2020 Comms

2013-05-12T03:04:00.001-07:00

World economies are spoken of as the fastest, on the mend and the slowest; buoyed by innovative recovery strategies - alongside their unintended consequences on World Trade Talks et al - they are endlessly studied.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, recently likened Sir Alex Ferguson's approach to Football Management as perhaps the secret to business success when considering the Global Race.

Amicably resolving differences of opinion was not one of Sir Alex's strengths - throwing the odd boot and hair-drying recalcitrants, more his style; even excommunicating parts of the Media, perhaps others.

Were Prime Minister, David Cameron to emulate such a modus operandi, would he win the Global Race, Europe and the former card-carrying Conservatives who now support UKIP?

London is the fastest growing City in Europe with colossal plans to further enhance its global-investment-advantage status - were Sir Alex to hold such an Ace, what would he do?

Would he, indeed, have had the diplomatic skills to lead World Trade Missions and attract inward investment in the UK? His winning teams included players from the world over.

Would he, indeed, have been able to negotiate commercial terms with the EU whilst walking away from it? His contracted his winning team players and sold them, at his behest - and walked away, without fanfare, when it suited only him with Rooney waiting in the wings for a transfer.

Would he, indeed, show any concern for Clubs snapping at his heals? Did he? Should we? Rule the Waves? Never be Slaves?

QED

Colossally Ambitious: it certainly pays to have influence

2011-10-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Director of the St Paul's Institute Revd Dr Giles Fraser is responsible for the Cathedral's engagement with the City of London as a financial centre and is Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral.

Before arriving at St Paul's he was the Vicar of Putney and prior to that Chaplain of Wadham College, Oxford, where he was also a lecturer in philosophy. He has a PhD in philosophical theology and has published and lectured widely in the philosophy of religion and ethics. He also lectures for the army on moral leadership in war at the Defence Academy, Shrivenham.

Revd Dr Fraser today gave #occupyLSX protesters permission to peacefully assemble on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral having already invited the Police to support his wishes.

It certainly pays to have influence.

"I threw out the Moneylenders for a reason" read one poster held aloft by a gentleman dressed as Jesus wearing a Crown of Thorns.

Basking in the autumn sunshine, a group held a banner "We are the 99%"; who overnight had slept outside Paternoster Square from where they had been banished. The weather forecast for overnight tonight is in single figures.

The omnipresent Twitterati warned "The world is watching"; indeed, in 83 venues around the globe #occupy demonstrations got underway in the name of "the construction of law".

It certainly pays to have influence.

Archbishop Rowan Williams proclaimed last year that "An Ethical approach to economics requires us to move away from the illusion that economics can be considered separately from questions of the health and well-being of the society we inhabit."

Would that politicians were to bring finance and economics into dialogue with Christian ethics and theology; engage those that work in The City, particularly in a financial context, and challenge them to consider their work and actions from a Christian perspective; and help improve financial and economic literacy of Christians in particular and wider society in general.

A space where this important discussion can take place ... ... the curious task of economics?

We're all in this together but for what are we waiting ~ those who lobby the government or its special advisers?

It certainly pays to have influence.

'Time for Action' sign-up: doing a 'Cameron'

2011-08-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

Ian Wright

The recent triple-whammy resignations of David Cameron's Director of Communications, Metropolitan Police Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner created an uncomfortable chasm that was speedily filled.

#Hackgate and the #UKRiots appeared to expose those filled gaps, however, all these and more personal challenges launched Mr Cameron forward off the back-foot to the Despatch Box or outside No 10, yet again, doing an inimitable 'Cameron' ~ quelling table-bangers with majesty, an act that few are able to follow, notably, in his absence.

The Twitterati and the commentariat noise to signal ratio peaked during #Hackgate and #UKRiots. #BBMs ~ the Blackberry encrypted message traffic ~ caused much consternation until #OperationCupOfTea finally kicked-in.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing that provides perspective and time to consider solutions to social ills.

The Mayor's Time for Action mentoring scheme for a minimum of 1,000 black boys aged 10-16 is led by Ray Lewis. If you would like to be a trained volunteer, do please sign-up now.

If, like me, you would like to welcome David Cameron's #Supercop, Bill Bratton to these shores then share it with everyone you know and ask them to do likewise.

Proud to be British, always.

A Thousand Hills : Police, Press & Politicians

2011-07-19T03:31:00.001-07:00

Bailout?

One morning each month, in the land of A Thousand Hills, those who survived the Rwandan Genocide participate together in various social action projects that fall under the 'Umuganda' umbrella; followed by 'Town Hall' meetings in the afternoon sunshine.

Would that such visible camaraderie were encouraged At Home or that the will to do so, was self-evident.

We British are known for our self-effacement and many are unsung heroes who work tirelessly for others ~ demonstrating that The Big Society, if not in name, is the warp and weft of our communities.

Those who survive any war view life through a lens that has beneficial qualities; these veterans help themselves, each other and all without having to be asked.

The Arab Spring uprisings recently drew global geopolitical attention as have some of the many worldwide wars, insurgencies and conflicts.

Our own Armed Forces will benefit from a 1% real terms increase in their equipment budget from 2015-2020 at a cost of £3bn. The Defence Secretary's

aim to increase the number of fully trained reservists from a little more than 20,000 to 35,000 by 2015, costing £1.5bn ~ 'a ratio of 70/30 regular to reserve'.

President Obama is currently working against the clock to get agreement to raise his budget ceiling.

At Home, Police, Press & Politicians' attention is currently diverted to #hackgate suppressing splash headlines, in the wake of the Credit Crunch, of the Eurozone crisis: since the Coalition came into power, some of its powers have been transferred to Brussels, not least, City regulation.

The MPs' expenses debacle was suppressed for thirty years. 'There was some reason to suspect abuse of the system by certain MPs. If a serious abuse were uncovered, it might be necessary to consider prosecuting the MP concerned'. Cabinet Minutes, 14th February 1980.

