171. The Worshipful Company of Plumbers Lunch with Masters and Clerks Carpenters’ Hall 30 April 2024


Seventeen Masters and their Clerks attended the Plumbers’ lunch in the Carpenters’ Hall.  It was a highlight in the Plumbers’ year with many other guests also invited.

We were welcomed by the Master Plumber who introduced the guest speaker Larry Elliott, Economics Editor of The Guardian, where he has worked since 1988.  He is particularly interested in globalisation, trade and development, and the interface between economics and the environment.  He is also the son of a plumber and believes strongly in vocational skills.

He predicted that there would be three power blocks in the future:

·         China and her allies

·         US and her allies

·         Other non aligned countries

He predicted that there would be three drivers for the future of the planet and the fragmentation of the global economy:

·         A pivot towards an Asian driving force which would contribute 54% of global GDP. In comparison the EU would contribute 17%.

·         A fourth Industrial Revolution with the industrial giants driven to change. We will need new skills and disciplines such as heating engineers who understand air source and ground source heat pumps, not just plumbing.

·         A major shift to an aging population with 22% over 56 in 2050. Medical and care facilities and the means to look after and meet the expectations and needs of older people.

We will need to skill up a new workforce. Currently politics is very short term.  We have had five Chancellors and four Prime Ministers in ten years.

My grateful thanks to the Master and Plumbers’ Company for a super lunch and talks.

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