Innovation means daring to dream.
Sometimes you have a weekend which you just want to be over and forgotten; a weekend that is tiresome and drawn out; a weekend that makes you want to curl up in a corner somewhere. Sometimes you have a weekend that makes you feel incredibly positive about life; a weekend that gives you a strength you hadn’t felt for a while; a weekend that reignites whatever passion you have in life.
This weekend has been the second of those. I have spent the weekend with around 50 of the most amazing young people you will ever meet at Hampshire Scout Youth Council at Hampshire’s Runways End activity centre.
Normally, these weekends remind me why I love Scouting – the passion and the friendships. You see people arrive at Youth Council who haven’t seen each other in six months and jump straight back where they left off last time.
This weekend was different though.
This weekend did so much more for me than normal. Hampshire Scouts is now over a year into the term of our new lead volunteer, Martin Mackey, which means new ideas. It’s not so much out with the old and in with the new; more let’s build on the old to make it even better.
This weekend proved that Hampshire Scouts isn’t just in a strong position under Martin, but we have loads of young people ready to lead Scouting at every level as soon as they’re giving a chance.
And they know how to have fun.
You can join the Scouts, as an adult or a child, and gain Skills for Life by going to scouts.org.uk in the UK or scout.org in the rest of the world.
It is difficult to write on the occasion of the death of a man who loved his county so much that he dedicated his life to its service. In the death of its 41st President, the United States of America has lost a man who so perfectly and precisely embodied the values of his nation.
For more than seven decades, Bush served his nation with honour; proud to serve under and for the American flag.
Ever since putting on his country's uniform during the Second World War, George HW Bush never stopped seeking out ways in which he could support his fellow Americans. He acted as their envoy to China, their ambassador to the United Nations, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He served in the two highest offices in the country; first as its Vice President and then as its 41st President, before offering counsel to those who served after him.
He was a man who refused to put party before country; who even as chairman of the GOP looked across the aisle for ways to build a better future for America. George HW Bush was, and always will be, a testament to the notion that public service is a noble calling which asks the brightest in society to offer solutions, ideas and leadership to their fellow citizens.
George HW Bush answered the call of the Oval Office not for fame or glory or acclaim, but because it was what was right for his nation. At every turn he put aside his own selfish interest and asked how he could make life better for millions of Americans; democrat and republican and independent alike.
When the glories of public life and the challenges that come with being Commander-in-Chief were at an end, Bush remembered those things which were most important and valuable to him;
"I got more of a kick being one of the founders of the YMCA in Midland, Texas, back in 1952 than almost anything I've done."
- George HW Bush
At this time, while the world joins together in mourning the loss of a President, we must remember those things that were more at part of George HW Bush than any election he could win or office he could hold; he was a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud family man.
My condolences lie right now with the entire Bush family, and to those who knew and loved the 41st President of the United States, George HW Bush.
Every other year something strange happens; people (like me) who don’t normally care about sports suddenly have a favourite sport, national team, and athlete. The catalyst, of course, is the Olympic Games – or the Winter Olympics as in this year.
This year the games take us to South Korea and, as we’ve seen from the opening ceremony on Friday, they’re putting all their technical excellence to work. The opening ceremony featured a wonderfully beautiful light show using augmented reality and drones showing light flying across the country before turning into a giant skier and joined 100 skiers – all lit up themselves – to ski down the competition slope before the group formed the Olympic rings. The ceremony, and these games, are about more than sport though. They are a celebration of sport and culture with nearly 3,000 athletes from around the world.
But the next few weeks, the Olympics and then the Paralympics, represent something far more important than sport, technology, and even culture. They are about unity and what we can achieve when we come together.
One of the loveliest things about the Olympics is those moments when you can see communities and people come together. I was lucky enough to see that in person when I got tickets to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
This year that moment of visible unity was so much more spectacular this year than in previous games; this year saw two countries in the midst of a 60-year war not only be in the same place, but march together under a single flag.
Lovely to see South and North Korea walking into the #PyeongChang2018 #OpeningCeremony as a unified team under a united flag. Sport can bring people and countries together and this is a great step forward for the region #Olympics
@theitkid on Twitter
That is the power of the Olympics and, I guess, sports in general. They act as a unifying force in the world. At a time when global tensions are ever increasing few things seem to offer any sort of release, but then again few event offer an opportunity to see Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un dance together (well, lookalikes of them anyway).
It is hard to imagine any other event being seen as significant enough to get North and South Korea standing together and even fielding a single Korean ice hockey team made up of members from both countries.
This unity which sport brings was highlighted for me in two parts of the International Olympic Committee’s President’s speech. IOC President Thomas Bach used that phrase “in sport, we are all equal”. It was short and yet still managed to sum up exactly what the Olympics stands for. The other bit of his speech which really resonated with me was longer and even more meaningful:
This will be the competition of your life. You will inspire us all to live in peace and harmony despite all the differences we have.
