Category Archives: Uncategorized

Being nominated to stand as Rector of Edinburgh University is a great honour. It is a University with a past legacy and current practice of stellar research and wonderful teaching.  Not only do I have roots in the city and … Continue reading →

Recently I cut up my Labour Party membership card after (about) 40 years. I could no longer see the point. And, because I put it on Twitter, I have had many conversations with people who feel the same. And now … Continue reading →

So, Labour is planning to reduce fees for University students from £9000 to £6000. Well let’s ask a question and toss a coin. Is Labour’s announcement a sensible approach to the funding of Higher Education? Or is it just a … Continue reading →

Dame Clara Furse has been in banking one way or another all her working life. She was the first woman to run the stock exchange. She ran one of the other Exchanges before that. She was an MD at UBS, … Continue reading →

I had an interesting challenge the other day. I was asked to speak to 350 people in the construction trade. They were mostly men and by the time I spoke they were all still standing up after two previous speeches. … Continue reading →

This is the recent (some people say ‘ground-breaking’) report that ippr published, co-written with Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah on a new approach to equality and diversity. It forms the basis of much of my consultancy work at the moment. Download a PDF … Continue reading →

The Guardian, Wednesday March 5 2008 For very good reason, there is much soul searching and hand-wringing about local councils and councillors. The recent Councillors Commission was debated at a Local Government Association conference last week. And on Friday, London … Continue reading →

This is a conversation I have had in two halves with a young Muslim woman. The first half was at a conference in front of an audience of youth workers. The second was on the phone last week. Like most … Continue reading →