David Cameron's ultimatum 'quit or be expelled' heralded his action plan that required repayment of MPs' dubious expenses. A handful of MPs were prosecuted and later sent to prison. MPs must now adhere to a new transparent way of working that also excludes 'second homes' for many. QED

Mr Cameron is accompanied on his two-day trade-tour of Africa by 25 business people from major companies, private equity firms and SMEs. Simultaneously, he will make a case to increase aid to 0.7 per cent of GDP.

International Development underlines what can be achieved between peoples, populations and Parties with 'trade' at its essence.

Last week, Mr Cameron attended PMQs, took questions and also announced a handful of Enquiries into #hackgate on the back of arrests and resignations. He added that any necessary prosecutions will take-place.

Meanwhile, Select Committees are taking place today which will be attended by key players in #hackgate accompanied by their legal teams.

The late Sean Hoare, who has been dubbed #hackgate 'courageous whistleblower' died yesterday in unexplained circumstances. May he rest in peace.

The Prime Minister, The Deputy Prime Minister, Home Secretary and The Chancellor of the Exchequer are doubtless in round-the-clock contact; albeit minus a visible Director of Communications.

Tomorrow's PMQs and delayed Summer recess will be telling.

Keep calm and carry on.

John Henley Jasper Heathcote-Williams

2011-07-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

On an Island, Pink Floyd

In 1974, Heathcote Williams, English poet, actor and award winning playwright, and his partner Diana Senior successfully 'sued the Thames Valley Chief Constable for creating a riotous situation in which the police attacked the plaintiffs at the Windsor Free Festival'.

Twenty years later, Pink Floyd's, David Gilmour married Polly Samson, the mother of Heathcote's son, Charlie, whom he adopted.

Seventeen years later, Charlie Gilmour has been jailed for sixteen months for a drink and drugs-fuelled rampage against rises in student tuition fees; he issued a public apology the next day.

The tuition fees' protests themselves had drawn the attention of the media as buildings were attacked and, some, invaded. Protesters were kettled as live television broadcasts' hyperlinks were Tweeted around the world on globally trending hashtags.

Charlie had admitted violent disorder after he was seen hanging from a union flag on the Cenotaph and leaping onto the bonnet of a Jaguar car that formed part of a Royal convoy.

Charlie had turned to drink and drugs after being rejected by his biological father the previous summer, and he had taken LSD and valium in the hours leading up to the violence.

Cambridge don, Charlie has seven siblings, four from David's first marriage and three from his second marriage. He is loved and accepted by his family, as exemplified by his parents' public support since his arrest.

It appears that Charlie's paternal grandfather, Heathcote Williams, was a lawyer and his uncle is a QC and, of course, brother to his father, Heathcote Williams Junior.

Seeking a parent's approval is a sign that you are basing your personality on what they expect of you.

Rejection has a way of destroying a person's life in a way that few other things can ~ creating emotional and spiritual wounds to name a few of these demons.

Rebellion and fabricated personalities ~ being somebody you aren't, in order to be accepted; despite the perception of not fitting in ~ is another of the demons.

None of these are pardonable excuses for Charlie's behaviour albeit it illuminated by these observations.

Prime Minister, David Cameron, has said that where men were unwilling to face up to their family obligations, it was up to the rest of society to make clear that such behaviour was unacceptable. They need the message rammed home to them, from every part of our culture, that what they are doing, is wrong.

Will the real Charlie Gilmour, please stand?

Cushion grip?

2011-07-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

Prof Eileen Munro's responses during a recent House of Commons, Education Committee meeting held on 29th June, excluded an answer to a question regarding Serious Case Reviews; where inadequacies are concerned about a child death case.

I would like to ask whether her answer might have been that members of Safeguarding Boards and the authors of commissioned reports treat 'cases' like hot potatoes ie each member waits on the next and NO person is truly reponsible for co-ordinating advices and/or necessary urgent strategies.

Furthermore, do chairs of Safeguarding Boards have any teeth of their own or just dentures without denture adhesive?

It appears that everyone would benefit were Boards' Minutes to be taken by an independent professional, similar to Hansard reporters.

Live broadcasts of such meetings direct to Ministers who may later re-run the footage would certainly bring transparency to the proceedings.

Safeguarding Boards' chairs report to directors of CSF and, mostly, share offices. How can effective scrutiny of Children Schools and Families directorates and its agencies be carried out by the Safeguarding Boards when its chairs are salaried to CSFs' directorates?

Furthermore, if the Board fails, there are no consequences ~ and certainly not penalties ~ for it or CSF except for yet another ineffective internal review and restructure.

Let's see Safeguarding Boards based in their own offices with truly independent chairs with visible powers to call CSF and agencies into account; also to issue transparent penalties.

As for commissioned reports' authors ... well, News International, Chief Executive Officer, Rebekah Brooks was, apparently, investigating the current News International saga ~ where has it got anyone?

Child protection is everyone's responsibility, including the county councils' heads of legal services who are often members of Safeguarding Children Boards, nationwide.

Notably, one head of legal services who recently pleaded guilty to charges regarding 'child abuse images' over a 25 year period and he was not sent to prison.

Safeguarding children is everyone's responsibility.

Public Interest Reports

2011-03-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

The abolition of the Audit commission might provide a great opportunity for auditing firms to claim a chunk of the estimated £184m of business at stake.

Under Section 8 of the Audit Commission Act 1998, auditors are required to consider whether, in the public interest, they should report on any matter that comes to their attention during their audits of local authorities.

Local audit committees, independent from councils, choose the auditors, and are thereby unlikely to punish firms that raise concerns in the public interest.

Why would any firm wish to issue a report?

Professionalism.

