91Èȱ¬

HAS OUR PRIMARY INFORMATION SOURCE NOT YET REALISED?

The Western psyche is progressively self destructive. It has contaminated most of the world and is not set to relent. A quick glance at the Eightfold Path of Buddhism (or any parallel wisdom) will explain why.

Should The 91Èȱ¬ not contact the few genuine sages left on the planet, and air some fundamentals?

FURTHER TO MY POST ONE

I should have acknowledged that while can laugh, we shall not need cake.

"I'll be asking him, given the climate he describes, why on earth anyone would want to be a social worker."

Good.

Especially given that we appear to be breeding more potential bad parents and all the research seems to indicate that risk is to a large extent genetic.

Note how the current climate implies that responsibility lies with Social Services/Social Workers rather than parents, and many object to the intrusion of the 'Nazi Nanny State' into people's EU right to 'bring up' a family.

barrie (#1) "Should The 91Èȱ¬ not contact the few genuine sages left on the planet, and air some fundamentals?"

Are you trying to foment an international incident? Not only is the 91Èȱ¬ banned from Tibet/China but they'd also be arrested for Indecent Exposure.

(Please note: psyches are intensional, so don't have any significant impact on physical reality - unless you live in LA or NYC where rules of physics/reality do not apply).

On your list of topics for tonight's newsnight you have failed to include the story of Pervez Kambaksh the young Afghan journalist now imprisoned for 20 years by Karzai's Govt Ministers as reported by The Independent newspaper today,I do hope you will cover that in your next Newsnight. Re West Papua,they are being treated by the Indonesian Govt very much as the Tibetans are by the Chinese...

OH JJ NOT AGAIN (#4)

You KNOW I 'know' that! Just as I know there are six quarks. Do you take me for a fool?

MEMORY HOLE?

Can it be true that, according to the records for 2009, it will be found that Lord Ahmed was not sentenced to - and did not serve time in - prison? Coming so soon after British torture connivance/invlovement surfacing, we might seem less than perfect on the world stage. What might we do next? Blame America for our own criminality?We had better get on and find something a few centuries old to apologise for, if our reputation is to remain unsmirched.

On a Plumber's truck:"We repair what your husband fixed."

Newsnight Smalls.

ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITTANICA, complete set of 45 volumes.

Excellent condition, £100 or best offer. No longer needed, got married last month, new wife knows everything.


FOUND: DIRTY SMALL WHITE DOG.

Looks like a rat. Been outdoors for quite a while. Better be a reward.

In a Uniontown, Pennsylvania, cemetery:
Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake.
Stepped on the gas Instead of the brake.

and finally

True sayings....

ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?

WITNESS: We both do.

ATTORNEY: Voodoo?

WITNESS: We do.

ATTORNEY: You do?

WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.

Agree with JadedJean (3) the crisis is not of social services but parenting. By definition, damage must have been done to the child(ren) by the time outside agencies are involved. Whatever their shortcomings, social workers have had training of some sort whereas few parents have and in the age of nuclear families have seldom watched the processes at close hand. Parent Power, an epithet from an earlier administration, is a great idea if preceded by the acquisition of skills of discrimination and interpersonal relationships. The age of selfishness we presently inhabit is poor soil in which to grow ideas or loving families. Fortunately some manage but disturbing numbers seem not to.

This Government has been lowering Public Sector recruitment standards for years (see Probation as well as Social Work) whilst also out-sourcing system development. Making derisory noises about 'tick-box' systems is ignorant, as actuarial based, evidence-driven practice is precisely what improves service delivery, it's just that incompetent staff don't like working in ways which are evidence driven. That requires training in behavioral science.

Ed Balls said the right things tonight, but his Government doesn't DO the right things alas.

Are our 'media' betters aware they continually mis-pronounce "Bernard" (as in "Bernard Madoff"), preferring the American pronunciation?

Here's a hint as to how the name should be pronounced: Madoff's forename is shared with a breed of dog.

It's astonishing how those who earn a living in the media, where the English language is their stock-in-trade, have such a weak grasp of it.

HOMAGETO GANGO1

barrie (#6) "You KNOW I 'know' that!

Ah...but do I? How do I 'know' that? Might I not just be a colluding fool? Might we not even be up/down 'sock-puppets'?

I found tonites problem very interesting. Does Ed Balls really propose that with all the new changes Lord Laming has set today, Social Workers will reallllllllly be out there in the field doing real work rather than in front of computer screens, I mean what are administrators for if not to shuffle paper. Let Social Workers do the job they are trained to do.

