Robert Merry is an independent Stone Consultant and Project Manger who also runs training courses on project management. He continues this series of his thoughts on successful estimating and project management with a discussion of: The new political climate.

So I sit here in the depths of noisy Hackney – percussion hammers and airplane exhausts competing with twittering bird song and police sirens – wondering what the blue, slightly orange shade of our duly elected government will bring to the construction trade and more particularly the stone industry.

Certainly the labour party kept the construction economy relatively buoyant. In Hackney alone there are three new school academies – Petchy, Moss Bourne and Bridge – all completed in the past five years and with one more due to be opened. Not to mention the refurbishment of another, plus numerous mixed use developments, hospital refurbishments and the building of several smart new council buildings.

Mind you, we are one of the Olympic Boroughs, so we have to look the part.

But all in all, there’s not a lot of natural stone been used.

Anyone secured work at the Olympics? There must be a need for swimming pools covered in stone and medal podiums clad in Portland… surely.

Or are you still trying to complete the pre-qualification questionnaire?

I’m sure you all know of public buildings, schools, hospitals built or being built which include natural stone.

There was a 12% fall in construction work last year and a predicted 3% fall for this year. And with imminent cuts in the public purse, many of us will be looking to the private sector to provide the up turn we all need.

I guess, on the half-empty-half-full philosophy of life, the difference between 2009 and 2010 could be seen as a 9% improvement (must wear these rose-tinted glasses more often).

On the other hand we will have to be working at this level until 2014 to get back to 2002 levels. Sort of “Back to the Future 14.”

And to cap it all (or unfortunately not) the ash clouds emanating from an Icelandic volcano cancelled many a flight carrying those wealthy individuals in search of a luxury pad or two. Not to mention the disruption to all those who travel the world in search of stone for their clients.

Where were you when the dust cloud descended? At home with a broad smile on your face, like me, glad I hadn’t afforded that holiday abroad? Or stuck in an airport, counting the cost of time?

One of my customers called me to cancel a meeting because he was stuck in Spain, having flown out just after the first ash clouds were sighted over the Cairngorms and all hell broke lose with air traffic control.

A resourceful chap, he eventually drove the length of Spain, caught an overnight sleeper from Madrid to Paris, stayed a night in Paris (vive la France!!) and headed home under the Channel rather than over it 24 hours later. Eurostar were completely booked out. They probably took the decision not to run extra trains after the “trains stuck in tunnel” episode of last winter.

My customer managed to bag a ticket to London (standing room only) for the princely sum of £300.

As in war, there’s always someone who makes money out of a crisis! Ever thought of running your own railway line? Thought not.