I’m watching the news. There are pictures of flames licking the sky above Paris. The roof of Notre Dame is on fire with great swirling vortices, yellow and orange leaping from the building. On the television, what seems like a single stream of water pathetically tries to douse the flames and save this iconic French … Continue reading An act of God
By the Wear
An early warm spring day, a rare lunch, Sitting on a bench overlooking the river. People pass by. A young boy shouts out 'are you having a good time?' I hold my thumb up to him and he laughs with his friends. Somehow the food tastes nicer. A gull cries as the river curls in … Continue reading By the Wear
Indicative votes
I’m looking forward to Brexit the movie. It will either be a three part epic directed by Peter Jackson, showing the struggle of good against evil, or a never ending series on Netflix that eventually peters away as public interest drops off, perhaps a bit like Lost or Prison Break if you remember either of … Continue reading Indicative votes
Making tax taxable
The Government issued the VAT Notice 700/22: Making Tax Digital for VAT back in March 2019. ‘Making Tax Digital for VAT requires VAT registered businesses with taxable turnover above the VAT registration threshold to keep records in digital form and file their VAT Returns using software. It is increasingly common for business records and accounts … Continue reading Making tax taxable
50:50 Future
I like getting involved in new things. It might be my fickleness as a Gemini or my magpie like approach to life but there is always something else interesting to have a go at. Lots of people ask me if I can help out and my default position is yes, if I can spare the … Continue reading 50:50 Future
North of Tyne Mayor
An open letter to all North of Tyne mayoral candidates for the upcoming election. Dear prospective Mayor, I wish you every success in your venture and have noted a few comments which you may find useful going forward, either in your campaign or once you are in office. First the negative stuff: The North of … Continue reading North of Tyne Mayor
Something always happens when I present
I deliver a lot of presentations. Even now that I have left more formal employment they are something I get involved in. My work with the Dynamo cyber cluster, in particular, has lead to a rich vein of opportunity to stand on stage and spout my stuff. I have always said that I am not … Continue reading Something always happens when I present
Getting suppliers involved early
Perhaps it seems counter-intuitive that getting potential suppliers involved early will help shape a procurement yet it is beyond doubt true. So many requests for goods and services are issued without much thought as to whether the market exists to realise them and this will ultimately result in either poor purchases or dissatisfied customers. I … Continue reading Getting suppliers involved early
Deselection of MPs
The vote of no confidence in Dominic Grieve as the Conservative candidate for Beaconsfield, initially billed as a deselection, is another example of how the party system corrupts the country’s politics. It does not affect his position as MP, for the moment but presumably may well do when the next election comes along. At the … Continue reading Deselection of MPs
Freeconomy
Free is a four letter word! Freeconomy has nine letters. I first came across the word consciously in the Economist’s new magazine 1843 in an article about how people are playing the system. They scour the media for offers promising free stuff and use their technical skills to create spreadsheets and algorithms to maximize the … Continue reading Freeconomy
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 