The Welfare State after the Crisis

2011-02-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

Below is an extract of an article arguing that Government 'hunches' are resulting in billions of pounds worth of services being slashed that could be saved with better planning by politicians.

For your chance to look at realistic options for public service reform, attend this half-day seminar at National Liberal Club on 9th March.

*******

The Guardian
Polly Curtis

Coalition cuts being made on basis of 'hunches', says Tory-linked thinktankCentre for Social Justice reports billions of pounds worth of services now suffering cuts could be saved with better planning.

The government is spending £1.2bn a year on tackling drug use, the report says, but is not measuring the effect of this spending.
The government is slashing billions of pounds' worth of services that could be saved if it planned its cuts better, according to a report by a thinktank with close ties to senior Conservatives in the coalition.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) says it has identified a dysfunction in Whitehall where cuts are being made on the basis of "hunches" instead of sound analysis of whether or not a programme is productive.

It suggests that far more efficiency savings could be found if the cuts were properly planned, but as it stands services could be sacrificed unnecessarily.

Civil servants have been given little or no incentives to save money or spend less than their targets, it claims.

The thinktank, which was set up by Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, will publish its report tomorrow.

Duncan Smith is still a patron, and was behind the design of the new benefit systems. The report says the problems in Whitehall are historic and have persisted under successive governments but they are even more crucial to solve as the axe falls on public spending.

The government is spending £1.2bn a year on tackling drug use, but is not measuring the effect of this spending, the report says. One job skills programme – costing £750 for a two-week course – was measured as successful if the person attended every day, not if they got a job.

A local authority chief gave evidence to the report's authors describing a family who were receiving help from 20 different services – from the benefits office to social services – but none were looking for solutions to the family's problems, only maintaining their situation.

Gavin Poole, the executive director of CSJ, said: "Taxpayers' money should tackle real problems and improve people's lives. Too often, there is limited evidence to show this is the case."

The report says: "For decades, spending programmes overseen by successive governments have lacked clear objectives and have been poorly managed and monitored. Ministers have concentrated too much on crude outputs – such as increasing police numbers – and not enough on outcomes – such as cutting crime."

That conclusion will be particularly controversial as the coalition government has scrapped Labour's outcome-based targets and introduced "business plans" for each department, setting out what ministers must ensure their departments do by when.

The £700bn the government spends every year is allocated based on "vague hopes" of improving people's lives, the report says, but not rigorous assessment of the outcomes of policies.

The government has asked Whitehall to shave £81bn from its spending, but it has not set out clear objectives, it says.

The report claims that:

• Policies are not based on sound, researched evidence, the government does not measure its productivity closely enough and further efficiency savings could be found if civil servants put the right measures in place.

• Political priorities warp the government's agenda, meaning ministers focus on the substance of an announcement – and the headlines that run with it – rather than the effect that policy ultimately achieves.

• The civil service is not encouraged to find savings, only to meet spending targets. This encourages a "use it or lose it" mentality to public funding, with no incentive for public sector managers to cut costs further.

"Budgetary negotiations were characterised by a 'fight your corner' mentality," the report says.

"Effective spending decisions require a fundamental change in the way we view public spending. This is a cultural and organisational challenge as much as a technical one.

"To do this will require an important shift across the civil service: to a culture that values transparency and accountability, and incentivises cost-effective delivery and cross-departmental working.

"All of this cannot happen overnight, but much can be achieved quickly – and it needs to, if we are to minimise the impact of public sector cuts on the quality of life in the UK.

"It requires a change to the way government operates, as well as some institutional changes."

Vitality and sustainabilty of local political parties: nation states

2011-01-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

Martin Vickers, the Tory MP for Cleethorpes, made a contribution calling for the Boundary Commission to be given more flexibility in setting constituency boundaries, and in particular for the "extremely foolish" arbitrary number of 600 MPs to be scrapped. He said:

"Those of us who have been involved in politics for many years will have had opportunities to redraw boundaries at various stages and to make submissions to the Boundary Commission. Whether we are dealing with constituency or ward boundaries, the fact is that the jigsaw never fits together. It is a big mistake to put the commission in a straitjacket and to limit it to 600.

"It is important that constituents identify to some extent with the unit of administration in which they live. That applies nationally, and I am a great believer in the idea that the nation state is the ideal unit of government. It also applies at local level. My constituency had the misfortune to be moved into the county of Humberside in the 1970s, and the legacy of that lives on. People deeply resent being moved around in that way.

"I served as a constituency agent for 15 years before my move to the House. I served in the Gainsborough constituency, a large rural Lincolnshire constituency neighbouring mine, and it made me appreciate that identities vary considerably over geographically relatively short distances of 30 or 40 miles. To be perfectly honest, people in Gainsborough had no interest in what happened 30 miles down the road. Incidentally, that constituency, with the exception of one ward, had the benefit of being within one district council area.

"Continually changing boundaries will impact on the vitality and sustainability of local political parties. The democratic process needs viable local parties and associations, but constant boundary changes inevitably impact on their viability. Taking one ward out of a constituency can render the local party virtually bankrupt if the ward’s financial make-up means that it contributes greatly to the party. We need to think seriously about that.

"My hon. Friend the Member for Argyll and Bute (Alan Reid, LD) spoke about the step-by-step increase in the number of Members over the years. Although it is true that there has been an increase, the population itself has grown significantly. I sat in the upper House during its debate yesterday, and I was reminded that there were 33 million electors in 1945. The number of eligible voters has now risen to 45 million. So, although I have no instinctive intrinsic objection to rounding off a reduction in the number, I think that it is extremely foolish to limit it to 600.

"As to the point that my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (John Stevenson, Con) made about reform of the House of Lords, I favour a predominantly elected upper House, and there is an opportunity, as he suggested in his intervention, to consider framing that House so that it clearly identifies with communities, particularly if we go along with what I regard as the misguided course of having 600 seats in the House of Commons."

