Diary - defence spending to rise Tuesday, 23 April, 2024 Another interesting day. It began with my morning jaunt under grey skies. Into the office and a quick catch-up on matters, before heading to the Thatcher Room in PCH for another session of our Defence Committee. Today was day one of our look at what is known as the 'grey zone'. What is that. Well, in the words of our committee specialist, Nigel Vinson, it is: "Grey zone conflict occurs when a... Diary
Diary - busy day back in the office 5th September 2017 A busy day back in the office. A morning run and then to my desk to run through the familiar routine of papers, correspondence and emails. At midday I headed to... Diary
W2W - a dangerous game 1st September 2017 IT’S been many decades since air-raid sirens have wailed their warning in this country. So it’s hard to imagine what impact they’d have today if a hard and real... Articles
Diary - the loss of a lovely lady 29th August 2017 A sad day. The lovely Toni Ives has died recently, and very quickly - within 24 hours. Thankfully, she was able to say goodbye to all her family. Today her... Diary
W2W - threat to free speech 26th August 2017 ONE of the cornerstones of our great democracy is free speech. But, today, offending anything or anyone all too often is followed by calls to resign or even... Articles
Diary - local enterprise partnerships 25th August 2017 I had a most interesting catch-up meeting with Gordon Page, the chairman of our Dorset LEP. He's based at Bournemouth University, which goes from strength to... Diary
W2W - Dunkirk spirit needed 4th August 2017 THE new movie Dunkirk is a must-see. An avid reader of military history myself, I was enthralled from beginning to end. As the credits rolled, there wasn’t a... Articles
Blog - migrant crisis intensifies 3rd August 2017 While the Mediterranean refugee crisis may have vanished from the front pages, the tide of human misery continues to wash up on Europe’s shores. Italy is now... Blog
Diary - chatting to the Rotarians 31st July 2017 A busy morning, working lunch and then across to Dorchester for one of my regular meetings with the able CEO of the Tri-Council, Matt Prosser. Armed with a... Diary
W2W - farewell to diesel and petrol cars 28th July 2017 HERE we go again. No more new petrol or diesel cars to be sold in the UK after 2040. It’s a big, bold statement and I trust not a kneejerk reaction to a High... Articles