Carry on Communities : Postscript
No Peace for the Wicked Blair Wizard
For the full story of how what follows came about, please read the pantomime in full in this and my other blogs.
Happy New Year...
"It's been a disaster !", said the wicked Blair Wizard as he prepared to conjure up the demon, Peter Mephistopheles. "Frankly, the only good thing is Gordon Brown's expulsion to a remote Scottish island. John Prescott should have gone by now. But worse, by far the worst of all, is that Clare Short is now heading up the new English Parliament in Birmingham : a mother of all parliaments indeed. My dreams of becoming first British President, with Cherie as First Lady - the beginnings of a great political Blair dynasty - are all come to nothing..."
At this instant, Peter Mephistopheles, attired in elegant designer horns and forked tail, appeared in a large puff of smoke.
"....We had a deal, Mephistopheles", said Blair Wizard, " and now my plans are all come to nothing !".
To which Mephistopheles responded : "Well, you should recall the old soviet saying : 'Plan too much and things go wrong". Although in your case, you had the wrong plans, certainly as regards land use planning, and those misnamed Communities Plans. The fact is the British don't like US, anymore than soviet-style planning". He continued : "Anyway Blair, I've enough of my own problems. Gordon "Big Clunking Fist" Brown and John "Falstaff" Prescott have upset all sorts of people in the underworld, including a number of important European friends, and its only my great diplomacy which maintains order down there just now. You, of all people, Blair should know that's there no peace for the wicked !"
With these words, Mephistopheles once again disappeared in a large puff of smoke.
"There he goes up in smoke yet again !", said Blair : "Still, I'm sure there will be a great opportunity for me somewhere in the global media industry, spinning stories around the world. I've still got friends in high places !"
And then a voice spoke, as if from the wilderness : "Yo Blair ! We still gotta whole lotta community-building to do. Wars and environmental disasters are good for the re-construction business".
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Some Seasonal Saturnalia
I was reflecting overnight on whether the inclusion of an E-Pantomime in my everyday reality blog might have breached decorum in some way. However, I am reminded that this is the season of the Saturnalia, heralded, according to some accounts, by the Sun's entry into Capricornus, the Saturnalian sign of the Goat (which is today). In the Saturnalia, a Roman Festival, also linked with the coming of the Christmas Fool, the Mystery Plays and with the Cult of Misrule (Shakespeare's Falstaff is the embodiment of the latter). These festivities have in common the casting away of normal social rules and conventions, for a limited period of time, probably until the early New Year. Enjoy !
I was reflecting overnight on whether the inclusion of an E-Pantomime in my everyday reality blog might have breached decorum in some way. However, I am reminded that this is the season of the Saturnalia, heralded, according to some accounts, by the Sun's entry into Capricornus, the Saturnalian sign of the Goat (which is today). In the Saturnalia, a Roman Festival, also linked with the coming of the Christmas Fool, the Mystery Plays and with the Cult of Misrule (Shakespeare's Falstaff is the embodiment of the latter). These festivities have in common the casting away of normal social rules and conventions, for a limited period of time, probably until the early New Year. Enjoy !
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Carry On Communities
An E-Pantomime in Four Acts
Draft 1
Prologue : The Big Clunking Fist (see blog below)
Act 1 : The Children of Tescograd (see blog below)
Act 2 : The Court of the Red Tar (see : http://www.the-edge-of-town.blogspot.com/ on 20.12.2006)
Act 3 : The Witch of Worcester (see : http://www.jan8stone.blogspot.com/ on 21.12.2006)
Act 4 : The Charter of the Forest (see : http://www.the-green-man-project.blogspot.com/ on 22.12.2006)
Epilogue : Vision of Britain 2107 (see : http://www.the-green-man-project.blogspot.com/ on 22.12.2006)
Summary
"More faults are committed while we are trying to oblige than while we are trying to give offense". Tacitus
England is being terrorised by a Scottish giant known as the Big Clunking Fist, expelled from his home country which now has an independent government. However, the pantomime's action takes place mainly around the City of Worcester (now known as Tescograd), in the West Midlands, and its underworld - think Middle Earth ! - where the Red Tar (Sinbad Prescottt) holds his Court (think dysfunctional Office of the Deputy Prime Minister or ODPM).
