Image thanks to Manchester Evening News. The budget is one of the high points of the political calendar, determining and laying out to the electorate how the government plans to spend its (our) money over the coming year and beyond. It gives succour to the media for weeks in advance, telling its readers and listeners … Continue reading Budget furore
The Age of Disinformation
You'd better get home before it gets dark - Image thanks to Dundee Courier. This was supposed to be the age of information, where data was accessible to everyone with a connection. This was supposed to be the great wave of democratisation where citizen journalists, backed up by strong Wikis would ensure that the truth … Continue reading The Age of Disinformation
It makes them sound interesting
Image thanks to InterestingFacts.com One of the troubles of getting old is that you find yourself repeating the same stories. There are only so many ways to say the same thing. Having blogged for well over ten years now (thirteen years to be precise) it is inevitable that I will have to use the same … Continue reading It makes them sound interesting
Technology Bauhaus
Image thanks to architectiroma The North East needs a Technology Bauhaus. At times the region dwells in the past. We talk about ship building and mining as if these things happened yesterday yet, if you are in your forties you have never seen these industries. Such industries are over and are never coming back in … Continue reading Technology Bauhaus
Hold your nose
Image thanks to Nina Katchadourian Tony Fitzpatrick I haven’t blogged much about politics over the last month, partly because I only write once a week now and partly because I was in danger of repeating myself. I cannot, however, avoid last week’s elections, which were spectacular for a number of reasons. I thought long and … Continue reading Hold your nose
Those Mayoral elections
Image thanks to Manchester Evening News. Those of you who have been paying attention will have noticed that this time around, the mayoral elections were held under the corrosive first past the post system (FPTP). The government slipped the change into another piece of legislation, moving away from proportional representation, in the vain hope that … Continue reading Those Mayoral elections
K-Speech
Image thanks to Sky News In the words of Private Eye, this week a man in a hat gave a speech. The state opening of Parliament must be one of the most antiquated and tone deaf events in this country’s calendar of rituals. I hope they cleared the homeless tents away to let the gilded … Continue reading K-Speech
Left behind
You may not have come across this information but OCSI and Local Trust have developed a quantitative measure of left behind neighbourhoods using open data. From their own report: ‘To identify neighbourhoods that could be defined as left-behind we focused on the areas that suffered the dual disadvantage of: High levels of deprivation and socio-economic … Continue reading Left behind
Two thirds don’t want it
Image thanks to Huffington Post This month has seen another couple of disastrous bi-elections for the Conservative Party, this time in Tamworth and in Mid Bedfordshire. Both were once very safe Tory seats, with all that entails yet have seen massive swings to Labour. As always with these things, those who lost try to second … Continue reading Two thirds don’t want it
Not oil
Image thanks to i Once again the people are on the streets protesting about the effect of fossil fuels on the climate. Greta Thunberg, a Swedish environmental activist has been arrested and I wonder if this will do more to support their case or harden attitudes. Remember though that most of the benefits we take … Continue reading Not oil
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 