David Andrew's blog

Last year

2009-12-29T21:55:00.001Z

In 2009 I didn't do enough to oppose war and inhumanity, nor enough to aid the environment and oppose the exploitation of the earth and its resources.

I will try and do better in 2010.

Another year

2009-12-29T16:10:00.000Z

Image via Wikipedia

I can't believe another year is almost over - and its a year since I last blogged here - maybe next year I will be better at blogging all round.

Feel I need to get my life more balanced - - my private life is important and I do give it enough attention most of the time - but it is hidden and very private. Perhaps I need to come out of my quietism and be more public about my spiritualism, and more active in my concerns for the environment and humanity.

FEEDBACK

2009-12-29T16:01:00.001Z

FEEDBACK, originally uploaded by Karl Horton.

Makes me smile too

Jealous of the USA - surely not

2009-01-20T14:20:00.001Z

Just watched the U-tube video of Pete Seeger singing as part of the celebrations for the new president and reading a couple of blogs about what people in America can do to support the change that he brings - so much optimism there and so little in politics in the UK to connect to.

Accountability and bureaucracy

2008-12-03T12:49:00.004Z

Accountability and bureaucracy

I have a concern about the papers who
have been calling for an end to bureaucracy on their front page while
analysing the records of the baby P case in detail inside.

What will they do when after another
incident the council say – oh no there are not records, no minutes
of meetings we don't have them we got rid of bureaucracy – we are a
lean action orientated organisation as you wanted.

I have a concern about the priority
(and money) given to managers in public sector organisations relative
to the people doing the work.

It is a professionals responsibility to
keep appropriate records (there are lots of new technologies which
can be used to make it easier) and to report issues and concerns to
their superiors. It is then the responsibility of managers to deal
with those issues and concerns and to ensure the communication
happens and issues get dealt with. Quality control should be based
on that.

Politicians and managers need to stop,
listen and think about how they are helping. I don't get the sense
there is a lot of that going on.

Municipal Socialism

2008-12-03T12:49:00.001Z

Municipal Socialism

In an educational conference in Cuba a
couple of years ago I heard some university students describing how
their social workers helped them to go to and stay at university.

It was a very different view of social
workers – they were enablers – not our view of social workers.

But that was in a socialist state –
and I remember municipal socialism in the 1960's and '70's, when
council housing was a right and a privilege, when my borough had a
funded counselling and action centre, and social workers were
enablers.

But we don't want that do we?

Haringey

2008-12-03T12:48:00.001Z

Following the Haringey inquiry and the
article in the Lancet claiming that one in 10 children are abused I
have a number of concerns which I want to share – which I have
separated into a number of posts.

Firstly I want to share my concern for
the parents of baby P and their grief and guilt however buried, and
hope that they will find space to contemplate and atone, though I
fear they will not.

I have a concern for their extended
families, friends and community.

I have a concern for the social workers
and other professionals involved in the case. Their jobs have always
been difficult and I fear the inquiry will only make it worse.

Blog against poverty

2008-10-15T15:22:00.001Z

Feeling guilty - meant to join this day - but have been busy at work so have not time to be creative.

The contrast between the world's poor and the rich institutions who deal in so much crazy financial dealings is staggering and the ethics staggering.

What can I say

What do I value

2008-07-20T21:27:00.004Z

Question from todayTQ today

I value:

Giving opportunities for people otherwise denied

Honesty and integrity

Recognising that of God within everyone - or struggling to appreciate that everyone is doing the best they can.

No I don't think those values shine through in my life enough - but I will try harder.

This blog

2008-07-20T21:10:00.002Z

I haven't been blogging for a while - not that anybody would have noticed - but I am back - intending to blog more - two things will prompt me - one is that I have set up a thought for the day reminder a useful tool for reflection, and also I am still reading a daily newsletter from TodaysTQ - often thought provoking.

The Apprentice

2008-03-28T09:08:00.002Z

Watched the first programme in the new series of the UK TV series the Apprentice this week - I realise thinking about it that it is the first TV I have watched for weeks but I just felt like a passive evening.

It is awful. Having taught business and management I think the portrayal of leaders as being totally selfish, short sighted unethical people is very dangerous.

In restrospect of course I know the programme does not have any serious intent - it is after all just a variation on Big Brother - but all the same I do think that there should be some responsibility.

So I go back to not watching TV - probably a good thing anyway. I now do not read newspapers (particularly the free ones given away everywhere these days) or watch TV - half an hour of radio 4 in the morning means that I know all the real news that I need and I don't get any rubbish. As I said to a friend recently who was accepting a free newspaper full of rubbish about what the stars are up to, gossip etc - you wouldn't just accept free junk food and eat it would you.

Its a sign of becoming more puritan I reckon - taking responsibility for what goes into my brain is an important aspect of my life - good novels and developmental books is a healthy diet. If only I could give up the gin and tonic I would be so good!

Atrticle on morality

2008-01-14T13:23:00.001Z

Mind Hacks: The psychology of the moral instinct

Article on moral reasoning by Stephen Pinker

Feeling old and depressed

2008-01-05T22:10:00.000Z

I have been hearing politicians saying that they can solve the economic problems of the country by forcing people off benefits for so many years.

* it has never happened
* there is no evidence that I know of to indicate that it would make much difference
* if as the tories are saying this evening many people want to come off benefits - why not put energy into enabling them rather than being punitive
* lets make more jobs that people really want rather than forcing them into jobs they don't

or is that too much to ask

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T13:01:00.000Z

A new Year - a new start - new possibilities

Best wishes

The rink at Kew

2007-12-31T13:00:00.001Z

2007-12-31T12:44:00.000Z

After skating at Kew

More sleaze

2007-12-02T15:15:00.000Z

Maybe it is time to get rid of hireling politicians and move towards direct democracy using the web.