The pantomine's hero, Simon Simpleman is a sort of hobbit (the people of Worcestershire provided something of the inspiration for Tolkien's hobbits) in whose heart lives on the true spirit of liberalism (small "l" and nothing to do with the Liberal-Democrats). Simon sets out with his faithful friend, Boris the Cat (formerly a Russian intelligence officer) , to discover the real meaning of regeneration and community, but he must first disarm The Court of the Red Tar.
This task accomplished, the hero seeks counsel from the Witch of Worcester who resides in the centre of the city. Amongst other challenges, she tasks him with regeneration of the ancient forests of Worcestershire, and the creation of a New Charter of the Forest. This Charter will in its turn provide the foundation for the long prophesied "Sustainable Communities", and act as catalyst for the regeneration of the "Great Brownlands", or the Birmingham conurbation.
Prologue : The Big Clunking Fist
Fi Fi Fo Fum
I smell the funds of an Englishman
Be he alive of be he dead
I'll have his money for my bread !
(based upon a well-known English nursery rhyme)
Under the Big Clunking Fist's reign of terror (Traffic Rules OK !), of which deregulation of the land use planning system is a key part, England has become a wasteland of suburbs and supermarkets, epitomised by the recent re-naming of Worcester as Tescograd....
Act 1 : The Children of Tescograd
Let's all work in Tesco's, let's all work in Tescos
Tra La La La, Tra La La
Let's all work in Tesco's, where we all buy our best clothes
Tra La La La, Tra La La
(based upon a song sung by local teenagers in what was Worcester).
The hobbit Simon Simpleman was in conversation with his faithful friend Boris the Cat, when the two heard a loud bang. "Another road traffic accident !", they both said simultaneously.
Sure enough, not far from their humble dwelling was a pile of metal and what appeared to be the remains of several teenagers. "These young people seem to have lost the will to live" said Simon. "I have not met an adult under 25 in recent years whose friends have not been seriously injured or killed in a road traffic accident. Moreover, the situation seems to be getting worse. What are we to do about it Boris ?".
Boris thought long and hard, as was his wont, and with an inscrutable expression said : "We must visit the Court of the Red Tar. My intelligence - old friends in MI5 you know ! - suggests that this can be accessed through an opening to the underworld below Junction 6 of the M5.
One of a number of an ancient oak trees near Junction 6 holds the key to this gateway. We must descend into the underworld and disarm the office of Sinbad Prescott, or the "Red Tar" as he has become known".
Simon smiled : "It all sound very "James Bond" to me Boris, particularly as there are plans for something of a "Casino Royale" nearby, but I feel that we two have been chosen by the ancestral spirits of these parts - ancient Britons, Saxons and all that - for this task. The City of Worcester and her surrounding countryside must somehow be restored to their former glories, and the shadows of Tescograd and all this represents be overturned, once and for all !"
With these words they set off upon a mission which seemed all but impossible.
To be continued @ www.the-edge-of-town.blogspot.com on 20.12.2006
An E-Pantomime in Four Acts
Draft 1
Prologue : The Big Clunking Fist (see blog below)
Act 1 : The Children of Tescograd (see blog below)
Act 2 : The Court of the Red Tar (see : http://www.the-edge-of-town.blogspot.com/ on 20.12.2006)
Act 3 : The Witch of Worcester (see : http://www.jan8stone.blogspot.com/ on 21.12.2006)
Act 4 : The Charter of the Forest (see : http://www.the-green-man-project.blogspot.com/ on 22.12.2006)
Epilogue : Vision of Britain 2107 (see : http://www.the-green-man-project.blogspot.com/ on 22.12.2006)
Summary
"More faults are committed while we are trying to oblige than while we are trying to give offense". Tacitus
England is being terrorised by a Scottish giant known as the Big Clunking Fist, expelled from his home country which now has an independent government. However, the pantomime's action takes place mainly around the City of Worcester (now known as Tescograd), in the West Midlands, and its underworld - think Middle Earth ! - where the Red Tar (Sinbad Prescottt) holds his Court (think dysfunctional Office of the Deputy Prime Minister or ODPM).
