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Welcome to my new website

Many of us over 60 are counted out when part-time jobs come up despite our collective wisdom and abilities.

To counter some of this prejudice I have dispensed with sending my CV and have instead created The Complete Picture, an animated ninety second overview of my life to date @ https://vimeo.com/223960456.

 

 

 

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30
JUL
We are watching the slow death of the greatest nation in the world since 1917 as the Republicans in America play the worst kind of politics on The Hill. Have they not spotted the increase in poverty in their own country and the failure of successive governments to provide decent housing? Have they not understood the global presence of the BRIC countries? It was a hugely disappointing day for the world last night in Washington, DC: tea party or no tea party.
19
JUL
Just over two years ago, the Daily Telegraph dropped its MPs Expenses bombshell; The Speaker resigned which in itself was a first for hundreds of years; four MPs and a Peer are serving prison sentences whilst another Peer is awaiting sentence.  Today, less than eights days after the Milly Dowler hacking story surfaced, the Murdochs will be giving evidence at the DCMS Select committee and the Met Police will be back at another. Are we witnessing a repeat of the MPs...
18
JUL
Every Monday morning I receive a stream of stats from my server company about how my relatively new web site is doing. My old site www.derekwyattexmp.co.uk topped 20,000+ weekly visits (not hits) but eventually settled at around 15,000 which made it the most visited web site for a Parliamentarian. This site is gradually improving - last week we had 1380 visitors who accessed 4080 pages.
18
JUL
Murdoch & Co: missing information: 1. Name of Police informants and pay; dates of when this started 2. Meeting schedules between them and News Int. staff or intermediaries 3. Emails from James Murdoch to other board members and senior staff about his settlement conditions with those people who'd had their phones hacked 4. Brookes-Coulson-J.Murdoch meetings and emails and phone records where appropriate  
18
JUL
A few days ago I asked for a British winner but given Seve's status in the game, I wouldn't have minded a Spanish winner. Luke Donald and Lee Westwood were toast by Day 2 so out went the world's No.1 and 2! But chasing places each week on a golf circuit is very different from winning a Major. Looking at those that win them there is no obvious logic as to why except over the four days they play better than anyone else. It is that simple. Darren Clarke's great win for the Clarke family old...
16
JUL
The good news is that HH Judge Jeff Blackett has agreed to stay on at the RFU. The better news is that a number of Sunday newspapers have his leaked report in full and will be publishing it tomorrow. The RFU has done a disservice to the Game by not publishing it in full last Sunday now they will play catch-up with their own agenda rather than setting it. Have they learned nothing from the Murdoch fiasco of the past fortnight? 
16
JUL
Q. So there are thousands of mobiles which have been hacked. A. How many sub-contractors need to be employed to listen to all the tapes? Q. Have the tapes actually been listened to or have they been collected waiting for the time when a story breaks for them to be accessed? A. Hopefully this will become clear on Tuesday's Evidence session in Parliament.   
16
JUL
I went to see Pinter's "Betrayal" last night at the Comedy Theatre. I sense I briefly drifted off in one of the "pauses" ..... I'm not you ever enjoy a Pinter play but there was a goodly performance by Kristin Scott Thomas, the sets were sparse matching the play itself. But it did feel very 1970s!  
15
JUL
When I was a publisher I commissioned a photographic record on Seve by Dave Cannon; I went to The Open to watch him at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1988. There was a quite moving documentary on the late Ballesteros on Sunday night which you can still catch on the iPlayer. Though of course I want Luke Donald or any other Brit to win the Open at Royal St George's over the next few days wouldn't it be wonderful if a Spaniard came home to win?
15
JUL
Lord Adonis chaired an excellent discussion between Alistair Darling MP and Sir Richard Lambert at the Institute for Government last night. www.editorialintelligence.com  
14
JUL
William Dalrymple gave A CAABU inspired lecture to a packed audience last night at the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in Upper Grosvenor Street. His subject was an examination of the Christian communities in the Arab Spring countries and though he offered no conclusions it was clear a) they are all under huge threat and b) hardly anyone cares in the West.
13
JUL
