Global IT outage should trigger reset button on technological change

The recent global IT outage, that brought crucial services to a halt for a period, should be cause to pause and reflect regarding the pace of change. Fortunately, the problems caused were overcome but things could have been far worse. The outage was likened to a COVID style phenomena, at one point, in terms of potential impact. These type of problems in the increasingly automated world are becoming more commonplace. Hospitals were recently hit by a cyber attack. The movement of most activities to online status has been going on apace over recent years. Service providers seem keen to make the move to save money and cut staff. Users like the convenience. There are though many who are not happy with the dash to virtual reality. Some don't want to pay bills online. Many want to still use cash, not plastic cards to buy everything. (Notably, the recent outage stopped some cards working for periods - a boost no doubt for the cash economy.) The rush to automation means it is more and more difficult to speak to a human being. It seems a deliberate policy by some companies to restrict the access. It is surprising how difficult it is now to even find a telephone number for many services. Some providing public services seem content to hide behind higher and higher technological barriers. A lot of the public just want another human being to speak to. All of this can make life more difficult, not easy for people. Anxiety levels are raised by these experiences. Mental health suffers. It is often said that older people are particularly effected by the dash to automate everything. But the growing concerns about where we are heading are an intergenerational thing. The recent technology problems are a warning of further difficulties ahead. If the whole infrastructure on which humanity depends is held in these technologies, what happens if a nuclear style cyber attack manages to seriously damage or disable the whole lot? The lessons need to be learned. This is not to say that online services have not been beneficial or should stop. Just take a breath and reassess. Better to be safe than crash over the cliff driven by the market forces orientated bottom line obsession. People can also make their own individual stands, like using cash, going to human staffed checkouts at supermarkets, using companies that do provide personal service and making opinions known to policy makers. Change is happening, it is really a case of how quickly it moves. Change is not always for the better. People certainly need to take back control, otherwise we are all heading into a very insecure, potentially devastating world.

The appointment of James Timpson as prisons minister augurs well for future reform of the prison system but he will need backing

The appointment of James Timpson as the new Prisons, Parole and Probation minister comes as a breath of fresh air to the beleaguered sector. He gets it. A person who talks sense, rather than the Victorian age based platitudes focusing on retribution and revenge. In an early interview, Timpson said that one third of the 85,000 prisoners should be there, another one third probably shouldn't. This group need other state support and lots have massive mental health problems. A final third, mainly women, shouldn't be in prison at all. It is a disaster putting them back in the offending cycle. Timpson is the first minster to talk such sense, since Ken Clarke tried to reform the prison system, as part of the Coalition Government in 2010. Clarke was arguing the case from a cost angle and was quickly shot down by the right wing hang em and flog em brigade. He was also not backed by Prime Minister David Cameron. The truth is to paraphrase a mantra from a previous Conservative Home Secretary (Michael Howard) prison does not work. The overcrowded prison system in this country is more a university of crime if anything. People go in and learn more criminal skills. Many come out, better criminals, with more contacts to resume a life of crime. Reoffending rates are upwards of 25%. Other countries have proved that there are better ways of dealing with criminals, notably serving closely supervised sentences in the community. Prisons can have a role if properly run, with an emphasis on education and rehabilitation. Overcrowded prisons, though, make things worse for inmates and staff. They amount to human storage centres ready to explode at any moment. Previous Conservative governments have made matters worse. First, failing to invest in the system. Timpson knows the area well as former chair of the Prison Reform Trust. His family business, Timpsons, is ofcourse also famed for employing former prisoners. If he succeeds, then the government could be knocking prisons down or repurposing them. He will though need strong backing, particularly when the right wing media comes baying for blood. As a lawyer and former Director of Public Prosecutions, Prime Minister Keir Starmer knows the criminal justice system well. This is no doubt why he has made such an astute appointment in Timpson but Starmer will need to keep his nerve if the crime and punishment sector is to get the genuine reforms it needs to be fit for purpose in the 21st century.