Sarah (Gavin):

Finally, the PM Programme (a title which sounds like something for which Evening Primrose oil might be a cure) has accused Newsnight of - shock! - stealing its jokes. This, of course, is absurd. We did steal its editor, but our sophisticated style of Newsnight humour requires no plagiarism.

Here's the joke that we're both fighting over: "I went to the zoo the other day but all it had was a dog. It was a Shih Tzu."

The good news is we used it first in November 2004. As part of our green initiative on the programme I recycled it last night.

I know....NewsNight, can prove that it started it in 2004 November than PM can't say it was there idea.....

~Dennis Junior~

saying that the problem facing social workers is 'poor parenting' or 'family breakdown' is a bit like saying that the problem facing doctors is 'sick people' or 'injury' and what teachers face is 'lack of knowledge' and solicitors face 'law breakings'.

the population may well want to look into why parenting fails, or sickness occurs but that does not negate the need to deal with it when it happens in an appropriate manner. doctors are not allowed to diagnose without seeing a patient despite new systems to filter minor complaints to nurses. and nor do doctors who fail to spot symptoms on observation do well in their careers.

why can't the social work profession just admit that they repeatedly get it wrong and maybe need to look at their recruitment strategy and the qualities/skills that they select for.

GING GANGOILY (#12)

If I am do be designated a sock-puppet JJ, I insist on having charm or - better - strangeness (as that has its own charm, wouldn't you say Mr Quine?) I venture to suggest you might be more 'up-and-down'. I just hope I have God's hand up my knitting and not the Devil's!


FAILED PARENTING - FAILED EVERYTHING (#15)

Ho Doc! To repeat myself from #1, in answer to 'why parenting fails' - "The Western psyche is progressively self destructive. It has contaminated most of the world and is not set to relent. A quick glance at the Eightfold Path of Buddhism (or any parallel wisdom) will explain why."

doctormisswest (#15) "why can't the social work profession just admit that they repeatedly get it wrong and maybe need to look at their recruitment strategy and the qualities/skills that they select for."

Possibly because a) at the start of the 'Baby P media affair' figures were bandied about indicating that the extent of the problem had deceased not increased, b) that there will always be cases where the state 'fails' c) that we live in deregulative times where the rights of the individual/parent are greater than those of the ('intrusive') state d) that the demographics of inner cities are changing dysgenically which makes it even harder for the state to tell what is going on (hence calls for ID cards?).

Bad parenting = bad parentage? Just because thereare problems doesn't mean they can be fixed in medicine, education or social work. Skill acquisition doesn't come into this if the problems are basically genetically driven.

Ultimately though, these are still rare events, seized upon by the media and which of value to politicians because of initiatives like 'Every Child Matters'. which takes one back to the conflict betwen the rights of the individual and the power of the state. Yawn.

To conclude (cynically), Lord Lammy's report is part of a good strategy to further reduce the number of people wanting to be Public Sector Social Workers/Probation Officers etc. Bottom line is they can't get the staff and the job is all but impossible.

An important aside - 91Èȱ¬ News Friday: A report allegedly states that a) females do better at maths/science at school and yet b) don't go into these subjects at HE and engineering etc at anywhere near the rate. This is NOT true, they have just misread the figures for A Level performance (and even KS3 and KS4 maths). For A level the government distorts the truth. The figures are accurate but it's how they're presented which foxes the unwary (female dominated media?).

Another example of well meaning but misguided equalitarianism. Does anyone know what I am specifically referring to in the results tables?

ON HAVING A STRANGE UP AND DOWN DAY

erratum (#17) 'which' - drop the (maybe a ducking-stool would suffice? The above was clearly an instance of 'intrusive typing' - perhaps triggered by the excitement of it being 'edgy' friday - also see #30, #34).

barrie, (attention BlogDog) I hope that suggestion in 16, part 1, penultimate sentence, wasn't an instance of perjorative personal abuse ;-)

Can anyone explain (using government and other data) what is bsically wrong with this story?

IF IT 'LOOKS' LIKE A QUARK AND QUARKS LIKE A QUARK (#18)

Ho JJ! I try very hard to confine my abuse to politicians. And then only (I tell myself) to flag up our failure to elect individuals of substance.

It is also cathartic.

I have been discussing the QSJ group (Quine Skinner Jean) with my brother. Rough hypothesis: Homo Sapiens gets established in Africa. HS spreads all over the globe and gets isolated for a long period in 'ethnic groups' whose genes express in various ways according to the constraints impinging. One variant is IQ. Presumably, any group then moving on again to a very different location, will with returned isolation (all other things being equal) mutate accordingly. Their skin/hair/eye colour, stature, etc, all affected, along with IQ. Might this be one reason why the Hong Kong Chinese did not flock to the UK? They did not want to get dumber? Location - location - location?

