By temperament, he's independent to the point of crankiness, and sardonic in a remorseless way that suggests many campaigns and few victories.
After a decade of stagnant economic growth, gradually rising unemployment, highly indebted companies, a massively indebted government and seemingly remorseless deflation that may seem a strange question to ask.
But the two companies were not under one roof until 1990 when Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation bought out William Collins – a sign of the remorseless centralisation that was transforming publishing and has continued to do so.
"We face a hate-filled, remorseless enemy that takes many forms, hides in many places, and doesn't distinguish between innocent civilians and military combatants," the first secretary of homeland security, Tom Ridge, declared at his confirmation hearings.
Meanwhile, a brutal cycle of capital investment can bleed semiconductor firms dry as they upgrade their costly fabrication ("fab") plants to keep pace with the remorseless doubling that takes place every 18 months in the number of transistors crammed on to a sliver of silicon.
The Logistics Rebel Forces Need More Supplies If the loose alliance of Afghan rebel armies opposing the Taliban is to go on the move and fight through the formidable military perils, natural obstacles and remorseless winter that face them, they will need a steady flow of supplies of all kinds.
It's a remorseless, searching eye that never stops watching, never gets bored, and never looks away.
The head-to-head competition, that remorseless way of launching new talent, tends to be the domain of classical music.
It has also made him the target of the sort of remorseless online abuse that means a phenomenon such as Florence would be impossible today.
England played with a remorseless, ruthless efficiency that raised it to No.1 in the rankings, while Australia — which has a clutch of new bowlers — shows serious signs of a revival under the leadership of Michael Clarke.
