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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.

 

 

 

Blog

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31
OCT
What a week for the Labour Party....could we become the second party in Scotland next May? If we did we'd have no representation in Northern Ireland (for historical reasons), we might be the second party in England and only the first party in Wales. That's what they call "serious" in anyone's language.  Jim Murphy, if he wins the Scottish nomination to lead the Labour Party there, will have his hands full.....   
31
OCT
I chaired the first meeting of BookTrust's new development committee this morning. We are in transition in every way - moving to Battersea Studios next month, we have a realtively new Chairin Karen Brown and shortly, a new CEO (April, 2015).
30
OCT
Hammersmith Academy www.hammersmithacademy.org As a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists I joined our efforts to raise £1m for the Academy. The school opened in 2011 and was rated Good/Outstanding in an early Ofsted inspection. Demand for places has outstripped supply and our endowment has helped by kindles, tablets and 3D printers alongside sport and engineering equipment.
30
OCT
In the recently published THES top 300 global universities Caltech was ranked 1, MIT 6, ETF Zurich 13, Georgia Tech 27, HK Uni of Sc and Tech 51 and Korea Advanced Institute of Sc & Tech 52. UK universities in the top 50 were: Oxford 3 Cambridge 5 Imperial 9 UCL 22 LSE 34 King's 40 London had four in the top 50 but we had no national Tech university. If I become involved in the Mayor's race, I will fight for a London Institute of Technology.
29
OCT
Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today October 2014 Parliament Squared Parliament is besotted by itself by Derek Wyatt In the middle of September, the nation became animated by the Scottish referendum and its outcome.  It refreshed and reached parts of the democratic process in a way which had not been reached before. Between the result and the Conference season kicking in, the only suggestions on a new constitutional settlement was the confirmation of more power to
29
OCT
The Innovators by Walter Isaacson This is supposed to be a history of the origins of the digital age stretching back to Charles Babbage. Whilst there is some new material it is slight and he misses completely the UK's part in the development of the computer in Manchester and Cambridge after the second war which diminishes the book. 
29
OCT
Last night I hosted a small party for our award winning gardeners at Trinity Hospice. Earlier this month at the London Gardens Society awards at the Guildhall they received two gold medals, one silver and the silver plate for the overall best Hospice garden. I gave a bottle of champagne to mark the occasion to Terry Salter, our head gardener who was ably supported on the night by six other volunteer gardeners (we have sixteen in total).
29
OCT
Matthew Engel has done a kind of latter day sainthood travelling in the footsteps of Nikolaus Pevsner by recounting and recalling every county by English county and recording the whole adventure in just one volume: Engel's England. Interesting that it has taken two Jewish émigrés to record their adopted countries.  He approached me to check out some of his recollections of Kent especially those on Sittingbourne and Sheppey which he recorded on pages 188-201. Of Sheppey he
29
OCT
I had a quick meeting with James Hibbert at Dress2Kill earlier today. We act as sounding boards to one another and he will shortly become a trustee at Trinity Hospice and help us with our retail offering. Dress2Kill had Jon Snow and Will Greenwood in today for suits; James is to open a new shop in Manchester shortly.
29
OCT
Duncan Enright, is standing for the Labour Party in Witney at next year's General Election. The seat is currently held by the Prime Minister. He is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.com. This the first UK Parliamentary candidate ever to try and raise funds on such a site. Link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-us-to-kick-out-cameron-in-2015  There is also a Thunderclap campaign - which tweets from 100 accounts at once, with the aim of...
29
OCT