The Euro has continually climbed against the £ over the past four years; ten years ago 1 euro was worth 66p today it is close to 88p. In the same time Europe has expanded to include previous rogue Soviet states with rogue-like accountability in its Banking systems. Plus, there have been defaults in Ireland, Portugal and Greece with Italy and Spain not far behind as the euro comes under intense pressure.  And yet, and yet, the euro holds fast. How can this be? Italy's banking and...
13
JUL
I was President of St Luke's College, Exeter between 1970-71 before it was subsumed by Exeter University. I was grateful for the three years I had there and over the past decade or so I have given two small donations to help Sport flourish in the past and last month to the new Business Centre which opens shortly. Many years later I won a place at St Catherine's College, Oxford to read for an M.Sc. It was beyond my wildest dreams that I should find
12
JUL
The Murdoch Family have a number of balls in the air: In the UK ** resolve hacking scandal; rejig senior management roles; Rebekah Brooks moved to New York or LA ** 2011 - launch the Sun on Sunday; 2012-13 - sell the Sunday Times, The Times, The Sun and the Sun on Sunday newspapers; share price will be restored ** 2013+ - renew bid for BSkyB once newspapers have been sold; share price will go through the roof
10
JUL
Jack. my son, and YT went to see Senna, the movie last night at the Curzon Soho. This wonderful film has been directed sensitively by new kid on the block, Asif Kapadia. Senna won three world championships and more F1 races than anyone. He was captain courageous but lamented even on the day he was killed at the new love affair with technology which had taken the "driving" element away from F1. Even, if you're not a racing buff, this is a wonderful portrait of a decent man whose legacy has
10
JUL
Monday: we learned that the late,murdered, Millie Dowler's phone was hacked Tuesday: we learned 7/7 victims and widows of our heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan have had their phones hacked too  Wednesday: David Cameron was toast at PMQs Thursday: News of the World closed I'm sure the rush is on first for a book but much more interestingly would be a film commission. Why not Four Days that Shook the World?
9
JUL
I worked for BSkyB from 1995-1997 when I created what was to become dot.tv, a computer television channel for families. I was lucky enough to travel to Seattle, Washington, DC, NY, LA and Silicon Valley to witness the birth of the Net Generation and the launch of Netscape then the largest IPO in history. I raised $20m for my channel but it was sequestered by News Corp at a News International board meeting by the boss himself. BSkyB was the fastest moving media company in the UK in the late...
9
JUL
On Thursday, I chaired another eiClub Supper at the Groucho Club. WE were meeting two hours after the News of the World closure blew out the rest of the news...........We also talked about the repercussions on Europe and the euro if Greece was to renege on its new debt agreement. www.editorialintelligence.com
9
JUL
Last night, I went to see the premiere of Holy Rollers, starring Jesse Eisenberg, fresh from his award winning performance in Social Network. Holy Rollers is about the closed community of Hasidic Jews in NY and how just occasionally it can be contaminated. I won't spoil it for you because you need to go and see it! www.holyrollersuk.com
7
JUL
This Sunday will be the last edition of The News of The World.................
5
JUL
Every day I wake up and wonder am I the only person in the UK who hasn't had his phone hacked. There clearly was something profoundly wrong within the senior management team at the News of the World over the past eight years and its owners must act to fire all those involved. The PCC must be reformed and include non-editors and journalists if it to carry weight. The Met Police's relationship with both the NoW and The Sun needs an independent inquiry.
3
JUL
Andrew Lansley, Health SoS, commissioned a Palliative Care Funding Review Report and it was published on Friday morning. You can find it here: www.palliativecarefunding.org.uk
3
JUL
Rafael Nadal met his match at Wimbledon today when he was beaten 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 by the new world No.1 Novak Djokovic.  Roger Federer, fitter and sharper than he has been for a couple of years, will kick himself that he didn't have a chance to play Novak in the semi-finals. I think he has one Major left in his locker to win before he announces his retirement.   All eyes now turn to the US Open in August, the last Major of the season. Q. When did an American last win...
2
JUL
The first London New Zealand film festival was underway last night at The Baribican and continues over the next few days. Opening the Festival was Boy written and directed by the acclaimed, award winning, Taika Waititi. I was a guest at the opening party and film. For other films see www.barbican.org.uk 
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