|
|
|
|
Renewing participatory democracy Multiple Differential Uncertainty
|
Week 03
Top-up Fees are wicked
It would be wicked to single out low-income students and their families, allowing the wealthy to pay university fees in cash, and force the poor into enhanced debt for much of their lives. The only acceptable socialist solution is the introduction of a universal, redistributive, graduate income tax.. Rail takes The new Network Rail Chief Executive Richard Bowker
has got it wrong. I sympathise with him, because of the problems he
faces. But he is wrong to
attempt to solve them by reducing the number of trains on the network.
Train services must be expanded,
even if "punctuality"
Let us choose Commentator John Lloyd, writing in the NewStatesman, contends that "the challenge for those who wish to retain a liberal polity... is to frame policies that will undercut the appeal of the populist right". Without that, the Daily Mail and the mindless popular right will grow in strength, he argues.I agree. Indeed I now regard the "retention of a liberal polity" as the key political challenge facing us, right now. Much has been recently written about the failure of both Roy Jenkins and Tony Blair to re-unite the Labour and Liberal "interests" (for example, by the excellent Martin Kettle).
What do you think? back to top 
Lord Irvine is reported to be taken aback, by the difficulties of Lords Reform, Stage Two. The only two workable options, he says, are for the whole House to be either elected or appointed. Hybrid formulae will not work, he argues cogently. And he cannot imagine the Commons approving either option. He is right, but he should not be surprised. This problem is insoluble, because the question itself is irretrievably flawed. The Second Chamber should simply be abolished. There is no convincing political or constitutional rationale for its existence. Scotland enacts primary legislation, without a "revising" Chamber. "Outright abolition" was Labour Party policy until 1983, and Labour was right.
Are you a Libri? The Libri Trust is a new charitable initiative targeting the improvement of public libraries, both in the state and community sectors. Chairman is Kiffer Weisselberg (of Islington, London), and he is supported by an enthusiastic band of Trustees (including me...) - Libri is seeking to expand its band of pro-library enthusiasts, throughout the UK.
Decennial Census growing discontent The case mounts, against our 200-year old ten-year Census. The latest problem is that many local authorities refuse to accept the accuracy of the 2001 figures, which seem to declare massive population reductions in our cities. And any rational migration management policy demands first-class, accurate, settlement figures - both at local and national level. Last May, a Commons Select Committee called for radical Census reform, and I argued that we should adopt the French practice, of holding a 10% sample Census every year, see Managing Migration.
Try again, Tony! The PM is reported to have "failed" in his attempt to keep the Courts
open longer, to make the wheels of criminal justice work faster. The
experiment in "instant justice" is reported to have been ruinously expensive, and
Lord Irvine is set to scrap it. But the idea was a good one, and Remembering Michael 
The magnificent Michael Young died, on 15 January, last year, and these were my thoughts. Recently, I came across a Guardian article which we had written together in 1998, which addressed his lifetime preoccupation with local government and London, and in particular with neighbourhood governance... Recent topics And read my own Big Theory itself, at For aficionados of the Constitution - I have dusted own my city-region proposals of 1996 - we are still woefully failing to mobilise the vitality, the cultural and economic strength of our great cities - see Building a Better Britain. And our political salariat continues to ignore the huge democratic potential of effective neighbourhood government...
UK Political Salariat You have questioned my figure of 4,000, defining our new salaried tribune profession, now emerging to command our electoral processes - my first calculation was made in February 2002 - check it out.Week 03 Saturday 18 January 2003
|
BAE not British... but nor is any other company Geoff Hoon caused great offence by suggesting that British Aerospace was now "not a British company", because of its majority of "foreign" shareholders. But the truth is that nobody should think of any corporation as having a nationality of any kind, regardless of where it is registered. Corporations are mere amoral abstractions, nothing more - empty, abstract, legal entities for the conduct of business and the legal protection of the natural persons running them - they are mere abdroids. So Hoon was right, though I suspect for the wrong reasons..
Ohne Mich* Did you feel a frisson, on hearing of Tony Blair's speech to the major Foreign Office conference last week? "We are the ally of the US," he said, "not because they are powerful, but because we share their values". Well, Tony, you can count me out.When is Ken Livingstone
faces a fundamental challenge to the legality London's Congestion Charge.
Several parties (including trade unions) have launched an action to
challenge the Charge, on the ground that it constitutes a high-rate
tax, and that the required statutory procedures have not been
observed. For many lower-paid staff required to access central
London
Parliament The new Parliamentary "office timetable"
kicked in this week. Start early, finish
early, keep your evenings "free". This
routinisation of Parliament, even
though fired by the highest of motives, will weaken the institution still
further in the eyes of electorate. Our tribunes are re-designing its systems to suit their own convenience,
which is to be expected Could Letwin win? BIG FOOD Scandal easily passes us by, unnoticed. The Chief Executive of the Big Food Group, Bill Grimsey, angered by adverse City commentaries on Big Food shares, held a special management briefing for City analysts. But he threw out the most critical financial analyst, closing the meeting to him. And the exclusion was routinely reported, by The Guardian. But the real scandal is that Grimsey was legally entitled to do that. All company affairs are legally private matters, and secrecy can be manipulated by the management. That is the Big Issue, and should be addressed by radical company law reform. Open Corporate Corruption Corporate corruption is usually open and legal. Managers systematically plunder the companies in their care, quite legally. But it is never easy for outsiders to see, to understand what is going on. Consider the awful case of Brian Gilbertson and the Australian company BHP Billiton... Stale BBC I am fed up with all the "old" faces on BBC, old names, old styles. It is all so stale. I propose a new 10/10 Rule. Holders of the top ten BBC presentation positions would be permitted just ten years at the top, and then be required to make way for younger talent. I would not presume to impose any such rule on the private sector, that would be illiberal - Trevor MacDonald is safe from me - but the BBC is a managed public broadcaster, and should always cultivate new talent.
Six years on...
The timescale refers back to January 1997, when the Blair Government had not yet been elected - that was month when I first complained, writing in Tribune, that the planned Blair Project was too timid for me, too old-fashioned, lacking socialist perception - that has not changed... 
Remember droids? Well, "abdroid"
is my own invented term for the millions of artificial persons sharing Follow my August 2002 Russian Tour Diary, now unfolding in splendid technicolor - capacity problems have so far limited the scale of how much I can E-publish, but there is still plenty to read - Special Footnote I love the online newspapers, which are my access to the world - share them with me - click through to their Homepages from here -
back to top Diary 2002 Now up to date! I have re-structured my Diary to give you a day-to-day means of looking back, throughout the year just click through
|
|
... |
|
Created by GMID Design & Communication COPYRIGHT NOTICEThe originating content of this website is my own work, and subject to my copyright. But on one condition only, I hereby give my consent to its unrestricted reproduction for any purpose: the condition is that its source is subject to proper acknowledgment, giving my name, my assertion of copyright, and the name of this website as it source, namely: www.warrenevans.net - is that a deal? Roger WE
|
New
I have two personal contributions to make to the Safeway saga,
derived from my years spent building stores for Sainsburys, in competition
with Safeway (1987/94). I was a Director of Sainsburys' property arm. And
I am absolutely convinced that I am right. That is why you should read what
I have to say.
