Labour MPs Lacked Backbone - for The New Blackmore Vale 28th March 2025 I appreciate that what I am about to write is easier to do so when in Opposition. However, there are times in a Parliamentary career when you have to ask: how... Articles
Playing a Dangerous Game - for the BV 7th March 2025 Many people will have had a hope that the second Trump administration might have been different from his first. That a greater sense of calmness and ‘grown up’... Articles
Rights and Responsibilities - for The BV 30th September 2024 During the recent General Election campaign, I suggested that an issue that would need serious consideration over a period of time is the role of the State and... Articles
Dorset Island Discs - Interview by Laura Hitchcock, Editor, The BV 5th April 2024 ‘I was incredibly shy. I had quite bad speech defects as a child – I couldn’t say my R’s, my W’s, my th’s – that made me even shyer. It’s quite extraordinary... Articles
A 'Thank You' to our Communities - for The New Blackmore Vale 23rd March 2024 The technical seasonal weather bulletins tell us we are in Spring but, as I write this at my desk looking out over North Dorset it seems anything but. Let us... Articles
Standing the Test of Time - for The New Blackmore Vale 10th March 2024 ‘Will it stand the test of time?’ is often a question asked. In short – will something that looks or sound good today be so in the future. When it comes to... Articles
Farming, responsibility and working together - for The BV 8th March 2024 For this column I thought I would have some varied topics rather than a thematic piece. Farming and food production remains one of the largest part of the UK’s... Articles
Supporting community sports, planning and storm disruption - for The New Blackmore Vale 29th February 2024 Like many people, PE was never my favourite or best subject at school. I never quite seemed to be built for whatever it was we were supposed to be playing or... Articles
Social mobility and the importance of housing - for The New Blackmore Vale 25th February 2024 I joined so many of the community in and around Blandford welcoming the decision by the Planning Inspectorate to refuse permission for the development at Deer... Articles