Landslide victory for Labour but confidence in political system is at an all time low

The recent general election saw Labour triumph securing a huge 174 vote majority. A real mandate for change. More surprising to many will be that the victory was achieved with 600,000 less votes than Labour got in 2019. Then, it secured 10.2 million of the votes (32.1%), against 9.7 million (33.8%) this time. So, Labour increased its vote by 1.7%, with fewer votes, but more than doubled the number of seats. The low turn out this time (60%) also contributed to the result. Whilst it is great to have swept away the corrupt, moribund Tory administration, the challenge now is to restore trust in politics and how our politicians are elected. The low turn out, specially amongst the young, shows a disillusionment and disconnect. Many do not feel represented. The past 14 years has severely damaged the reputation of politics and politicians. The standing was not high before, with the expenses scandal, giving an impression of snouts in the trough. This was amplified manyfold by the handling of contracts around the COVID pandemic. A real case of contracts for the boys and girls close to the Tory Party. Trust took another blow with the Downing Street parties revelations, exposing an entitled bunch of people at the heart of government ruling on the basis of do as I say, not as I do. The Liz Truss period in power further stretched the credibility gap, with people in power clearly promoted way above their capability. So it goes on. The standing of politics and politicians is at an all time low. Yet, most politicians do come into politics for the right reasons, namely to serve the community. The majority on all sides suffer due to the behaviour of the few. That said, there does need to be change.The implementation of the pledge in the Labour Party manifesto to establish an Integrity and Ethics Commission would be welcome. Also, the Nolan principles on public life could be made statutory. Then there is the electoral system mentioned earlier, with the anomalies that throws up. Some form of Proportional Representation is long overdue. This would ensure that everybody's vote counted. The lowering of the voting age to 16 would also be welcome. Unfortunately, over recent years, things seem to have moved backwards electorally, with the first past the post system being reintroduced in contests like the Mayoral elections. Also, the introduction of ID requirements on the basis of fraud, which has never been proven to exist. We need to re-engage people, not make things more difficult. So there is much to be done to restore our democracy. And that work needs to start now.

Review of Children's Inquiry, Southwark Theatre Elephant

This vibrant musical production from theatre company Lung offers a glimpse of how badly children have been treated in this country over the years. The Children's Inquiry, written by Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead, focuses on the stories of four children. Jelicia is viewed as a social worker's success story, Frank has been through eight foster homes, while Angelica and Amber end up in care, after there parents are deported. The individual stories fit against a backdrop of the fate of children over the past 150 years. The narrative runs through the major events of the nation, from World Wars I & II to migration to Australia in the 1950s, with the abuse that involved. Then there was the nuclear bomb and the moon landings. The piece on Section 28 is accompanied by the haunting voice of Margaret Thatcher, giving the loathsome Iron Lady speech and quoting St Francis of Assissi on the steps of Downing Street. The second half begins with the spooky sight of all the kids with Tony Blair masks, talking about Education, education, education. Then there is the Big Society, Brexit, Theresa May, COVID and finally (and not a little ironically) Keir Starmer promising change. The whole show, though, rattles along, with music and dance, revealing the children's plight in the real world detached from the political sphere. This is nicely illustrated as the actors lip sync the political pronouncements, with the politicians turning inward to applaud each other. They are very much in a separate world. The lyrics of Owen Crouch and Clementine Douglas are spot on, with phrases like "nothing changes" and "didn't put two and two together" making the case simply. There is always hope, though, running through the production. The falseness of political mantras like we're all in this together leap out from the dialogue. It is very much a case of those administering (the politicians) and those being done to ( the children) - a vast chasm appears between the two down the ages. The choreography of Alexzandra Sarmiento and direction of Woodhead brings a seamless nature to the production, using the whole theatre space whilst switching from scene to scene. The chimes of Big Ben punctuate each section. There is a great energy in the musical, with a hope born of authenticity in the children. Some great acting and singing performances. There are two ensembles alternating in the production. A great piece of political theatre, making powerful points in a way that really does connect with the audience. Runs until 3 Aug

Why are people turning off news?

People are switching off the news. Research by Oxford University's Reuters Institute found that four in ten (39%) sometimes or often actively avoid the news. This compares to 29% in 2017. There was speculation that war in the Middle East and Ukraine may have contributed to the switch off. Possibly so. The general negativity of news - the only news is bad news - does little to attract followers. It can also be very bad for people's mental health. Another reason for the switch off, though, could be the general dumbing down of the news. The BBC provides a classic example. It has slashed journalistic resources, resulting in cut price reporting. Take the recent general election. How often did we see a populist narrative like migration is bad and needs to be cut (Daily Mail line) taken onto the streets to do a tedious series of vox pops with "the public." In reality, this means searching around for the stereotypes that back up the original narrative. Then, there is the domination of sport over the news agenda. The number of times a complete non-story about the European Championships football tournament has led the news bulletins, whilst more serious issues are moved off into the "other news" category. So although the survey may suggest death and destruction puts people off, the utter trivialisation of news: whether broadcast, print or online no doubt also plays a part. This all comes at a time when genuinely accurate, truthful news coverage is more important than ever. People need to know what is going on, they need an authentic source to rely upon. There has been much talk of fake news over recent years, with the internet awash with it. It is predicted things will get worse with the growing role of Artificial Intelligence. There is a worrying tendency for people to draw away from authentic news coverage into their own social media bubbles. There, they share views with those of similar mindsets - things go unchallenged. It is no coincidence that as these tendencies have developed, so too have the number of conspiracy theories. So whatever the tendencies, the time now is to invest in serious news coverage at all levels of the media industry. Authentic coverage of what is going on in the world is more important than ever, especially with so much competition around. If the investment is provided, then imaginative ways can be found to attract people to read or view. What is more as time goes by there is likely to be a growing demand for such media.

