The case for social mobility

May 17th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

“If we want our children to have equal opportunities in life, reducing income inequality is the most important step we can take towards achieving that goal. Bigger income differences between rich and poor are a powerful constraint on social mobility, diminishing life chances for children from less privileged backgrounds and making a level playing field an even more distant prospect.”

This is an extract from an article published this week by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson. They are actually the authors of an immensely thoughtful book called “The Spirit Levl” which i have reviewed here.

Posted in British current affairs, Social policy | Comments (0)

A review of “The Remains Of The Day”

May 15th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

As I explained in this posting, for World Book Night 2012 I was chosen as a ‘giver’ and I selected as the book to donate to 24 others the Man Booker Prize-winning “The Remains Of The Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro. I have now read the novel myself and reviewed it here.

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)

Free speech – American-style vs European-style

May 14th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

I’ve been discussing with friends the issue of free speech as it is understood in Britain and the United States. I’m sure that I’ll have some similar conversations when I visit the USA shortly.

There is a cultural difference between the United States and Europe on freedom of speech which I believe has its roots in the different histories of the two parts of the world.

Most Americans believe that words and actions are quite distinct and that words should not be criminalised but actions can be. This is the essence of the First Amendment. In this scenario, it is usually argued that the answer to bad speech is good speech and in time the latter will prevail.

This approach comes from the history of the USA which was largely founded by religious immigrants fleeing Europe where they were persecuted for expressing and practicising their particular religious views. Modern America has no experience of religious wars or ethnic cleansing or extermination camps. The elimination of the American indian does not influence current American thinking. The incarceration of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War was not the result of bad actions or even of bad speech – but the paranoia of wartime.

n contrast, most Europeans believe that words and actions are related, that the first can lead to the second and that, in cases of particularly bad speech one should not wait until it actually results in bad actions. Therefore it is argued that certain forms of bad speech should be criminalised before it leads to bad actions. This is the essence of our incitement laws and, in some European countries, the criminalisation of Holocaust denial. In this scenario, the answer to the worst of bad speech is to prosecute it – although usually such prosecutions have to be brought by a public prosectors who makes a judgement as to whether on balance it is in the public interest and such prosecutions have to be heard by a jury who are expected to ensure that such trials are not used to constrain free speech.

This approach comes from the history of Europe which was torn apart by centuries of religious wars and most especially from the experience of the Second World War when the Holocaust could be seen as the end result of centuries of verbal and other denigration of Jewish people.

Ultimately all freedoms have to be qualified because one’s man’s freedom is frequently another man’s lack of freedom. So one man’s freedom to have slaves is at the expense of another man’s right to be free. One man’s right to bear arms may be at the cost of an innocent bystander being shot dead. A rich man’s freedom to donate any amount of money to political campaigns can be effectively to crush the right of a poor man to be heard politically. One man’s right to insult Jews, homosexuals, Muslims, or women undermines the rights of such groups to live free of fear and humiliation.

Perhaps because of the country of my upbringing and residence, I prefer the more nuanced European approach.

Posted in Miscellaneous, My life & thoughts | Comments (1)

Well done, Manchester City!

May 13th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

In an earlier posting, I explained how I grew up in Manchester and notionally supported the Manchester City football team (I am not really interested in sport) because it was our local team and my younger brother was supporting Manchester United.

So, even with my lack of interest in football, I cannot fail to be excited by today’s achievement of Manchester City in winning the Premier League for the first time in 44 years, merely on goal difference.

As explained here, it was a nail biting match, the sort of thing you see in a sports movie.

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)

Is America’s decline inevitable?

May 13th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

All civilisations rise and fall; all great powers ascend and descend. This is the lesson of world history. After all, Britain was once the greatest power on earth ruling one-fifth of the global population and covering a quarter of the planet’s area.

Yet many American politicians and policymakers assume that the current American hegemony is permanent and are in denial about the growing signs of political quagmire, economic weakness and military limitations.

I am more than usually interested in the prospects for the United States because I am about to make my seventh visit to the country. I think that I will take with me to read a new book by Edward Luce entitled “Time To Start Thinking: America And The Spectre Of Decline”. In a review of the work, John Gray concludes:

“America’s difficulties are not fundamentally different from those all developed countries face in responding to the global shift of economic power. But by the same token, what may prove to be America’s greatest weakness is the adamant insistence that it can defy the normal course of history. Pundits who insist that American decline is not a fact but a choice are closing their minds to the only real issue, which is how the US will adjust to a descent from primacy that cannot be stopped. At present the auguries are not good.”

Posted in US current affairs | Comments (0)

250 years of the sandwich

May 12th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

Other countries may have invented the bagel and the baguette but the British can proudly lay claim to the innovation of the sandwich some 250 years ago. It seems that it was in 1762 that John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, first ordered beef served between slices of bread, so introducing civilisation to a convenient form of light refreshment.

The event is being celebrated in the English town of Sandwich this weekend as explained here.

Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)

Any ideas for saving $4 billion?

May 12th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

What about not upgrading the United States’ 180 tactical nuclear weapons in western Europe.

You can check out the case here.

Posted in US current affairs | Comments (0)

How many American Presidents have been assassinated?

May 11th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

Four sitting United States Presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James A. Garfield in 1881, William McKinley in 1901 and John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Two other Presidents were injured in attempted assassinations: former President Theodore Roosevelt and then sitting President Ronald Reagan. In all, there have been over 20 known attempts to kill sitting and former Presidents.

You’ll find the details here.

Posted in History | Comments (0)

How many British Prime Ministers have been assassinated?

May 11th, 2012 by Roger Darlington

Most people would guess none – but sadly the answer is one. The unfortunate Spencer Perceval was shot dead in the House of Commons itself by a man with a grudge against the government.

This occurred exactly two hundred years ago today and, of course, the “Guardian” has marked the date with an article.

Posted in History | Comments (0)