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The wonderful concert I went to last week at The Hall, St Botolph without Bishopsgate, as part of the Song in the City series, reminded me of how significant Ivor Gurney is in the pantheon of 20th-century English composers. His songs are gems, in the tradition of earlier composers such as John Dowland – succinct,…
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despite the City elections. Over the last couple of weeks, my activities as a Common Councilman have included a visit to The City Academy Hackney where I’m one of the City-elected governors. As someone with a languages background (my BA degree was in Russian Language & Literature), I take a particular interest in the teaching…
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Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia from 1762 until her death in 1796, was a great believer in ‘maxims’ – short, pithy instructions aimed at improving both herself and her subjects. She was also, at least until her last years, a very good manager of people. So what could she teach today’s managers and HR…
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Rounding Election Flyer
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According to the Guidance issued to candidates and agents, at City of London elections candidates can be considered ‘joint candidates’ if they do any of the following: employ the same election agent use the services of the same clerk or messengers hire or use the same committee rooms at an election publish joint addresses, circulars…
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In January, like most of my fellow Common Councilmen, I received an e-mail from Naomi Colvin of the City Reform Group, asking me to sign up to what she called ‘our Pledges’. These were listed as: 1. We will promote commerce within the City on the basis of its ability to serve its customers. 2. …
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Zoe Williams wrote in The Guardian on Boxing Day about the opportunity presented by the current housing crisis: “The housing crisis is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. We need more social housing, we need a more vigorous construction industry, and we need things for a government to invest in, rather than rounds of quantitative…
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I’ve been meaning to start an online diary of my activities and experiences as a Common Councilman of the City of London (for the Ward of Farringdon Within) for some time, particularly as I don’t fit the stereotype portrayed by the so-called ‘City Reform Group‘ or Bryn Phillips of Occupy – that is, I’m not…
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It was my birthday last week and, in one way of looking at it, too many years have gone by, without enough achieved, and it’s all downhill from here. A few books written – but not enough, and not successful enough – and too much time spent in ‘the whole corroding business of administration’, as…
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