Review of Broken Archangel - the tempestuous lives of Roger Casement by Roland Philipps

This thorough investigation of the life of Irish patriot, Sir Roger Casement, delves deep into the emotional waters of a man who lived a remarkable life and whose fame seems to have grown with the passing years. It was always going to be some story. An Irish man who rose from humble beginnings to the heights of the British diplomatic service at a time when Britain really did rule the waves. His achievements were such that he was knighted in 1912, retiring from the diplomatic service in July 1913 on a generous pension. Yet, just three short years later, the country that had honoured Casement was executing him for treason. Author, Roland Philipps does a good job in telling the story of the man who exposed Belgian's imperial abuse in the Congo and further abuses, including slavery, by the Peruvian Amazon Company in South America, then became a fervent Irish Republican. It was the same passion for justice that drove his early exposes on behalf of the British government that led later to his efforts to secure an independent Ireland. He'd seen the damage caused by imperialism at first hand, hence the need to free his own people from under that yoke. The subject of such a life is not surprisingly a conflicted individual. Philipps is constantly seeking to probe below the surface to find answers. Whilst very thorough in his approach, the reader is left wondering whether he really does totally nail his man Some of the staging of the book seems a bit odd, such as not revealing that his mother died when he was nine and father three years later, until 80 pages in. The author, instead, heads straight to the Congo and the diplomatic service in the early pages. There is plenty of time given to Casement's hidden homosexual activities recorded in his diaries. The diaries being an item of growing significance, particularly, following his arrest and charging with treason in 1916. The selected use of the diaries to brief journalists and politicians prior and post his trial show the British establishment at its most duplicitous. This deliberate act was done to help ensure Casement's conviction, whilst also muddying his reputation worldwide in order to stave off dangers of martyrdom. As the years have gone by, with a now more tolerant society, the revulsion at what happened to this principled man has led to the martyrdom that those shadowy British establishment figures feared, being realised. It has,though, taken a long time, with Casement's body only being disinterred from the grounds of Pentonville Prison in 1965 to return for an Irish state funeral in Dublin. There have been accusations that the "black diaries" were fakes but Philipps comes down firmly on the side of authenticity. The author does a good job of getting below the surface of Casement. A man who was christened both Catholic and Protestant, dying the former, whilst fighting for Irish freedom. Casement's journey brings contact with the likes of Joseph Conrad, Bernard Shaw and Alice Stopford Green. The title of the book is drawn from a comment made by TE Lawrence just before he died in 1935. Lawrence revealed how he would like to write about Casement ,"so that his enemies would think I was with them till they had finished reading it and rose from my book to call him a hero. He has the appeal of a broken archangel. " It is also unclear whether the author likes Casement or not, which is probably sign of a good objective job done. Stylistically, Casement's early life up to 1913 is clear to follow: exposing human rights abuses in the Congo, then the South American expose, less so the final three years. There is a certain disjointedness in the sections on his time in Germany during World War I trying to get support for independence and his failed effort to get the weapons into Ireland for the Easter Rising. Also, his efforts to stop the Rising. There are some inaccuracies, such as naming Eoin MacNeill as chairman of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), when he headed the Irish Volunteers Militia and was manipulated by the IRB. The reader is in many ways left wanting to know more. Roland Philipps has certainly made a valuable contribution to a wider understanding and appreciation of Sir Roger Casement - a remarkable man - human rights activist turned Irish freedom fighter. There could be more but overall this work offers a long overdue appreciation of a true Irish hero. Published by Bodley Head, £25

