Some Advice for Fat Cats & General Practitioners

The truth of the saying "you are what you eat" has been brought home to me recently. My adoptive cat has just changed his dietary preference from a soft Tesco's ready-meal to an apparently more healthy (nine out of ten vets seem to recommend it) "active maturity" granule. Not only has he lost weight, but resumed life on the prowl, having become a bit of a couch potato of late. This goes to show that relatively modest changes to one's regime can achieve almost immediate beneficial effects. Extreme changes are often unnecessary, and maybe lethal.

From a business/management perspective, what I particularly dislike about the New Labour "Regime" is its preference for "constant revolution" in many areas of government. Spurious administrative changes in the name of "modernisation" have been very much in fashion, particularly where these involve the purchase of expensive and, arguably unnecessary, IT systems from which many a cat has grown fat. Nor, in the case of the Health Service, is it only management practitioners who have become excessively prosperous.

In my personal capacity as a patient, I can only think of one General Practitioner who would merit a salary of circa £100k per annum, apparently the going rate for GPs these days. This gentleman was an African doctor practising in this country who combined an excellent consultative manner (calm, caring gravitas) with the ability to offer clear diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The true value of this kind of medical practitioner is illustrated in the following case study from my personal experience, and, as it happens, that of my cat.

Some years ago, my then cat and I both developed lumps in our mouths. In my case, I had rather foolishly allowed the National Health Service to extract my wisdom teeth, something which seemed to lead not to cure but subsequent dental problems. When my lump appeared I was therefore anxious. However, the doctor mentioned above assured me that this was a harmless bony growth and I should not worry about it. Indeed, I have had the lump now for about 12 years, and it has caused me no problems at all.

Meanwhile, my old cat's veterinary care was rather less appropriate, and, in the end, perhaps fatal. The vet suggested that the growth in his mouth might be cancerous and advised a biopsy.
In removing tissue for this purpose, the vet blocked a salivary duct and my cat developed a cyst on the side of his neck, in size probably half way between a golf and tennis ball (ie big for a small animal). The biopsy revealed there was no cancer. However, the cyst caused serious subsequent health problems for the cat, although it was eventually treated effectively by another vet.

In the case of my cat and, and other animals in whose care I have been involved, my experience is that veterinary treatments can be overzealous. This may have something to do with the veterinary insurance industry which has boomed in recent years. Purchasers of private medical care please take note ! However, even within the NHS I would suggest that there is much unnecessary "treatment". Not only is this costly in money and "opportunity cost" (when people who really need treatment cannot obtain it), the cure, as they say, may be worse than the disease.

On Serious Matters and Lite Entertainment

My last blog concluded on the subject of S&M, and more particularly, "Domination Services", and, whilst I could probably put together a good business plan for a commercial/social enterprise in this sector - and may yet do so - I actually want to look at dominant power structures and ideologies in our society first. So, next week my "Real Power Inquiry" starts.
This will be structured as follows :

Janet Mackinnon Blog

Introduction to The Real Power Inquiry on the true meaning of "power politics etc".

The Market for Domination Services will cover things like : "The Tyranny of Fashion", including spurious lingerie marketing; and the domination of health services by the drugs industry ie licenced pharmaceutical companies, rather than illegal drugs dealers (although I might tackle them as well)

The Edge of Town Blog

What Future for Feminism ? will deal with the domination of feminist politics in this country by New Labour Neo-Conservative "feminists" like Ruth Kelly (Minister for Women), Harriet Harman, and, yes, Cherie Booth-Blair QC. The exclusion of other feminist agendas from mainstream politics and policies will also be considered.

Janet Stone Blog

Troubles with Trolls will look at the negative and positive aspects of what might be construed (especially by men) as "the dark feminine".

The Green Man Project Blog

(Over) Population and Sustainability will be the focus here.

If the above sounds somewhat "heavy", it may be, but might just make interesting reading.


