Changes in the line-up

It’s tricky to find the right title for this one. This January has been affected by new arrivals, and an unexpected departure.

Many of my colleagues came back to work on 8 January, to the news that one, K, who also worked in education, had died the previous weekend.  K had beaten cancer once, but it came back over 2006.  She worked right up to late November, and wanted to be treated like everyone else.

We also came back to news of two babies, one born to a colleague now on maternity leave, the other to the wife of a colleague who works in Aberdeen.  In the last few days, we’ve also heard about the arrival of a second child for friends of ours down south.

It’s a strange feeling, particularly finding out that this second child was born the same day that K died.  We know that people are born and people die, daily, even every minute – we’re perhaps just not reminded of it so clearly.

This particular week is seen as one of the least cheerful in the calendar – post-Christmas blues, not yet pay day etc.  I’m grateful at least that there is new life to encourage us at this time.

The order of service from K’s funeral also included verses which suggested that we should look forward – new arrivals help us do that, but it proves more of a challenge to work out how we look forward when someone is essentially missing from parts of our lives.

Lego, Bill Bailey and Chopin

I’ve been having some real fun over the last few days getting my entertainment from YouTube and not just from TV or what’s on the Mac. There’s some great stuff there and like people, a real mixture.

There’s the kid in me that loves to see animated lego, the 30 something who thinks Bill Bailey (who we saw at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last August) is the funniest comedian we have in Britain and the classical music lover who has just discovered that BBC Radio 3 types are placing old recordings of the master pianists like Rubenstein online.

He’s surely a man from another era. This recording in particular is sublime. Take a moment to click on the link and be transported, not just to when the recording was made, but further back. Wonderful stuff.

It’s official: we’re moving premises

This is the first public post that Inigo’s moving. Subject to a signed copy coming back from the Landlord, Inigo will open for business in our new office on Leith Links on March 1st.

We’ve been happily ensconced in a shop in Newhaven/Trinity for nearly three years, but it’s proved to be inflexible and a little cramped for six people. With three interns at various points (not all together) in 2006, it was hard to fit everyone in.

The knowledgeable among you will point out that there are only four of us full time. You would be right, but Roddy is in twice a week and Niels is still running his photography business from the same office.

From the start of March that will be all change and we’ll have a new base of operations. Purely web related, so down come the wedding photos that have been in our meeting room for the last couple of years and up will go, well, who knows.

It’s a chance for our designer Storm to have some say over how our environment is designed and for the guys who have joined Inigo since we moved to talk about what they would like to put and where.

I’ve been warned that running a company by consensus can mean that not much gets done, but I value the input from the guys. They are after all the ones that make what we do so good and they deserve to have a good amount of input.

They’ve said that if I don’t like what they say I can do it my way, but I think the group way is better. More ‘buy-in’ and shared responsibility.

I’ll post up pictures of where we’ll be going when we move in – perhaps even some moving pictures if it’s not just me and Roddy who are carrying boxes, computers and desks.

Go for it Mr Cameron

Really pleased that old Euro-sceptic right-wingers are leaving the Conservative Party. It will ensure that Cameron’s drift to the centre of British Politics is a one way journey. There can be no turning back.

Don’t worry reader, I’m not an arch-Tory, but I do think that the UK really needs some engaging public debate on policy and with people thinking that the Conservatives might drift back to Thatcherism, we’ve got another eight years of New Labour to look forward to.

Every government needs a credible opposition. I’m looking forward to a New New Labour and a Conservative Party that is re-engaging with the British people. Add a re-invigorated Liberal Democratic Party and we can see some proper movement when Gordon takes over.

Data for all: it makes sense

Been reading about plans by the UK government to pool data into one big database so that different government departments can have access to the same data. Am I the only one around that thinks this is a great idea?! What a brilliant thing to have all the data in the same place, making sure there’s not duplication of work and data.

Inigo are working with a government body that shares its reports with the bodies that it writes reports about. We’ll be implementing an RSS news feed (to be confirmed) between the body and local authorities to share those reports.

Under the Freedom of Information Act and the ability for citizens to be able to see data held about them, it would be a one stop shop – benefits, tax, medical, legal, etc. Why not put all the data in the hands of those who govern us? They can then make responsible, sensible decisions. After all, the info that they have is currently not much good for joined up government if the information isn’t joined up.

The ideal scenario (if it all works) is that as soon as all of the info is together in one big database, the Inland Revenue will see what I’m earning and recommend ways to invest; for libraries to see that I’ve got a planning application lodged with my local authority and recommend books I might like to read about it and for my doctor to let me know that next time I go to Africa, I might like to have a particular set of jabs.

When I move I only need to tell one organisation and if the passport authority see that I’ve left the country, another government department doesn’t try to call me at home. It’s all very obvious. It’s all very sane. Little brothers are already watching, we might as well just have one really big brother who knows us really well than dozens who hardly know us at all.

Think of it as a citizenship clubcard. No points, just better services and an easier life. Those with nothing to hide need have nothing to fear. Those who have something to hide better get used to some smart government. The politicians aren’t that smart – but that doesn’t mean that the machinery of the state needs to be dumb.