- Thomas Bach, IOC President
His talk of inspiration and peace and harmony is quite true. The Olympics always has inspired people to get active, get involved, and look for that sense of unity.
I wish to end this post with another quote; this time from Lee Hee-beom, the president of the committee set up to organise the games. It is a quote which, I believe, defines how we should all see the Olympic Games:
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.
- Lee Hee-beom, POCOG President
Earlier this week I laid in bed and watched Netflix’s To The Bone, the story of 20-year-old Ellen who seeks treatment for anorexia at a rather unconventional inpatient facility. It may have been a semi-autographical dramatisation of writer and director Marti Noxon’s story, but it also served as a stark reminder of my own battle with food.
I have been open about my anorexia for quite a while, and while I never needed inpatient treatment it wasn’t off the cards.
To The Bone’s release hasn’t been without controversy. It’s been accused of glorifying eating disorders, teaching ‘tips and tricks’ for weight loss, telling people how to hide harmful behaviour from treatment providers, giving people ‘thinspiration’ (which is apparently a word), and triggering people who have or have had an eating disorder. In reality, though, I think these criticisms miss the most important thing the film does – it gives us the opportunity to start a conversation.
What I think the film does really well is include a male patient. When I was younger (six or seven, I think) and my mother first tried to get me the help I needed she was told boys don’t have anorexia. Boys, of course, can be anorexic just like anyone else.
As for those criticisms, I don’t hold any of them to be true. There is no glorification in the harsh portrayal of anorexia in the film and anyone that perpetuates the idea that it could be used as a how to guide for weight loss need only spend a few hours on the internet to discover a whole host of pro-anorexia websites which are much more graphic in their content.
Lily Collins, who plays Ellen, has also fought through anorexia. In an interview with The Independent, she said:
Before I read the script I was hesitant to step back into those shoes when I’d gone so far away from them but I also figured it’s about telling a larger story, so I gave it a shot and when I did it hit me in the gut – the writing was so spot on; I could really relate to some of the experiences in it. It was witty and had this dark humour that I think only someone who’d gone through it could write. It was semi autobiographical for Marti [Noxon, the writer-director] so that made total sense, and when I finished it I called up right away and was like “I have to meet with somebody about this”.
I met with Marti who had no idea about my connection with it whatsoever; we started talking, had a little bit of a lovefest and I explained to her my association with it and what I could relate to. And that was it really, I went home and expressed my team my hopes of her liking me and she expressed her hopes of me liking her and it was kind of like a marriage from there.
To The Bone was my story. It is the story of thousands of other people.
I am recovering. One day, To The Bone won’t be my story, only my history.
If you’re living with an eating disorder or are concerned about someone you care about, there is help available.
And if you haven’t watched it yet, head over to Netflix and catch To The Bone now.
Today we all stand united, as a country and a people, against the hate which has killed so many innocent people in Manchester. It can be hard for normal people, people like you and me, to comprehend what could possibly lead someone to do something so horrendous.
It is worth remembering though that he was just one man. And there is something much, much stronger than the individual – the collective.
Think about the people who, in the face of danger, took to the streets with tea and water. Think about the people who opened their doors to strangers for a sit down, a phone charger and a phone. Think about the taxi drivers who took people home for free when trains had been cancelled. Think about the hotels which opened their rooms to those who needed a place for the night and something to eat and drink. Think about the staff of the Holiday Inn who cared for over 50 young people without adults.
Those are the people that we must all be proud of.
The people of Britain have shown time and time again that terrorists will not beat down their morale and resolve. They could not in the past, and they will not today.
Advice and Support for children from BBC’s Newsround: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/13865002
Advice and Guidance from The Scout Association: http://scouts.org.uk/news/2017/05/scoutings-response-to-the-attack-in-manchester/
It’s that time of year again. Phoenix Players are returning to their Albert Road theatre for their annual pantomime – this year it’s Puss in Boots!
In a brave move that could still backfire, the company let me direct this year’s panto (alongside Kate Burrows – who’s directed for Phoenix before).
This week however I am back in tech mode. That means that if you come along and say hi to me up in the tech box (trust me, it’s easy to spot) we can have a chat and a biscuit (I’m generous, see).
There’s still tickets available for this magical adventure and are just £10 for adults and £8 for concessions. You can get your tickets now from the Phoenix Box Office.
The National Union of Students has completely failed to provide students with a coherent political voice with which to stand up for themselves on the national scene and make a difference to our country.
A committed fringe of students still attempts to debate meaningful proposals to help students and inject a student voice into national politics however we still see the NUS conference debating things like how the Labour Party should select its parliamentary candidates – as if the Labour Party cares.
While the cabal in control of the NUS wastes students’ time and money providing a lavishly funded debate club for a small group of extremists to discuss whether or not we should commemorate the Holocaust (many, disgustingly, think that we should not) and whether or not Jewish students should be allowed to elect the Jewish representative on the anti-racism committee, the concerns of most students are either pushed out of sight or are tackled with total incompetence.
