There hasn't been a review of a book appear round these parts in quite a while. It's not been for the want of investing energy in attacking the pile of 'must read' books by the side of my bed - hopefully I will get around to reviewing them soon. But as soon as I had … Continue reading Till the Cows Come Home
Late Junction – we must not lose this connection
Radio is my best friend. I know it is the same for many people. BBC Radio is a particular treasure. Having worked as a press officer in BBC Radio back in the mists of time, I know all too well of the public service mission that the various stations have a duty to deliver, as … Continue reading Late Junction – we must not lose this connection
Real Bread – is flour, water and salt really poetry, science, history – or politics?
To mark the start of "Real Bread Week" (23rd Feb - 3rd Mar 2019), I did everything in my power to pass on the 'sourdough bug' to my 10 year old niece Olivia. I'm not sure whether sourdough baking is more poetry or science - looking after the starter culture; autolysing the dough; the rhythms … Continue reading Real Bread – is flour, water and salt really poetry, science, history – or politics?
Better connectivity could mean trams and light rail
In the summer of 2018, I got volunteered together with other local residents in helping to create a neighbourhood plan for our local area - Yateley, Darby Green and Frogmore, in Hampshire. My specific area of interest is 'Getting Around', whether that is transport in all its shapes and sizes, or provision for those of … Continue reading Better connectivity could mean trams and light rail
Best of 2018
As ever, it has been a tough call pulling together my top tracks of the year, but in what has been a difficult year due to deaths in the family, and against the backdrop of stagnant cesspit of national politics, it has been a usefully therapeutic exercise. I've included links to videos of my twelve … Continue reading Best of 2018
Making connections
A recent independent inquiry - Civil Society Futures - published its report in the middle of November, called "The Story of Our Times: shifting power, bridging divides, transforming society," which said that civil society must up its game, or risk complete irrelevance. I usually abhor acronyms, but it came up with one - PACT - to … Continue reading Making connections
Campaign: Keeping the Sainsbury’s bus
I wanted to document what we have done so far to successfully campaign to maintain an important community resource. Having been a public relations practitioner, I felt it important to reflect on the steps we had taken. Taking a wider view, I was just so thoroughly depressed on what was happening on the Westminster stage … Continue reading Campaign: Keeping the Sainsbury’s bus
Psychogeography is killer!
Psychogeography has been emerging as a dimension in my life for a good few years - a way of navigating and making sense of my own personal space, and a paradigm worthy of use interrogating professional, social and cultural evidence and ideas in research. I make these claims (I'd previously even started to try to … Continue reading Psychogeography is killer!
Resist!
Over the last few months, I’ve had cause to concentrate my focus on the theory and practice of turning protest into power, to an extent that I probably haven’t done since the mid-90s. The campaigns-related side of public relations, and best ways of developing effective strategies are obviously things which have dominated my time as … Continue reading Resist!
The Perfumier and the Stinkhorn
My desire to sniff out 'the particular' drew me towards reading "The Perfumier and the Stinkhorn" by Richard Mabey (2011) [London: Profile Books]. It had long been on my 'books to read' list after I had discovered one of his previous books, 'Dreams of the Good Life' about Flora Thompson - the author behind 'Lark … Continue reading The Perfumier and the Stinkhorn