Angels of The North
It’s 8:30am on Friday, 25 October 2024. I’m having an emotional moment, which I need to capture. In the bed to my left, here in Harrogate hospital where I’ve [...]
Football, Fun, and Freedom
Football should be fun for children, not another source of pressure. Last week, at the Harrogate International Academy here in Harrogate, we ran our first session with awesome, inspirational Andy [...]
Life After Law: Harrogate International Academy in the News
Over the years, I have listened to a few thousand episodes of Thought For the Day on Radio Four’s The Today Programme. Back in July 2023, my AI-powered political [...]
Dadventures Under the Stars
Sleeping in a tent in our garden for a few nights this past week with the kids was an unforgettable—and proud—experience. I hadn't endured such simple sleeping arrangements since scout [...]
Tax My House
So, Labour’s signature policy is slapping 20% VAT on private school fees. What a sorry state of affairs – that this is pretty much the sum total of the [...]
Speech to the Harrogate and District Law Society in 2018
In 2018, I became the President of the Harrogate and District Law Society for its centenary year. It therefore fell upon me to deliver the centenary speech to circa [...]
Chickens Coming Home to Roost
Former British Chancellor George Osborne, who served between 2010-2016, was a brilliant political operator. However, he was the most damaging chancellor of my 44 years. Brilliant, because when the International [...]
Business Lessons from Ponds, Volcanoes and Spring Water
Many years ago, my wife and I lived in a terraced house, with a tiny front garden. For unfathomable reasons, my wife wanted to create a pond, which would dramatically [...]
Indebtedness
It’s midnight here in Puerto De La Cruz, Tenerife. I’m in my hostel - well, it claims to be a hotel, but the evidence and price suggest otherwise. It's hot. [...]
It’s the weather, stupid
In the winter of 2012, in Bilton, Harrogate where I lived, the sitting Conservative Councillor resigned. Naturally, this triggered a by-election just before Christmas, on 13 December. Nobody, but nobody, [...]