Well said, Mr Vickers. Self-identifying nation states framed by representatives and communities would be more effective.

Last word to a local resident of Cheshunt North Ward, Broxbourne: "why would the Boundary Commission base its local wards calculations on the 'total registered electorate' for each ward, when this figure clearly does not reflect the number of living in each ward?"

Indeed.

SAVE UK plc, £bns, now

2011-01-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

During a Summer '09 visit to the labyrinthine Feltham Young Offenders Institute, I was struck by the fact that the cost for keeping one such offender under lock and key was £55k for each year of incarceration: many public school masters would like such a budget with which they would, from an enviable vantage point, produce far better outcomes for their own school boarders.

Anonymous Young Offenders, Anywhere

That said, Heron Wing's, 'Project Daedalus' is now just over one-year old; it helps motivated young people in custody by delivering intensive support that goes with them far beyond the prison gates, facilitating successful resettlement in education, employment and training.

Let's make a note that pastoral care, pre and post release, plays a huge role, thus, there is a mountain to climb both at Feltham and countrywide, yes, a not-for-the-faint-hearted, Seven Peaks' challenge.

That said, the first step of this magnificent trailblazing journey, led by Mayor Boris Johnson, has been made with great style, thus one wonders just when our Shire Counties will follow suit?

St Giles Trust's outstanding Real Employment Project complements this work and is commended by many for its award-winning, long-term resettlement values.

St Giles' Integrated Offender Management Programmes go one step further with early intervention projects, whereby community safety teams work together with all stakeholders using Police-led intelligence, to prevent whole families reoffending.

These programmes break several behavioural cycles, simultaneously, and also prevent the reincarceration of our young people whilst putting them on the right track and helping them to stay there.

Let's not waste any more precious time excluding children from school, sending young people to our various offenders' institutions and expecting them to resettle themselves upon release.

Further viewing and reading: BBC HARDTALK Ronnie Thompson

It doesn't work for those dying to belong. It costs UK plc £bns and these costs are growing, exponentially.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Try something different. LOCAL PEOPLE, LOCAL POWER, LOCAL POLITICS

YOU wanna tell police constables which local issues to prioritise?

2010-12-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.street-watch.org.uk/

The Police and Social Responsibility Bill has started its passage through Parliament: the government announced the introduction of legislation that would make the police service more accountable to local people and tackle alcohol related violence by replacing police authorities with directly elected police and crime commissioners.

It marks the next step in the government programme to reduce central bureaucracy, increase democratic accountability and empower local communities.

'What's all this then?'

A bold, dramatic shift of power that includes power over budgets, £122,000 of which will pay for one of the 41 local commissioner's roles planned across the UK.

YOU wanna tell police constables which local issues to prioritise?

You will have to wait until May 2012, however, Civilian Street Patrols empower local communities to make a difference in their own neighbourhoods and your neighbourhood can join in, NOW! You know it makes sense to do the right thing, it is never too late ~ there will always be doomsters.

Critics talk about the perils of politicising policing and the slashing of 20% of Police budgets. Supporters suggest that 96% of the public cannot name the chair of their local police authority and that the public should be trusted to elect who represents them.

Sir Robert Peel, the founder of modern policing, provides an inspiration for community empowerment and engagement in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

'Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police only being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent upon every citizen in the interests of community, welfare and existence.

Follow @murdermap on Twitter for realtime data
'Evenin' all !'

I want YOU to run this Country ~ yes, you can

2010-12-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

In the past two years 1,000,000 young people have voted in the UK Youth Parliament elections. There are over 600 elected representatives, covering 20,000 young people across the UK each. UKYP is the first non-parliamentary body to sit in the House of Commons.

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) enables young people to use their energy and passion to change the world for the better. Run by young people for young people, UKYP gives the young people of the UK, between the age of 11 and 18 a voice, which is heard and listened to by local and national government, providers of services for young people and other agencies who have an interest in the views and needs of young people.

@UKYP on Twitter is where young supporters share their views and images with the Twitteratti using hashtags ~ these topics trend and are reported as they reach sometimes global proportions.

If you would like to become a Member of the Youth Parliament you must be elected by other young people in an official UKYP election.

Any young person who is a resident of the UK, and aged between 11 and 18 years old (inclusive) has the right to stand for election as an MYP and the right to vote for their MYP.

Tryout ~ be an MP for a week ... click here

Each Local Education Authority (LEA) in England represents a Youth Parliament Constituency.

The number of MYPs allocated to each constituency varies depending upon the number of young people who live in that area.

Elections generally take place between December and February each year, so NOW is your chance ~ contact your co-ordinator HERE

Hertfordshire' Co-ordinator is Stephen Madden

Date of election: 10 January - 4 February 2011

Contact: Steve Madden

Tel: 01442 454067

Email: stephen.madden@hertscc.gov.uk Web: www.channelmogo.org

Lee Scott resigns as PPS : the Ayes Have It

2010-12-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Attlee Room, Portcullis House was full of students from Hertford Regional College where I had organised a debate of topical youth issues sponsored by Charles Walker, MP.

Lee Scott MP, Ilford North, who had readily agreed to support the event at which The Anne Frank Trust provided audio-visual resources, including hard-hitting questions that spurned lively debates led by both MPs who later commended the event and its participants.

I felt proud of our MPs because they engaged with the young people in a relaxed manner ~ and the students responded positively showing the best of themselves: the buzz in the room was energising and, more to the point, everlasting.

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” William Butler Yeats.

What a pity that Lee Scott has resigned today as PPS to Rt Hon Philip Hammond (Secretary of State for Transport) as the Tution Fees vote was won by the Ayes with a majority of 21: university fees will now rise, up to £9,000pa.

Lee had made a pledge to voters ahead of the last general election that he would vote against an increase in fees in next Parliament.