The pantomine's hero, Simon Simpleman is a sort of hobbit (the people of Worcestershire provided something of the inspiration for Tolkien's hobbits) in whose heart lives on the true spirit of liberalism (small "l" and nothing to do with the Liberal-Democrats). Simon sets out with his faithful friend, Boris the Cat (formerly a Russian intelligence officer) , to discover the real meaning of regeneration and community, but he must first disarm The Court of the Red Tar.
This task accomplished, the hero seeks counsel from the Witch of Worcester who resides in the centre of the city. Amongst other challenges, she tasks him with regeneration of the ancient forests of Worcestershire, and the creation of a New Charter of the Forest. This Charter will in its turn provide the foundation for the long prophesied "Sustainable Communities", and act as catalyst for the regeneration of the "Great Brownlands", or the Birmingham conurbation.
Prologue : The Big Clunking Fist
Fi Fi Fo Fum
I smell the funds of an Englishman
Be he alive of be he dead
I'll have his money for my bread !
(based upon a well-known English nursery rhyme)
Under the Big Clunking Fist's reign of terror (Traffic Rules OK !), of which deregulation of the land use planning system is a key part, England has become a wasteland of suburbs and supermarkets, epitomised by the recent re-naming of Worcester as Tescograd....
Act 1 : The Children of Tescograd
Let's all work in Tesco's, let's all work in Tescos
Tra La La La, Tra La La
Let's all work in Tesco's, where we all buy our best clothes
Tra La La La, Tra La La
(based upon a song sung by local teenagers in what was Worcester).
The hobbit Simon Simpleman was in conversation with his faithful friend Boris the Cat, when the two heard a loud bang. "Another road traffic accident !", they both said simultaneously.
Sure enough, not far from their humble dwelling was a pile of metal and what appeared to be the remains of several teenagers. "These young people seem to have lost the will to live" said Simon. "I have not met an adult under 25 in recent years whose friends have not been seriously injured or killed in a road traffic accident. Moreover, the situation seems to be getting worse. What are we to do about it Boris ?".
Boris thought long and hard, as was his wont, and with an inscrutable expression said : "We must visit the Court of the Red Tar. My intelligence - old friends in MI5 you know ! - suggests that this can be accessed through an opening to the underworld below Junction 6 of the M5.
One of a number of an ancient oak trees near Junction 6 holds the key to this gateway. We must descend into the underworld and disarm the office of Sinbad Prescott, or the "Red Tar" as he has become known".
Simon smiled : "It all sound very "James Bond" to me Boris, particularly as there are plans for something of a "Casino Royale" nearby, but I feel that we two have been chosen by the ancestral spirits of these parts - ancient Britons, Saxons and all that - for this task. The City of Worcester and her surrounding countryside must somehow be restored to their former glories, and the shadows of Tescograd and all this represents be overturned, once and for all !"
With these words they set off upon a mission which seemed all but impossible.
To be continued @ www.the-edge-of-town.blogspot.com on 20.12.2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Common Sense Consulting
I am neither particularly accommodating nor tolerant of other people. Therefore it always comes as something of a surprise to me to say that I have never worked with anyone whom I would regard as stupid. Indeed, I have often stood up for people whom others have regarded as incompetent because I knew that with the right supervision - and sometimes training - these individuals could perform well (and often as well if not better than the people who were regarded as good at their jobs). Equally surprising to me is the constant whinging from employers about the problems of younger (and older) ,workers and the lack of people available to do particular jobs, whether skilled or unskilled, amongst UK nationals. As something of a networker (a highly skilled one in fact) I know there are plenty of people around for all manner of work, provided you aren't prejudiced against, for example, people with too few or to many qualifications, and with too little or too much experience, or those who "don't seem to fit" a particular context : something which seems to be more important these days for some reason.
