Image thanks to Evening Standard The latest fad for taking photographs with ministers at suspected crime scenes is cringeworthingly wrong. The Home Secretary has been at the vanguard but there are others. I understand what they are trying to do. The images flashed across the media imply (ironically) that the Conservatives are the party of … Continue reading Nothing to see here
My second jab
Image thanks to Sunderland CCG I’ve now had my second COVID vaccination, just over nine weeks after my first. Much younger people had been asking when I was going to have it as it seemed that everyone was now getting their second dose. I remained calm as my local surgery was dealing with it and … Continue reading My second jab
#CyberFest is back for 21
#CyberFest is back, not that it ever went away. The North East’s biggest cyber security festival is shaping up nicely for another fantastic demonstration of the region’s dynamic and exciting cyber security sector. So far we have ten events lined up with another three in the early planning stage. Last year's programme was heavily affected … Continue reading #CyberFest is back for 21
Time for Reform?
I try to keep an open mind but it’s hard. Apparently it is harder the better read and better educated you are, paradoxically and so perhaps the more I read and try to educate myself about different opinions the more closed I become to my own. For this purpose, and to get a better understanding … Continue reading Time for Reform?
Giving up work
Image thanks to CV-Library “Giving up smoking is easy… I've done it hundreds of times”, said Mark Twain. Of course staying off is the hard part. In some ways it’s the same with me and work. Ever since I joined the ranks of the semi-retired there have been times when I have thought about giving … Continue reading Giving up work
A good pain?
Ouch! Image thanks to Medical News Today What a great day for kidney stones. The rain was lashing down like a caravan holiday, as I lay in the bath and thought about the dull ache in my side. Hello friend, I remember you well. Can a pain be good? Perhaps... This one was, at least … Continue reading A good pain?
Where have all the voters gone?
Image thanks to Joseph Rowntree Foundation Now that the dust has settled on the 2021 elections, the government is proposing to clamp down on voter fraud with the suggested introduction of photo ID. I wonder why? After all it was a good day for the Conservative party, at least in my neck of the woods. … Continue reading Where have all the voters gone?
Tendering is so stressful
Image thanks to Forbes - I know how you feel It is. In my line of work tendering is a necessary evil, something that I can’t avoid though I must admit something I try to if I can. You see, it is an art rather than a science, something that you have to work at … Continue reading Tendering is so stressful
Young men’s blood
Image thanks to Wired Four months or so have passed since I last gave blood. I have kept going through the pandemic even though there is some element of risk mixing with people and medical staff. Hopefully the outcome outweighs the very small risk to me. The staff certainly work hard to keep us as … Continue reading Young men’s blood
Our thinking about PR is wrong
Image thanks to Electoral Reform Society I’ve written about the ails of our first past the post system many a time and explored the possibility of proportional representation as an alternative. I have even suggested my own ideas how PR may work in a way that gives the best of FPTP yet allows parliament to … Continue reading Our thinking about PR is wrong
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 