Pledge: "We will vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament, and we will put pressure on the Government to introduce a fairer alternative to variable top-up fees"

Lee said 'As a parent I know how expensive it is to support a student through higher education and in these difficult times we must not increase the financial pressures on hard pressed families.'

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg stated recently that up to 60% of graduates will not pay back their loans, in full, due to salary thresholds. Radio 5 (08/12/10).

FACT: It is less likely that a child of parents in a low-income bracket will rise to the top income bracket in 2006 than it was in 1970. Centre for Social Justice.

The coming decade looks promising: last word to our Prime Minister, David Cameron "And because the rich will pay more and the poor will pay less, they will put fairness back at the heart of our university system. Sustainable, competitive and fair. The universities that you want. The universities that I want. And the chance for everyone to go to them, whatever their background or income". Myth busting facts

QED

How Good People Make Tough Choices

2010-12-08T04:53:00.000-08:00

'A thought provoking guide to enlightened and progressive personal behaviour'. Building School Culture™ Workshop ($150/GRO Members/$170/Non-GRO Members) http://t.co/clR0xtu

Today's headlines: "Travesty of our stagnating schools: In a damning indictment of Labour, OECD condemns British education which is now inferior to Estonia's".

Watch 4 videos of top scoring PISA education systems and tell us which impresses you the most? #OECDPISA

Yesterday's headlines: "The number of 16-24-year-olds out of work for more than 12 months has almost doubled in two years to 232,000 - a 16-year high".

Roll-on The Royal Society of Apprentices ...

Sluggish schools coupled with a motionless job market are matters for huge concern (No, Mr Brown, you did not 'save the world') awaiting the elixir of planned reforms.

Without cultures of integrity ~ core ethical values and their common purposes ~ guided by an ethical barometer founded on specific practices, how will these reforms be upheld?

This hidden curriculum of striking a balance of academic rigour and attention to the ethical development of young people, may go some way towards building trust.

Let's bring this hidden curriculum out into the open and help Good People to Make Tough Choices.

This week's #demo2010 by students is not only about the planned rises in university tuition fees, it is about young soon-to-be voters, saying, we do not trust politicians.

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg has just Tweeted: 'I’ll be answering questions on Radio 5live with @vicderbyshire in the next few minutes'.

As I write, Mr Clegg is encouraging a student to go to university, underlining that fees will not have to be paid back until after she graduates, paying £7 per month. She sighs.

Mr Clegg estimates that 60% of graduates will never pay-off their loans, in full, 'due to salary thresholds': this must be a concern to those wishing to balance the books.

'Myth Buster'

Whatever the merits in The Coalition's proposals, the absence of trust between young people and politicians, as evidenced by #demo2010, is clear: winning their trust is certainly proving to be an uphill climb.

Young people in the UK are, unexpectedly, Standing UP, Speaking UP on this topic via #demo2010 when onlookers had ~ judging by responses ~ expected apathy to prevail, the latter being a bedfellow of distrust.

Mr Clegg has 'crossed the fire' to make The Coalition's case on tuition fees and he must surely be commended for facing critics, head-on ~ not least, his Backbenchers who may well oppose the rise in fees and unlike Coalition Ministers who will support it.

Long awaited Parliamentary reforms, heralded by our Prime Minister, are underway.

Benjamin Disraeli “In a progressive country, change is constant, change is inevitable.”

UK Youth Parliament's ongoing drive "to make political education compulsory at Primary and Secondary schools in support of the UK Youth Parliament 'Think Inside The Box' campaign" has been 'closed' ~ the Government's response being 'we believe that it is important that schools teach children about the history of our parliamentary democracy and how our system of government has developed'. News is awaited.

The one thing we can depend on is change: 'ReTweeted' Barclays Capital cuts UK jobs, hires in Singapore. http://bit.ly/fsPpOd We're all poorer without job-creating golden geese #scrapthe50ptax. Fraser Nelson, The Spectator.

Before we criticise the young, we must remember who raised them and who must be held accountable for their current, as yet, unreformed prospects.

Rebirth

2010-11-29T01:07:00.000-08:00

Rio's Complexo de Alemao was 'recaputured' this weekend by 2,600 security forces, making-up for '30 years of neglect' http://gu.com/p/2ydmn/tf following a week of explosive confrontations that have left 50 people dead.

'We are recovering Rio de Janeiro from decades of ills, economic and social crises and political failure'. Sergio Cabral, Rio's governor.

The idea of such an operation here in Great Britain is unthinkable: or is it?
Dying to Belong: An In-depth Review of Street Gangs in Britain (Breakthrough Britain)

The Welfare Reform White Paper launched by Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith plans to make work pay more than being on benefits ~ with one caveat 'if you try, if you co-operate, if we work with you and work pays and you still can't get a job then our duty is to support you'.

Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education plans, as part of Reforms, to offer former troops sponsorship to train as teachers. 'Those who have served in uniform are wonderful examples for our children and as former members of the armed services they have learnt about self discipline and team work; such experience and values will be invaluable in our schools to compliment the great work already being done by many teachers'.

'Ten Years On', Dr Lee Rotherham's book 'Britain without the European Union' imagines a very different future in which we exercise great control over our own affairs in Britain and argues the cost of democracy and the value of our surrendered national sovereignity.

Britain has stepped back from the brink ... let's make the most of the crisis - a unique opportunity to get on your bike!

First Youth Tea Party

2010-11-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

BREAKING NEWS

The first tea party high school movement in America and now the leading tea party youth movement. First Youth Tea Party

Where next?

Storming The Bastille?

2010-11-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

The Chancellor is expected to make a statement in the Commons tomorrow about Britain's offer to make a direct bilateral loan to Ireland as well as contributing to EU and IMF loans: Britain expects to contribute £7billion or more in total.