In my professional and working life, I tend to view people objectively. Everyone has their strong and weak points. Equally, people whom I would not seek out as friends make perfectly good work colleagues (and vice versa). This is not to say that I do not have good friends amongst people with whom I also have professional relationships, but one type of relationship need not assume another. In fact, some of my most enduring and successful business relationships are with people I know little of personally. Friendship is inevitably subjective and, lets face it, friends often fall out over subjective things. The good thing about professional and working relationships is that they generally occur within an enterprise (whether commercial, social or some combination of the two) which gives them some objective structure and, indeed, objectives.
As mentioned earlier, I have noticed a growing pre-occupation amongst employers, and also workers, with recruiting people who "fit in" with them. This may have something to do with the New Labour administration which has "cascaded down" into the wider community. The need for people to "fit in" has certainly, from my perspective, gained momentum in recent years, and, I would argue, is a often a more important requirement - for consultants as well as employees - than hard skills and experience. At the higher level of decision-making, I will call it, this "fitting-in" often accompanies a certain requirement for "group think" when major investments with an equally major public interest dimension, for instance, are being embarked upon. On the office or shop floor, "fitting in" often has more to do with shared life circumstances and/or outlook. On balance, there is a strong presumption in favour of family-orientated people (even amongst the young and "gay") of conventional values - which may be one reasons why Polish workers are so well regarded - who attach considerable importance, consciously or unconsciously, to group "equilibrium".
Is this all a good thing ? Not from my perspective, professionally and, for that matter, personally. One of the most worrying trends I have observed is what could be described as "a requirement for the willing suspension of common sense", or put another way, organisations of all types increasingly require a certain aptitude for stupidity. Let me provide an example. Someone recently described to me the "brainwashing" (their words) process which recruits to the call centre operations of a highly reputable company in this country are required to undergo. As it happened, I knew a young man with joint United Kingdom-United States citizenship who had recently been recruited to the organisation in question. A lovely - and by no means stupid - chap, he could perfectly fulfil the requirement for common sense suspension. It came as no surprise to me therefore, that recent callers to a radio phone-in about call centres should complain, almost unanimously, about the "stupidity" of the call handlers at these centres. Personally, I don't use them !
The woman - a very sharp lady in fact - who described the "brain washing" of call centre recruits had, as it happened, just recruited the young man mentioned to the centre described above. Like many people, she possesses a strong aptitude for Orwellian "doublethink" which forms an increasingly important part of the personal and professional tool-set for "getting on" these days. By "doublethink", I mean a recognition that something may be, for wont of a more elegant expression on my part, "a load of old cobblers" but you buy into this nevertheless, particularly if doing so means alot of money could be coming your way, either organisationally, personally or both. Indeed, it is almost certainly the case that the greatest instances of both doublethink and the willing suspension of common sense occur at the higher levels of organisations, decision-making and salary scale (not to say bonuses) which is rather worrying, I feel, both professionally and personally. For herein lies the two of the main conditions for great disasters amongst private sector corporations and public institutions.
Therefore, I'm sticking with common sense consulting, even if some clients won't buy it !
I am neither particularly accommodating nor tolerant of other people. Therefore it always comes as something of a surprise to me to say that I have never worked with anyone whom I would regard as stupid. Indeed, I have often stood up for people whom others have regarded as incompetent because I knew that with the right supervision - and sometimes training - these individuals could perform well (and often as well if not better than the people who were regarded as good at their jobs). Equally surprising to me is the constant whinging from employers about the problems of younger (and older) ,workers and the lack of people available to do particular jobs, whether skilled or unskilled, amongst UK nationals. As something of a networker (a highly skilled one in fact) I know there are plenty of people around for all manner of work, provided you aren't prejudiced against, for example, people with too few or to many qualifications, and with too little or too much experience, or those who "don't seem to fit" a particular context : something which seems to be more important these days for some reason.
