What do we do if aliens make contact?
October 31st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
As this short article makes clear, Hollywood has all sorts of answers:
“There’s ‘Contact’ (we build a space ship), ‘District 9’ (coexist unhappily), ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (friendly abductions) and ‘Independence Day’ (bang!). Next week, Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Arrival’ will give its answer.”
Of course, as the article makes clear, unless the laws of physics can be altered in some unimaginable way no aliens could ever make the journey to visit us and even a two-way exchange of messages would take hundreds of years. So that’s that one more thing you don’t have to worry about.
So back to worrying about Donald Trump. What do you mean, you think he might be an alien?!?
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
A review of the recent movie “The Intern”
October 30th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
There are not enough female writers and directors in film-making and not enough movies that are addressed to the issues of an older audience. “The Intern” is written and directed by a woman of a certain age and appeals to both a maturer audience (the intern is Robert de Niro) and a younger audience (his boss is Anne Hathaway). You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect?
October 29th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The Dunning-Kruger effect is defined as “a cognitive bias in which low-ability individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability as much higher than it really is”. The phenomenon was first observed in a series of experiments by David Dunning and Justin Kruger of the department of psychology at Cornell University in 1999.
Policial commentators and social scientists are excited because they believe that they have found the most dramatic case of the Dunning-Kruger effect in the history of modern times. It is called Donald J Trump.
Posted in American current affairs, Miscellaneous | Comments (2)
An excellent example of why a free society needs independent trade unions
October 28th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
GMB, the union for professional drivers, has won their case against Uber as the London Employment Tribunal has determined that Uber has acted unlawfully by not providing drivers with basic workers’ rights.
GMB brought two test cases to the Central London Employment Tribunal on 20 July 2016 and it has decided that Uber drivers are entitled to receive holiday pay, a guaranteed minimum wage and an entitlement to breaks. The Tribunal decision will have major implications for over 30,000 drivers in London and across England and Wales and for workers in other occupations.
GMB found last year that a member working exclusively for Uber received just £5.03 per hour in August after costs and fees were taken into account, significantly below the national minimum wage of £7.20. Lawyers for the drivers also argued that Uber acts unlawfully by frequently deducting sums from drivers’ pay, often without informing the drivers in advance, including when customers make complaints.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
How can the consumer voice be better heard in the regulation of essential services?
October 27th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In a week’s time, in my capacity as Chair of the Essential Services Access Network (ESAN), I will be chairing a major conference to be held at the BT Tower. The title of the event is “How can the consumer voice be better heard in the regulation of essential services?” and we will be looking mainly at the water, energy, communications, financial services, and transport sectors.
We have a really impressive line-up of 18 speakers and will be producing a report of the event. In the meanwhile, we have commissioned a background paper for the conference from independent consultant Zoe McLeod. I’m really pleased with this and you can access it here.
The paper reviews different models for consumer representation and different methodologies for engaging with consumers. The conclusion is as follows:
“In terms of the consumer voice models, at a high level, both the panel approach and the stand-‐alone consumer watchdog have their strengths and weaknesses, depending on the type of market, the sector, and the wider consumer landscape. In all cases, where potential limitations are identified, care must be taken to mitigate concerns. A consumer voice body within the regulated company can act as a good complement to existing approaches. It does not require legislation or public funding, highlighting a real opportunity for developments of this kind.
Given that each consumer representation model has its strengths and limitations, there may be a case for encouraging elements of all three approaches where resources permit. Arguably this situation has existed in the water sector with a version of the consumer voice within the regulator (Ofwat’s Expert Advisory Group), a stand-‐alone consumer voice outside the regulator (CCWater) and consumer voices within the regulated companies (Customer Challenge Groups). Where there are two or more models of representation, it is important for there to be a clear understanding of the different roles of the different bodies and collaborative working between them. These are issues for discussion at the event.
