Chris Grayling, who daily demonstrates how out of touch he is with the way the law works, is at it too.
Prisoner rehabilitation, he proposed, will be handed over to companies or charities who would be paid by results ie non re-offending. Each prisoner will have a mentor to help them find housing and training opportunities.
It sounds an excellent idea in principle.
Let's not ask difficult questions about 'not re-offending on what timescale?' and 'What responsible body would take on a job like that when the risks of failure and thus not getting paid were so high?' Let's ask an expert.
Baroness Corston, who admittedly had something of a political axe to grind being a Labour peer, but has the very slight benefit of having carried out a major review of rehabilitation, publishing her report in 2007, has pointed out that what he is proposing is exactly the opposite of what everyone had been working towards: a single scheme coordinated at the centre. She thinks it will not work.
Why ask someone who knows what is needed before announcing something completely out of the blue?
Sunday, 25 November 2012
He's at it again
Michael Gove is working overtime. His latest idea is that vulnerable children could be removed from their parents and placed in care or adopted to prevent them suffering 'a life of soiled nappies, scummy baths, chaos and hunger'.
As the newspaper reported 'Tearing up two decades of child protection orthodoxy, Mr Gove said the state had far too long exposed children to appalling neglect and criminal mistreatment because of its preoccupation with the rights of biological parents'.
He apparently went on to suggest that most of us see the care system as being responsible '... for the numbers in prison, or suffering mental health problems, or without qualifications, or who are unemployed ...'
No Michael, we don't suggest that the care system is responsible for all the ills of society but the evidence is clear: children brought up by their biological parents are likely to do best in the long term. Not all biological parents expose their children to neglect and criminal mistreatment, even if they have not got a nanny to change the nappies, a cleaner to sort out the bath, a life coach to ensure harmony or a cook to provide meals: as you must have had.
Welcome to planet earth.
Late entry: we note that the Academies programme is a tiny bit overspent: only about £1bn. So, having stuffed money into them at a cost/pupil that is higher than other state schools, presumably Gove will now bleed even more money out of the other state schools and then justify the creation of the academies on the basis that the others are 'failing'.
As the newspaper reported 'Tearing up two decades of child protection orthodoxy, Mr Gove said the state had far too long exposed children to appalling neglect and criminal mistreatment because of its preoccupation with the rights of biological parents'.
He apparently went on to suggest that most of us see the care system as being responsible '... for the numbers in prison, or suffering mental health problems, or without qualifications, or who are unemployed ...'
No Michael, we don't suggest that the care system is responsible for all the ills of society but the evidence is clear: children brought up by their biological parents are likely to do best in the long term. Not all biological parents expose their children to neglect and criminal mistreatment, even if they have not got a nanny to change the nappies, a cleaner to sort out the bath, a life coach to ensure harmony or a cook to provide meals: as you must have had.
Welcome to planet earth.
Late entry: we note that the Academies programme is a tiny bit overspent: only about £1bn. So, having stuffed money into them at a cost/pupil that is higher than other state schools, presumably Gove will now bleed even more money out of the other state schools and then justify the creation of the academies on the basis that the others are 'failing'.
Friday, 23 November 2012
Govian logic
The problem with being a minister is that you need to make announcements so that people think you are doing something. The 'I am today announcing that ...' strategy which will be rubbished the following day by those in the know by which time the original idea will be buried in chip paper.
A recent letter to the papers highlighted this.
In July, on the eve of the Olympics ('OMG we have four weeks coming up when we cannot announce anything controversial, people will think I am not doing anything'; or was it 'a good time to bury a difficult announcement'?) Michael Gove announced that academies and free schools could employ unqualified teachers if they were felt to be competent enough (discuss).
In October, he announced a more rigorous pre-entry assessment of potential teachers to make sure that the entry process was sufficiently challenging that anyone who gains a place would be likely to go on to become an excellent teacher. Evidence from around the world, he said, made it clear that this was the key to raising the standard and status of teaching.
But the government already had a carefully-considered policy on recruitment, drawn up after consultation with teachers and other professionals, and Gove's suggestions ran counter to that.
And then we had David Laws blaming staff and carers for the 'depressingly low expectations' of many young people. Apparently things were so bad that they did not think they were up to being an investment banker. No evidence was offered of course. Another London dinner party?
Perhaps it was not that they did not think they were up to it. Perhaps it was that they simply did not want to be an investment banker. After all, banking and being a politician, unlike teaching, are probably the most reviled professions in the country.
A recent letter to the papers highlighted this.