In my professional and working life, I tend to view people objectively. Everyone has their strong and weak points. Equally, people whom I would not seek out as friends make perfectly good work colleagues (and vice versa). This is not to say that I do not have good friends amongst people with whom I also have professional relationships, but one type of relationship need not assume another. In fact, some of my most enduring and successful business relationships are with people I know little of personally. Friendship is inevitably subjective and, lets face it, friends often fall out over subjective things. The good thing about professional and working relationships is that they generally occur within an enterprise (whether commercial, social or some combination of the two) which gives them some objective structure and, indeed, objectives.
As mentioned earlier, I have noticed a growing pre-occupation amongst employers, and also workers, with recruiting people who "fit in" with them. This may have something to do with the New Labour administration which has "cascaded down" into the wider community. The need for people to "fit in" has certainly, from my perspective, gained momentum in recent years, and, I would argue, is a often a more important requirement - for consultants as well as employees - than hard skills and experience. At the higher level of decision-making, I will call it, this "fitting-in" often accompanies a certain requirement for "group think" when major investments with an equally major public interest dimension, for instance, are being embarked upon. On the office or shop floor, "fitting in" often has more to do with shared life circumstances and/or outlook. On balance, there is a strong presumption in favour of family-orientated people (even amongst the young and "gay") of conventional values - which may be one reasons why Polish workers are so well regarded - who attach considerable importance, consciously or unconsciously, to group "equilibrium".
Is this all a good thing ? Not from my perspective, professionally and, for that matter, personally. One of the most worrying trends I have observed is what could be described as "a requirement for the willing suspension of common sense", or put another way, organisations of all types increasingly require a certain aptitude for stupidity. Let me provide an example. Someone recently described to me the "brainwashing" (their words) process which recruits to the call centre operations of a highly reputable company in this country are required to undergo. As it happened, I knew a young man with joint United Kingdom-United States citizenship who had recently been recruited to the organisation in question. A lovely - and by no means stupid - chap, he could perfectly fulfil the requirement for common sense suspension. It came as no surprise to me therefore, that recent callers to a radio phone-in about call centres should complain, almost unanimously, about the "stupidity" of the call handlers at these centres. Personally, I don't use them !
The woman - a very sharp lady in fact - who described the "brain washing" of call centre recruits had, as it happened, just recruited the young man mentioned to the centre described above. Like many people, she possesses a strong aptitude for Orwellian "doublethink" which forms an increasingly important part of the personal and professional tool-set for "getting on" these days. By "doublethink", I mean a recognition that something may be, for wont of a more elegant expression on my part, "a load of old cobblers" but you buy into this nevertheless, particularly if doing so means alot of money could be coming your way, either organisationally, personally or both. Indeed, it is almost certainly the case that the greatest instances of both doublethink and the willing suspension of common sense occur at the higher levels of organisations, decision-making and salary scale (not to say bonuses) which is rather worrying, I feel, both professionally and personally. For herein lies the two of the main conditions for great disasters amongst private sector corporations and public institutions.
Therefore, I'm sticking with common sense consulting, even if some clients won't buy it !
Friday, December 15, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
National Planning Mediation Service
One of the more sensible ideas to be endorsed by the recently published Barker Review of Land Use Planning* is that of a "Planning Mediation Service" which would form part of the Planning Inspectorate. The success of such a service - should the Government decide to precede with one - will depend upon the timing of the meditor's intervention in the planning process. If this comes at the options stage of plan and project development, mediation could work very well.
However, if the service is intended to coerce objectors into supporting policies or schemes where there is a wrongful presumption in favour of development (ie options have not been fully worked through), I anticipate mediation will be viewed with some scepticism, if not outright cynicism.
* I shall be reviewing this review next year.
One of the more sensible ideas to be endorsed by the recently published Barker Review of Land Use Planning* is that of a "Planning Mediation Service" which would form part of the Planning Inspectorate. The success of such a service - should the Government decide to precede with one - will depend upon the timing of the meditor's intervention in the planning process. If this comes at the options stage of plan and project development, mediation could work very well.
However, if the service is intended to coerce objectors into supporting policies or schemes where there is a wrongful presumption in favour of development (ie options have not been fully worked through), I anticipate mediation will be viewed with some scepticism, if not outright cynicism.
* I shall be reviewing this review next year.
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