However, in the meantime - and it being a Saturday - I want to strike a "liter" note, and say something about Simon Cowell, "The King of Light Entertainment" whom my previous blog also touched upon. Now some people may feel that my blogs have been rather hard on New Labour (something for which I make absolutely no apology !), and it may now come as a surprise that I'm now going to say something positive about the "Tony Blair Years". Simon Cowell, although I have no idea what his politics are, is in my view one positive manifestation of New Labour. Why ? Let me list the reasons. Mr Cowell :

1. Beat Gordon Brown to 97th place in the "Worlds Sexiest Men" Poll. Mr Cowell came in at 96th.

2. Has made alot of money (Very important in New Labour circles, as Peter Mandelson would no doubt assure us)

3. Has a positive view of equality/diversity issues (I'm being genuine here !)

Shame that Tony Blair didn't pursue the same course in life as Mr Cowell, but maybe there's still time. ("Cherie, we're joining the other LaLas later this year !").

All this said, I actually like Mr Cowell (although I suspect that he's not at all green...but I'm no puritan either), but its the "dark side" of New Labour that really gets me going.

"Chilled, but Still Dangerous"
On the Subjects M&S...& S&M

They say that success is all about the right personal (and professional) branding right now, so I was delighted by a fashion "find" yesterday. Walking through the lingerie department of Marks and Spencer (M&S), I spotted a pair of trousers on the sale rack that looked just the job for me. I should point out that I'm always on the lookout for a robust pair of trousers, as cycling almost everywhere these days brings considerable pressure in the pants (as distinct from lingerie) department. A quick glance at the trousers in question, therefore, brought considerable satisfaction as they were constructed of strong black denim, quite up to wear, in fact, on a building site, with the added advantage of a high elasticated waist, so no bottom cleavage problem. There are few things worse, in my experience, than a cold wind up your backside, speaking metaphorically as well as physically, of course. Like Simon Cowell (whose appearance on "Desert Island Discs" revealed him to be a man of exceptionally good musical taste), I also quite like a "high waist" for sartorial, as well as practical, reasons.

However, my M&S trousers - of which I am now the proud owner - have other advantages : price, as they are for teenagers; and, branding. For a pedestian and cyclist like myself, who is regulary "hustled" by motorists, these trousers have a brand which is truly talismanic : "Back Off" (with a skull and cross bones symbol for added punch). Moreover, they carry a red logo containing the words "Chilled, but Still Dangerous", which I would like to think still holds in it something of my attitude to life, even in middle age. In fact, I now feel truly empowered by my new pants, especially as I put them to the test this morning, tackling a spot of professional bother in what I felt was a very cool fashion indeed.

Now all this brings me to another subject, not concerning M&S but S&M, or "Domination Services" to be precise. An advertisement in my local free paper invited applications from people interested in providing these (something I understand can be very lucrative), and, I must confess, it did cross my mind to apply : but this is a subject more suited to "The Edge of Town"blog.

Equestrian Craft Skills

Following my earlier post on "Horse Welfare and the Household Cavalry", which some may find hard on "equestrian professionals", I thought something positive on this subject might be in order. Some of the most important contributions to horse welfare come from what are often referred to as the equestrian "trades", including good saddlers and farriers. In my experience, the Household Cavalry has produced some very good people here, and it may well be argued that their role is just as significant as the equestrian pageantry for which this institution rightly renowned.

Horse Welfare & The Household Cavalry

On yesterday's BBC1 "Midlands Today" there was an interesting story about equine welfare. The item concerned the horses of the Household Cavalry, which, as the presenter noted in his introduction, form part of what many people regard to be amongst the best of British heritage. However, on this occasion the presence of some Household Cavalry horses in a muddy field in South Worcestershire had met not with public applause, but with disapproval. In short, several people had called the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and one local horsewoman was considering writing to the Queen.

A Household Cavalry vet was duly interviewed and maintained that the health and welfare of their horses was not at all compromised, although they would shortly be moving back to London. No action on the matter is being taken by the RSPCA.

I have to say that this story evoked very mixed feelings in me. Having had some horse dealings with serving and former Household Cavalry people, including their vets, a part of me was delighted that someone had put them on the spot, and not a particularly comfortable one at that.
For the fault of these people, in my view, is their own over-preoccupation with how things appear, and propensity to "tell tales" themselves if things don't "look right". Perhaps a bit more attention to substance rather than show is required here ! Incidentally, this applies to the horse world as a whole, and particularly perhaps in Middle England.

