My new role at the communications regulator Ofcom
December 5th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I am pleased to announce that, following an open selection process, the communications regulator Ofcom has appointed me as Chair of the Consumer Forum for Communications (CFC). I am not new to Ofcom – I was the Member for England on the Communications Consumer Panel for eight and half years – and I am not new to the CFC – I have been attending it regularly since 2004.
But I am delighted to have the opportunity now to chair the CFC. The range of Ofcom’s regulatory responsibilities – telecommunications, broadcasting, spectrum and posts – is considerable and fascinating. The number of consumer and citizen groups who work with the CFC is significant and includes many with a special focus on the needs of those with various disabilities or disadvantage. However, consumer and citizen groups do not always have their voices heard in regulatory discussions as clearly as commercial interests and I am looking forward to strengthening their input.
I take over from Claire Milne who has spent the last five years as the first independent chair of the CFC and has worked so hard to develop its membership and influence.
Posted in Consumer matters, My life & thoughts | Comments (12)
A review of the film “Nightcrawler”
December 4th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
This is not a movie for everyone but, if you’re up for a dark satire, this is a really impressive directorial debut – see my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
It’s important that you know where you are in the universe
December 3rd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
26 pictures will make you re-evaluate your entire existence – check them out here.
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
What is the most popular boys’ (and girls’) name for new babies in Britain?
December 2nd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Sections of the British media have been excited about this question over the last few days.
Various Right-wing newspapers have asserted that the most popular name is Mohammed and variants of it and implied that Britain is somehow being taken over by Muslims. More liberal sections of the media have reacted in ways which arguably have demonstrated an excess of political correctness, assuring us that Mohammed is far from being the most popular boys’ name for new babies. So what are the facts?
The story originally arose from an analysis by a web site which only captures a proportion of new names. The most official source for baby names is the Office of National Statistics which publishes comprehensive data each year. For the year 2013 for England & Wales, the most popular boys’ name is given as Oliver. For interest, the most popular girls’ name is Amelia.
But, as i point out on my web page describing naming practices around the world:
“It should be noted that the Office of National Statistics (ONS) produces its ranking of the popularity of names using the exact spelling of the name given at birth registration. If one combines the numbers for names with very similar spellings, a very different picture is revealed. For boys, combining the occurrence of Mohammed, Muhammad, Mohammad & Muhammed plus eight other spellings of the name would put it in first place – a reflection of the changing ethnicity of the British population. Similarly, if one combines the occurrence of Isabella, Isabelle, Isabel and Isobel, one would find the name top of the girls’ list and, if one took Lily and Lilly together, the name would come third.”
Now some sections of the media have suggested that it is ‘wrong’ to group together all the different spellings of Mohammed, but such a grouping seems to me to be fair enough. After all, it is the same name referring to the same figure (the Prophet) and essentially pronounced the same and the different spellings simply come from different transliterations from different languages, especially South Asian languages, or even from the same language (usually Arabic).
Some commentators have pointed out that many ‘English’ names come in different variants and could reasonably be grouped together to assess popularity – but this is debatable. It is interesting that these days the familiar form of some boys’ names rather than the original version is often preferred by parents – Jack instead of John, Harry instead of Harold, Charlie instead of Charles, Alfie instead of Alfred, Archie instead of Archibold. But these are deliberate choices by parents and the alternative versions are not only spelt differently but pronounced differently – which is the intention. Such choices are not the same as different transliterations of the name Mohammed.
So what is wrong with asserting that Mohammed is now the most popular boys’ name? Of itself, this is not an offensive statement – although I accept that it can be presented by sections of the media in an Islamophobic manner. The reality is than only 4.4% of the UK population is Muslim and the only reason that Mohammed comes top on some baby name charts is that Muslim families have a substantial preference to use one particular boys’ name while the rest of the population tends to be more variable with their choice of name.
There is nothing wrong or right about this; it is not a cause for fear or pleasure; it is just a fact.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
The oldest working astronomical clock in the world – and one of the most splendid clocks you will ever see
December 1st, 2014 by Roger Darlington
On our last day of a long weekend in Prague, Vee and I were strolling through the Old Town Square when we heard the astronomical clock at the Old Town Hall strike the hour. We have enjoyed this experience many, many times but each occasion is quite magical,
This is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world, dating back to 1410. Furthermore it is a wonderful design with many original features including the procession of the apostles, a skeleton who strikes the hour, and a cock that crows at the end of each performance.
You can discover more here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Climate change: isn’t the message clear enough?
December 1st, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Fact: According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global average temperature over land and ocean from January to October was the hottest since records began in 1880.
Posted in Environment | Comments (0)
What do you know about the President of the Czech Republic?
November 30th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
You probably don’t even know his name.
He is Milos Zeman and he is a controversial figure for many things which he is alleged to have done and he has most certainty said – as you can read here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Near freezing but warm welcome in Prague
November 28th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Since Vee and I have each been to the Czech Republic more than 20 times, we have seen Prague in all seasons and all weathers and somehow it is a city which looks and feels magical in any circumstance. On this visit, the temperature is just above freezing and I’m glad that I brought a woollen hat that I can pull over my ears – not very sartorial but practical.
Our first trip here was in 1988 when the country was still Czechoslovakia and it was still under Communist control. It is exactly 25 years since the ‘velvet revolution’ and so much has changed for the better, although sadly much of the politics here is still childish or corrupt or both.
As always, the Horvaths have welcomed us and hosted us with great warmth and kindness. They are indeed our ‘second family’. The newest addition to the family is little Pavlik who is 14 months old and decided to delay his walking until a couple of weeks before our arrival – no doubt to impress us. He is such a cheerful fellow and we are going to have fun together. We brought him a little outfit but he seemed to be more excited by the wrapping paper than the contents.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Another visit to beautiful Prague
November 27th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
In the late 1980s, Vee (whose father was a Czech pilot in the war) re-established contact with her family – the Kuttelwaschers – in what was then Czechoslovakia and, about the same time, we first met the Czech doctor Pavel whose wife and children – the Horvaths – became as close as family to us.
Since then, we have visited what is now the Czech Republic about once a year. We are travelling to Prague for a long weekend on what is my 25th trip and is Vee’s 23rd. The impetus for this particular visit is to see the newest member of the Horvath family who was born since our last trip about a year and a half ago. Little one year old Pavlik is the son of our dear friend Vojta (son of the original Pavel) and his lovely wife Kaca.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
A few facts about President Theodore Roosevelt
November 27th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
This autumn, I am doing a six week (five session) evening class at London’s City Lit on the subject of “American Political Institutions” and our lecturer is Malcolm Malcolmson. This week, the third of our lectures looked at the election, responsibilities and powers of the President.
As a bit of homework, at the end of the previous lecture, each student had to pick a slip from a bag of the names of all the US presidents. Then, for the one we selected, we had to find out a few interesting facts and one quirky detail.
My selection was Theodore Roosevelt who served as president from 1901-1909.
My interesting facts were:
- He took office unexpectedly after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 and then won a second term in his own right.
- He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations to end the Russo- Japanese War.
- Although he was a Republican, he founded a new Progressive Party (known as the Bull Moose Party) and ran for president unsuccessfully as head of this party (but he did obtain 27% of the votes).
My quirky fact was:
- The Teddy Bear is named after him. This comes from his refusal to kill a captured American black bear while on a bear hunting trip [more information here].
Posted in History | Comments (0)