Category Archives: Uncategorized

2019 General Election initial reactions

Posted on 13/12/2019 by ValeryNorth

Like many of my friends on the Left, whether they are Labour members, supporters or who just vote Labour because there isn’t another leftish option at the moment, I greeted the announcement of the exit polls result last night with … Continue reading →

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[RANT] Giving hand driers the hairdrier treatment

Posted on 30/07/2018 by ValeryNorth

I’m in the mood to have a rant. The topic is hand driers. I strongly feel that having a hand drier in a public loo that can only dry your hands is not fit for purpose. That may seem like … Continue reading →

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REACTION: “How Not To Be A Boy” by Robert Webb

Posted on 27/05/2018 by ValeryNorth

(This is not so much a review as a reaction to the book above, but I’ll file it under Reviews as well.) This week, I read Robert Webb’s “How Not To Be A Boy”. The book is an autobiographical work … Continue reading →

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Help me choose a cover design!

Posted on 05/11/2017 by ValeryNorth

I am so close to being ready to launch my novel. I have a limited budget so I want to do everything myself that I can, and that includes using photos I’ve taken to create a cover design that hopefully … Continue reading →

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Polls, youth, and experimental weighting

Posted on 01/06/2017 by ValeryNorth

There seem to be very widely different predictions from the various polling companies in the run-up to the 2017 General Election, with some much closer than others. I was curious as to which polls I should put more trust in … Continue reading →

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When Corbyn Regenerates: Choosing the Left’s Next Leader

Posted on 15/05/2017 by ValeryNorth

With the news that Peter Capaldi is stepping down as the Doctor, I think of another grey-haired hero of social justice whose time at the helm may be limited, and how we make sure the legacy continues. There is a … Continue reading →

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The political equivalent of rioters: verbal violence and anger in 2016

Posted on 13/07/2016 by ValeryNorth

Ever since the referendum result for “Leave”, I have been spewing far more insults, obscenities and expletives at the television whenever the news comes on. This is not a spurious correlation. There has been a second increase since the Labour … Continue reading →

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Open Letter to Angela Eagle MP

Posted on 09/07/2016 by ValeryNorth

Dear Angela Eagle MP: I write to you as a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party. I have not always voted Labour, but this has largely been irrelevant: under the FPTP system, my votes have been meaningless since the constituencies … Continue reading →

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Young children can feel the pain too (Content Note: Suicide, Bullying)

Posted on 21/11/2015 by ValeryNorth

Content note: suicide, bullying. The front page headline in the Cambridge News on Friday concerned a situation in which primary school children being taught about bullying were accidentally shown an online video aimed at an older audience, in which a … Continue reading →

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Change, my dear. And not a moment too soon!

Posted on 21/04/2015 by ValeryNorth

The eagle-eyed among my readers will probably have noticed the theme has changed slightly here. For a while I had harboured vague worries that maybe the text was a bit too small to be easily read by visually impaired readers … Continue reading →

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