That's what Sir Tony O'Reilly said about the government's hearing so far as calls for a lower regional rate of corporation tax here are concerned. But Gordon Brown showed no sign of giving ground on this score - he insisted that companies often pay a lower rate than the headline 28%, and declared his opposition to harmonising corporation tax rates across the European Union.
The Prime Minister did bring one pressie - telling the Executive they could keep the proceeds from sales of their assets to the tune of £2.2 billion. That's double the current figure. But is this an enormously generous gesture or an injunction to sell off the family silver at a time when the market price is rock bottom?
Executive sources are sceptical about whether they can get anywhere near the £2.2 billion figure. What was clear from Sir David Varney's recent report is that Belfast port is the big plum Whitehall believes can be plucked from the Executive's tree. But Stormont ministers are far from certain this would be such a good idea.
In his speech, urging us to bring down Belfast's barriers, the New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg did refer once or twice to First Minister "Pailey". But third time around he inserted the "s". So not quite a second "Dobbya-ism"..
During his video message to the delegates at the US Investment Conference, I'm told that President Bush paid tribute to our Enterprise Minister "Minister Dobbs". Does this qualify as a "Dobbyaism"?
Those who read my recent rant about the new security arrangements at Stormont Open for Business? will know that I am not averse to giving the Assembly a kick when I don't think they are proving sufficiently accessible.
However I think it's only fair that I should congratulate those members of staff who helped ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Ulster's "Good Morning Ulster" team with their extensive outside broadcast this morning. I thought the programme provided a good insight into various aspects of the Assembly building, from the canteen to the shop to the educational tours. It's lucky that the recent restrictions put in place around the building refer only to filming, not radio, or it would have been more of a headache to produce.
During the programme, the Culture Minister Edwin Poots talked about statues important to unionists which he said " were blew up" in the past. Subsequently a caller on the Nolan show took him to task for his grammar.
I see that a recent commenter on this blog also criticised John O'Dowd's grammar.
It's true that, as a contributor to Nolan argued, communication is extremely important and some of our MLAs are not exactly gifted with Martin Luther King type rhetorical skills.
But having interviewed Edwin Poots and watched him handle various committee hearings I think that, in general, he is quite a good communicator. Maybe this one has been "blew" out of all proportion.
I'm 