By the way, does Vodafone owe £6bn to HRMC? It has been reported that "Vodafone is still squirrelling money away in Luxembourg".

'City sources estimate several hundred bankers, all in the 50% tax-bracket, have left the Square Mile in the past 12 months alone'. The Telegraph. Why?

Listen to Prime Minister, David Cameron on his revolutionary ambition to make the UK the most transparent and accountable Government in the world. Your opportunity to hold the Government to account: Opening Up Government

No need to Storm the Bastille, the door is open ... ... ... ...

Powerful, Passionate Petition : The National Young Carers Coalition

2010-11-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Moral Maze: would you be happy to allow any child to carry a 'time-out' card at school to allow them time to manage their own stress levels?

Now read Grant's story and answer the same question.

Employment Law and Safeguarding Children Boards may well disapprove of Young Carers being employed in the home; nonetheless thousands of vulnerable children are 'employed' by their families to care for their complex needs.

Funding announced today for Carers' Breaks is a merely a sticking plaster of little use for a protracted stay in Intensive Care by the 700,000 Young Carers in the UK: £400m

Listen to this young child telling the story of Jonah Master Class for Speechmakers and ask yourself why all children cannot be nurtured in this way in our green and pleasant land, to become their best selves; to give everyone goosebumps as they achieve their goals.

Have these Young Carers been abandoned? By whom? Where are the Community Nurses? Where are the extended families? Where are friends? Where are the neighbours? Where are the volunteers from charities and the charities themselves? Where are the churches?

Camp Nightmare awaits .... those without protection by those with responsibilities to support them ... and it just ain't good enough!

These Young Carers belong to a generation whose prospects are already tenuous given the Comprehensive Spending Review and £bns worth of planned savings.

JLS star Oritse Williams Young Carer is an exception ...

THE NATIONAL YOUNG CARERS' COALITION
Petition's signatories

Carole Cochrane, Chief Executive of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers

Bob Reitemeier, Chief Executive of The Children's Society

Dame Clare Tickell, Chief Executive of Action for Children

Helen Dent, Chief Executive of Family Action

Anne Roberts, Chief Executive of Crossroads Care

Martin Narey, Chief Executive of Barnardo’s
Terri Balon, Acting Chair of Disabled Parents Network

Peter Cooper, Childrens Work Director of YMCA Fairthorne Group

Join us: If you agree that our national and local governments should NOT be allowed to cut funding for services that support Young Carers and their families, so that they are not forced into caring roles that are inappropriate and damaging to their health and wellbeing, then write to:-

Sarah Teather MP, Children's Minister, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

For more information please contact Sarah Ross, PR Manager at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers 07971 848 911 or Sonya Roberts, Head of Communications on 0208 498 7919 0208 498 7919

Making Digital History : our Young Carers

2010-11-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

A young carer is 'someone aged between nine and 18 who takes on the job of looking after family members who have an illness, mental or physical disease or an alcohol or drug problem'.

Sixty-eight percent of the 8,500 Young Carers in Hertfordshire are 'bullied' and twenty-eight percent have 'problems at school': none of these receive any other support than that of the Young Carers in Hertfordshire project. Secret Millionaire

Up to 1,000,000 Avatars will 'march on' Parliament and across supporters' websites today to help shape attitudes and change behaviours about bullying. An amazing e-campaign - perfection. THE BIG MARCH #bigmarch

The Big March culminates in a petition - supported by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, singer Alesha Dixon and cricketer Andrew Flintoff - being delivered to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg calling on government to take action to protect children and young people from violence and harassment by their peers.

Given the Comprehensive Spending Review's impact on Children, Schools and Families' directorates, service levels may not remain in tact: however, these services should be classified as sacrosanct until such time that these vulnerable children and young people are no longer expected to be Young Carers.

The Citizen's Advice Bureau guidance for 'Young People and Employment' describes the general rules and 'what the law says' on this topic with which Safeguarding Children Boards will be familiar. Employment Law

It appears that the young carers' Rights would benefit from Review so that they are safeguarded from the harms they encounter whilst in the throes of the ominous tasks expected of them both at home and then, at school where their circumstances often remain hidden.

Transformation Programmes and scrutiny of these services may well see any of the prospective second chances that these children and young people would have had, withdrawn. Ashes to Ashes.

The Princess Royal Trust for Young Carers Young Carers shares its Patron with the newly formed Royal National Children's Foundation - more news coming soon on RNCF - Her Royal Highness is a tour de force on assisted boarding places for vulnerable children and young people. Three Cheers !!! Assisted Boarding

The Youth Parliament held last month is growing exponentially both in stature and in membership: perhaps Young Carers, Looked After Children and Care Leavers will themselves shape the adroit manoeuvres required to Stand UP, Speak UP!! Youth Parliament

Siblings Together

2010-11-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

Lord Francis Listowel is Patron to 'Siblings Together', a charity that aims to provide opportunities for planned, enjoyable, high quality contact for siblings separated by being in Care.

http://www.siblingstogether.org.uk/news.php

This is achieved initially through holiday camps, with the additional aims of building foundations for continued contact and educating a generation of social workers about the importance of sibling family contact.

The trauma of separation from siblings and the lifelong impact this can have is too often overlooked.

'Some Dogs Bite' http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/vy8b8/ is a powerful expose telling the story of three half-brothers H (18), Casey (14) and baby Severino who have been split up after their mother's death by Social Services.

Casey is in care; Severino has been fostered with a view to adoption, and 'no one really cares what H does'. H, Casey and Severino, an ensemble of overlooked young people find untapped value in themselves and come to understand the heart-breaking strength of family ties.

Together they discover direction in a world that has forgotten about them.