As part of my research as I consider standing as a candidate for the Labour nomination for Mayor of London, I spent some time last week with Chris Gregorich, Chief of Staff of Mayor Murray's Office in Seattle where we talked about kindergartens, homelessness, new build, infrastructure and the like. It was a very stimulating meeting. 
28
OCT
Social Networking 2/38 20-26 October 2014 New Orleans, Vancouver & Seattle Monday New Orleans WW2 The National War Museum Lunch @ Flaming Torch Supper @ Muriel's  Jazz @ Hotel Sonesta & more music on Bourbon Street Tuesday New Orleans to Vancouver via Dallas/Fort Worth Supper @ Cardero's, Coal Harbor with Erik, my nephew, Katie, partner and Reggie, their 8 week old baby Wednesday Breakfast @ Four Seasons Seaplane to Nanaimo Lunch @ Cedar with
28
OCT
The Iceberg: A Memoir by Marion Coutts Marion was married to the art critic Tom Lubbock. In 2008 he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died in Trinity Hospice in the second week of January, 2011. This is her account of the trial and tribulations she went through with their young son called "Ev", It continually moved me to tears. It is a powerful and brave book and Tom's time at Trinity is movingly told just as it was. Even if you haven't yet lost someone close to you, you...
28
OCT
As I was due in Seattle for a family wedding on 24th October, I chose to arrive via New Orleans and then Vancouver. I met Jack, my son, in New Orleans for three days. He was on half term from his Duke, his university where he is studying for a master's. We were both keen to sample the music and the food there. We both arrived seperately within an hour of one another. I'd flown via Charlotte where I had, as they are fond of saying there, "de-planed" and legged it to connect to a flight to NO.
28
OCT
Social Networking 2/37 13-19 October 2014 Monday Working Day Tuesday Trinity Hospice Strategy Group @ Trinity Bump David Clarson Adrian Williams Peter Gluckman Dallas Pounds Katharine Jackson Clare Montagu Wednesday Places to call home @ RA Bump Mark Fisher Emma McHugh Lord Paul Tyler Baroness Janet Whitaker Stephen Howlett CEO Peabody Karen Brown Chair BookTrust @ RSA Bump Viv Bird CEO Keith Gilbey John Kerslake @ Thomas Cubitt Thursday Daisy Blount &
13
OCT
I moved at the end of September and so understandably news has been slight. As we all know a death in the family, a divorce and moving are the three most stressful events which can happen to you. Nonetheless, the move has gone well, just my books and study to resolve even though I donated nearly 300 to the BOA's Olympic reference library at the East London University and a further 500 to Trinity Hospice shops for resale...... and, I need to find space for all my paintings....
13
OCT
Social Networking 2/36 6-12 October 2014 Monday Work day Tuesday Dr John Stedman @ NISE, Harwell Clive Hooker @ Harwell Wednesday Work day Thursday Crowdbnk Board @ Old Street Bump Ayan Mitra Ian Pearson Barry Parr Christopher Humphry Adrian Williams @ Trinity Hospice Friday James Hibbert @ D2K Daisy Blount @ Match Capital Saturday Richmond v Ealing Trailfinders Lost 16-26 (top of the table clash) Bump Ian Botes Carla Botes Steve James Earnie...
13
OCT
Social Networking 2/35 29 Sept - 5 Oct 2014 Monday Ayan Mitra @ Thomas Cubitt Tuesday James Thellusson @ Thomas Cubitt Wednesday Emma Parkes-McQueen @ Pimlico Fresh Data meeting @ Trinity Hospice Trinity Shops Board @ Trinity Hospice Thursday Dianne Thompson, Camelot 20th Anniversary Luncheon @ The Oval Bump David Owen Mihir Bose John Inverdale Sir Chris Hoy Sarah Webb FISP Reception @ Army & Navy Club Bump Ian Taylor Friday Dallas Pounds Clare...
13
OCT
Social Networking 2/34 22-28 September 2014 Monday & Tuesday Moved House Wednesday-Saturday Unpacking Sunday Physic Garden, Chelsea
13
OCT
Social Networking 2/31, 2/32 & 2/33 1st-21st September 2014 Monday 1st Colin Herridge @ Pimlico Tuesday-Sunday UCH & R&R Monday 8th Frank Sobey @ Pimlico Alice Hanning Lee @ Pimlico Ian Pearson @ Pimlico Tuesday Packing Wednesday KCW Editorial Board @ Chelsea Physic Gardens In & Out Club @ Portcullis House Bump James Arbuthnot MP Simon Burns MP Thursday Stanley's Lunch @ RAC Bump Stephen Pearson John Webster Ronnie Lamb Volunteers...
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