For this story - like all stories - has another side to it. As someone was has been based in Worcestershire for five years, I have noticed a propensity amongst local horseowners to contact the RSPCA when they feel the horses of other people are being neglected, even when the animals in question are quite healthy, which appeared to be the case with the Household Cavalry horses. These callers to the RSPCA tend to be people either relatively new to horses, and/or those with strong views about how how horses should be managed, such as a preference for maximum clipping, rugging and stabling in (ie up to 24 hours a day) during the "winter".

The fact is that a genuine cavalry horse, as distinct from a show or sports horse, should be capable of dealing with "harsh" conditions, including bad weather and muddy ground. The big problem for horse welfare in Worcestershire, from my perspective, is animals who are "not fit for purpose". This lack of "fitness" typically has several attributes. Firstly, it is difficult to obtain a good hardy middle weight horse (as distinct from pony) of the "cavalry type" these days. Secondly, animals are often insufficiently "fittened" by their owners and become chronically unsound. Thirdly, there is tendency to mollycoddle, and "vet", to the point of cruelty.

This brings me back to the subject of "vetting". For, in my opinion, some of the major contributors to poor horse "fitness", as I have described it, and consequently welfare, are to be found amongst the vetinary community, as well as other "equestrian professionals".

REGENERATION MANIFESTO(S)

Now it is mid-January and with the prospect of more seasonal temperatures, not to say stormy weather, in the next few days, I feel 2007 has really begun. I've decided that the focus of my blog during this Winter/Spring season, as Nature once again regenerates herself, will be "Regeneration", and, in particular, "Regeneration Manifestos". Indeed, I intend to publish my own "Manifesto for Regeneration", which will deal not only with earthly and material considerations, but intellectual, cultural and spiritual matters as well : these, in my view, being equally important at the present time. Moreover, although my "Regeneration Manifesto" will focus on Britain, and in particular, Middle England, I will draw upon the experience of other nations, both in the over/developed and less-developed world. Whilst this inquiry will be of a serious nature, I hope that it will also be humorous and entertaining, and widen understanding of what is meant by "regeneration" in both its practical and more philosophical manifestations.

A quick Internet word-search of "Regeneration Manifesto" offers a useful starting point for exploring the theme of regeneration. The first entry to come up is the 2005 British Property Federation (BPF) Regeneration Manifesto. This is actually rather a useful document because BPF have come up with some of the most coherent thinking, not only only property-based regeneration but also on sustainable development, transport planning, energy conservation etc, which is not to say that I always agree with them. Following on from the BPF entry, are a number of references to manifestos for community-based regeneration, including one from SURF (Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum); and, others concerned with improving the quality of the built environment and local enterprise. I will explore these and other "Regeneration Manifestos" in coming blogs. I will also consider the religious significance of "regeneration", something particularly significant in the Christian faith in the context of the Easter celebrations; and, perhaps closest to my own heart, the meaning of "sustainable regeneration" for Planet Earth and her people, animal and plant life, both globally and locally.

Gordon's Gang and Labour's New Politics of the Playground

"Worse than a crime, it was a mistake". This saying might sum up many of the government's ill-advised policy ventures, not least the war in Iraq. However, these are collective misadventures, and not just the mistake of Tony and his cronies.

Until yesterday, I had quite a lot of respect for The Fabian Society, but after they hosted last weekend's love-in (as the BBC put it) for Gordon's Gang (ie Gordon Brown and his cronies), my respect is somewhat diminished.

One of Gordon's journalist cronies suggested that the Chancellor didn't identify himself strongly with the war in Iraq because foreign policy had been largely left to Tony Blair, whilst Mr Brown attended to economic and, increasingly, broader domestic policy.

Sorry, but this doesn't wash, and if the media buy into this nonsense, they're an even dafter lot than I'd reckoned on. The only good thing about Britain's involvement in Iraq, that I can think of, is that it brought about the dismissal/resignation of Mr Lifestyle TV himself, Greg Dyke.

Now, however, the "Blair Lifestyle Years", during which Cherie was advised by lifestyle guru Carol Caplin and her conman Aussie boyfriend, have been replaced by the prospect of, the equally ghastly and potentially lethal, Gordon's Gang and their politics of the playground.

