I’m in my eleventh lustrum now and have finally come to terms with my faith. It’s perhaps not what many would recognise as a religion but it works for me. It’s not based upon the worship of a deity or the belief in a messiah or a prophet and it’s not written down in some … Continue reading Faith found
Shopper’s block
It’s that time of year again. The clocks are going back and the days are getting colder and shorter. There is a noticeable buzz in the air in the malls and in the department stores and in the high street. People are scurrying by with purpose, heads down and weighed down, carrying bags stuffed with … Continue reading Shopper’s block
The Role of Physics in Local Government – 3
Everyone who works in local government as within every organization is a product of their own biology. Their bodies are filled with millions of chemical transactions that are choreographed by the fundamental laws of physics. Ultimately everything that we do is governed by these laws. There is no escape. We live in a chaotic system. … Continue reading The Role of Physics in Local Government – 3
Mind the gap
Do you mind the gap? Do you? I don’t, I’ve no objection to it at all. I’ve passed by it many times and it can do what it likes as far as I’m concerned as long as it doesn’t bother me. It’s never bothered me and I really don’t mind it being there. I mind … Continue reading Mind the gap
Broadband – a ballet
It’s a simple story that’s filled with human endeavour, emotion and grace. It’s a story of desire, of need and fulfilment, a battle against all the odds. It’s a dance, a ballet in three acts, beautifully scripted and choreographed with the premier dancers and the corps de ballet in harmony, at one with the rhythm … Continue reading Broadband – a ballet
My first novel
That’s it, I’ve written my first novel. It’s about one hundred thousand words long and it’s a tale of everyday people, their thoughts, their dreams and their foibles. It has some common themes but it doesn’t really have a plot and it has some characters but I couldn’t describe any of them as heroes or … Continue reading My first novel
The internationally recognised rules of benchmarking
I have been persuaded, much against my better judgement to get involved with some benchmarking, not once but twice. The results are in and interestingly they are contradictory. (One says that we do too much of something whilst the other says that we don’t do enough of it but that’s a tale for perhaps another … Continue reading The internationally recognised rules of benchmarking
Is regional pay a good idea?
Is regional pay a good idea? Probably not if what is proposed is adopted and here’s why. The premise is that having the same pay rates across the country within the public sector leads to a distortion of the market in that local businesses find it difficult to recruit staff in areas of relatively high … Continue reading Is regional pay a good idea?
A casualty of the digital age
Access to digital services must be a force for good and we must work hard to improve broadband accessibility and service take up across the country to ensure economic competitiveness. After all ninety per cent of jobs require some degree of ICT skill, over fifty per cent of jobs are only advertised online and those … Continue reading A casualty of the digital age
Employ lazy people
Someone once told me that you should always employ lazy people because they will always find a better way of doing something by making it easier on themselves. Having done a small amount of research (looking on Wikipedia) it seems that he was misunderstanding a quote attributed to a German World War One General called … Continue reading Employ lazy people
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 