When you have a technically interesting product; when you have a market to sell that product to; when you have a strategy for success, there is one thing you shouldn’t do.

You shouldn’t meet with Gordon Brown.

Poor Gordon is something of an oddity; Guido has taken to calling him Jonah Brown because he curses anything he comes out in favour of. Be that a sporting team, the UK economy or some annoying Irish twins on X-factor, anyone and anything that gets the support of Gordon is due to fail, real soon.

So, my advice to B9 shipbuilding: cancel this meeting, ASAP.

A delegation from a Larne-based company developing eco-friendly cargo ships is to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

B9 Shipping designs and manufactures cargo ships which are not dependent on fossil fuels. The first such vessel will be launched in 2012.

It was one of 100 companies invited to Downing Street on Thursday evening for “embracing the low-carbon economy”.

It’s common knowledge that I’m not particular a believer in the need to switch to low-carbon. But I recognise sense when I see it, and if you can do this economically and free up more oil for the rest of us, then that’s a good thing. So I’ll be sad to see these 100 companies succumb to the curse of Jonah.

Hence my appeal: all of them should pull out. Now.