What, actually made the brighter groups 'select for' IQ? It doesn't look like survival pressure so presumably cultural; even happenstance. In an ice-age or two, will it not sort itself out?

#19 Can't help with the engineering chicks. I hope they don't start hair-pulling with the pit-popsies.

'David Cameron has apologised for mistakes his party made on the economy, among them not warning about the extent of the UK's debt crisis.'

Its nice to be able to applaud the integrity of a politician and it will probably boost his poll ratings rather than diminish them. It was required but delivered with grace.

#17 jaded_jean

"Skill acquisition doesn't come into this if the problems are basically genetically driven."

But what makes the far right so genetically prone to perverted, sick and sadistic acts?

Hitler - I know you don't like people "to paint him darkly", but live with it - not only murdered millions but had some very odd sexual tendencies by all accounts.

The Baby P batterer was illiterate and probably as a consequence found himself impressed by the far right literature and the nonsense that those people talk.

The paedophile who hated "bar stool nationalists" and was contemplating nail bombing was pretty dumb.

The "Lowestoft train station" bomber does not seem smart getting caught with an SS Manual and I think an IED.

The Twickenham Green murderer was Satanic and liked Hitler.

All within the last year I think.

So when you question "the conflict betwen the rights of the individual and the power of the state" you know full well that you, a race "realist" and somebody who is hazy about the Holocaust, are a perfect example of why there is a great need for balance and vigilance against those who would, if they could, abuse their powers.

Of course everybody knows also that genetic variation within races is greater than the variation between races and so there is no scientific basis for your misguided and flawed ideas.

#20 barriesingleton

Have you thought about trying the use of the word "quintessential" or telling everybody that you are very cerebrally aware and have several books on your shelves?

barrie (#20) "What, actually made the brighter groups 'select for' IQ? It doesn't look like survival pressure so presumably cultural"

The best hypothesis I have seen (Lynn's) is that it was selection pressure. It was cold up North so Europeans and East Asians had to insulate themselves (clothe, house etc) and there would have been more winnowing due to the harsh conditions. Good point about the HK Chinese, but there were only about 6m of them at the time, they didn't have the same migration rights as expatriates, it's not a bad place to live, and as you say, they're quite a smart/decent bunch as a rule.

PS. The answer to the other question lies in a) Numbers sitting exams and b) results expressed as percentages of sex getting grades. Spun tables. Good intentions or a 'conspiracy' - technically not - as done under government equalities policy, so legal, but venal in my view, like so much else done under New Labour and its (unwttingly?) anarchistic predecessors.

bernie madeoff was ok as long as prices rose, Brown, Blair and Mandy were ok as long as prices rose with PFI's in hospitals, the underground etc but as soon as it hits the fan there is nowhere to hide, Tony got out but Gordon and Mandy are still trying the same old routine, sell of the good bits of Royal Mail and lumber the public sector with the dross....haven't we learnt a little bit to fall for that again?

THE QUINTESSENTIAL BIBLIOPHILE

Ho Gango! Shiney-Boy Dave's admission of Tory laxity is a squalid political ploy. See today's thread. No grace there.

As for the books on my shelves, they even make MY eyes water - but thanks for the compliment. (:o)

MANIPULATED EXAM RESULTS (#24)

The school my Boys attended was in the iron grip of a very 'able' headmaster.

Exam results (% passes) were always trumpeted as showing another year of great achievement.
What was never listed was the numbers NOT entered for each subject and the numbers receiving external tuition (because the teacher was useless, but unfired to avoid admission of such). I suppose this still goes on.

I learned more political manoeuvres from my association with that school and its faux parent-teacher association, than from any other experience.

thegangofone (#22) "But what makes the far right so genetically prone to perverted, sick and sadistic acts?"

A lot of what you post appears to me to be factually untrue and logically unsound.

For instance, the far right is a misnomer. The right wing is pro free-market. The left wing is pro state/regulation. Hitler was in fact a left-wing politician. If you look carefully, you will see that Keynesian economic policies were implemented in Germany.

Furthermore, the fact that you keep trying to associate political ideologies with sadistic acts is polemical, not rational. It's clear from history that people in general are capable of horrific acts.

There are a number of murders each year, and you appear to select a few in which the press allegedly mentions that the perpetrator had interests which you strongly disapprove of. This does not, however, mean that their offences were committed as a consequence of the views they held. This is shown by the fact that large numbers of other people who also hold similar views do not commit such offences.