Whilst I’m often swept away by the allure of digitalisation and our march into the modern age, I can’t help but harken back to the undeniable allure of a crisp note. There’s a romance, a simplicity, a security in clutching cold, hard cash. When the purse strings draw tight, severing the chains of direct debits …
Category archives: Personal Blog
Area Chairmanship and Candidate Status
Following my recent appointment as the Area Chairman for Warwickshire and Worcestershire Conservatives, I have made the practical decision to step down from my position on the party’s approved list of Parliamentary candidates. This role as Area Chairman is of significant importance within the voluntary party structure, overseeing twelve constituency associations. I take this responsibility …
Why do you not have a page for your political work on Facebook?
Whilst I understand the importance of keeping you all informed and updated on my work as one of your County Councillors, I can no longer continue to engage with the public on a platform that has become increasingly toxic and negative. The very British values of politeness, patience, and empathy that we hold dear are …
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Accessibility in AI assistants is still failing people with speech difficulties
Description of video for audio impaired visitors In this video I demonstrate how Alexa doesn’t accommodate people taking a very short pause whilst issuing a command. The example used is a simple arithmetic question. I ask Alexa the first part of the question, and then grab a breath before finishing. This causes Alexa to enter …
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Oakenshaw Woods
The Deliberate and Systematic Engineering of Human Outrage
I just saw a TikTok by Ari Melber that feature a clip of Eric Schmidt with an apparent warning about social media and how it drives outrage. See the clip, then scroll down for reaction: Being a 20+ year veteran of social media (since way before even MySpace and Bebo) and knowing a bit of …
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A report back for week ending Friday 17th December 2021
This week saw a lot of meetings, a lot of campaign and a by-election defeat ahead of a wind-down for Christmas. However you’re marking the season I wish you and your loved ones all the best. I attended the County Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Board (OSPB) of which I am a member and sub-panel chairman. …
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On the issues relating to the alleged Downing Street Christmas Party in 2020
On the 19th of December 2020 the Prime Minister announced additional COVID-19 restrictions were to be put in place, using the regional tiering system. London went into a new ‘Tier 4’, but Worcestershire remained in ‘Tier 2’. Herefordshire was in ‘Tier 1’. At the time that the Downing Street gathering on 19th December took place …
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Health update
On Friday 29th October I was admitted to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch after a call with my GP, booked the previous day. I was suffering with shortness of breath on exertion, such as going upstairs, and was struggling to catch my breath back. My doctor sent me to A&E immediately where initial triage found …
Handing the baton to Gemma
I am delighted to hand the baton of ‘Deputy Leader’ to Gemma Monaco at Redditch Borough Council, as reported by the Redditch Standard and Redditch Advertiser. There were a number of reasons and I can elaborate more on them in this space. With both Matt Dormer and I being elected to Worcestershire County Council recently, …