When the new fees structure was introduced in 2011 the NUS chose to secretly urge the government to drop support for students with physical and mental disabilities, including those currently studying, instead of engaging with the government to come up with a sensible alternative proposal. Tuition fees are about to rise again, and the NUS has been so embroiled in managing its ongoing anti-Semitism scandal to mount an effective riposte. They care more about the internal politics of the Labour Party and their own dramas and splits than they do about the national student body.
Debating issues of national and international politics, including the more arcane and niche, is something students should be welcome to do at university, but that’s what debating and political societies are for. The national student representative body should focus on representing the concerns of students at large, the majority of whom are completely disconnected from the farcical extremism of the NUS leadership. Those involved in the NUS are increasingly an isolated elite amongst students, feathering their CVs for a life in the world of the extreme left, bullying and shouting down anyone who does not follow their nonsensical views, until only those who already agree with them bother to get involved in the first place.
The undemocratic nature of the NUS makes it easy for this cabal to retain control. A recent proposal, by a group that wished to reform the NUS from inside, to actually allow students to vote on NUS proposals and in leadership elections was defeated heavily. This, along with the election of a blatant anti-Semite to the leadership of the organisation, convinced me and many others that reform was impossible and that the only path was to attempt to convince students that this closed cabal of careerist extremists who go on national TV and make statements like “of course everyone has an equal right to freedom of speech, but some people have more equal rights than others” can never be representative of the student body at large nor can it ever be of use as a campaigning organisation to fight for students on the national stage.
The views expressed in this guest post are those of Ben Thomas and not of Peter Marcus, the NUSceptics group or the national student body. If you have any questions about the points made we’ll be happy to pass them on for you.
I support the view that the NUS is failing and will not allow itself to be reformed. I support those looking to disaffiliate from this outdated organisation.
Imagine being in a position where you can give £12 million to charities working with women who have been domestically abused. That would be good, right?
Now imagine that you decided that if women wanted that support they would have to pay for it themselves. Sounds like a bit of a rubbish thing to do.
That is what this week’s budget announced.
According to the Metro, ‘The 5 per cent VAT on women’s sanitary products dubbed the ‘Tampon Tax’ will go to several women’s charities including White Ribbon and Breast Cancer Care, George Osborne has said.’
This, quite predictably, caused outrage.
Government is basically saying: “pay to be a woman and we’ll use that money to stop men hitting you lot” #tampontax #Budget2016
— Amy Blumsom (@amyblumalum) March 16, 2016
I repeat my comments that it is not responsibility of women to finance their own domestic violence support with a “tampon tax” #Budget2016
— Ellie Mae O’Hagan (@MissEllieMae) March 16, 2016
I don’t see why people are celebrating the tampon tax? Tax people who menstrate, to help women beaten by men…
— Shippy (@Shippygem) March 16, 2016
I can’t say I’m surprised by these Tweets (or the hundreds of others like them).
From what I remember of sex ed at school and what I’ve picked up in life (and please correct me if I’m wrong) women don’t choose to have periods. They are a monthly reminder that you are not pregnant. I have seen them described as ‘Satan’s waterfall’.
Some may be glad that the money raised from the tampon tax (which isn’t actually called that) is going to charities aimed at women – not all of which are domestic abuse charities. I am sure Mr Osborne is thankful that a tax on the wealthy has not become needed because this is there instead.
Well done to all the menstruating women in the UK for our kind support of women’s charities via the unfair #tampontax. #Budget2016 @WEP_UK
— Feminist Mum (@femumism) March 16, 2016
I feel instead of taxing vital sanitary products we could tax other things. Perhaps aircraft maintenance, crocodile meat, houseboat mooring, bingo, ostrich meat, the lottery, funeral planning, freight containers, caravans, leaflet printing, gold investment, insurance.
You know what, I’d quite happily pay VAT on the maintenance of my Boeing 747 because if I can afford a jumbo jet I can afford to pay VAT when getting someone to repaint it.
Or maybe Google, Amazon and Starbucks could find a bit of spare change to give to charity instead…
If morning birds are set to work,
to build a little nest.
And the goats who roam the mountains,
never stop to rest.
If he who cleans the chimneys,
decides to waive the fee.
And the man who keeps the park,
hurts not a single tree.
If the painter who paints the portraits,
paints every single face.
And the girl who takes the children,
returns them to their place.
Then know the world is righted,
and all the sinners left.
All the people round us,
Are specially invited guests.
L is for the way you light up my life
O like in forever, how long I’ll dream
V for vast, the measure of my love
E because it came to an end
There’s an over in lover
And an end in friend
A lie in believe
And I believed in us
F, all the fun times we shared
R to remind you to remember me
I wanted it never to end
E is the evermore that I hoped for
N, never will I meet another quite like you
Dead and gone, our friendship, dead and gone
There’s and over in lover
And an end in friend
A lie in believe
And I believed in us