Balls in the Air
Jun17

Balls in the Air

Like many others. I’m looking forward to warm summer evenings in the house watching top-flight footie – with only the irksome Gary Lineker to spoil the enjoyment.

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Two Countries, One System
Jun12

Two Countries, One System

The growth of the Shenzhen mega-city across the water, and the sense that Hong Kong is being threatened by its far bigger partner, adds to the sense of uncertainty.

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Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell.
May31

Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell.

It’s a great book for telling us about Europe between the wars; but also because of what can it tell us about today, in particular homelessness?

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Down and Out in Manchester
Apr28

Down and Out in Manchester

“Homelessness is a problem all around the world. Through my lens and this mini-series of images, I wanted to expose a human situation that is both local and global; human and troubling”. – Zhu Runzi

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Working Practices: East v West
Apr16

Working Practices: East v West

The efficiency drive in China means that architects and construction workers have to work very hard to meet deadlines and it is very difficult to keep a work-life balance. In the west, this is often all architects talk about.

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Stay safe but remain sceptical
Mar24

Stay safe but remain sceptical

Regardless of the UK government’s twelfth-hour assurance that these new powers will be reviewed every six months, a potentially worrying precedent may have already been set.

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Identity Politics ain’t Liberal
Mar12

Identity Politics ain’t Liberal

“Common cause” is not going to work if we have to morally browbeat people into supporting the uncommon interests of oppressed minority-groups. The question is, what unites us?

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Defining Art, Creating the Canon: Artistic Value in an Era of Doubt by Paul Crowther
Feb28

Defining Art, Creating the Canon: Artistic Value in an Era of Doubt by Paul Crowther

The aesthetic experiences that we have as adults are a kind of echo of these formative infant experiences: an ongoing rediscovery of the world and its possibilities.

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Changing Politics for Good – What Next?
Feb24

Changing Politics for Good – What Next?

Changing Politics for Good: What Next? Cheshire Conference Centre, Stockport. 29 February 2020. When people mobilise, coordinate, and make their presence felt, things can and will change.

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Post-Brexit (de)regulation
Feb07

Post-Brexit (de)regulation

Fewer, simpler or looser standards doesn’t necessarily mean more cavalier, indeed it ought to mean that we could propose more efficient and thorough standards and regulation. Setting national standards in a global context should be liberating.

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