Similarly with the use of different research methodologies, there is ‘no one sized fits all’ approach. While behavioural insights and related randomised controlled trials are considered a ‘gold standard’ technique in terms of providing robust quantitative data that allows measurement of actual consumer behaviour and to evaluate the impact of interventions, their use is not always practical, ethical or appropriate. BIs are important, but only part of the picture, particularly for complex issues such as tackling climate change or resilience. Traditional system-‐wide approaches to policy solutions are still needed.
Decision makers are increasingly recognising the importance of capturing the diversity of consumer voices, including those who are in vulnerable circumstances. While the UKRN has identified four principles of effective engagement many regulators still have a way to go to consistently meet this good practice. All parties (regulators, governments, and industry among them) need to be more flexible in how they engage with consumer bodies, recognising their relatively limited resources, and at times limited sectoral knowledge. This involves taking steps to actively build capacity among the consumer sector, by using a wide range of techniques, including embracing digital opportunities, to support engagement and strengthen the consumer voice in decision-‐making.
The Essential Services Access Network (ESAN) is strongly in favour of wider knowledge sharing and experimental use of different consumer representation models and different consumer research methodologies. We are of the view that this would be good for consumers, regulators and companies. We hope that this background paper, the conference that it supports, and the final report from the conference will all assist in promoting such information exchange and experimentation. We stand ready to work with all relevant stakeholders to advance this progressive agenda.”
Posted in Consumer matters | Comments (2)
Warm words for “Cold Feet”
October 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
This evening, I watched recordings of the last two episodes (7 & 8) of the new series (7) of “Cold Feet” – a return of the series after an interval of 13 years. Creator Mike Bullen has scored again with a clever mixture of drama and humour played out through a cast of five familiar characters and one new one.
These days some of the most popular series on British television are located in history or about violent crime, but I enjoy drama that is contemporary and domestic. I’m delighted that there will be another series of “Cold Feet” in about a year’s time.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
U.S. presidential election (34): why wouldn’t you vote for Hillary Clinton?
October 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The world has been following the US presidential race with exceptional interest this time round because the differences between the Republican and Democratic nominees – Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton respectively – are so profound and the implications of the American choice for the rest of the globe are massive. I venture to suggest that, if the world was voting, Clinton would win by a landslide.
Of course, if the polls are right, Clinton will win more votes than Trump and, given the peculiarities of the Electoral College system, she could win a substantial majority in the College itself which is what ultimately counts. Yet many Americans are still reluctant to vote for Clinton, even some of those who campaigned for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries.
This week, I was able to attend a meeting in London of supporters of the Sanders campaign who were debating how they should now cast their vote. As a longstanding member of the British Labour Party, it was hard for me to understand the doubts and the confusion that I heard.
You’re a Democrat, you vote for the Party nominee, don’t you? You backed Bernie and he’s supporting Hillary, so why wouldn’t you do too? Clinton is running on a platform substantially influenced by Sanders. But I heard long discussions about voting for the Green Party or even not voting at all.
I heard the idea that neo liberal policies of the Democratic Party had helped to create the danger that is Donald Trump. I heard opposition to all wars (including the first Gulf War) and support for unrestricted immigration. I heard criticisms of Barack Obama; I heard references to the Wikileaks material; I heard an accusation that Clinton could start World War Three; I even heard a suggestion that the Democratic Party could split.
Get real, guys. In the end, it’s a straight choice: Clinton or Trump. Whatever the reservations some might have about Clinton, there is no responsible choice. Do yourself, your country and the world a favour. Vote for Hillary.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (1)
Five consecutive nights, five different beds
October 24th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
It’s been a crazy few days in which I’ve taken a few moments in the morning to work out where I am, since I have spent five consecutive nights in five different locations:
- On Wednesday night, I was at a place called Sanctuary Farm at the foot of Lake Naivasha about two hours drive out of Nairobi. I took my elder granddaughter Catrin (aged almost six) and went to sleep shortly after putting her to bed in our shared room.
