• Sir Peter Thompson — chairman of the employeeowned National
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Freight Consortium — likens himself to the patriach of a large family. Sometimes, however, it's hard to see if that family more closely resembles the Waltons or the Corleones.
It's one with a penchant for large parties and the odd difficult member, as evidenced by events at its annual general meeting at Blackpool at the weekend. Thompson persuaded his children to accept the most contentious move — the flotation of the company — overwhelmingly.
He used a combination of thundering pop music and videos, light-hearted banter and Neil Kiimock-style oratory. Not everyone was happy, however. Several voiced their opposition to the proposal, and one delegate — of 3,500 in attendance — regularly voted against routine motions such as reappointing board members.
Sid Simmonds (retired) told directors that rubbish left around one particular warehouse was "absolutely disgusting", and one delegate had to be shut up when he stood up in the middle of a debate about flotation to complain about job cuts at one depot.
The lorry driver who had made so much money from the employee buy-out six years ago that he had retired to the Isle of Man was nowhere to be seen, but others were. There was an enormous cheer when Thompson announced the value of the employee shares at the end of the meeting.
Many of the shareholders — their original 21 slices of the company now worth £56 each — retired to the bars and hotels of Blackpool, the owners of which were doubtless stocking up with Champagne and cigars instead of Federation ale and fags. . .