Lest we forget.

http://www.tactcare.org.uk/
http://www.michaelsieff-foundation.org.uk/
Royal National Children's Foundation

'Higher Education on Life Support' #demo2010

2010-11-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, 52,000 Students - 'aka The Big Society', noted one Tweet -marched peacefully on Parliament to protest their views on 'unfair tuition fees' under the auspice of Twitter hashtag #demo2010 ... Blackberry and iPhone traffic erupted whilst the students remained sanguine.

BTW, 96% of those aged 14-18 are engaged in social media...and these teenagers will all be voting in 2015.

Redtop, The Sun blazoned 'Coalition plans to cut university funding and charge students up to £9,000 per year in tuition fees from 2012'.

President, NUS, Aaron Porter declared “I will announce that we will initiate a ‘right to recall’ against any MP who breaks their pledge on tuition fees.” cc Nick Clegg MP.

Listen to the Deputy Prime Minister's podcast:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/statements/dpm/university-funding-reform101106.aspx

A call to 'respect student anguish about fees' was Tweeted by Robert Halfon MP who likened his disappointment, as a coterie of agents provocateurs burnt their banners in front of Millbank, (Conservative Campaign Headquarters) to 'burning books in 1930s'.

Suddenly, the mood changed - CCHQ was under seige, broken windows and furniture, grafitti, fires on 4th floor and a fire extinguisher dropped from the roof, narrowly missing onlookers.

Truly shocking behaviour, by a goaded minority determined to 'be heard'.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson added 'Appalling abuse of the right to protest by a small minority today. Intolerable. They will face the full force of the law'.

'Another Tweet 'rightwing lobbyists use power lunches and high level briefings ... the left still just destroy property and use violence'.

It doesn't have to be like this.

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example, in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Today, Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work & Pensions made a Statement on Welfare Reforms in The House of Commons which was broadly welcomed and supported by The Opposition.

Mr Duncan Smith, founded The Centre for Social Justice and published in, 2007, a Report entitled "Breakthrough Britain: Educational Failure". "We believe that educational inequality matters and government needs to place far more emphasis on the most underachieving pupils in our education system to improve social justice and social mobility"

http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/default.asp?pageRef=311

Tim Loughton MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children (Tower Block of Commons fame) has 'won battle within government to keep majority of est. £400m Big Society Bank fund for projects that would benefit young people'.

Let's ask ourselves this question: if tuition fees' rises are kept under control for, say, Chinese students in the UK whilst curbing visa scams/bogus colleges, then David Willet's Higher Education White Paper (due to be published later this winter) will surely accommodate Nick Clegg's promises made Yesterday, In Parliament: 'those who earn the least will pay the least' and 'the bottom 25% of students will pay less than they do, at the moment'.

Yes, the bottom 25% of students will pay less than they do, at the moment. QED

What Nick Clegg told Oxford graduate Portia about rising tuition fees 17/11/10

Using the democratic processes to influence decision makers will win the day ie lobby, by writing to Rt Hon David Willets MP, Minister for Universities & Science, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA Email: willettsd@parliament.uk with your views.

Opportunities to influence the making of Bills is clarified here:-
http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/flash-passage-bill/

http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/5354

Treat a man as he is, he will remain so. Treat a man the way he can be and ought to be, and he will become as he can be and should be. Goethe

Trailblazing is the way to go

2009-12-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

Offending and efficiency savings are not usual bedfellows unless savings are generated by reducing the numbers of offenders who may have also become homeless, take drugs/drink and re-offend throughout their lives thus being wholly dependant upon the State from cradle to grave: broken families being the additional outfall with additional costs and, equal misery.

CDRPs, DCTPs and RAGs must tackle local, cyclical inter-generational criminal and anti-social behaviours: let's complement current initiatives through a Vigilance Programme of Integrated Offender Management by way of a pilot study that will seek to reduce re-offending. Now.

The package of support and enforcement, will be delivered by a partnership between the Police, the Community Safety Team and a specialist team that supports offenders based at a Police Station.

It works - be brave.

http://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/

Charter of Rights for children in care!

2009-08-24T08:13:00.001-07:00

For what are we waiting?

There are currently 61,000 looked-after children in care and a further 323,000 children in need of care in England, who are supported in their families or independently by local authorities. The combined total of 384,000 is equivalent to 5% of all English children. A further 5,000 children are permanently excluded from mainstream schools and are housed in residential special referral units.

Sadly, the academic performance of most children in care is poor, with only 12.6 per cent of children in care for a year or more obtaining five good GCSE in any subject in 2007, compared to close to 62 per cent for all children.

The Government's 2007 White Paper 'Care Matters: Time for Change' recommended a number of positive steps to improve the education of children in care. However, even bolder steps are needed to ensure that children in care receive the education they deserve.

As well as the 61,000 permanently looked-after children in England at any one time, a further 25,000 children spend at least some time being looked after during the year. Government figures reveal that the total annual cost of looking after them is £2.4 billion, or approximately £40,000 per child.

A study by the London Schools of Economics shows that the real costs of failing to look after our vulnerable children is close to £10 billion a year including such costs as apprehending and incarcerating young offenders who were in care, as well as welfare and health costs.

Some 41,700 of these children are placed with foster carers, 5,700 are living in children's homes, with a further 7,000 placed with relatives. The Fostering Network estimates there is a shortage of at least 8,000 foster families. The total annual cost of a child in foster care is close to £20,000 per child, with some independent fostering agencies charging up to £50,000 per child. The foster carer, however, typically receives only £200 per week or £10,000 per year of this amount. The balance of the £40,000 is used for administrative costs.

First reform, responsibility for mentoring the children and supervision of foster parents should be moved from social services department to the schools attended by the children. Each school would assign responsibility for mentoring children in care to a particular teacher.

Second reform, we need to provide more special needs boarding schools for looked after children with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties, similar to the schools run by the Priory Group.

Third reform, better training for foster parents.

Many children in care are moved several times a year. One way to reduce this turnover with its damaging impact on the children is to provide better training for foster parents.

