Councillor Mike Rouse

Worcestershire County Councillor

Category: Thought Pieces

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • Repealing the Fixed Term Parliament Act will take a welcome step closer

    Back in 2010 the coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats were so concerned that things would collapse they introduced the Fixed Term Parliament Act (FTPA) to give certainty to when a general election for the UK Parliament could be called. No more a case of the Prime Minister visiting the palace to […]

  • Councillor Diary 26/05/21

    It’s been a tough year for us all, and it was surreal to find myself in a sports hall for the annual meeting of Redditch Borough Council recently, with the Mayor donning a face visor and everyone sat 2m apart. If this is how we Councillors have to meet, how will we ensure our councils […]

  • Redditch Towns Deal bid submitted – why we need a new home for the library and an open public square

    As reported by local media, the Redditch Towns Fund bid was approved by the Full Council of Redditch Borough Council as ‘good to go’ to central government for approval by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. See the full details of the bid here It was a proud moment for me to second […]

  • Restocking our own shelves

    It’s been a little over a week since England entered a third national lockdown as part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic that we’ve all come to know so well. Too soon to tell if the measures are working, but long enough for the side effects to bite. In some ways we appear […]

  • New Year Message

    ‘Thank heavens it’s nearly over’ comes the cry of the socially distanced masses all over the world who are looking forward to a better 2021. At least that’s the conventional wisdom, and it’s good to see hope abounds. Temper it, though, because we’re not out of the woods yet, and there’s more trouble to come […]

  • Update on Coding Clubs

    I wanted to report that I am in danger of being unable to fulfil one of my pre-election promises, which was to provide coding clubs for Church Hill residents. I have attempted to launch a scheme three times, but each one has not had a sufficient level of uptake to make them viable. Learning how […]

  • The Conservative Case for Active Travel

    Background and Context The government has had what might be argued as a road to Damascus conversion to the benefits of active travel. Others might argue Boris has always been keen on cycling. Either way, Boris wants us all to get fit and he likes cycling as a means to get about.

  • Rubicon Leisure Reopening from 25 July 2020

    I’ve got to admit that COVID-19 scares me, because if I catch it my chance of surviving it is around 20% for one simple reason. Obesity. Turns out it really is one of the factors that makes it a lot worse. Like a lot of other people I’m carrying extra weight – so much in […]