Deportation

2007-11-13T13:37:00.000Z

Maud Lennard, one of the Zimbawean women who have been hunger-striking for over 50 days has a removal scheduled for 7pm tonight on Kenya QAirways flight KQ101. Maud was an organiser for the womens wing of the MDC opposition movement in Zimbawae. She was abducted in March 2003, questioned about her political activities, tortured and raped. Her removal is to Malawi where she is a great risk of being returned to Zimbawae.

copied from http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/385658.html - see that site for sample faxes to send

October

2007-10-11T07:31:00.000Z

First autumn fog
Softening the city, roofs disappearing
Trees haunting

Free Burma

2007-10-03T21:01:00.000Z

Front page - for a while

2007-10-02T08:34:00.000Z

Front page today
Burma monk - 'We cannot turn back', will we turn away?
Quickly turning the papers pages.

Turning the pages
Too many stories, too much to care
Tragedies in small print.

Weekend

2007-09-28T19:17:00.000Z

Autumn weekend comes
Sky opens, rain falls, typical
English Haiku

Burma

2007-09-28T11:42:00.000Z

Thinking of Burma
I find old red shirt, crumpled
Solidarity.

Clown power - a nice bit of political action!

2007-09-23T11:47:00.001Z

Clowns KKKick KKK ass! - Asheville Indymedia

Quaker week

2007-09-21T20:26:00.000Z

A free copy of 'The Friend' - http://www.thefriend.org/ for Quaker week.

Events etc happening all over the UK

So true

2007-09-02T11:48:00.001Z

Altruism Emerges When Thoughts Focus On God

Which relates to other ministry in meeting this morning!

Moving over, moving on

2007-09-02T11:27:00.000Z

I have for some time been exploring becoming a quaker and have been blogging about that on a closed blog on Zaadz - http://davidandrew.zaadz.com/ - but have now decided to come out and incorporate that aspect of my life here.

In meeting this morning one ministry was about looking back on childhood - in which they said that as adults we knew our selves as children - but that children could not know themselves as adults. Reflecting on that I think that part of role-models is that the child can see themselves as adults through the model - I think my children can and do do that. This also is a metaphor for our relationship to God - I can see myself as part of the bigger pattern/patterner but not directly, in the same way.

The terrible T's

2007-05-07T16:20:00.001Z

Plain in the city: Torture in an Age of Cowardice

A useful reminder of double standards about terrorism and torture

Access to Knowledge A2K

2007-04-29T17:57:00.000Z

Without thinking it is easy to assume that knowledge is free - but of course it isn't and this is a real issue for people without it - something we should be supporting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Access_to_knowledge

On a personal note

2007-03-26T21:10:00.000Z

But I think connected to the previous one - having had a health scare over the weekend (rapid and irregular heart) I am in a reflective mode - but also aware of how out of control and uncentred I have felt recently, particularly in relation to work, and how i have so much work to get back to where I should be.

Business Ethics

2007-03-26T21:05:00.000Z

I have been reading Presence by Tom Peters et al - a challenging book for me as it glows with positivity about the possibilities of capitalism, albeit very reformed. I am also struggling generally to see that of god within capitalists and capitalism. I don't like the negativity of aspects of my traditional marxist heritage and would like to join in the positivism.

And then it is announced that a banker in Barclay's earned £100 million last year and I am so morally offended that it throws me right back.

Trident

2007-03-13T08:27:00.000Z

I feel remarkably powerless about the vote on Trident - I can't see any possibility of changing the governments mind - however to record my view - there is no ethical justification for renewing or keeping nuclear weapons. Lets provide some leadership for a change!

Forward

2007-03-05T13:56:00.000Z

After a miserable January and February - with lots of wintery colds etc I now feel like getting on with new year's resolutions! Fitness, diet and giving up drinking being the first priority with a more positive attitude and spring walks on the common (Tooting Bec). Swimming when the lido re-opens will be good.

Overdid the ice-skating yesterday but that seems a good move forward too!

Lets bash the poor

2007-03-05T10:27:00.000Z

Yet again a government in trouble starts talking about doing more to get the unemployed back to work - they've being doing it for so many years why do they still get away with it?

This time - having recognised that the children of single parents are more at risk of being involved in anti-social activity last week, this week they are talking about forcing single parents back to work when their children are 12 - now what we know is that the transition into secondary education is a very stress full time and point of risk - so if we remove their support at that time then it is likely to have disastrous consequences.

On a totally different point this morning the BBC news story about the Chinese Parliament session made the point that it is not a real parliament - it just supports the Communist Party agenda - just like our parliament then! Different party same process - the only difference of course is that we do elect our parliament to rubber stamp a party's policies.

Crime and Prison

2007-02-17T19:29:00.001Z

One thing I learnt while working with people on personal change is that no matter how bad a situation is you begin to get used to it and establish ways of dealing with it within 6 weeks. This is what politicians do not understand about prison sentencing. If someone goes to prison for the first time for 4 weeks they come out still shocked and fearful - if you send them down for two months they come out feeling that no matter how bad it is they can cope because they have done it - a longer sentence is not more of a deterrent!

My new blog

2007-02-17T15:21:00.000Z

As I talk about blogs a lot to people I thought it was time I had a proper one! So here goes lets see what happens - it will be about higher education, learning technologies, politics, spirituality etc.