- On Thursday night, I slept at the home of my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters in Nairobi.
- On Friday night, I was on an overnight flight from Nairobi to London. I managed a few hours sleep but it’s hard for someone as tall as me to stretch out in economy class.
- On Saturday night, I stayed in a Travel Lodge in Crystal Palace, south London, having attended a wedding reception for a my nephew and his bride. I went to bed at 1.30 am only to be woken about 3 am by the shouting occupants of nearby rooms.
- On Sunday night, I was back in my own bed at home in Sudbury Hill, north London.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)
Visit to Nairobi (3)
October 21st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
For the first time in my three visits to Kenya to see the family, I spent sometime outside Nairobi when I took my granddaughter (soon to be six) Catrin to a place called Sanctuary Farm about two hours drive north-west of the capital (there is a wonderful view over the Rift Valley about half way there). It is the first time that Catrin and have been away together and it was a great success. She knows the place well, having visited on three previous occasions with parents and other grandparents, and she absolutely loves it.
Sanctuary Farm is located at the southern end of Lake Naivasha and covers some 400 acres. The accommodation is just 14 units which are converted stables sitting around a courtyard. Food is served in a separate building and is delicious. Also there is a small swimming pool which Catrin visited twice.
The wildlife wandering freely includes giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, waterbacks, wildebeests, impalas and monkeys. There are many varieties of birds too, including the brilliantly colourful glossy starlings and Egyptian geese. At night, hippos come up from the lake. A special feature of the place is the opportunity to go horse riding and and see the other animals close up and Catrin had two such sessions, one with me walking by her side and the other with her mummy who joined us with the rest of the family for our final afternoon of the two day visit.
While Catrin was on her second horse riding trip, I took the opportunity to have a one-hour boat ride on the lake. The water was at its highest with the tops of trees sprouting up all along the shore. We saw lots of hippos and birds and our boatman brought along a fish which he used to demonstration the diving and catching skills of a fish eagle.
Catrin was great company: well-behaved, lots of fun, and chatting to everyone. She pointed out a hippo to me outside the cook house and, only when we approached it, did I find – which she knew all along – that it was a life-size model . One of her jokes was to warn me, when walking by wildebeest, “Don’t use the ‘r’ word!” When I asked what she meant, she replied “Don’t say ‘run’ or you’ll cause a stampede.” Another of her jokes was: “What do you call an alligator wearing a vest?” When I confessed that I had no idea, she responded: “An investigator”.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Visit to Nairobi (2)
October 19th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Since my last posting, I’ve had three more very busy, but thoroughly enjoyable, days with my family in Nairobi.
On Sunday, Richard and Emily took baby Kara for a stroll in the Karura Forest, while I took Catrin to an amusement park next to the Muthaiga shopping plaza She went on just about everything going: star jumps (trampoline in harness), inflated ball on water, quad bike ride, miniature train, horses roundabout, and bouncing castles. When Catrin and I teamed up with the others later, we all went to the Sarit Centre which has an outlet called Planet Yoghurt where you can fill a carton with your choice of flavours of frozen yoghurt.
On Monday, I took Catrin to the Westtgate shopping mall – the site of the terrorist attack in 2013 – where we saw two children’s films: “The Secret Life Of Pets” and “Storks”. Two differences from our cinema-going experience in London: the trailers come before the advertisements and there is a short animation before the main movie. In between the films, Catrin and I ate pizza. In the theatres, Catrin had ice cream.
On Tuesday, Emily drove Catrin, Kara and me to the Karen district of Nairobi to visit a place called Marula Mercantile. Here they recycle discarded flip-flops recovered from Kenyan beaches and turn them into animal features and other artefacts. Catrin helped out with the first stage, which is cleaning, but the later stages involve cutting, gluing, carving and sanding, so she just supervised these processes.
The weather has been a consistent 28C, but the high elevation of Nairobi (almost 6,000 feet) and some cloud has made for a very pleasant climate.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)