In July, on the eve of the Olympics ('OMG we have four weeks coming up when we cannot announce anything controversial, people will think I am not doing anything'; or was it 'a good time to bury a difficult announcement'?) Michael Gove announced that academies and free schools could employ unqualified teachers if they were felt to be competent enough (discuss).
In October, he announced a more rigorous pre-entry assessment of potential teachers to make sure that the entry process was sufficiently challenging that anyone who gains a place would be likely to go on to become an excellent teacher. Evidence from around the world, he said, made it clear that this was the key to raising the standard and status of teaching.
But the government already had a carefully-considered policy on recruitment, drawn up after consultation with teachers and other professionals, and Gove's suggestions ran counter to that.
And then we had David Laws blaming staff and carers for the 'depressingly low expectations' of many young people. Apparently things were so bad that they did not think they were up to being an investment banker. No evidence was offered of course. Another London dinner party?
Perhaps it was not that they did not think they were up to it. Perhaps it was that they simply did not want to be an investment banker. After all, banking and being a politician, unlike teaching, are probably the most reviled professions in the country.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Book prices
There was a time when diesel was cheaper than petrol. Manufacturers worked to improve the performance of diesel engines, people switched to cars which did a better mileage per gallon and hey presto: diesel is more expensive than petrol.
The recent news that Amazon sold more e-books in a month than 'paper' books has led to the obvious result. Here is a snip from Amazon of a pre-publication offer: the Kindle edition is more expensive than the paperback one.
Our government has given preferential road tax rates to cars which emit fewer pollutants and is now worried that it is not making enough money from road tax revenue. Let's see how it reacts.
The recent news that Amazon sold more e-books in a month than 'paper' books has led to the obvious result. Here is a snip from Amazon of a pre-publication offer: the Kindle edition is more expensive than the paperback one.
Our government has given preferential road tax rates to cars which emit fewer pollutants and is now worried that it is not making enough money from road tax revenue. Let's see how it reacts.
Monday, 29 October 2012
So that's clear then
We are becoming very familiar with intermediary organisations - or 'bridge' organisations are they are now known. These are the sorts of bodies which get between you and a main funder and syphon off money which could go to the frontline in the interests of 'coordinating' and 'bringing together'. In reality, they are stepping into the gaps left by the bonfire of the quangos who have had to reduce staff and reach, and in so doing have retired into their ivory towers. See our earlier post
We were offered the following summary paragraphs about one bridge organisation today:
Greater fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em ...
We were offered the following summary paragraphs about one bridge organisation today:
- In places of least engagement, it will strengthen networks and working relationships to develop innovative solutions to the variety of challenges that these areas face
- It will be looking to support and build strong connections and relationships across the region to ensure they provide the best possible offer to ... in our region
Greater fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em ...
The Regions
We enjoyed the Independent's '50 Best Museums and galleries' which identified the following regions of the the UK:
Wales: no argument here. It is the standard by which everywhere else is measured even though no one actually knows the size of Wales, even if you live there: there is North Wales and South Wales and lots of lambs in between. Still, it is good to know that Ruritania is half the size of Wales.
South-west and London: this is the well-known region which runs from Lands End to Ilford. Out of the twelve museums and galleries selected in thie region, nine are in London and three in the south-west: one in Bath, one in Bristol and one in Exeter. Good call, that's one within three hours' drive.
South-east and Midlands: anyone going near London will have to shut their eyes for a bit.
North: no argument here either. You start to notice it in North London where the signs used to say Hatfield and the North and Aylesbury and the North West. I have never quite worked out why these two particular towns were singled out: they seem an odd choice. You know you have arrived in the North, not when you pass Watford but when you reach the M18 Doncaster bypass where a sign used to say simply The North. When you see angels you are beginning to run out of North ... and are heading for ...
Scotland and Northern Ireland: a real gem of political correctness. Had we been back 2000 years with the Picti and Scoti then this might have been credible but I wonder if they have noticed that the plantation of Northern Ireland by Lowland Scots five hundred years ago did not go down terribly well and has been a source of tension ever since?
Wars have been fought for less. Perhaps it is not only Apple who needs a geography lesson.
Wales: no argument here. It is the standard by which everywhere else is measured even though no one actually knows the size of Wales, even if you live there: there is North Wales and South Wales and lots of lambs in between. Still, it is good to know that Ruritania is half the size of Wales.
South-west and London: this is the well-known region which runs from Lands End to Ilford. Out of the twelve museums and galleries selected in thie region, nine are in London and three in the south-west: one in Bath, one in Bristol and one in Exeter. Good call, that's one within three hours' drive.
South-east and Midlands: anyone going near London will have to shut their eyes for a bit.
