http://www.justinwyllie.net Justin Wyllie's Political Blog from the UK is about society, human rights and freedom http://www.justinwyllie.net:19Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT 5 leading Bishops have followed up on the Archbishop's criticisms about New Labour being addicted tio debt with a scathing attack on New Labour http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/the_c_of_e_criticises_new_labour_for_being_"beguiled_with_money"_and_addicted_to_debt! http://www.justinwyllie.net:18Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Look at the speech New Labour uses these days. Here's Jacqui Smith: 'I am determined to support our police officers so that they spend more time out on your streets, fighting the crimes and issues that matter to you locally'. The 'you' word: straight from the marketing hand-book; make people feel they are talking to you. Also today in another story the Employment Secretary refers to people signing on at a Job Centre as 'customers'. Government is being re-branded as if it were a commerical service organisation. There is no politics in this left any more. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20081222/tuk-red-tape-cut-may-save-beat-police-6323e80.html http://www.justinwyllie.net:17Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT We've had emotional journalism, now, emotional policies. The cut in VAT from 17.5% to 15% is a gimick. It is unlikely to stimulate demand. (A cup of coffee in Costa's now costs 5p less; I don't think it will make me buy two). But; it shows that the government is doing something. The more shops which put up a notice about it the better for New Labour; everyone will feel touched by the sensitive hand of government. It really is an economic policy aimed at people's emotions. The link is to the German finance minister's views on this and the UK's borrowing http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7776462.stm http://www.justinwyllie.net:15Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT This is a really nice example of how the two main parties have swopped policies. In this report we see The Tories putting forward a social explanation for wrong-doing and New Labour talking about individual responsibility. A 100% reversal on both sides. Which tells us that politicians will say ANYTHING to get/stay in power. The complete abandonment of principals and beliefs. (Notice also the co-ordinated smearing by New Labour - David Cameron did not say all people who live in council estates are like Karen Matthews. At least nothing changes there; New Labour can always be relied on for a good smear). This is the political class in action: read 'The Political Class' by Peter Oborne for a dissection of this phenomenon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7769889.stm http://www.justinwyllie.net:16Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT The government (re-)launches yet another IT in schools campaign. Good business for their friends in the IT industry but is it really about 'bringing learning to life'? If so - why say that 6 times in 3 minutes Mr Balls? And - who set up the backdrop for the interview - children's books. That looks like an example of the media playing their new role as marketing agents for the government voluntarily http://www.youth-rights-uk.org/archive/news107.shtml http://www.justinwyllie.net:14Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Just an example of cringing BBC reporting on New Labour http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/the_bbc_reports_on_new_labour http://www.justinwyllie.net:13Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Gordon Brown's comments about the atrocities in Mumbai say quite a lot about the present state of things http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/gordon_brown_comments_on_the_atrocities_in_mumbai http://www.justinwyllie.net:12Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Some books to read before you go into therapy (while waiting in the waiting room perhaps?) http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/psychotherapy_reading_list http://www.justinwyllie.net:11Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT New Labour's monitoring makes sure that its objectives in social policy don't really get met. But, who cares, so long as the figures come in? http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/every_bean_matters http://www.justinwyllie.net:10Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Oxford University has let the BBC in to do a promo about its new lab. Dutifully the BBC does a wholly misleading report http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/the_oxford_animal_lab http://www.justinwyllie.net:9Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is enjoying a growth period, probably at the expense of psychotherapy. CBT is provided free by the NHS. In this BBC report we see the BBC siding completely with psychotherapy. The new cult of power (which the BBC has absoluely embraced) uses psyhotherapy as one of its props. Here the BBC reports some criticisms of CBT from the psychotherapy world, that CBT is a 'pseudo-scientific shambles' without in any place in the article asking whether perhaps this isn't a case of the pot calling the kettle black. I emailed the Beeb... http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/bbc_and_psychotherapy http://www.justinwyllie.net:8Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT It has come to this. That adults about whom there is no reason at all to suspect them of being abusers have to be watched before they can teach. These aren't people about whom there is some actual suspicion:- they are just normal adults. That is the 'safeguarding' culture has brought us to the point where every adult is regarded as a serious risk to children just by virtue of being an adult. What is this? Notice also the school says 'no child is at risk'; the implication is that once these teachers have been CRB checked and are teaching no child will be at risk: but this of course is not true. A CRB checked teacher could turn out to be a child abuser (first offence) So the CRB culture has achieved two things a) all adults are to be treated as a serious and real risk of being a child abuser until 'proven' otherwise and b) a slight increase in the actual risk of children being abused because of the false reliance on the CRB check. We would suggest that far more harm overall is done to children by promoting this culture of mistrust than is ever gained by the highly arguable preventative value of these measures. