All about Al

Allans image

After studying philosophy and economics at University I became a qualified chartered accountant and worked in the city until around the time of the financial crash. Since then I have focussed on a range of other interests including private investing, politics, and the fascinating world of technology.

I have always been interested in politics, from the cut and thrust of day-to-day goings on to the philosophical theories that try to explain how and why it all works (or often doesn’t). I have written numerous articles and blogposts on the subject over the years and have stood in UK elections for local Council, the London Assembly, and as the prospective Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Orpington in the 2019 General Election. Though electoral success has so far eluded me, my experiences at the ballot box have taught me a great deal about how the British political system works and about campaigning in general.

As a blind person, I can’t overstate the impact that technological change has had on my life. As a child I was a sci-fi nut, and the sense of wonder I got from playing with my first computer has never left me. I follow all the developments in the world of technology and regularly review apps and websites from an accessibility standpoint. I also develop my own apps for Apple platforms using Swift and SwiftUI. For more details of my coding journey take a look at my GitHub profile.

As well as the above, I enjoy writing fiction in both long and short form. I have written several novels, though I have not, so far, managed to get them published. Maybe one day I will bite the bullet and self-publish them. Unfortunately that isn’t something I have the time or the energy for at the moment.