Q. Liverpool is embarking on a year-long celebration as the Capital of Culture. Will you be twisting and shouting with the revellers or do you feel it is just ever so slightly embarrassing for the rest of the UK's residents?

A. If Liverpool is the European City of Culture – where does that leave Peterborough? How can we possibly compete with the likes of some of Liverpool's most famous cultural icons – Cilla Black, Wayne Rooney, Jimmy Tarbuck, Gerry and the Pacemakers, or Stan Boardman? Which then begs the question: What is culture? How do we define it? And do we really need to choose a city in which to promote it? For my part, I will not be twisting or shouting but will be contemplating just how much benefit the European funding for this cultural celebration could have been to more needy causes both here and in the Third World.

Q. The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has voted to keep interest rates on hold at 5.5 per cent – in the face of some truly appalling performances from retailers. Should the Bank have given into retailers' cries for cheaper money?

A. I'm not an economist and do not profess to fully understand the nuances of the UK's economic trials and tribulations, so have no intention of spouting forth in this column. What I do know is that any business that provides a first-class service to its customers will continue to succeed whatever the vagaries of the economy.

Q. Blunt-speaking businessman Sir John Harvey-Jones has just died. His Troubleshooter show was a must-see on BBC2 during the 1990s. Do you think history will judge him as an inspirational figure whose shows made business interesting for the average viewer, or was he just a bloke with a poor taste in ties and haircuts?

A. Going into any business or organisation and telling them what is wrong is a relatively easy thing to do. Most businesses can see what is wrong when it is pointed out to them but those involved are so busy working in it, they forget to work on it. I wonder how many people would recognise that particular issue? But people like Sir John Harvey-Jones and Gerry Robinson (both well known for their television business trouble shooting programmes) could not only see what is wrong but have the vision to know how to put it right. Let's make it a new year resolution to spend more time working ON our businesses than IN them.
As for John Harvey-Jones' dress sense – he was flamboyant and once famously danced on a table in a particularly dull business meeting to grab the attention of those there – so wearing colourful ties was small beer!

Q. Cambridge University has warned that sixth formers with more than one A-level in a list of so-called soft subjects will not get through its hallowed doors. Is our education system preparing youngsters for the challenges of daily life in the workplace or just giving them an pressure-free passage through their school years?

A. I think A-levels are too much like confetti nowadays. They have become the old O-levels. Nobody seems to fail them. More and more people are getting As and A-stars.