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The Servant of the People
This book describes the 18 years during which Den Dover had the privilege to serve the people of Chorley, in Lancashire, as their Member of Parliament. He entered Parliament in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and left in 1997 when Tony Blair won a massive victory for New Labour.
Where the author has omitted to mention certain happenings, it has been in an effort to focus the minds of readers on the important matters – not to obscure what really happened. Indeed, Den’s main aim has been to allow readers to make up their own minds on the very important principles, procedures and proceedings described.
Underpinning everything else is the overwhelming requirement for elected representatives of the people to act in the best interests of all their constituents. They should never seek to benefit, financially or otherwise, from being granted the greatest honour in life, namely to work on behalf of their constituents.
At all times, elected representatives must listen to the needs of the people they represent and deal with their problems to the best of their abilities.
£17.99 -
A Piece of the Action
What is it like to spend a lifetime doing research in a wide variety of fields in the physical sciences? Studying distant planets, binary stars, neutron stars, stellar mass black holes and active galaxies using optical and near-infrared ground-based telescopes. Designing and constructing equipment as a member of international teams studying the high-energy X-ray emissions from many of these objects. Flying these detectors on short duration sounding rocket flights, utilising huge balloons to carry experiments to high altitude, or installing them on long duration satellite missions. Being a scientist engaged in fieldwork studying the physical properties of the world’s oceans, or the sea ice and glaciers around the coastline of Antarctica. This lifetime involved living in the UK and Australia for many years, with a four-year interlude in the USA, as well as working in or visiting many other countries. How lucky can you get?
This book describes numerous projects in an unusually diverse range of research areas – the fun and adventure of STEM activities – without getting into excessive technical or specialist detail.
£38.99 -
Living the Dream!
This is the story of my life, from childhood struggles with polio to leaving home at seventeen for an apprenticeship with British Aircraft Corporation, working on the iconic Concorde. My career path took me through Westland Helicopters and British Rail, before a 22-year career at British Airways in London, where I became a Senior Airline Engineer, licensed to maintain a fleet of company aircraft.
After that, I turned to flying for pleasure and eventually became a Chief Flying Instructor, starting my own flying school. Over 36 years of training pilots, I experienced fourteen engine failures, three near misses, and two bird strikes—the most dramatic being a fight with a buzzard that smashed through the windscreen, hitting my student in the face, leaving him with a black eye and a split lip, and ending up draped around his neck like a scarf. I also survived a cockpit fire shortly after takeoff that burned my left leg.
Then there’s the story of a mild-mannered, religious pilot who became a good friend. He once told me about the day his ejection seat failed during a jet spin-out, sending him plummeting toward the ground. Resigned to death, he was saved by a voice in his head that he believed was God, offering the solution just in time.
£15.99