North: no argument here either. You start to notice it in North London where the signs used to say Hatfield and the North and Aylesbury and the North West. I have never quite worked out why these two particular towns were singled out: they seem an odd choice. You know you have arrived in the North, not when you pass Watford but when you reach the M18 Doncaster bypass where a sign used to say simply The North. When you see angels you are beginning to run out of North ... and are heading for ...
Scotland and Northern Ireland: a real gem of political correctness. Had we been back 2000 years with the Picti and Scoti then this might have been credible but I wonder if they have noticed that the plantation of Northern Ireland by Lowland Scots five hundred years ago did not go down terribly well and has been a source of tension ever since?
Wars have been fought for less. Perhaps it is not only Apple who needs a geography lesson.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Why we love curators
It looks as though we have had a month off ... let's call it a holiday or a break when it has actually been because September has done its usual trick of disappearing in a flash. However, we are back and here are two reasons why we love curators: museum ones, that is.
It is difficult to know where curators come in the hierarchy of reincarnation. Are they auditors or accountants who have lived blameless lives or somewhere below risk assessors? While individually charming and knowledgeable, they can occasionally show a devotion to paperwork and process which makes the USA Immigration Service look relaxed and imaginative.
Consider the example of a local museum building which used to be a bank. Like most such buildings, it has a strongroom with a wonderful thick door, dials and handles. Does the museum store its priceless Ming vase in the vault? its original Leonardo? its unique 14th century hand-crafted book? No. After much trouble de-activating the alarms, skipping past the infra-red beams and cracking the combination, the ambitious and inventive burglar will find ... the curator's paperwork. Nuff said?
Paperwork is evidence of title and so they can perhaps be forgiven but, more worryingly for scholarship, they can be equally jealous of knowledge and interpretation.
We had identified a large collection of historic images in a large remote museum and offered to help digitise and catalogue them. There were real reasons for wanting do the work soon: the material was fairly unstable and would therefore be at risk of decay, and the pictures were of things local to us and of a period for which there were local people who might be able to help identify the scenes.
Back came the answer: they were not a priority for funding - well all the more reason to allow us to help - and there was not sufficient curator time to analyse the images.
We did not actually want a curator; we were offering to do the work ourselves, with volunteers. How a curator, sitting in a remote office, could possibly identify the images was not explained. People on the ground might have done so, from memory or from other publications but that would not be of an acceptable standard. Could we have a look at the images and come up with some suggestions for the curator? No, not acceptable. We even offered to assemble a partnership bid to a funding body to do the digitisation work.
So the images will no doubt sit there, to give the museum their due, probably stable in the expensive cared-for environment, while the people who might have been able to say what the images showed quietly leave this earth.
What will the curator of the future say when faced with the images: 'if only ...' perhaps?
It is difficult to know where curators come in the hierarchy of reincarnation. Are they auditors or accountants who have lived blameless lives or somewhere below risk assessors? While individually charming and knowledgeable, they can occasionally show a devotion to paperwork and process which makes the USA Immigration Service look relaxed and imaginative.
Consider the example of a local museum building which used to be a bank. Like most such buildings, it has a strongroom with a wonderful thick door, dials and handles. Does the museum store its priceless Ming vase in the vault? its original Leonardo? its unique 14th century hand-crafted book? No. After much trouble de-activating the alarms, skipping past the infra-red beams and cracking the combination, the ambitious and inventive burglar will find ... the curator's paperwork. Nuff said?
Paperwork is evidence of title and so they can perhaps be forgiven but, more worryingly for scholarship, they can be equally jealous of knowledge and interpretation.
We had identified a large collection of historic images in a large remote museum and offered to help digitise and catalogue them. There were real reasons for wanting do the work soon: the material was fairly unstable and would therefore be at risk of decay, and the pictures were of things local to us and of a period for which there were local people who might be able to help identify the scenes.
Back came the answer: they were not a priority for funding - well all the more reason to allow us to help - and there was not sufficient curator time to analyse the images.
We did not actually want a curator; we were offering to do the work ourselves, with volunteers. How a curator, sitting in a remote office, could possibly identify the images was not explained. People on the ground might have done so, from memory or from other publications but that would not be of an acceptable standard. Could we have a look at the images and come up with some suggestions for the curator? No, not acceptable. We even offered to assemble a partnership bid to a funding body to do the digitisation work.
So the images will no doubt sit there, to give the museum their due, probably stable in the expensive cared-for environment, while the people who might have been able to say what the images showed quietly leave this earth.
What will the curator of the future say when faced with the images: 'if only ...' perhaps?
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