Archive for July, 2007
BBC Poll Results Belie Claim Britain Suffers from Rampant Islamophobia
Posted by Nick Cowen in Social Cohesion on 31/07/2007
To mark next month’s sixtieth anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan, earlier this month the BBC Asian Network commissioned a poll of 500 young British citizens of south Asian extraction, aged between 16 and 34. A control group was also polled about the same matters made up of 235 young whites of comparable age currently residing in Britain. However, the results of the poll, whch were published yesterday, leave it unclear how many of these whites were British citizens as opposed to being immigrants from the EU.
The results of the poll make very interesting reading, but not for the reasons the BBC chose to highlight in its account of the poll issued on its website yesterday.
continued on the Centre for Social Cohesion blog.
How much more jousting for national power before the back of the EU is broken?
Posted by James Gubb in European Union on 30/07/2007
Although only just out of the spotlight of the endless reports on the recent ICG mandate (and no, this is not yet another spiel on the dry subject of the EU constitution), Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s nationalist Polish government is again railing against the rulings of EU authorities. While a dispute over the construction of a bypass through the Rospuda Valley might seem somewhat trivial on the surface, it actually cuts deep into that irritating thing the EU has been plagued with time and time again throughout its history: national sovereignty – writes Pippa Knott.
The root of cheating
Posted by Nick Cowen in Education on 27/07/2007
The call to scrap GCSE coursework takes on a new resonance in light of the most recent evidence. An investigation for BBC Radio Five Live, conducted by the Teacher Support Network, has shown that the pressures on schools to raise results has led to widespread cheating.
Theory X or Theory Y?
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 26/07/2007
There is a theory in management, pioneered by Douglas Macgregor in the 1960s, which say that when it comes down to it management basically takes one of two forms.
Theory X management is based on the belief that people will give their best only when under external pressure – they prefer to be directed, have little ambition, don’t like work and don’t want responsibility. A manager’s role must therefore be a preoccupation with coercing and controlling employees in order to get them to do what’s best. Theory Y management, on the other hand, assumes that people will give their best when they are given genuine responsibility and are able to have a sense of pride in their work – people have potential, like working and want to use their natural abilities. A manager’s role is then completely different – to develop potential in employees and help them release their potential for creativity, ingenuity and imagination.
The government and the Department of Health (DH) love to think they go in for Theory Y. It’s the public service ethos. I don’t think you’ll ever hear either of them saying they think NHS staff are fundamentally lazy and don’t really care about patient care unless they have to. But in reality while they pay a lot of lip-service to Theory Y – and may even think they believe it – they somehow can’t resist extending their tentacles. Actions speak louder than words. And the actions have more often than not been symptomatic of Theory X.
National Trust goes green
Posted by Nick Cowen in British History on 25/07/2007
The National Trust is to celebrate reaching a 3.5 million-membership landmark by changing its focus. No longer will it just look after the buildings and artefacts that constitute our national heritage. Now it will “advise people how to adapt their lifestyles to climate change and challenge government to be more ecologically aware.” How is it beginning? By throwing its weight behind opposition against the expansion of Stansted airport.
As it so happens, there are a number of simple things that the National Trust could initiate in order to reduce its own ‘carbon footprint’, if indeed that is to be considered a genuine priority. The most obvious would be to eliminate the farming of animals on all its land. Since, according to the currently popular theory of anthropogenic climate change, world meat consumption is a large contributor to global warming, this would mean the National Trust would reduce its own contribution to climate change and be taking a principled stand for other landowners to follow. Indeed, they could set aside their land not for carbon inefficient British agriculture but to grow more forests to act as carbon sinks. Whether the National Trust will commit do doing this remains to be seen.
The ‘Wisdom’ of Our Lords and Masters
Posted by Nick Cowen in Foreign Affairs on 24/07/2007
‘The noble Lord Hannay … will understand better than most the importance of a united position around the UN principles. Our policy has not changed. We expect Hamas to adhere to the principles set by the Quartet in January 2006. These are to renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept all previous agreements and obligations, as set out in the road map. I hope that it does that and that it takes the opportunity for dialogue and progress, but a political dialogue is impossible as long as Hamas dedicates itself to violence and destruction.’
Thus remarked Baroness Royall of Blaisdon earlier this month in the House of Lords, winding up for the government there a debate on Palestine and the Occupied Territories.
continued on the Centre for Social Cohesion blog.