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This page represents only my own views, and not those of any university or other body. Posted Friday 6th September 2013 Small island "We are very proud of everything we do as a small island - a small island that has the sixth-largest economy, the fourth best-funded military, some of the most effective diplomats, the proudest history, one of the best records for art and literature and contribution to philosophy and world civilisation." What about science, Dave? 0 comments Posted Thursday 5th September 2013 at 12.54pm IDS making stuff up There's an idea for a tumblr there... anyway here's the latest incident (Zoe Williams, Guardian). Again, headteachers crop up to give compelling evidence with no numbers. "One head told us, 'in the vast majority of cases a lack of aspiration explains variation in outcomes'." It's handy that they're all anonymous, isn't it? Even if there were something worth checking in that statement, who would you go to? In fact, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published comprehensive research on parental expectation last year, showing only a weak correlation between that and "outcomes", and pointing out mildly that parents often calibrate their expectation to the abilities of their child. But who needs a large-scale study when you've got an anonymous head? It is the stock-in-trade of this thinktank and the MPs it sweeps along with it, to jerk itself off over the imagined moral deficiencies of the poor, so that their circumstances become a consequence of their unfitness – as parents first, and ultimately, as people. But vigilance is needed outside this pocket of prejudice, to make sure this portrait of an underclass doesn't become the backdrop that we all accept. 0 comments Posted Thursday 5th September 2013 at 8.08am The biggest decision A great article by Will Self. 0 comments Posted Friday 30th August 2013 at 4.20pm Syria This article is great. 1 comment Posted Wednesday 28th August 2013 at 8.40am Let them eat mange tout "You might remember that scene in Ministry Of Food, with the mum and the kid eating chips and cheese out of Styrofoam containers, and behind them is a massive TV. It just didn’t weigh up." “I meet people who say, 'You don’t understand what it’s like.’ I just want to hug them and teleport them to the Sicilian street cleaner who has 25 mussels, 10 cherry tomatoes, and a packet of spaghetti for 60 pence, and knocks out the most amazing pasta." Yeah... there are people who have no idea how best to feed themselves and their families on a budget. By all means try to address that problem, Jamie - though there are lots of other people who got there first, you'll probably get more attention than them. But don't impose your priorities on other people. Maybe a TV is cheapest way to keep the kids entertained. Or maybe the TV allows them to see programmes that tell them how best to feed themselves and their families on a budget. Anyway, chips and cheese taste nice, and if you'd tried to get me to eat mussels or cherry tomatoes when I was 8, you'd've been waiting a while. Besides, where can I get 25 mussels round here for 60p? I'd probably struggle with £6. And this local market you mention that sells loose mange tout - where is it and when am I supposed to go there? I sometimes go to a market stall on a Saturday morning to buy my fruit and veg for the week, and it regularly costs me 6 or 7 quid, just for enough for me. Yes, I can buy in smaller quantities than the supermarket, but those smaller quantities are sometimes more expensive, and it's difficult to know how much I'm spending until it all gets weighed at the end. The stall doesn't sell mange tout. And some of the veg will go off within a couple of days. The only place I can go to replenish my supplies is the supermarket, because it's the only place open after I finish work. If I can't follow your advice, and I live a comfortable life on a good wage with flexible working hours and own a car, what chance do others stand? Some people have got their priorities wrong, but you aren't going to fix that with a cookery show. If you want us to buy veg in smaller quantities, lobby the supermarkets (I believe you have some influence there) to stock more loose veg, with sets of scales nearby so that we can see how much we're spending. It's not difficult, it's cheaper and more convenient, and it saves on packaging. Pukka. 1 comment Posted Tuesday 9th July 2013 at 9.36am TPOTY Some of these photos are absolutely stunning. 0 comments Posted Friday 31st May 2013 at 11.30am Kinder surprise! On a lighter note, this made me snort with laughter. 0 comments Posted Friday 31st May 2013 at 8.34am May in the Meadows May in the Meadows is hardly the Wind in the Willows. (Brian Milligan, BBC News) Rachel gets paid at the end of each month. By the beginning of the following month, all her salary has already gone on rent and bills. She survives to the next payday on £140 of tax credits and £134 child benefit. She owes £2,500 in energy bills but is slowly managing to pay that off. Rachel does not count herself as being poor, though. As proof, she mentions that her daughter goes to Brownies, and her son plays football. She says she is fortunate compared with many others living in the Meadows. There is some good news in the Meadows. A new food bank has opened and that means there is less shoplifting. "Shoplifting for basics - milk and bread - has gone down since the food bank started," says Sharon Mills. "Because if your kids are hungry, you will go stealing," she insists. But the squeeze on people's incomes this year will continue to make life tougher. "There is a breaking point. People are being pushed over the edge. They're suicidal." 0 comments Posted Thursday 30th May 2013 at 6.37pm ...and us Sticking with the closer to home theme, this article by John Harris in the Guardian is worth reading. 0 comments Posted Wednesday 29th May 2013 at 1.04pm The Middle East - and us Here is a thought-provoking article from Simon Jenkins in the Guardian. The key paragraph is this one: War holds a terrible appeal for democratic leaders. Most of Europe's rulers have other matters on their hands, but Britain and France, two nations whose ancient empires carved up the Levant between them, cannot keep out of it. They see national interest and danger where none exists. They cannot relieve Syria's agony, yet hope some vague belligerence might bring relief. A gloomy message for sure. On matters closer to home, the following caught my eye. America and Britain have portrayed [Al-Qaida] as an all-powerful enemy, apparently lurking in support of every anti-secularist rebellion. Cameron calls it "an existential terrorist threat… to inflict the biggest possible amount of damage to our interests and way of life". Yet stabbings and bombings do not constitute an "existential threat". The UK is a stronger culture than Cameron appears to believe. There is no threat to its existence, while the chief damage being done to its way of life comes from the incompetence of its government. 0 comments
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