For the much of the past 10 years, Justine Jones has lived an isolated existence, often in agony and unable to move. Bedridden, her only respite was when a care worker would pop by to help prepare meals and give her some gentle exercise around the home. Amazingly, Justine is only 24 years old and [...]

For the much of the past 10 years, Justine Jones has lived an isolated existence, often in agony and unable to move. Bedridden, her only respite was when a care worker would pop by to help prepare meals and give her some gentle exercise around the home. Amazingly, Justine is only 24 years old and [...]

How often do you see Bart, or Homer, online in the Simpsons? Not that often. Sounds like a trite point, but bear with me. Their hometown of Springfield – founded in 1796 by Hans Sprungfeld who travelled west to found the New Sodom – is surely the best known, most perfectly sealed open society in [...]

How often do you see Bart, or Homer, online in the Simpsons? Not that often. Sounds like a trite point, but bear with me. Their hometown of Springfield – founded in 1796 by Hans Sprungfeld who travelled west to found the New Sodom – is surely the best known, most perfectly sealed open society in [...]

The local govt stakeholder engagement network is a secure video-based communications hub accessible to all staff, providers and users of services. The programme opens a direct video dialogue between: • directors • frontline staff • providers • service users It abolishes silos between departments, teams, services and communities. It works across: • social care • [...]

The local govt stakeholder engagement network is a secure video-based communications hub accessible to all staff, providers and users of services. The programme opens a direct video dialogue between: • directors • frontline staff • providers • service users It abolishes silos between departments, teams, services and communities. It works across: • social care • [...]

“I’ve seen the future and it works,” wrote American journalist Lincoln Steffens in a spurt of evangelical zeal after visiting the infant Soviet Russia in 1919. Poor deluded Lincoln, we all know how that turned out don’t we? Nevertheless, a few days ago at an event no less evangelical in its attempts to change how [...]

“I’ve seen the future and it works,” wrote American journalist Lincoln Steffens in a spurt of evangelical zeal after visiting the infant Soviet Russia in 1919. Poor deluded Lincoln, we all know how that turned out don’t we? Nevertheless, a few days ago at an event no less evangelical in its attempts to change how [...]

I’ve penned at length about the social media engagement programme we’ve been working on with Stockport council. But I’ve never fully explained the reason why Stockport have taken on such a radical (certainly for local government) means of engaging with staff and the wider community. So here’s a bit of background… Most councils around the [...]

I’ve penned at length about the social media engagement programme we’ve been working on with Stockport council. But I’ve never fully explained the reason why Stockport have taken on such a radical (certainly for local government) means of engaging with staff and the wider community. So here’s a bit of background… Most councils around the [...]

Go online and key “social media” into google. Actually don’t. You’ll read 109 million times that social media is the ibuprofen for the age of the global heartburn. Social media is a new religion, a God drawn up by prophets as diverse as doctorate students and bedsit web surfers. All of them are converts; all [...]

Go online and key “social media” into google. Actually don’t. You’ll read 109 million times that social media is the ibuprofen for the age of the global heartburn. Social media is a new religion, a God drawn up by prophets as diverse as doctorate students and bedsit web surfers. All of them are converts; all [...]

A while ago I used to meet up with a young bloke who slept in the underpass around Waterloo station – I’ll call him Paul. He was thrown out of his home by his mum when he was 19 years old because he had grand mal epileptic fits several times a day. His family could [...]

A while ago I used to meet up with a young bloke who slept in the underpass around Waterloo station – I’ll call him Paul. He was thrown out of his home by his mum when he was 19 years old because he had grand mal epileptic fits several times a day. His family could [...]

Ever since the Lib Dem leader saw off his political foes in the live debate seven days ago, I’ve been a voyeuristic rider on the Nick Clegg storm. I’ve learned of his family history (his great grandfather was an Imperial Russian count), his next door neighbour (former Tory foreign secretary Lord Carrington), his school friends [...]

Ever since the Lib Dem leader saw off his political foes in the live debate seven days ago, I’ve been a voyeuristic rider on the Nick Clegg storm. I’ve learned of his family history (his great grandfather was an Imperial Russian count), his next door neighbour (former Tory foreign secretary Lord Carrington), his school friends [...]

Ever since the Lib Dem leader saw off his political foes in the live debate seven days ago, I’ve been a voyeuristic rider on the Nick Clegg storm. I’ve learned of his family history (his great grandfather was an Imperial Russian count), his next door neighbour (former Tory foreign secretary Lord Carrington), his school friends [...]

Ever since the Lib Dem leader saw off his political foes in the live debate seven days ago, I’ve been a voyeuristic rider on the Nick Clegg storm. I’ve learned of his family history (his great grandfather was an Imperial Russian count), his next door neighbour (former Tory foreign secretary Lord Carrington), his school friends [...]

Ever since the Lib Dem leader saw off his political foes in the live debate seven days ago, I’ve been a voyeuristic rider on the Nick Clegg storm. I’ve learned of his family history (his great grandfather was an Imperial Russian count), his next door neighbour (former Tory foreign secretary Lord Carrington), his school friends [...]

I was chatting with Ed Balls yesterday (yes, really), quizzing him about children’s services, and how he intended to make a better world for people in Britain. Above all, I told him I was a wavering voter (probably not true) and what could he say to help make up my mind to vote labour. The [...]