Simon English: Cowgill dodges a bear trap over Thatcher

Outlook Some chairmen are fun to talk to. Some are fun to listen to.

And then there's the rest of them.

Firmly in the fun camp is Peter Cowgill of JD Sports.

Partly because there's a strong sense that he definitely wants to say something outrageous and is barely resisting the temptation.

It was possible to hear him straining in response to the question: was Margaret Thatcher good for the customers of JD Sports? He blocked for a bit, then settled with: "Most of our customers weren't alive then."

Come on, let yourself go.

"What you've got there is a big hole," he said. "A great big bear trap, that you want me to fall into. Fall into it yourself."