“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis”
— Dante Alighieri 1265-132
It has been an unprecedented period of change and our politicians have a lot to answer for.
From Brexit in the UK and Trump in the States, it is often hard not to feel despondent, but we should not give up the fight. Keep searching for the truth, question what you are told, and never stop seeking the positives.
4th December 2020, The Byline Times
The treatment of refugees at our border is inhumane, I know, I was there.
In December 2020, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, I joined the charity Care4Calais, to witness firsthand, the appalling and inhumane mistreatment of vulnerable refugees.
As the UK government announced increased financial support for the French security forces operating in and around Calais, I had joined the charity Care4Calais in providing essential humanitarian services for the estimated one thousand refugees still sleeping rough in the area. What I saw left me shocked, horrified, and humbled.
This is the full unedited version of an article that appeared in The Byline Times, 23rd December 2020. Photograph courtesy of Stephen F. Evans Photography
9th July 2020
The government’s incessant buck-passing is beyond embarrassing
Listening to the Government’s lies, their excuses, and their ongoing blame game has brought back some dark memories from my youth that I wish had stayed locked far down deep in the recesses of my mind.
Back in those last hazy days of teenagedom I was invited to a party, in an x-ray department in a hospital. As we all supped on our cheap lager, and even cheaper wine, we were invited to join in a game that has left me scarred to this very day.
26th June 2020
Once more unto the beach…
As the media turns roundly upon the masses, we have to question who is really to blame if there is a further peak – the people for doing what they’ve been allowed to do and head out for a day in the sun, or a government that sends out mixed messages, flips and flops, and is ignoring the science.
23rd June 2020
We don’t need a phoney culture war about statues, we need real change
On the day that we celebrate the great Windrush generation, three years on from Grenfell, and in the wake of the PM sidestepping the issue by announcing another review, the focus has to be on the real challenges, and not some contrived Culture War.
The tracing app is doomed to fail
The third article, in a series of three, about the Government’s new tracing app. How it will work in practice, and can it actually help save lives?
The companies have been chosen and a technology approach adopted, but how will the App actually work in practice?
10th June 2020, The London Economic
Why the Tracing App’s technology is such an issue
The second article, in a series of three about the Government's new Tracing App, cuts through the enormous amount of technical talk that just leaves most of us cold. Will it work and will it actually save lives?
There is a growing controversy around the companies invited to build the App and there is also an ongoing debate around the type of App that should be built. Should it be a Centralised or Decentralised approach?
5th June 2020, The London Economic
Are the people behind the UK’s Coronavirus App friends or foes?
Palantir’s work in supporting the NHS in the development and implementation of the Coronavirus App is costing them in excess of £88,000 a week, yet they are charging just £1.
The brothers behind Faculty Science worked on the Vote Leave campaign, as well as the Conservative Party’s election campaign. They were appointed to a key role in developing the App without going through any tender process.
29th May 2020, The London Economic
Can Boris Johnson survive the furore of Cummingsgate?
The Conservative Grandees could soon see a benefit in moving him on in time to rebuild for the next election.
Not even the premature launch of the Contact Tracing scheme or further easing of lockdown could distract large swathes of the population from the ongoing Dominic Cummings saga this week.
If the PM was under the impression that it would just go away then he has underestimated the country’s collective anger.
We are the losers in the wake of the Cummings affair
The world has been looking at the UK’s incompetent handling of the COVID-19 crisis with pity and shock, now they just look at us with pity.
No matter what the rights o09r wrongs of the whole Cummings affair may be, we will all suffer because of his mistakes.
Fake news is hindering the battle with COVID-19
Article for The London Economic.The large scale belief in fake news is leading to a reduction in the number of people complying with social distancing.
Research from the University of Oxford shows that 45 per cent of the population believe, to some extent or other, that Coronavirus is a bioweapon developed by China to destroy the West. The same study also shows that people who hold coronavirus conspiracy beliefs are less likely to comply with social distancing guidelines.
14th May 2020, The London Economic
The government has moved to shift blame to the public
An Opinion piece for The London Economic.As the Government moves to start the beginning of the end for the COVID-19 lockdown, the messaging behind it all has greater ramifications. Responsibility for all of this has been flipped - and not just on to the poor scientists for doing their jobs.
13th May 2020
Could they still love the Boris beneath the mask?
What will it take for Boris Johnson’s core supporters to start to doubt, to question their allegiance?
For many, his ready wit, charm, and easy references to the Classics, still trump his proven lying, untrustworthiness, and incompetency, even when people are dying unnecessarily. But what if his eccentricities and intellect were proven to be false, a sham, a con, would that tip the balance?
6th February 2020
It’s 2020 and Brexit is finally “done”, so is it now time for Scexit?
Brexit is finally happening, and a majority of the people of Scotland now want another referendum, but does the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, actually feel the same?
(In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Scotish Government have subsequently announced that they will not be seeking an Independence Referendum in 2019. This is, undoubtedly, the right thing to do, on every level.)
1st February 2020
Reasons to be angry, parts 1, 2, 3…
We are living in angry times and the puffy red-faced vitriol of a divided nation can be seen all around us. I didn’t even realise just how angry I was until I was told we should all move on, together, and put all of this division behind us.