So, the International Monetary Fund has supported the right wing, neo-liberal agenda of the Tories? Well that is hardly surprising! Many working in the field of development have campaigned against the IMF for decades because it has always sided with the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor.
The IMF, like Cameron, have disguised their language to sound as if they really care about the most vulnerable, but in practice, their policies have continued to follow the rules of the 'Washington Consensus'. Privatisation, trade liberalisation, erosion of public services (especially health and education) and the steady decline of democracy, as power is handed over to international finance bodies and trans-nationals.
The IMF has often wrecked national economies by offering a simplistic 'one size fits all' approach in formulating their policies. They also fall short of being a model of transparency, and have become synonymous with unaccountable and undemocratic governance. There are far too many examples of destructive social and economic impacts following the imposition of IMF policies for us not to be worried about their comments regarding the UK.
Now that the IMF have endorsed Tory economic policies, it is clear that we need to redouble our efforts to resist them!
Monday, 6 June 2011
Yemen gets rid of another dictator, but what next?
President Saleh looks almost certain to be the third dictator to be ousted during the 'Arab Spring'. He left Yemen for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia two days ago, following a rocket attack on his Presidential compound, and would find it almost impossible to retain power back home.
In power for over 30 years, he has been popular with the West for his support for the 'war on terror'. It has meant that we were happy to sell him weapons to use on his own people, and were slow to condemn the horrendous attacks on protesters over the last 10 weeks.
Despite Saleh's departure, Yemen is not a successful product of non-violent revolution, and it is unclear who will fill the power vacuum. The tribal power grab is certainly not a peaceful one, and elements connected to al-Qaeda are present in some parts of the country.
What becomes clearer with each passing moment, as the Arab Spring turns to Summer, is that the gains of Tunisia and Egypt are not being replicated in Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen. Each country is different, and will require different solutions.
Two common threads are these: First, the West has responsibilities to these nations based on its colonial history and modern political involvement. Put simply, our foreign policy has built up horrific dictators that we have been prepared to 'do business with'. This cannot be allowed to continue. The second common element, is about non-violence. The more the opposition groups are armed, the more likely things are to turn into prolonged bloodshed.
We need to find ways of supporting those who bravely resist the despots we have helped create. Not with bullets, but with diplomacy, targeted sanctions, international courts challenging human rights abuses, and foreign policy not based on what is best for business, but what is best for the people in those countries.
In power for over 30 years, he has been popular with the West for his support for the 'war on terror'. It has meant that we were happy to sell him weapons to use on his own people, and were slow to condemn the horrendous attacks on protesters over the last 10 weeks.
Despite Saleh's departure, Yemen is not a successful product of non-violent revolution, and it is unclear who will fill the power vacuum. The tribal power grab is certainly not a peaceful one, and elements connected to al-Qaeda are present in some parts of the country.
What becomes clearer with each passing moment, as the Arab Spring turns to Summer, is that the gains of Tunisia and Egypt are not being replicated in Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen. Each country is different, and will require different solutions.
Two common threads are these: First, the West has responsibilities to these nations based on its colonial history and modern political involvement. Put simply, our foreign policy has built up horrific dictators that we have been prepared to 'do business with'. This cannot be allowed to continue. The second common element, is about non-violence. The more the opposition groups are armed, the more likely things are to turn into prolonged bloodshed.
We need to find ways of supporting those who bravely resist the despots we have helped create. Not with bullets, but with diplomacy, targeted sanctions, international courts challenging human rights abuses, and foreign policy not based on what is best for business, but what is best for the people in those countries.
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Breathing Space
Yesterday we were in the wonders of 'Henacre Woods', (bigger than an acre, and definitely no hens) and followed the woodland stream to its source, passed a lovely small set of waterfalls. It was a short walk away from the 576 bus route, and the children had a fantastic time exploring. I held back from the group at one stage, looked up at the tree canopy, and gave thanks to God. I can't remember the last time I had done that and really meant it.
It seems to me, whether religious or not - we all desperately need to create gaps, moments in the wilderness, breathing spaces for our souls. They enable us to be thankful for the wonder of creation. These moments help make sure we don't get too lost in the unnaturalness of the built up world.
The Big Lunch V The Big Society!
Today, 'The Big Lunch' came to Ashgrove, the perpetually sunny street where Desmond Tutu House is located. We had been building up to it for months (3 months legal warning to get a road closed!) with lots of litter picks and leaflets to prepare the neighbours. The local Methodists got involved (though the Catholic Church completely failed to engage...) and the council pitched in with its neighbourhood community team.
From 12-4, all traffic was stopped, bunting went up, and tables went out on the streets. Neighbours were a little unsure at first, but the kids pestered them to come out (they could smell the face paint) but 2pm it was a roaring success, the Muslim kids playing football with the Latvian and Polish kids. The Ugandans playing 'superheroes' with my little ones.
If we provided more community space for kids to get to know one another, then the world would some be a better place.
Then the food began to pour in - with East European, African and Asian delicacies way beyond the size of the trestle tables we had borrowed from the YMCA. People living in hostels were mixing with students of electrical engineering. local homeless people came and ate their fill. It was heavenly.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Natural Shale Gas fracking lunacy!
Go and see the film 'Gasland' (available through the fantastic 'Dogwoof' film distributors.) It is clear that the process of 'fracking' has some disastrous effects on the environment, especially on local water supplies.
The news that it may also be responsible for low level earthquakes around Blackpool is apparently not news to the industry, where these side effects are known and predicted. I wonder if the people living nearby had been given this information before 'fracking' was started.
We have a finite planet. We simply cannot keep on squeezing all the non-renewables from the earth. our desire for more sources of energy seems to outstrip our care for the planet. I fear that the oil and gas industries are being given permission to get away with the murder in the search for new ways of keeping the old systems going.
