Disqus - Latest Comments for johnpopham

Re: Government to drop plans to create a national tenant voice

johnpopham — Wed, 17 Apr 2019 05:39:20 -0000

You are right Lizzie. The key issue is that Government is unlikely to pay for the club that is used to bash it over the head. So who pays?

Re: Commission chair warns of ‘charity sector echo chamber’

johnpopham — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:21:03 -0000

You can watch the whole speech at https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Re: More to millennials than smashed avocado

johnpopham — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 11:54:10 -0000

The smashed avocado is a lot cheaper in Wetherspoons

Re: Yes. I find the English dementia narrative entirely rigged, and I won’t be able to take back control of it.

johnpopham — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 06:00:47 -0000

It seems to me that society is in denial, both about dementia and the wider aspects of the social care crisis. We all (if we are lucky) get older. We all are likely to need some kind of social care at some point, and we all are at risk of dementia. And yet, the majority of people don't want to think about any of these issues, until they directly affect them.

I love what you do, Shibley, it is hard stepping outside accepted norms. There are lots of vested interests in doing things the tried and trusted way.

Please keep doing what you do.

Re: 24housing at 100: Ten annoying phrases

johnpopham — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 08:59:06 -0000

How about; "there's an awards ceremony tonight"?

Re: New Housing Minister announced » Housing » 24dash.com

johnpopham — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 10:52:31 -0000

He may not list Housing as an interest, but he does claim to be a Tolkein nerd. What are the implications of the Lord of the Rings for housing policy?

Re: IT departments are facing an ‘adapt or die’ moment

johnpopham — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 11:24:21 -0000

The attitudes of old-style IT depts are key barriers to progression and adaptation to the modern world. We need flexible workers who take ownership of their own devices, apps and software, not who see them as belonging to the organisation, and a hindrance rather than a help to getting things done. True digital literacy comes when people actively want to use a device and get fun and enjoyment out of it. They get frustrated when stuff is locked down and only available for utilitarian purposes, and it stays in the bag until it is need for a particular task.

Re: Berneslai Homes supports #HousingDay

johnpopham — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 07:02:12 -0000

Best way to get this year's #HousingDay to trend at number one is for no one to land a space craft on a comet. Can someone arrange that please ;-)

Re: Periscope for Nonprofits: A Quick Guide & Review

johnpopham — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 04:27:37 -0000

You missed out one of the "bad" points. It's vertical video! People's eyes are side-by-side ;-)

Re: Opinion: £900 billion is the tip of the iceberg

johnpopham — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 05:08:57 -0000

Who are these people who don't understand there is a link between having a decent home and health and well-being?

Re: Engineers fix rail problems in Standedge Tunnel

johnpopham — Tue, 05 May 2015 05:55:10 -0000

Pretty sure the issues weren't resolved this morning. The 10:13 to Hull was cancelled, and the following train was 8 minutes late due to "line-side equipment faults in the Standedge Tunnel"

Re: Vertical video and broadcasters: Time for an 'awkward transition'

johnpopham — Fri, 01 May 2015 10:47:35 -0000

I often see people watching landscape videos with their phones held in portrait mode, which means they are watching it in a narrow strip across the centre of the phone. That is just weird, but very common

Re: On the comings and goings of a trailblazer. Why the Tesco story contains a lesson for every business.

johnpopham — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 16:20:12 -0000

Also shows how playing safe is often the riskiest option

Re: Colin Wiles: Right to buy plan at risk of falling apart

johnpopham — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 07:19:56 -0000

I think the one thing that a lot of people making a noise about this disastrous policy seem to forget is that it will only stand a chance of being implemented if there is a Conservative majority Government after May 7th.

Re: Opinion: Putting the power right back where it belongs

johnpopham — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 06:13:19 -0000

You're too right, Alistair. And so is Joe in his comment.

My worry is that the adoption of social media among social tenants is happening too slowly. Yes, there are a few shining beacons, but I guess some of their progress is due both to having the support of those famous comedians, and of being largely younger and social media savvy. When I interact with the organised tenant movement, as I do on a regular basis, I often find its leaders to be at the least suspicious of social media, and, in many cases, digitally excluded and proud of it. This is acting as a blockage to the progress of the tenants' movement. Those who are social media savvy are not in leadership positions, and, in fact, they may not want to be part of leaderships which are wedded to outdated methods.

