Metropol

For all of Bill Gates' questionable qualities, and I do share your cynicism on large businesses to an extent, I do genuinely believe he does care about the world he lives in.

Last year aside, I have been blessed in my life with the vast majority of my business decisions. I am a member of this planet, and I don't mind admitting that I did actually cry at the devastation of the tsunami disaster. The first time I had cried in over 2 years - the human devastation wrought among innocent people trying to live their lives.

It fucked up my Xmas - however, my personal heartbreak was majorly eclipsed by those who died and those still alive left with nothing. I lost nothing through the tsunami disaster, but those people's faces...I still get upset thinking about it.

Like you, Chris, I am naturally quite suspicious of companies who bandstand their generosity - it's somehow not understated and British. I do understand your thinking on this, but I would hate to be tarred with the same brush, as would many of my peers.

Chris I understand what you are trying to say, but you are labouring under the misapprehension that "large" businesses are somehow intrinsically different to smaller ones. Fundamentally they are not.

The volumes of money and staff members may vary diametrically, but most companies above the "small" bracket have a board of directors headed by an MD or CEO.

The company I work for is by no means small. We have beancounters too, but ultimately it will always fall to the team of decision makers - people - whether charitable donations are the fat to be trimmed from the budget.

Irrespective of the size of the company, someone will have to reconcile the decision with their conscience. Big companies make lots of money, but they spend lots of money too.

Its what makes the world go round.

Dunno if you feel this way, Gavin, but Chris has fallen into the trap of stereotyping all businesses.

I can sort of understand why. Up until the age of 22, without wishing to be patronising to Chris, I was almost Marxist in my opinion. And that was after 6 years of working part-time in sales.

I suddenly got the wake-up call when I set up my first ever business in 1996, which failed spectacularly.

I thought business would be easy, an outlet for the lazy, as it were. But it's not. It's frigging hard graft, and I spent years trying to build up something for myself and my future family (which has not appeared yet!).

There are definitely insincere people in businesses, large and small. However, you and I know that there are an awful lot of people who care deeply about either the future of their own profession, the world, and/or both, and who will put their money where their mouths are and give.

Without wishing to sound patronising to Chris (a very intelligent guy), I was full of the same indignant hatred towards enterprise up until leaving Uni. I think the guy is very smart, and just needs to have his opinions honed by the working world.

I'd give Jamez anything he wanted if he would just give the Gay thing a go even a quick snog .