The public need to know if the government has given permission for any other 'fracking' experiments. And we need to stop this method being used throughout the poorer parts of the world, as desperate for energy as they may well be.
If we don't stop this madness, and concentrate our 'energy' on renewables and reduction of energy consumption, then we will end up being well and truly 'fracked'.
The news that it may also be responsible for low level earthquakes around Blackpool is apparently not news to the industry, where these side effects are known and predicted. I wonder if the people living nearby had been given this information before 'fracking' was started.
We have a finite planet. We simply cannot keep on squeezing all the non-renewables from the earth. our desire for more sources of energy seems to outstrip our care for the planet. I fear that the oil and gas industries are being given permission to get away with the murder in the search for new ways of keeping the old systems going.
The public need to know if the government has given permission for any other 'fracking' experiments. And we need to stop this method being used throughout the poorer parts of the world, as desperate for energy as they may well be.
If we don't stop this madness, and concentrate our 'energy' on renewables and reduction of energy consumption, then we will end up being well and truly 'fracked'.
Private care V public care
The Panorama programme showing horrific treatment of those in a private care home is not a shock to many who have worked in the sector. In the late 1980's and early 1990's I had several jobs working in residential settings, and post social work qualification, a spell working in and then running hostels for the voluntary sector.
From working with the elderly, mental health issues, learning difficulties, the homeless and those coming out of prison, I soon developed a view that the public sector was almost always the best way of providing services. Whilst there were some fantastic private/voluntary sector hostels, and some poor public sector care homes - clearly, on the whole, the private sector provided a second rate service.
Profit margins are always at the front of private sector projects, which means less staff, poorly paid and poorly trained. Where ever cuts can be made, whatever concerns about the level of care, managers implemented them with little resistance.
But it is the poor levels of monitoring that is the biggest problem, and it is this one that can allow the worst cases of abuse to happen.
Yes, the public sector was almost always the costliest way of offering provision, but this was for a reason. High levels of well trained staff and high levels of monitoring. Good care cost money.
Often the private sector not only cuts corners but also syphons off huge amounts of public sector funding for providing the services, money that ends up in the pockets of owners and company directors of these care homes.
I remember once walking out of a job in a private sector care home for people with learning difficulties. One of the patients had been flinging excrement at the other patients in the TV lounge. Though the incident had happened much earlier in the day, none of the staff had been bothered to deal with it, leaving it to the night staff to clean up. It was horrible and degrading for all those having to live in those conditions. I had witnessed some awful sights over the previous 3 weeks, but it was for me the final straw and I quit that night
Public sector care has been much derided since the Thatcher era, but I for one have witnessed enough to say; I'd rather our governments spent less on bombs and city centre water features, and more on decent public sector provision for the most vulnerable in society.
From working with the elderly, mental health issues, learning difficulties, the homeless and those coming out of prison, I soon developed a view that the public sector was almost always the best way of providing services. Whilst there were some fantastic private/voluntary sector hostels, and some poor public sector care homes - clearly, on the whole, the private sector provided a second rate service.
Profit margins are always at the front of private sector projects, which means less staff, poorly paid and poorly trained. Where ever cuts can be made, whatever concerns about the level of care, managers implemented them with little resistance.
But it is the poor levels of monitoring that is the biggest problem, and it is this one that can allow the worst cases of abuse to happen.
Yes, the public sector was almost always the costliest way of offering provision, but this was for a reason. High levels of well trained staff and high levels of monitoring. Good care cost money.
Often the private sector not only cuts corners but also syphons off huge amounts of public sector funding for providing the services, money that ends up in the pockets of owners and company directors of these care homes.
I remember once walking out of a job in a private sector care home for people with learning difficulties. One of the patients had been flinging excrement at the other patients in the TV lounge. Though the incident had happened much earlier in the day, none of the staff had been bothered to deal with it, leaving it to the night staff to clean up. It was horrible and degrading for all those having to live in those conditions. I had witnessed some awful sights over the previous 3 weeks, but it was for me the final straw and I quit that night
Public sector care has been much derided since the Thatcher era, but I for one have witnessed enough to say; I'd rather our governments spent less on bombs and city centre water features, and more on decent public sector provision for the most vulnerable in society.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
6 months of Blogging
This is just a thank you to loyal readers after 6 months of blogging! I began the exercise simply to help plug my first ever book 'A Just Church', and to expand upon recent developments that come out of the themes of that the book touches on.
Without any major publicity, and with no reviews in even the Christian press, the book went into reprint within 2 months, and was a strong enough seller to go onto kindle. Pretty good going for a book about Liberation Theology! Its is thanks to word of mouth, and a lot of support has come out of those who read the blog - so thanks again!
Its not always been easy - the EDL targeted the blog at one stage, so I had to take off the comment section (though I still read everything sent to me - cheers for the encouraging comments!) and various right wing commentators have tried to hijack bits - (I find those who hide their true identities particularly annoying!)
But mostly its been fun - and with nearly 3,000 hits a month, well worth the efforts! I do hope that you continue to enjoy this medley of faith, culture and politics!
Without any major publicity, and with no reviews in even the Christian press, the book went into reprint within 2 months, and was a strong enough seller to go onto kindle. Pretty good going for a book about Liberation Theology! Its is thanks to word of mouth, and a lot of support has come out of those who read the blog - so thanks again!
Its not always been easy - the EDL targeted the blog at one stage, so I had to take off the comment section (though I still read everything sent to me - cheers for the encouraging comments!) and various right wing commentators have tried to hijack bits - (I find those who hide their true identities particularly annoying!)
But mostly its been fun - and with nearly 3,000 hits a month, well worth the efforts! I do hope that you continue to enjoy this medley of faith, culture and politics!
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