Is there a common thread to the recent scandals in British public life?
October 13th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
- The South Yorkshire police massively falsified evidence to cover up appalling failures in their handling of the Hillsborough disaster of 1989.
- The banks obscured their casino-like investment and lending practices until they had to be baled out by the Government in 2008.
- The “Daily Telegraph” revealed astonishing abuse of the expenses system by hundreds of Members of Parliament in 2009.
- The widespread hacking activities of News International Corporation led to the closure of the “News of the World” and the establishment of the Leveson inquiry in 2011.
- And now we learn that, over a period of decades, hundreds of children and young women were abused or even raped by television personality Jimmy Savile.
These are very different situations at different times, but is there a common element? In each case, the abuse extended over a long period of time and was known by many people but not exposed or investigated until revelations long after the incidents in question. In each case, there was a culture of authoritarianism and even intimidation that made it hard for those who knew the truth to challenge those in authority and expose the wrong doing.
The lesson is that all power tends to corrupt. Therefore all institutions – whether a police force, a company, a media organisation, a political party, a charity – need robust systems to hold authority to account in an effective and recorded manner. Openness and transparency are keys to identifying and correcting inevitable abuses of power.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Julia Gillard attacks misogyny in Australian politics
October 13th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
It needed to be said – and she said it wonderfully:
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of “Killing Them Softly”
October 11th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
This is not a film for the squeamish but it showcases some fine acting including from Brad Pitt. You can see my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
“Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?”
October 10th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
This is the title of a memoir by Jeanette Winterson – best-known as the author of “Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit”- which I have just finished reading. You can check out my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Is Barack Obama really going to lose the US presidential election?
October 9th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
Four years ago when Barack Obama won the presidential election, I did not imagine that his re-election would be so problematic. But he has faced the deepest recession in a generation and an intransigent Congress and – let’s face it – he has not always been as bold as his supporters hoped.
Over the summer, polls have shown Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to be very close and, following Obama seeming to pull away a bit, he disappointed in the first presidential debate. I’ve watched the whole of the debate and it’s not that Obama was bad, but unquestionably Romney was sharper and more energised.
The latest polls suggest that Obama’s lead over Romney has slipped to around 2% which is within the margin of error, so in effect it seems to be neck and neck.
But, here’s the thing: the US presidential elections is not decided by which candidate polls most votes nationwide but by which candidate secures the most votes in the Electoral College. And here things look better for Obama.
Real Clear Politics is an independent and informed web site which tracks American politics in forensic detail. According to their latest assessment, Obama is pretty sure of 251 Electoral College votes, while Romney is fairly certain of only 181 votes, with the rest still to play for. If we look at their best guess of how the uncertain states will break, their estimate is that Obama will win 303 Electoral College votes to Romney’s 235.
The actual election is four weeks today (although some states have been taking postal votes for weeks). It isn’t over till the fat lady sings, but I’m still banking on Obama winning – and I sure want him to do so.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (4)
Online Centres Foundation Annual Review
October 8th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
Since the beginning of the year, I have been an non-executive director of the Online Centres Foundation and Chair of the Board’s Remuneration Committee.
The OCF is a co-operative that does great work getting people online for the first time. The terrific staff work with some 3,800 local centres helping those who have no or little online experience or confidence so that they can develop appropriare skills and expertise.
We have just published a web-based version of our Annual Review so that you can see what we do. You can access it here.
Posted in Internet, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
The bloodiest ongoing conflict of which you’ve never heard
October 8th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
Over the last 40 years, the insurrection has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced around 2 million. It is led by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in The Philippines.
The good news is that it might be about to be resolved, as reported here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Brené Brown’s talk on vulnerability
October 7th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
It takes 20 minutes to watch this video but the talk is really insightful and embracing:
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Word of the day: skeuomorphism
October 7th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
This is the use of a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues to a structure that was necessary in the original.
I know, you’re no wiser. An example is when note-taking features on computers or apps use decorative elements that remind us of paper-based applications.
You’ll find a fuller discussion of the use of skeuomorphs online in this short article and you can learn about the wider use of skeuomophs on this Wikipedia page.
Posted in Cultural issues, Internet | Comments (0)
Is it possible to escape North Korea across the demilitarised zone?
October 6th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
It is incredibly difficult because about a million soldiers and a million land mines line the Demilitarised Zone – but this week one North Korean soldier did it as explained here.
North Korea is one of the most secretive nations on earth but we know that most of its citizens have a subsistence existence. Aid agencies have estimated that up to two million people have died since the mid-1990s because of acute food shortages caused by natural disasters and economic mismanagement.
Just because North Korea country is so closed, we should not forget the suffering of its people and its threat to South Korea. You can read the BBC profile of North Korea here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)