I haven’t written about Andy Murray for a while. There are many things I haven’t written about but I do have form on this one. I first mentioned him back in October 2014 and he has made an infrequent yet regular appearance ever since. Now I know he is a bit Marmite. Some people for … Continue reading Getting to be number one
Elephants again
It was time to think about those elephants again, you know the ones in the room. Those hulking great issues that everyone knows about yet nobody wants to talk about. We’ve had a few sessions with dawn to try and flush them out. Can you flush out an elephant? Perish the thought. Was this session … Continue reading Elephants again
Will we ever lose our love affair with the car?
I am writing this while making my way to work on public transport. I have had to leave the car at home as I am wanting to have a couple of drinks later as one of the team is leaving. It is a journey by train and bus and will take me about twice as … Continue reading Will we ever lose our love affair with the car?
Work is changing
There is a very real issue we face and that is whether we can maintain the way that we work by continuing to be organised as we are. Many organisations, especially public sector ones are at a tipping point where the addition of greater and greater amounts of funding will not solve the underlying problems of demand and supply. … Continue reading Work is changing
An oasis
There is a small oasis in our local tip. Morpeth's waste recycling centre has been transformed into an Eden, a paradise on earth. Among the metal skips and lumbering vehicles, among the ephemera and detritus of our modern lives there lies a pair of small gardens. Someone, I assume it is one of the people … Continue reading An oasis
General regulation
In this post-referendum, pre-Brexit era, the reach of the European Union can still be felt throughout the land. I’m not stating my position on the in or out campaign but anyone who really knows me would be clear about my views. Instead I wanted to talk about the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR for … Continue reading General regulation
Building skills
I must admit that I find children and young people the worst audience to present to. They scare me stiff and as Graham and I walked into the main hall at Farringdon Community Academy I began to wonder what we had let ourselves in for. There were at least one hindered and fifty of them, … Continue reading Building skills
North East Combined
I don’t know what it is about this time of year but everything seems to be so busy. Perhaps it is the relentless approach of Christmas, the time when the world will end and by when everything has to be completed. Perhaps it is because we are well clear of the summer break and all … Continue reading North East Combined
The writer’s craft
It was a very Morpeth affair at the Autumn Authors Evening at the Chantry. There we were, upstairs amongst the bagpipes, a group of grey haired, mostly white, mostly retired upright citizens of our small and I am afraid to say, provincial town. Provincial is a word I don’t like but in this case it … Continue reading The writer’s craft
Mega board revisited
Yesterday we had our first performance meeting under the new management arrangements. Bringing the management and leadership teams together every fortnight hadn’t delivered what we, or at least I had hoped for. The meetings had lacked focus and purpose and so it was time to try something new. We need to keep trying until we … Continue reading Mega board revisited
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 