Long Form

We squandered a once in a lifetime opportunity. We. Us. The British public, the world, society. We had a chance, and we threw it away. The COVID-19 pandemic and more specifically, the ensuing lockdowns, should have served as a societal reset. Kept apart from family and friends, that period reminded us all of the importance…Read moreRead more

I’m not a Manchester United fan. Let’s get that out of the way up front. I support West Ham, and have done for more years than I care to count. And for most of those years, I dreaded our meetings with Manchester United. They didn’t just beat us. They dominated us. Humbled us. They humiliated…Read moreRead more

We live in an age of instant gratification. 280-character posts on Twitter or X, as we now call it. Short-form vertical videos that barely register as they flicker across our retinas. Global news reduced to political soundbites and clickbait headlines. I read just such a headline yesterday. It came out of Australia and it stopped…Read moreRead more

Are equipment manufacturers restricting your right to repair? Are we, as an industry, walking into a trap? A trap laid – deliberately or otherwise – by equipment manufacturers? Are we on the brink of a new era where we’re not just discouraged from maintaining our own equipment but actively prevented from doing so? For years,…Read moreRead more

As children, we’re fed a series of white lies and untruths: Carrots help you see in the dark. Cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. Watching too much TV will turn your eyes square. As adults, we’re told a different set of fibs: Politicians have our best interests at heart. Trickle-down economics works. Hard work always…Read moreRead more

The article you’re about to read is part essay; part confession. It is a story about how, amidst tragedy, I/we default all too easily to cliche. When a person dies, we immediately dig out the phrase “our thoughts are with their friends and family”. In the event of a company collapse, we dredge up the…Read moreRead more

They go where others fear to tread. They face danger each day. They sacrifice everything for the good of their families, their communities and their country. They are the backbone of civilisation, the ones who build the foundations of our world, yet their names rarely make the headlines. They do not march into battle. They…Read moreRead more

Somewhere, right now, a man is packing his bag. He folds his work gear, tucks in his toiletries, and checks his phone for the final time before heading to another week, maybe another month, away from home. He’ll kiss his wife, hug his kids, and walk out the door, knowing full well that when he…Read moreRead more