The wonder is that much of the media seem to buying into this nonsense, just as they did during Blair's "Lifestyle TV" years. Get real ! The prospect of the Chancellor's "representative on earth", Ed "fatboy" Balls, sorting out the problems of the Palestinians is a non-starter.

As the rather good government minister, Kim Howells, recently pointed out, the Palestinian people have been been amongst the most subsidised on the planet. One consequence of this is the country's burgeoning population bomb, alongside its other explosive problems.

Indeed, it could be argued that the population problem of the Middle East (ie too many people, economic and environmental unsustainability) lies at the very heart of instability there. Massive - ie $billions - United States "re-construction investment" in Iraq has achieved very little.

Alot of this, by all accounts, has been syphoned off to places like the more exclusive parts of London. If Gordon's Gang want to do something sensible, let them start by tackling money-laundering at home, but let's have no more daft playground adventures please.

Main Event or Side Show ?

Whilst I prefer not to know about the domestic lives of politicians - how they choose to educate their children, where they go on holiday etc - such insights sometimes throw light on wider and more important matters.

Although, "friends" of the Prime Minister maintain that he is much better appreciated abroad than at home (by which I mean in Britain), this may not be the case. Apparently, he is known in the Italian media as "The Scrounger" as a consequence of his (? former) policy of holidaying at the expence of wealthy political friends.

When questioned about his penchant for transatlantic holidays and air travel, the Prime Minister was yesterday robust in the defence of he and his family's regular right to this (although he is now to "offset" both governmental/business and personal air travel).

Whilst Mr Blair's policy on air travel caused much indignation amongst the environmental and green community, it should certainly have come as no surprise. For both the Prime Minister and the New Labour "Community" have clearly regarded the issues of environmental conservation and sustainability as a side show from the outset of office.

For those of us that regard environmental issues as the main event for the global community just now, the personal and political preferences of Mr Blair and his New Labour colleagues may be a disappointment. However, we should take consolation in the fact that he and his administration (and I include Gordon Brown in this) are fast becoming a side show themselves.

British General Election in 2007 ?

The possibility of a snap general election this year has been raised in an interview with Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron. This is something which bears thinking about, I feel.

"If Voting Changed Anything, They'd Abolish It"

In 1987 I read a rather good book by Ken Livingstone - Red Ken as he was then - called "If Voting Changed Anything, They'd Abolish It". This account of the abolition of the Greater London Council by the Conservative Government of Margaret Thatcher - who appeared to harbour a particular dislike for Mr Livingstone (I wonder why ?) - was quite engrossing.

The expression "If Voting Changed Anything, They'd Abolish It" seems, like Mr Livingstone, to have received something of a comeback in recent years : I wonder why ?

Perhaps yesterday's outcome of BBC Radio 4's poll of unpopular legislation throws some light on this. The following extract is taken from today's Independent :

"Row as 'Today' programme's poll is won by fox-hunting alliance
By Ben Russell, Political Correspondent
Published: 02 January 2007

"It should have been a bit of festive fun with a slightly serious political edge. But the Radio 4 Today programme's annual Christmas survey instead led to a row after listeners voted to repeal the ban on fox-hunting.

The poll, which has a long history of producing questionable results, caused more controversy this year, with claims that the Countryside Alliance had orchestrated calls to abolish the 2004 Hunting Act.

The Alliance dismissed the claims as "sour grapes".

A total of 52.8 per cent of the telephone and internet votes went to repealing the hunting ban. It was well ahead of the 29.7 per cent of the voters who wanted to scrap the 1972 European Communities Act, which took Britain into what is now the European Union."

The fact is that many people regard fox-hunting, whether or not they participate in it, as an important part of our cultural heritage. It could be argued that "The Old Fox" Mr Livingstone - by then Purple Ken as the Labour Party had expelled him - was voted in as Mayor of London in 2000 with sentiments not totally dissimilar.

If such sentiments - including legitimate concerns about European Union - upset certain elements of the political classes, then the more fool they ! If voting changed anything, they may abolish it (or want to), but, it should be remembered, that everyday dog, fox and hound, will, ultimately have his or her day.

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".

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 !

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

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 !

carry-on-communities.gov.uk : an e-pantomine

Please note that my e-panto (sort of) will be online next week.