This needs addressing urgently, in my view, as it contributes greatly to the lack of a coherent voice from the sector.

Re: Opinion: Scroungers or strivers - Talking about the taboo

johnpopham — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 07:29:13 -0000

Great post, Pamela. I am always saying to people that, if you don't have editorial control, you can't know what the finished product is going to look like. All those participating in the first series of Benefits Street were told it was a fly-on-the-wall documentary about a year in the life of a community. All the positive bits were left on the mythical cutting room floor.

Re: Benefits Street 2: All you need to know » Communities » 24dash.com

johnpopham — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 06:41:52 -0000

Sign me up to help make Bankers' Street ;-)

Re: The National Grid

johnpopham — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 04:43:56 -0000

I always thought that the layout of New York City was based on that of Glasgow which, as far as I know, is the only UK city with a grid-based street pattern. Also, the UK and other European countries had hundreds of years during which their towns and cities evolved from simple settlements whose main forms of transport were human feet and horse-drawn carts before the USA started building cities from scratch with a view to facilitating more modern forms of transportation. You only have to spend time in a city like York to see the impossibilities of managing 21st Century traffic in a medieval city structure.

The difference between Milton Keynes and some of the US grid-based cities is that Milton Keynes was mainly built in the 1960s and 70s based on notions that the car was king. Thus many of the streets don't have any kind of pedestrian access, with people on feet being segregated on to separate footpaths which can be isolated and intimidating at night, in particular. At least many US cities were planned at a time when people valued the ability to get around on foot, although there are quite a few exceptions among cities whose growth has been more recent.

Re: Wednesday Whinge: The door to 2015 » Housing » 24dash.com

johnpopham — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 15:46:03 -0000

NOBODY reads reports, Brian. Stories are much better, as you know ;-)

Re: Better the devil you know

johnpopham — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 09:31:53 -0000

Change can be scary it can be exciting. The riskiest strategy is to ignore risk

Re: New plans set to revolutionise UK healthcare

johnpopham — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 04:50:41 -0000

Just from this summary I can't see any plans to ensure hospital patients have access to free wifi. This is essential in reducing isolation and aiding recovery through opening up access to family, friends, and other sources of support. There should be a co-ordinated plan as called for by the Campaign for Free Wifi for Hospital Patients http://freehospitalwifi.wor...

Re: Opinion: Hijacking my #HousingDay » Housing » 24dash.com

johnpopham — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 11:24:59 -0000

Joe,

Not sure about your comment on storytelling. You say that thousands of stories are necessary to counter one White Dee. I totally agree; and the social housing sector has thousands of employees, and millions of tenants (or customers if you prefer), who can all tell those stories. Job done!

Sorry if that sounds a bit glib. Whether we like it or not, most people need some kind of narrative (i.e. story) to understand how the world works. Margaret Thatcher started the narrative that social housing was some kind of 3rd class option for the aspirationally deficient, and the world has developed the story from there over the following 4 decades. Channel 4 and the like have piled on to that narrative with Benefits Street and similar offerings. That is the story that people take in. One of my frustrations is the social housing CEOs who complain about housing not being on the country's agenda, but refuse to embrace social media, which is the source of many, if not most, people's information these days.

We have to construct an alternative narrative, and we, potentially, have thousands and millions of storytellers to help us do that.

Re: Opinion: #HousingDay – a critical appraisal

johnpopham — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 11:02:25 -0000

Definitely agree with your "John Lewis and Sainsbury's" comment. Where is #ukhousing's John Lewis advert?

Re: No demand for gigabit broadband

johnpopham — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 10:03:33 -0000

There's a lot of truth in this, BUT; it is the sort of thinking that is causing some people to justify laying new copper cables and replacing old copper with new copper at a time when we know copper is reaching the end of its valuable life. We are still wasting money on technology with a very limited life

Re: Opinion: Please don't view Stockton through just the 'Benefits Street' camera lens

johnpopham — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 12:44:48 -0000

I think it's fabulous that the people of Stockton are finding their voices to tell the real, positive, stories of life in the town, and thank you, Angela, for showing some leadership in this respect. We need to keep the momentum going in telling #HousingStories.