Migrant strike needed to change narrative

The time must have come for a migrant strike in these islands. Only then will the wider population realise just how much vital work is done by migrants. Migration has been a key theme in the current election campaign. No party seemingly wanting to view it in a particularly positive light. The populist narrative, so favoured by the right wing media and fuelled by many politicians, is that migrants are a drain on the economy. They come, claim benefits and put a strain on the public services. The reality is somewhat different. Migrants provide a net gain to the economy. Most work or study. Many don't stay but work, pay their taxes and receive very little in return by way of public services, before going home. Indeed, many public services, such as the NHS, would grind to a halt without migrant labour. Migrants have been the backbone of the construction industry in the UK. Refugees seeking asylum are a different category. Migrants coming in by the infamous boats across the channel are a tiny percentage of net migration. And if we want to stop those, then this country needs to stop fuelling the causes. So stop selling arms into theatres of war. Also, address climate change seriously. The media panders to the anti- migrant agenda. In reality more people coming to work and study should be welcomed as the sign of a buoyant economy. Migrants ofcourse should not be allowed to undercut pay and terms and conditions of indigenous workers. And it is true that immigration has been used in the past as an incomes policy to keep wages down. There is also the moral question of taking much-needed skills from the countries of origin. The unfortunate thing is that anti- migrant sentiments sell newspapers. So, many of the myths about migration have built up over the years. There always needs to be a scapegoat. The dominant media narrative is that migration is bad. So reducing migration is good. It has become a numbers game. Political parties are measured against their ability to cut migration. The idea that migration is good and the UK needs more of it is an anathema in this debate. There is a rapidly ageing population in the UK. When this is added to the damage that leaving the EU has done to the economy, migration is needed now more than ever. Migrants play a huge role in keeping the NHS and care sectors going. They work in education, transport, construction and hospitality to name but a few sectors. Without migrants these and other parts of the economy would not function. The irony is that many in our population most dependent on migrants' labour also seem to be amongst the most virulently opposed to it. A sign of the level of misinformation in the general immigration discourse. A migrant strike would show just how vital migration is to these islands. At the end of the day, we are all migrants. Everyone came here at some point, some more recently than others. White Anglo Saxons don't have some sort of exclusive right. Anti-migrant sentiment is not, though, a uniquely British phenomena. The rise of far right parties on the back of anti- migrant sentiments was evidenced in the results of the recent European Parliament elections. The narrative needs to change, especially relating to those coming to work and study. On refugees, the asylum system does need reforming with clearing the claims backlogs and ensuring safe routes being the way forward. Also, putting more resources into peace rather than war making and tackling climate change would stem the causes. So let's turn the page on immigration - start looking to the positives, turn the negative narrative around. Recognise the fantastic gift of culture and diversity brought to these shores by migrants. Remember we were all migrants once. But maybe that strike will be needed first to help bri g about that change?

Need for more rewilding

Rewilding has become a popular way to restore biodiversity, address climate change and improve the planet. There have been the big projects, like Knepp in Sussex - an early convert to the process. The rewilding on farmland at Knepp began in the early noughties. So the farmland was allowed to go wild, with fascinating results, including, soil restoration, flood mitigation, air purification and carbon sequestration. There have also been wildlife successes, like the proliferation of nightingales and turtledoves. Numerous butterflies, including the Purple Emperor are present as well as a multiplying bat population. In other areas, species like the beaver have been reintroduced, helping counter flooding with the heavier rainfalls. At a more local level, there have been the grow zones in Redbridge. These are areas where the land has been just left alone to rewild. There are grow zones on George and Christchurch Greens plus the Roding Valley. The flourishing grasses and wild flowers are a sight to behold. There are also some lovely areas in Newham, such as coming down from the cycledrome in the Olympic Park to the River Lea. Here there are fabulous combinations of wild grasses and poppies. These developments improve biodiversity as well as helping reduce carbon, thereby addressing climate change. They also provide a magnificent uplifting sight for those passing by. It is important though to communicate what is going on to the wider population. Those not in the know can assume it is the council just not cutting the grass. Well, that is true but it is deliberately, on purpose, for all the earlier reasons stated -not because they can't be bothered or cannot afford to do the task. It is important for local authorities to communicate what is going on. Around the country it is not unusual to see outcries against good rewilding practice. It has been the desire of human beings to dominate and exploit, rather than work with nature that has brought the biodiversity and climate crisis. There needs to be more rewilding across the country, in public and private spaces. Take up some of that concrete and let the earth breath. There are encouraging developments but more can always be done, individually and as part of the community. But communication about what is going on is also a key part of the process.