There is a very interesting new book which seems to have received little attention: ‘Home-Grown – How Domestic Violence Turns Men into Terrorists’ This suggests that Terrorism – literally – begins at home. As almost without exception terrorism attacks were carried out by men with histories of domestic violence. Now I haven’t read the book…. Read more
Category:
Politics
Checklist for fascism
Came across this American definition of fascism. Now of course, it is not definitive or even defining. Yet it brought me up with a shudder. I think we should beware because in Europe too, many parties are well on the way… I suggest we should all sit up and take notice. Most of the requirements… Read more
On probation
I came accross this simple chart to summarise the privatisation of much of the probation service which shows what a complete disaster it has been: (Note: CRCs are Community Rehabilitation Companies: NPS is the National Probation Service – the bit that is still state run; TR is Transforming Rehabilitation; MoJ is the Ministry of Justice. Double… Read more
Cash or Data Protection?
This, remarkably, from a recent issue of ‘The Times’ As Sweeden is in the vanguard of the cashless society it just goes to show how completely misleading such an idea is. We might also like to consider whether we really want the payment processors taking their commission percentage on everything – for ever, and knowing… Read more
Insights from the American Elite
Some remarkable insights were disclosed in the FT report of the Milken Institute’s annual gathering of the investment, business and political elites this week in California. I don’t know who these people are but no matter – if they are indeed the elite then they seemed to have garnered marginally more insight than our lot…… Read more
Trying to understand the right wing mind – continued
There is a revealing recent article in the FT where it is suggested that Clare Foges, who was a speech writer for former UK prime minister David Cameron, argued that to help people climb the ladder we should teach them to “emulate the ease and studied informality of the privileged”. Ms Foges has described how,… Read more
Bregrets and Consequences
Well, this is interesting. Cameron asked Junker not to intervene in the referendum. He says if he had not agreed he could have refuted the lies. Which, let’s be frank, were numerous. Would it have been counterproductive? Perhaps, but on balance I tend to think it unlikely, as it is likely to have been a… Read more
Porridge isn’t working
According to Freedom of Information figures published by the ‘Byline Times’ (motto: what the papers don’t say): Thousands of prison officers have been referred for mental health-related assessments in the past year-and-a-half – almost one in eight (12%) of the total number in the role……. ….The figures come at a time when violence in prisons… Read more
EU & UK – Democracy compared
On this basis the World’s oldest Parliamentary democracy has, I think, some improving to do…… Read more
Do Economists know anything?
I attended a short lecture with this provocative title and you may guess the answer from the length of this piece…. A more detailed conclusion was really the old one – yes, but more and more about less and less. Everyone was studying such specialist fields that they had lost sight and certainly understanding of… Read more