A Coming of Age Games On this day, in 1988 I was racing at the Paralympic Games in Seoul. A good Games made great by being held in the same city as the Olympic Games for the first time in 24 years. Although big respect, to Tokyo, in 1964 for being the first city ever …
Tag archives: Featured
Crypto regulation in the UK
There is an unrivalled opportunity for the UK to lead in crypto in terms of rules, regulations, words and welcome. Crypto is not a silver bullet nor indeed the solution to all our ills, but it holds a real and sustainable opportunity for us all in the UK and we must consider carefully what we require from …
My first Paralympic Games – Seoul 1988
Thirty three years ago today I boarded a plane to my first Paralympic Games in Seoul. Aged sixteen and with limited experience of foreign travel let alone experience of competition at that level. I had no idea how extraordinary the experience would be, what the Games would feel like and what it would be like …
Cash must be protected
It was my pleasure to take part in this evening’s ‘In Touch’ programme on BBC Radio 4 (5th October 2021) about access to cash. I have long been campaigning on cash, the need for it to continue, to be accessible, available and inclusive. This was the subject of this evening’s show, obviously focussing specifically on …
Public Appointments Disability Data Disaster
In 2018 I conducted an independent review for the Government exploring how to open up public appointments to disabled people. I made several practical recommendations covering data collection and transparency, methods of attracting and nurturing talent and best approaches and adjustments at application and interview stage. I was delighted that the government accepted the principle …
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AI: applied intelligence
Yesterday (20th September 2021), I was delighted to co host the latest evidence session for the All Party Parliamentary Group on AI. This was the third in a series we have been running to seek input to the National AI strategy. And, perhaps it was the most important as we were considering the opportunity to …
IPT Innovation Fellowship Completed
For over 40 years the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) charity has been working to promote mutual understanding between Parliament and the worlds of business, industry and commerce for public benefit. It is such an important mission and I am delighted to be part of it, initially by attending events in parliament, participating in industry …
Unpaid internships must be stopped
Unpaid internships are still scandalously prolific. Covid has been appalling for so many, in so many ways. Perhaps a lesser known impact has been the rise in unpaid internships which has accompanied the pandemic. Firms claiming, Covid related, their inability to pay so ask; “come along, give of your work for free and maybe, but, …
We must urgently ‘level up’ SME finance
Lifeblood of the UK economy Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – the lifeblood of the UK economy – are reporting significant problems in accessing finance. 99% of UK businesses are SMEs; responsible for 52% of the turnover of UK plc and employing more than 16.5 million people. SMEs struggling to access finance Supporting small businesses …