Fourth reform, provision of boarding school places for children in care.

It is acknowledged that boarding schools would only be able to accept a small proportion of the total number of children in care. Nevertheless, even a 5% target or 3,000 places would be a great step forward. We currently have 34 state boarding schools with some 4,000 boarders with the average annual boarding charge being £7,000per year, plus a tuition fee of £6,000 paid by the local authority.

This is much less than the cost of a foster family placement and dramatically less than the cost of residential care, although additional arrangements would need to be made for school holidays. Charities, such as the Royal Wanstead Children's Foundation, Christ's Hospital and JET, arrange for hundreds of vulnerable children to attend independent boarding schools.

The Royal Wanstead Children's Foundation has recently published a research study on how boarding schools can transform the lives of vulnerable children 'Breaking Through: How Boarding Schools can transform the lives of vulnerable children'. Copies can be obtained from the Royal Wanstead Children's Foundation.

In addition to the state boarding schools, many independent preparatory and secondary boarding schools have indicated their willingness to accept children in care for the same fee (£7000 boarding and £6000 tuition per year) as charged by state boarding schools – this would be £7000 less than the cost of foster care.

It is of course accepted that vulnerable children should only be placed in a boarding school with the consent of the school, the child and the family or guardian. Clearly, children in care with severe behavioural problems cannot be placed in a regular boarding school since they would disrupt the education of the other pupils. Such children belong in residential special schools such as the Priory special needs boarding school. 1,100 looked-after children are already placed in residential special schools, some on a 52 week per year basis.

The Government has launched a pilot initiative to place children in care in boarding schools, but sadly progress has been very slow to date.

For what are we waiting?

http://www.raa-school.co.uk/index.asp

Charter of Rights for children in care

The right of every child to be assigned an adult mentor who must be consulted on issues affecting a particular child, such as change of foster family or school. Children would only be able to contact their mentor by mobile telephone number and would not be given the home telephone or address of their mentor;
Better monitoring of children in care;

Each authority should be required to publish annual data on the children in their care to include information on how many children had changed either foster parents or schools, their examination results and statistics on those staying in full time education.

Where possible, children in care should be given the possibility of being placed in a boarding school.

For an improvement in the care given to looked-after children, it will be necessary to achieve fundamental changes in attitude in the way local authorities' social services department handle vulnerable children.

Their educational progress and not just their physical welfare must be made the priority. We must continue to press for better integration between educational and social care services.

Now.

Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire

2009-07-29T01:53:00.000-07:00

On average, one parent is now sent to prison every fortnight for up to three months if their kids bunk off.

Seven months pregnant, Rose Connor from Northampton was jailed because her teenage son kept missing lessons.

Parents also face parenting orders, penalty fines, parenting classes as well as prosecution.

More children than ever before are skipping school with 60,000 playing truant every day in Britain.

In 2009, Minister of State for Schools & Learners, Vernon Coaker MP oversaw truancy rates hitting an 11-year high despite the government spending more than a billion pounds to keep kids in class: last autumn, 60,700 primary and secondary pupils missed classes.

Sickness and family holidays are the most common reasons, according to data from the government, however, Beatbullying also say thousands of pupils stay away from school every day because of bullying: one third of all truancies.

Britain's family breakdown bill is £20 billion pa - this, in turn, fuels the annual cost of crime - £60 billion; drug and alcohol abuse - £40 billion; and educational failure £20 billion.

Chris Melville is the attendance officer at Shoeburyness High School in Essex. She goes out every morning to find children who regularly do not turn up to class and says they are often embarrassed when teachers turn up at their homes.

She said: "It's quite amusing when you go up to their bedrooms and they're asleep, they open their eyes and see me standing there, it's quite a bit of a shock for them. "That actually works because they are a bit embarrassed when they come in later in the day to know that I have seen them in their superman pyjamas."

Despite a 50% increase in education expenditure since 1997, Britain has one of the highest levels of educational inequality in the Western world and the attainment of our lowest achievers has not improved significantly since 1998.

It is less likely that a child of parents in a low-income bracket will rise to the top income bracket in 2006 than it was in 1970

It really doesn't have to be this way.

Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.

Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Michael Gove MP aka 'one man thinktank' has advocated the introduction of a Swedish-style voucher system, whereby parents can choose where their child should be educated, with the State paying what they would have cost in a state-school. It aims to facilitate parental choice, regardless of their financial circumstances, and introduce competition in an effort to drive up standards.

The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP puts social breakdown at the heart of British Politics. http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/default.asp?pageRef=339

Let's go!

Vive la difference

2009-07-26T04:29:00.001-07:00

Today's Sunday Times quotes Theresa May MP and Nadine Dorries MP respectively, 'Tory women are less interested in dirty tricks and backstabbing but "dull men" are preferred by party leaders'. 'It’s true that leaders of all political parties prefer to promote dull men over interesting women. It’s safer. Women tend to be more passionate and they [the men] don’t know how to handle that'.

In seeking an answer to the question why 'dull men' are preferred by party leaders, it would be essential to take a panoramic view of MPs: would that there were time.

On occasions, in both Places, debates appear to lack activity and some individuals appear uninterested, sometimes taking power-naps: Ayrton Light often shining late into the night, it must be said.

By contrast, PMQs are broadcast live on breaking news channels.

The potential cost of politicians' breakdown could prove to be as expensive as the cost of family breakdown to this country which is not simply met by the £20 billion bill we collect each year.

(Family breakdown also fuels the annual cost of crime - £60 billion; drug and alcohol abuse - £40 billion; and educational failure - £20 billion.)

The track record of political parties, certainly evidences the preference for male politicians, however, times are changing http://www.women2win.com/

Dull is as dull does. Vive la difference !

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Conservative Party Conference, Centre for Social Justice, Fringe Events: http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/default.asp?pageRef=371