From Essex to Harrogate – and not going back
(Published in the Stray Ferret on 16 April 2026) Sipping what must be Harrogate’s smallest Americano in The Everyman the other week, I became aware that a group of teenagers [...]
It’s OK, Toby. It is ok.
(Published in The Stray Ferret here: https://thestrayferret.co.uk/news/latest/opinion-how-staying-at-harrogate-hospital-made-me-rethink-healthcare) The most beautiful moment of my life occurred in Harrogate Hospital in October 2024. I want to use this column to tell you [...]
A Tale of Two Cinemas: Odeon vs Everyman
Published in The Stray Ferret here: https://thestrayferret.co.uk/news/latest/a-tale-of-two-harrogate-cinemas-odeon-vs-everyman If Orange Wednesdays were still a thing, we all know where they’d happen. The Odeon. Not the Everyman. That was peak cinema for [...]
Op-Ed: in the Stray Ferret
Geopolitics comes to Harrogate (Published on 11 January 2026: https://thestrayferret.co.uk/news/latest/opinion-what-would-a-nato-wobble-mean-for-the-harrogate-district) May we live in interesting times. That old Chinese curse — or blessing — feels uncomfortably relevant, given recent [...]
A derogation of a moral duty
I was very unwell back in October 24, needing five days in hospital. During my time as an inpatient, I experienced the most beautiful moment of my life. In [...]
Who’s In Charge? (Notes from the Spa)
Because I’m a Harrogatonian, it will surprise no one to hear I go to the spa, quite often. (Purely medicinal, obviously.) This spa sees a mix of locals and holidaymakers [...]
Health Is Wealth (and Then Some)
Poor health has a way of sharpening the mind. Lying in bed - again - grounded by illness, strange thoughts emerge. Proust, Nietzsche, (Gray?) and others did their best [...]
The House of Commons Select Committee
Presenting Suffrago to the House of Commons Select Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation this Tuesday was meant to be the pinnacle of my personal and professional journey. Alas, life [...]
Burden, Fortnite, and News
Suffrago work, health, chaos. That’s been my life lately. Zero complaints. This Sunday morning, at last, a moment to reflect — and blog. For many of the dozens of new [...]
How is Your MP Performing?
In what is a UK-first, I’ve helped to launch 650 MP performance polls! What a jolly good idea, even if I do say so myself. https://www.suffrago.org/question?id=3cec8091d49e1e18f58a25b7f217dce8 The voting is all [...]
