That was in reply to the PS, wasn't it? Do you care to reply on the merits, too, dear Sir? Ah, no, I thought not. I rest my case..." - Volker Hirsch

"Oooh, and my call for a little more substance went unheard, I suppose, huh? Happy posting in the great British future, Mr Sanctimony (who hasn't even have enough honour in him to post under his real name); you will have to do without me. Let me know once your wonderfully quaint version of a past empire has prevailed... I'd be intrigued to hear. And, until, you prevail, I suggest you shut up and educate yourself a little about the world past 1945." - Volker Hirsch

"Oh dear, oh dear. This is getting too much for me. I shall leave you to your pillow, err, beach towel fights, and move on to brighter pastures... Let me know once you have recovered from your fights from 60 or 70 years back..." - Volker Hirsch

"Yawn................. Germany plays its (economic) cards seemingly well these days (it's the one thing I would grant Mrs Merkel in terms of talent) but to insinuate a resurgence of expansionist feelings is just so off target, it's not true...  PS: and, yes, it would be Lebensraum. You will find lots of Liebensraum in Amsterdam and on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg (as well as, hopefully, in many people's bedrooms)." - Volker Hirsch

"Ouch, just not cricket, I'd say! I live in England, work in England, pay my taxes in England, own a house in England, school my children in England, what more do you want? I am in the process of giving up my (yes, you guessed right) German passport for a British one because this is the country I call home. Foreign name, you say? Ah, that smells a little, doesn't it? The economic performance of Australia, New Zealand and India will have many reasons but being part of the great British Empire is surely not one of them! I will not say that all is well in Europe (of which, in case you have missed this, Britain is a part). It is not. But to go off on a tangent of glorification of empires long gone will not help anyone, nor will it save this country's future at all. All I am calling for is a slightly less blinkered view on the overall situation. How can you possibly think that the isolation you are calling for, to be the flea of greater allies would do Britain any good? Go ask India if..." - Volker Hirsch

"Well, in this case, isn't it even more important that we can import cheaply from Europe, i.e. within the realms of the customs union et al? This is too cheap a shot, dear Sir..." - Volker Hirsch

"My dear lord, what happened today, Sanctimony? How far can you possibly distance yourself from reality to arrive at such positions? How quaintly naive of you to think that the Commonwealth would ever be able again to balance the loss of trade, political stability and welfare your suggestions would otherwise bring? Or is it merely some inferiority complex you are nurturing? Tststs..." - Volker Hirsch

"What kind of maths is this? The $10 vs $9.99 example surely doesn't make up for a 20% loss ($199 vs $250 as per Jefferies - who are not really that dodgy, are they?), or does it? It probably is the Android Store and margins hidden in there and on the Kindle Store, I would suppose. But can I suggest you look into this a little deeper next time? Thank you!" - Volker Hirsch