Seasons Greetings in the meantime !

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.

The Prospect of an Independent Scotland

It is not without irony that the prospect of an independent Scotland should gather momentum under a British New Labour Government dominated by Scots like Chancellor Gordon Brown and Home Secretary John Reid (another possible contender for prime minister ?)

Although I have a Scottish surname, I don't feel a particularly strong connection with Scotland, having been brought up and educated in North Wales, and lived most of my adult life in Southern England. I do, however, consider myself British, with ancestors from all parts of the UK and Ireland, as well as close relatives in Australia.

Nevertheless, I have some sympathy with those who would like to see independence for Scotland and, indeed, for Wales. This is, after all, a regional issue. London-based government has far too strong an influence over the English regions and other countries of Britain. Notwithstanding Scottish and Welsh devolution and the creation of regional government in England, the economic and political power of London has increased under New Labour, largely because of the policies of the Treasury, and the "globalisation ideology" at the heart of the Blair Government which emphasises the role of London.

Therefore, the prospect of an independent Scotland - should the Scottish Nationalist Party come to power - is something I view with interest and sympathy (if that's the right word), but do not necessarily support. This was also my position when I lived in Wales in relation to the prospect of Welsh independence. However, if I lived there now - or indeed in Scotland - I might feel differently.

Ideological or Evidence-based Policy-Making ?

We're regularly told by people who should know (better ?) that evidence-based policy-making has triumphed over ideology-based policy during the New Labour administration of Britain. However, I wonder whether this is true in the case of the UK's current involvement in Iraq. I have my doubts, and not only on this policy issue. Either way, perhaps the law of unintended serious consequences should be consulted in advance of major new policy offensives at home and abroad.

Postscript to My Previous Blog on Housing and Depression

As I was still pondering the housing market last Friday afternoon, another radio item came up which struck me as something of a syncronicity. This time the subject was the Spanish housing market which apparently has some 3 million empty appartments, more "homes" having been constructed there in the last (recent ?) year(s) than in Britain, France and Germany combined.
Meanwhile, there were protests on the streest of Madrid by many ordinary working people for whom home purchase is unaffordable, although 50 year mortgages are on offer (as they are in this country). So much for housing supply being the core problem in providing "affordable" homes ! UK Government take note !

The Housing Market and Psychological Depression

There was an item on the radio recently which reported that the subject of depression (pyschological rather than economic) was replacing house prices as the talking point for Londoners. I far as I'm led to believe the London housing market is buoyant - albeit more bouyant for some people than others - and it was unclear from the item whether it was homeowners or non-homeowners for whom the subject of depression was coming to the fore.

I would suggest (although I am not a psychologist, except like most people in an amateur way)
that psycholiogical depression tends to exist where there are "uncertainties, troubles, doubts" (to use a literary quotation of whose origin I am uncertain), and, possibly, deeper clinical or "structural" problems. There are also some "uncertainties, troubles, doubts" around the UK housing market just now, in London and elsewhere, together with structural concerns.

Those people who have experienced a depressed housing market in the not-so-distant past may tend to wonder whether house price mechanisms are "bi-polar", and having entered a manic phase in recent years may yet plunge again into another depression, particularly in some areas, at some point in the future. "What goes up, must come down" as they say. Yet we are (re-)assured by official sources that the housing market is in a state of unprecedented strength.

There are certainly unprecedented forces bouying up the UK housing market at present, particularly in London, and in parts of London more than in others. One of these is the global growth in the number of people (individuals and organisations) with money to spend on housing and property in general, and for whom London/UK is an attractive destination. Thus it should come as no surprise that the UK is currently the world's Number One destination for inward investment, and that alot of this investment is in property (from mega commercial schemes to small housing portfolios). Aside from "foreigners" buying property, UK national have also invested hugely in "bricks and mortar" in recent years beyond their own immediate accommodation needs. Thus, in retrospect, it is hardly surprising that house prices have risen.

A number of questions arise from the above trends. Are these trends really good for the economy in general, especially in the longer term ? Linked to this question : is the housing market sustainable - economically, environmentally and socially ? My answer to both these questions is probably not, and, therefore, I'm not at all surprised that people, perhaps especially in London, are starting to feel dpressed about it all.