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7711118.stm http://www.justinwyllie.net:7Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Social services using children to extend their power http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/ruled_by_children http://www.justinwyllie.net:6Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT 'Absolute' in the title needs to be underlined and put in bold. Read this story about a UK SAS commander resigning in protest at the lack of suitable equipment in Afghanistan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7703419.stm . Note the response from the government which refers to the 'ever-shifting' threat from the enemy. What we are supposed to understand from this is that it isn't that the MOD hasn't provided vehicles suitable for this particular battlefield; it is the Taleban's changing tactics which are to blame. It is true that the Taleban have been using IED's increasingly since the war began, but, as I'm sure the SAS commander would tell us - they have been using IED's for some considerable time now (think in term of years) and STILL troops are being sent out in light-skinned land-rovers. The government will spin ANYTHING - I don't particularily support the war against the Taleban but a government which will spin even against its own soliders on active service is taking baseness to whole new levels. http://www.justinwyllie.net:5Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Now; what did they expect people would put up on a free video sharing web site? Do they REALLY think people will use it to put up their creative home movies and Citizen journalism? No. Let's be a little bit realistic. YouTube is full of what one would expect it to be full of: copyright violations, paedophile material, and sleezy semi-porn. http://www.justinwyllie.net:3Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT It's potentially an interesting story - but assembling the weeping relatives and making that part of the story is not journalism it's emotional theatrics. The BBC's new mantra 'depoliticise everything', 'depoliticise everything'. It's like an objective story about some historical folk material is regarded as too difficult for the viewers. To make it 'accessible' the focus moves onto the emotions of ordinary people: as if we can only appreciate this story mediated through the emotions of ordinary people. The ordinary people become instant media stars. This also of course denudes history of its signifance. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7683387.stm http://www.justinwyllie.net:4Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hoopla! I'm looking for a job at the moment. Mostly I'm looking at contract IT jobs (for which I'm well qualified) through Recruitment Agencies. One part of this game I've noticed is how most (but not all) employers play a game of 'Hoopla' when recruiting. This game involves including in the skills specification some requirement which really has little to do with finding the best person but has to do with establishing a lack in the applicant. Most times the lack is some minor aspect of the role; a certain coding framework, for example. Nonetheless having established this lack the applicant is ruled out. I think this reflects in part recruitment by HR departments which don't know anything about I.T - they can't assess whether any one skill is a minor one easily acquired or a major one so they play safe. The other explanation is that the recruitment is done by technical people but they have a vey low expecation of people and unless they see a specific package name on the CV they get all fearful and think that someone can't adapt. That is the recruitment process is based on the premise that most people are very unadept and have no real skills, so the best we can hope for is they've used this package before. The bar is very low and talented people do not get a look-in in the jobs 'marketplace'. In fact both explanations are probably true:- establishing lack as a means of building a short-list and recruitment based on a negative premise of inability rather than ability. http://www.justinwyllie.net:2Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT A video report on the BBC covers some live action in Iraq. An embedded reporter is with some US troops as they come under fire. The US troops swearing is beeped out AND the report carries a warning 'This report contains strong language'. I find it amazing that while reporting on a war in which thousands have died - and showing a report of fighting - the BBC feels we have to be protected from the word 'fuck' (or whatever is was - we can only guess). It says a lot about the cotton-wool society we live in. We can kill Iraqis or our troops can lose their lives but we have to be protected from even the risk of hearing the word 'fuck' (or whatever it was). http://www.justinwyllie.net:1Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT The banking crisis and all this talk of recession has led to some media interest in questions of economics. Much of the 'in-depth' coverage is simplistic but there is an interesting and quite thoughtful article on the BBC site which stands out, asking 'Do we need economic growth'. It is a well-written and clear account of the arguments around economic growth from the capitalist perspective. The article makes the case from capitalist economics for growth, mentions the accepted dis-benefits and is devoid of any analysis of what really drives economic growth. This argument functions as a kind of post-hoc rational justification for a system which is anything but rational or planned. Because it is well-written it is worth reviewing. http://www.justinwyllie.net/blog/why_we_don't_need_economic_growth