People & Business

Why does anybody read People & Business? Because it's free and delivered to their door.

Why is it free? Because everybody who is anybody in Portuguese property development advertises in it. Oh, and because if you don't buy the space, you don't exist.

It's a good scheme. Over the years, the editor has managed to establish such a wide web of contacts that he is invited to everything, with his photographer, publishing the awful photos of tipsy property boffins to fill the space between adverts and endorsements. It's a society magazine, nothing more.

I'm told, by somebody who should know, that the same editor has a value-added publication, which has to be paid for and contains useful research and statistical data on the Portuguese property market. If so, it's very strange that P&B has no adverts for that service.

Yes, I do read it, though it makes my skin crawl. The best part of the October issue? No photos of the editor's hat!