The Tameside Radio presenter tells us what he's been up to this week and has some valuable advice for us all in his latest column.

It’s been a remarkably mild few days, considering we’re in the season of pumpkin picking, tacky cobweb decorations adorned on hedgerows and having to buy sweets several times because you keep eating the trick or treat supplies. Unless that’s just me. 

I’m a bit curmudgeonly when it comes to Halloween, but I guess it’s great fun for the kids on half-term, and I need to be a bit less grumpy about it.

On Monday evening, I watched a lively online discussion between presenter Manveen Rana and footballer John Barnes, who has written a book titled The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism.

Barnes’ central argument seems to be that things have been divided in society for hundreds of years between the elite and the working class, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. 

He faced racism on the pitch back in the ‘80s, with banana skins thrown onto the pitch, but there’s almost an acceptance that this will keep happening. I really hope he’s wrong on this.

We are invited by this book to have a more honest conversation about racism, and I’m intrigued to read it soon to get the full perspective. 

After watching the online talk, I was left feeling Barnes doesn’t really think things are moving tangibly in the right direction. 

I’d say the England team taking the knee and Marcus Rashford influencing Government policy on free school meals are both good examples of progress, and surely we have to hope that some of this progress will trickle down into the rest of society.

It’s a thorny subject, as I do feel privileged to have grown up without knowing first hand what being at the receiving end of racism is really like. I’ll report back once I’ve read the book. One national paper did say ‘it’s hard to imagine this book being worse’ but they obviously haven’t tried to read James Corden’s autobiography.

Elsewhere this week, I met former Government Minister Edwina Currie at the Glossopdale School Business Expo event. 

We had a chat on Tameside Radio about the challenges of the vaccine roll-out, how the pandemic has affected our kids, and the possibility of mandatory vaccines for NHS staff. Before you ask, I didn’t mention anything about eggs! 

I have to say I agree with Currie that I wouldn’t want unvaccinated health staff looking after my family members. I just don’t think vulnerable patients in hospital should be put at greater risk.

No doubt a few ‘doctors’ on social media would argue I’ve been brainwashed, but I think I trust Dr Chris Whitty more than a Twitter account with no real name or profile picture, on balance.

I also had a nostalgic moment thinking about how quickly time elapses whilst on a night away in Liverpool last weekend. 

A group of us all graduated in 1998, and last met up three years ago. To be honest, it’s frightening where the years go, and how different the world looks now. 

I’m so glad we were students before social media took off, and the internet was in its infancy. 

I also wonder what it must have been like to start university during a pandemic. My heart goes out to students who were stuck on endless Zoom lectures. 

I gather there must be a backlog of hen nights and parties, as Liverpool city centre was absolutely buzzing on Saturday night. 

Life has officially started up again for most, and I hope we can meet again in 12 months’ time and not leave it another three years.

I will have another more serious moment of reflection tomorrow night, when I attend an event to remember my good friend Julie Donaldson, who was one of the best of us and won Best Community Radio Programme at the 2019 Community Radio Awards for her Morning Mix show. 

She lost her fight against Covid-19 a year ago this weekend, and I miss our chats terribly. She was one of the only people I’ve met who was as passionate about local radio as I am. 

If you’ve not heard from a friend in a while, check in with them. Make every day count. We don’t know what’s around the corner.

You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on the 'Super Scoreboard' show on Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM. 

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