Like so many, I am frustrated by the way our economy works. It upsets me when I read about people walking away with million-pound bonuses while there are still people sleeping rough on our streets. I don’t like our public services being run down to pay off the debts run up by private corporations. It frightens me that our current systems seem helpless in the face of global warming.
Back in 2007 I decided to investigate further and started writing a book with the provisional title of The State We’re In with a view to at least exploring the problem, if not coming up with a solution. I never finished because I realised that few were likely to read something by someone with no track record in the field, and instead went on to write and publish When Computing Got Personal. Nevertheless I did write some 30,000 words, which I reproduce here.
Another Roadside Attraction 