Image thanks to PsychologyToday In the last week I have been offered gifts for doing something that I would have done for free anyway. In both cases I declined but in the end, at their persuasive insistence, I relented to one of them. Both tested my values. The first case was easier to deal with. … Continue reading Just giving
Call out a plumber
Image thanks to PlanIt Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Leader of the Commons has compared the Government’s handling of the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the Covid-19 pandemic to a response to a water leak in your house. He said the government was in the situation of “having a leak at two in the morning” … Continue reading Call out a plumber
Click and collect
Ah, the inside of a shop This lockdown has been very different to the first one. Who knows, it may be very different to the next one, if indeed another one comes. There is a lot more traffic on the roads, probably because the schools are still open but also due to the large number … Continue reading Click and collect
Different folks
How many blogs have I started off with the words ‘I’m reading a book’? I’m not sure either but here’s another. The book I’m reading is one of those different types of people books. There are a few of them about, in which they attempt to categorise people into personality types. This book has four, … Continue reading Different folks
Do away with benefits
Image thanks to listal.com We should do away with benefits altogether, not because people don’t need the money but because they do not solve the problem. The idea that society’s philanthropy will look after those less well off has served its time. It harks back to a time of the poor house and debtor’s prison. … Continue reading Do away with benefits
A difference of opinion
Image thanks to Acepnow.com I have been reading a book for a long time now, ‘The ant and the Peacock’ by Helena Cronin. For some reason I am reading it in Spanish, having picked it up at Barter Books and this could explain why it is taking me so long. Two pages a day is … Continue reading A difference of opinion
Commodified giving
Since lockdown I have done my big shop almost exclusively at Morrisons. It’s handy as it’s local and I can get nearly everything that we need. On the way out, just after the tills there are a couple of cages set aside for the Wansbeck food bank. Food banks have always troubled me. In many … Continue reading Commodified giving
The (American) people have spoken
Ingae thanks to Electoral Integirty Projet It looks like the American Election is drawing to a close. There has been the highest electoral turnout ever which is quite something. To be honest though I don’t understand how anyone can have voted for Trump, yet over seventy million people did. Once again though, the two party … Continue reading The (American) people have spoken
Background checks
Now that's just showing off - image thanks to Dartmouth College It’s amazing how quickly we have become used to seeing the insides of people’s homes. Whether it is on a work call or an interview on television, more and more content is coming from inside where people live. The quality of the speaker and … Continue reading Background checks
I am who I am
It’s been a long time since I have had a job interview. The pitches I have made for consultancy work have been similar but the questions have tended to be focussed on what I can do for them rather than proving my experience and skills. In reality though it’s not long since I had a … Continue reading I am who I am
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 